Vale Damon Ind: A passionate lawyer & animal rights champion

Empathy for the underdog and an unwavering commitment to fair play underpinned Damon Ind’s approach to law. He has been widely described by colleagues and magistrates as a compassionate man, going out of his way to help defendants who were trying to represent themselves and showing mercy to people facing allegations of terrible crimes.

Damon and Scooby

Driven by the belief that our legal system is weighted against people who are already oppressed, Damon had ambitions to become a magistrate. He felt that was the role in which he could make the most positive impact on his community. Sadly, he did not live to fulfil this ambition.

The much-loved lawyer, known equally for his larrikin nature and deep respect for the law, suffered a fatal heart attack outside the Stepney offices of his employer, RSPCA South Australia, in June. He was 47 years old.

Damon launched his 14-year legal career after graduating with a law degree from Flinders University in 2005, commencing practise at the Salisbury offices of Nicholls Gervasi Lawyers.

His employment in Adelaide’s northern suburbs continued with a move to Dixon Gallasch Barristers and Solicitors at Elizabeth South in 2007. It was here that Damon cut his teeth in the area of criminal defence, working under the mentorship of Brett Dixon, who Damon referred to fondly as his Atticus Finch. During these two years Damon became a familiar face at the Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court, managing client files and acting as defence counsel in summary, minor and major indictable matters.

It was inside the Magistrate’s Court that Damon met and fell in love with fellow lawyer Jessica Kurtzer. Friends and family have described the couple as soulmates.

A reputation for preparing thorough, accurate briefs and establishing solid rapport with diverse clients helped

Damon secure employment in Adelaide firms Michael Woods and Co Barristers & Solicitors and Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers, before he moved into the role of Prosecutor for SA Police.

This switch to the other side of the bench was not all smooth sailing for Damon, whose empathy and compassion for some defendants at times ran counter to the expectations of him in the prosecution role. After nearly two years with SA Police’s Special Prosecution Unit, Damon left the complexities and constraints of law to work as a tiler at a friend’s business.

It was the opportunity to take on a position that united two of his life’s great passions – animals and the law – that lured Damon back into legal practice in 2016. As RSPCA South Australia’s sole legal counsel, he fronted court to give voice to the voiceless animal victims of cruelty and neglect. Disappointed that the law didn’t appear to take animal welfare as seriously as he believed it should, he was determined to raise the bar for RSPCA to be considered a significant prosecuting authority. Like many people, he struggled to understand the cruel treatment some people inflicted on animals that they owned and claimed to love.

Colleagues who on occasion attended court with Damon recall he brought both kindness and a sense of calm to proceedings, irrespective of what the allegation against a defendant was, or who was on the other side. Despite the often heavy nature of the animal cruelty cases he prosecuted, outside of Court Damon has also been remembered as an immensely positive thinker with a contagious passion for life and “the ultimate practical joker”. Always generous with his time, Damon provided pro-bono legal advice on many occasions to colleagues and friends and also gained a reputation for multiskilling as RSPCA South Australia’s office handyman and removalist.

Outside of work, Damon’s priority was spending time with Jessica and his two sons from a previous marriage, Harrison and Samuel. Weekends away with Jessica and his sons, fishing and camping, were a favourite escape from the demands of the courts and the cases he dealt with.

Football was another of Damon’s enduring passions. He played 189 games for Hectorville football club and was heavily involved in the club community, filling coaching and mentoring roles. He was proud to be named Best and Fairest in the over 35s division in 2016. Harrison’s membership of the “Heccies” junior football team was a source of much spoken pride, as he watched his eldest son play with both determination and fairness. Damon is survived by his partner Jessica, sons Harrison and Samuel, mother Pam, brother Travis, sister-in-law Joanna and his rescue dog, Scooby, who regularly came to work with him at the RSPCA.