TONY PAGONE’S FORTUNATE LIFE IN LAW FORGING A PATH IN INTERNATIONAL JUDICIARY by Teresa De Fazio | Images provided by T. Pagone
Tony Pagone will tell you that his life seems to be a series of fortunate events. Listening to his story unfold, however, it would seem the former Federal Court of Australia judge epitomizes a quiet, dedicated approach to contributing to the judicial system and community.
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aetano (Tony) Pagone, former judge to the Federal Court of Australia and Supreme Court of Victoria, was appointed this year as a Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to the law, to the judiciary, and to professional associations. With such an illustrious career in the judiciary, it would seem only logical to ask what motivated Tony Pagone to enter the field. Interestingly, Tony explains: “I had no idea what I was doing! I studied a double degree of Law and Arts and played with the idea of becoming an academic. Luckily, I took up law.” When his father suddenly passed, Tony recalls he felt disconnected and turned to teaching. But life took another turn. Dissatisfied with his choices, he returned to law, gaining a scholarship (another event Tony attributes to luck) to complete a Master of Law with First Class Honours at Cambridge University and then being admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Victoria. It is not difficult to understand his success: Tony is a careful listener, meticulous in recalling details, prudent with his words, and reflective in manner. He also carries the paradoxical balance of humility and sense of pride that often characterizes migrants and their children. Tony was born in Melbourne to parents who were originally from Sicily but met in Ethiopia, during the Italian occupation of what was known then as Abyssinia. Rather than return to a devasted Catania in the aftermath of World War II, the
Gaetano (Tony) Pagone
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GLOBAL & SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
Segmento Issue XXVII • Jun-Aug 2022
