Servants of none 'n' all

Envelopes retrieved from Cosmos magazine ... Election of finest barmen and barmaids ... Fluids are flowing ... Jockeying for possies on club's holy of holies 

After all the misdirected envelopes were collected from Cosmos magazine, only three fresh people were elected to the council of the NSW bar 'n' grill on Friday (Nov 11) - Elisabeth Peden, Mary Walker and David Smallbone. 

The other 18 members of the vastly oversized bar parliament have all served time before, some of them plenty of time. 

The relative shortage of fresh blood doesn't mean that all reform of the creaky old club is impossible. 

The election of David Smallbone and Mary Walker from the salon des refuses is likely to see further agitation of the silk selection process, although Peter Skinner and George Thomas, who are also proponents of change, missed out. 

Word on the Street of Tears is that a number of members of the junior bar are seeking to develop a case under the Competition and Consumer Act that appointment of senior counsel has anti-competitive consequences. 

Former treasurer Justin Gleeson made an impressive return with the fourth highest vote tally (338). 

He is known to be keen to press for a shake-up of the ways the bar goes about its business and structures its affairs. 

Gleeson left the inner sanctum in 2008 after a disagreement with then president Anna Katzmann over circulating details of the dire state of the bar's finances. 

Details from our archive here.   

The council meets this Thursday (Nov. 17) to anoint its executive. Lobbying for positions is underway. 

It is understood that Bernie Coles is likely to stand again and be chosen as prez, although there was some muted suggestion when he took over from Tom Bathurst that he would only do one year in the saddle. 

Indeed, there are some on the council who are arguing that a term of one year is the way to go. 

With a change in levels of popularity it's possible we'll see an alteration of the pecking order. Jane Needham outpolled last year's senior vice, Philliip Boulton, and  Gleeson outpolled the treasurer Ian Temby. 

As they say in the best pubs and clubs, the situation is fluid.  

It's comforting to know that a decent number of barristers kept up the fine tradition of not being able to fill out a ballot paper and return it properly. 

Of the 1058 ballots received, 42 voters stuffed it up either completely or partially and another 55 asked to do it again. 

Update on Friday, November 18, 2011 by Justinian

Last night (Thurs. Nov. 17) the bar council elected the same executive, with the exception that Anne Healey is now the secretary instead of Michael McHugh. 

Looks like more of the same.