The retirement of Derek Price, chief judge of the NSW District Court, has been accompanied by solemn remembrances, feasts, and farewells. 

Actually, at age 74 he’s a year shy of his retirement age and because he also doubles as a Supreme Court judge he aims to sit on the Court of Criminal Appeal for the balance of his term. 

Chief Judge Price did not get bogged down in trial work at the District Court, dedicating himself to administrative oversight and other callings. 

A farewell dinner was attended by an inner circle of colleagues. To mark the end of his reign a portrait was commissioned from artiste in residence to the judiciary, Simon Fieldhouse. 

Because of his double commission, Price is decked out in his Dizzo robes with Court of Criminal Appeal attire slung casually over the back of an office chair. 

His left paw clutches a full-bottom wig. The painting will join the court’s gallery of fame.

Pricey has also slapped his portrait on bottles of wine that have been distributed to friends, dinner guests and faithful retainers. It is now a collectors item. 

Lawyers Weekly reported that Price had a long and “extinguished” career. 

Before moving to the bench he did time as a solicitor in Dubbo at Peacocke Dickens & Price – now simplified to Peacockes – a firm with strong National Party connections. 

Gerald Beresford Ponsonby Peacocke was a National Party MP in the Legislative Assembly where he rose to the dizzy heights of Minister for Cooperatives. He was also a one term mayor of Dubbo. 

Peacocke was sacked as a minister by Premier John Fahey, and on his way to the backbench he described the premier as “a gutless little wimp … wide and shallow like a soup bowl”. 

After Riverview, Derek got a job as a clerk at Carroll & O’Dea before moving to Dubbo as a solicitor. By 1988 he was on the Local Court bench. Eleven years later the District Court called, and from there he gradually climbed the greasy pole to chief judge in 2014, as well as taking on the task of President of the Dust Diseases Tribunal. 

He officially retires on April 26. There were two contenders to replace him – both women and both on the Supreme Court after having previously been District Court judges: Sarah Huggett and Dina Yehia. 

Justice Yehia: staying put

Huggett got the job, and it is commonly understand the appointment was engineered by Price. Many were surprised. One former judge described her as “a nice woman, competent enough, and she will not be unpleasant to her colleagues”. 

Huggett will also inherit Chief Judge Price’s long-serving and loyal secretary Lisa Freeman, who got the Public Service Medal in the most recent Australia Day honours list. 

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Justice David Hammerschlag, currently New South Wales’ chief judge in equity,  has released a new fast-paced, rock, single, “Sixteen at the Movies”. 

It was written while HH worked at home during Covid. 

Sixteen at the movies sitting next to you
Sixteen at the movies wondering what to do
The screen flickers by I’m looking for a sign
That if I hold your hand you will hold mine … 

The downloads are free at blueshamrockmusic.com

Back in the day in Johannesburg the Hammer was a rock ‘n’ roll guitarist with “Midas Touch”, but now his musical repertoire is much broader and includes a stirring rendition of Hallelujah Psalm from his album “For a Simpler Time”. 

He’s also appeared as a busking guitarist at the Tamworth Music Festival under the name Davey J. 

HH is doing his bit for diversity on the bench.