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The Southland Times
November 10, 2003
Lecture sets benchmark
by Patricia Soper
GORE -- As an inaugural event, it was a resounding success -- the speaker
prestigious and fluent, the topic fascinating.
With a precise measure of knowledge tempered with humour, it was also
appropriate that the lecture's subject matter was one that would have been
close to Hallam Smith's heart.
As well as a memorial, the event was certainly a warm, personal tribute to
the late Hallam Smith, former Gore mayor, respected lawyer and a man still
remembered for his love of Southland.
The Hallam Smith Memorial Lecture is to become an annual fixture in Gore, and
is supported by the Eastern Southland Gallery, Gore Rotary Club and the
Mataura Licensing Trust.
The concept was initiated by the Wayland Trust, which was established 40
years ago as a low-key way of supporting projects in the area.
In his 40-minute lecture, Dr George Barton, QC, addressed the subject of
individual freedoms and rights, drawing on his own wide experience.
Dr Barton, who proudly retains his childhood connections to Gore, divided his
address to the capacity audience into two parts, exploring the moral and
legal ramifications for both the victim and the accused, using modern as well
as historic examples.
Thought-provoking and at times hard-hitting, Dr Barton also touched on the
controversial and still-sensitive Christchurch Civic Creche case, the
psychological implications of solitary confinement and the little-publicised
responsibilities of the individual within our justice system.
Inviting questions from the floor, he also expressed a raft of views on the
Waitangi Tribunal and raised a series of interesting points on the pros and
cons of counselling as it affects personal judgment and individual development.
It is proposed that in the future the Hallam Smith Memorial Lecture will
encompass a variety of topics. Friday night's launch was a benchmark, a
standard for all future lecturers, and an annual event that promises much.
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