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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 12 Hansard (18 November) . . Page.. 4275 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

turned and said to him, "Righto, Mr Smith, you can now go and do what you told the police to do."Everyone killed themselves laughing on that because it was obvious what Johnny Smith had told the police to do.

Dobo was predictable. It didn't matter who you were or whom you had acting for you, he was fair. I remember another occasion around about that time when Gough Whitlam gave character evidence for his research assistant. Gough was coming into court 4, Dobo's court, and I was coming out.

He wanted to find the prosecutor, one of our police sergeants, Pat Leonard, at the time, to indicate character evidence. I directed him to Pat. I went back in to see what the show would be like with Dobo and Gough Whitlam. Dobo listened. There was a bit of verbal repartee between the two of them. Obviously Gough had been in his court before. Then Dobo proceeded to fine the research assistant $75 or three days in default, 28 days to pay; just like he would anyone else for that particular type of offence. He certainly was very, very predictable, very fair, very efficient, an excellent magistrate, a credit to the bench, a bloke who was a bit of a larrikin and a ratbag.

I had the pleasure to go with him down to Jervis Bay for his last time at the Jervis Bay court. Dobo normally would just like to have a few drinks and play the pokies but we actually got him out on the police boat. We still played the pokies. He probably had about 22 middies of Reschs. It was when Haley's Comet was going around. I don't think we saw that. We probably saw Reschs comet.

He was a remarkable bloke, an excellent lawyer, a great Canberran and a very, very fair magistrate. He made a wonderful contribution to the law in the Australian Capital Territory. He will be sadly missed.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

The Assembly adjourned at 9.00 pm.

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