Page 27 - Keeping the Peace

Keeping the Peace – A History of Honorary Justices in Victoria 21
Joys of a JP
In a small population, the personal and professional could be hard to distinguish. When matters became too close to home, one JP decided to surrender his commission and retire from his role. First, his daughter came before him at court
for riding a bike without a light. Next, a drunk came before him and said a lady gave him sixpence for a beer. When it turned out that this kind lady turned out to be the JP’s wife, the JP decided he had enough . ‘I found the pressure of business necessitated my depriving myself of
the honour’.39
39 ‘The Justice of the Peace’, 10 March 1936, p. 8.
Red cliff riots
Mildura, March 1939
500 rioting fruitpickers overwhelmed local police and citizens for two hours from 6.45 pm on the night of 12 March 1939. A young picker who helped to restore order said they were angry about the lack of work due to adverse harvest conditions, and had had enough of the tactics of police. A local JP, Mr C P Howie, saw 24 men charged with offences at the Red Cliffs court the following Monday. Three years later, the self-proclaimed ‘Queen of the Red Cliffs riots’, Ms Louise Edwards, again appeared before another JP, Cr H N Sarah, who found her guilty
of contempt of court.38
38 The Argus 13 March 1939, p. 1; Border Watch, 16 March 1939; Sunraysia Daily, 23 March 1943.