Athol Moffitt
Athol Randolph Moffitt (1914-2007) was an eminent Australian jurist and was the author of several books. He is best known as the chair of the landmark 1973-74 Moffitt Royal Commission, which investigated organised crime in New South Wales. Biography Moffit was the son of NSW workers' compensation judge Herbert William Moffitt, and his older sister Gwen was also a practising solicitor. He was educated at North Sydney Boys High School and then studied law at the University of Sydney, where he graduated with first-class honours. He was admitted to the NSW bar in 1938. At the outset of World War II Moffitt joined the Second Australian Imperial Force, AIF as a private in the artillery, reaching the rank of captain. He was involved with the war crimes trials held at Labuan of the Japanese officers and soldiers who had taken part in the murders and brutality at the prisoner of war camp at Sandakan and the Sandakan death marches. As a result of these trials, eight Japanese, including C ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Moffitt Royal Commission
The Royal Commission of Inquiry in respect of certain matters relating to allegations of organised crime in clubs also known as the Moffitt Royal Commission (1973–74) was one of the first Australian Royal commissions to specifically investigate the extent and activities of organised crime in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Its common title was taken from the name of its chairperson, NSW Supreme Court judge Athol Moffitt. Background In August 1973, the New South Wales Government appointed Mr Justice Moffitt to head the Commission. It was set up to address public and media concerns about the growing extent of organised crime in NSW and to investigate specific allegations that the Bally poker machine company now Bally Technologies, -- which was allegedly linked to the Mafia in the United States—was seeking to expand its interests in Australia, and that this might act as a conduit for Mafia-style organised crime to develop and diversify in Australia. Police investi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brown powders sold illegally around the world as heroin have variable "cuts". Black tar heroin is a variable admixture of morphine derivatives—predominantly 6-MAM (6-monoacetylmorphine), which is the result of crude acetylation during clandestine production of street heroin. Heroin is used medically in several countries to relieve pain, such as during childbirth or a heart attack, as well as in opioid replacement therapy. It is typically injected, usually into a vein, but it can also be smoked, snorted, or inhaled. In a clinical context, the route of administration is most commonly intravenous injection; it may also be given by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection, as well as orally in the form of tablets. The onset of effects is usuall ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Michael Kirby (judge)
Michael Donald Kirby (born 18 March 1939) is an Australian jurist and academic who is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, serving from 1996 to 2009. He has remained active in retirement; in May 2013 he was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to lead an inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea, which reported in February 2014. Early life and education Michael Donald Kirby was born on 18 March 1939 at Crown Street Women's Hospital to Donald and Jean Langmore (née Knowles) Kirby. He was the eldest of five siblings, followed by twins Donald William and David Charles (the latter died at 18 months from pneumonia), David, and Diana Margaret. In 1943 his grandmother, Norma Gray, remarried and her second husband was Jack Simpson, National Treasurer of the Australian Communist Party. Although Kirby came to admire Simpson, neither he nor his immediate family embraced the ideology. His father supported the Australian Labor Party, but never became a m ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kenneth Jacobs
Sir Kenneth Sydney Jacobs KBE QC (5 October 1917 – 24 May 2015) was an Australian judge who served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. Jacobs was born in 1917 in Gordon, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. He was educated at Knox Grammar School, and later studied at the University of Sydney, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1938. During World War II, from 1940 to 1945, Jacobs served in the Second Australian Imperial Force. He enlisted in Paddington in 1939, and remained in the service until 1948. Following his return from the war, Jacobs returned to the University of Sydney where he completed a Bachelor of Laws degree, winning the university's Medal for Law in 1946, and graduating in 1947. Later that year, Jacobs was admitted to the New South Wales Bar Association, where he practised as a barrister, and in 1958 he was made a Queen's Counsel. In 1960 Jacobs was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. In 1963, Jacobs was selected ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Probus Clubs
Probus Clubs are clubs for retired or semi-retired people from all walks of life and may include business or professional people. The movement operates worldwide. Organisation PROBUS is a local, national, and international association of retired people who come together in non-political, non-sectarian, non-profit, autonomous clubs which provide regular opportunities for members to meet others in similar circumstances, with similar levels of interest, make new friends, and maintain and expand their interests. Probus Clubs can be made up of men, women or be mixed (men and women) clubs. It is normal for the spouses of club members and widows of former members to be encouraged to participate in the social activities. In some places Rotary Clubs sponsor Probus Clubs but many clubs are sponsored by other Probus Clubs. By 2018, there were over 400,000 members in approximately 4,000 Probus clubs worldwide. History The Probus Club movement was formed in the United Kingdom in 1965. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Konrāds Kalējs
Konrāds Kalējs (26 June 1913 – 8 November 2001) was a Latvian soldier who was a Nazi collaborator and an alleged war criminal during World War II. He gained notoriety for evading calls for his prosecution across four countries, more than once under the threat of deportation. Early life Kalējs was born in Riga, Latvia, Russian Empire, in 1913. In 1935 he joined the Latvian army as a cadet, and attained the rank of lieutenant four years later. Activities under Nazi occupation In 1941, following the German invasion of Latvia as part of Operation Barbarossa, Kalējs deserted the Red Army (Latvia by that stage having been occupied by the Soviet Union) and became a member of the Nazi-controlled Latvian security police. Kalējs would later assert that he worked as a farmhand during this period. It was common practice in occupied nations for indigenous security forces to act in support of German military and security forces in the collection, interrogation, and transport of "und ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is bounded by the suburbs of Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay and Darlinghurst. Colloquially known as ''The Cross'', the area was once known for its music halls and grand theatres. It was rapidly transformed after World War II by the influx of troops returning and visiting from the nearby Garden Island naval base. It became known as Sydney's night entertainment and red-light district; however, many nightclubs, bars and adult entertainment venues closed due to the Sydney lockout laws. Today, it is a mixed locality offering services such as a railway station, gyms, supermarkets and bakeries as well as entertainment venues including bars, restaurants, nightclubs, brothels and strip clubs. History British settlement The intersection of William St ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre
The Uniting Medically Supervised Injecting Centre Kings Cross (also known as Uniting MSIC or Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre) is a state government-supported facility in Kings Cross, New South Wales that provides safe injecting rooms, sterile equipment and medical supervision for individuals who wish to administer an illicit drug intravenously. The centre, which opened in May 2001, was the first Supervised injection site, legal injecting site in Australia with the primary purpose of preventing the risk of injuries and death resulting from unsafe and unhygienic injecting practices. As one of the first medically supervised injecting centres in the world, Uniting MSIC has received global attention for its successful reduction in drug-related emergencies. As of 2016, the centre had successfully supervised over one million injections with no fatalities. History From the 1970s, Sydney saw a rapid growth in the availability and consumption of heroin. At the heart of the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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National Crime Authority
The National Crime Authority (NCA) was an Australian law enforcement agency established in 1984 and wound up on 31 December 2002. History The NCA was set up in 1984 in the wake of the Costigan Commission, which investigated tax evasion and organised crime. It was intended to lead a national law enforcement response to organised crime which could overcome the jurisdictional barriers of the Australian federal system. It had extraordinary powers which removed many of the barriers which prevented other enforcement organisations from being able to comprehensively investigate or prosecute. The NCA was frequently criticised both for misuse of these powers and lack of effectiveness. Some argue that perception was often due to the covert operations and extreme secrecy required as a direct result of the level of criminals being targeted, and the risk to the operatives and their families. The staff and operatives of the NCA were often reminded by the Chairman that "we are dealing with th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robert Marsden Hope
Robert Marsden Hope, (24 July 1919 – 12 October 1999) was a Justice of the New South Wales Court of Appeal and Royal Commissioner on three separate occasions, most notably the Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security. As a judge Hope was known for his legal positivism and as a royal commissioner he "instilled a sense of impartiality". Career Justice Hope received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney before being raised to the New South Wales Bar on 26 October 1945. During his time at university had at attempted to join the Communist Party of Australia but due to "administrative incompetence" it had failed. By his own admission in 1998 the 1960s had brought Hope considerable professional success owing to his strategic decision to join the Liberal Party of Australia. Hope was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1960. He became President of the NSW Council of Civil Liberties "but within weeks" he was then appointed Justice of the New South Wales Supreme Court. H ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Order Of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Government. Before the establishment of the order, Australian citizens received British honours. The Monarch of Australia is sovereign head of the order, while the Governor-General of Australia is the principal companion/dame/knight (as relevant at the time) and chancellor of the order. The governor-general's official secretary, Paul Singer (appointed August 2018), is secretary of the order. Appointments are made by the governor-general on behalf of the Monarch of Australia, based on recommendations made by the Council of the Order of Australia. Recent knighthoods and damehoods were recommended to the governor-general by the Prime Minister of Australia. Levels of membership The order is divided into a general and a military division. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Order Of St Michael And St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. It is named in honour of two military saints, Michael (archangel), Michael and Saint George, George. The Order of St Michael and St George was originally awarded to those holding commands or high position in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean territories acquired in the Napoleonic Wars, and was subsequently extended to holders of similar office or position in other territories of the British Empire. It is at present awarded to men and women who hold high office or who render extraordinary or important non-military service to the United Kingdom in a foreign country, and can also be conferred for important or loyal service in relation to foreign and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth affairs. Description The Order includes three class ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |