Alexander Barclay Shand (26 December 1865 – 3 October 1949) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

. He became a leading legal figure in NSW. Shand refused an invitation to become a

New South Wales Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court i ...

Judge but served as a Royal Commissioner.

Biography

Shand was born in

Ulladulla, New South Wales Ulladulla is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven local government area. It is on the Princes Highway about south of Sydney, halfway between Batemans Bay to the south and Nowra to the north. Ulladulla has close ...

, to John Shand and Mary (née Barclay). John Shand (1825–1891) had arrived in Sydney in 1853 as a stonemason before becoming a farmer and finally a police magistrate at Penrith Court. Shand Snr founded a legal dynasty that produced three generations of barristers. A. B. Shand, as he came to be known, was educated at

Newington College , motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge , location = Inner West and Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = A ...

commencing in 1880. He went up to the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

and graduated as a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1884. Following graduation and articles, Shand was admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1887. He was the Crown Prosecutor on the NSW western circuit in 1895-6 and took

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

in 1906. He became a leading member of the Bar Council. His wife, Florence (née Brierley), became a tireless worker for the poor and infirm and sat on the boards of various hospitals, schools and women's auxiliaries. She died in October 1929. Mrs Shand was the sister of Louisa Victoria, Mrs

Cecil Purser Cecil Purser (16 December 1862 – 13 January 1953) was an Australian physician and served terms as chairman of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and vice-chancellor and deputy chancellor of the University of Sydney. Birth and education Purser was b ...

(née Brierley). Shand retired in 1930 and lived in retirement in

Vaucluse, New South Wales Vaucluse is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Waverley Council and the Municipality of Woollahra. Vauclus ...

, until his death at

St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney is a leading tertiary referral hospital and research facility located in Darlinghurst, Sydney. Though funded and integrated into the New South Wales state public health system, it is operated by St Vincent's Heal ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shand, Alexander 1865 births 1949 deaths People educated at Newington College Australian barristers Australian King's Counsel 20th-century King's Counsel Colony of New South Wales people