Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Gregory Howard "Greg" Garde, (born 1 April 1949) is a senior Australian lawyer and

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

officer. His positions and appointments have included

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

, Supreme Court Justice, President of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and membership of various boards of directors.

Early years

Garde was born on 1 April 1949 and attended

Scotch College, Melbourne (For God, for Country, and for Learning) , established = , type = Independent, day and boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Presbyterian , slogan = , ...

and the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. His father, John Garde, and uncle, Bruce Garde, were both practicing solicitors "for some 50 years".

Legal career

Garde has 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 ...

(

Hons Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or ...

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

(Hons) (1972) and

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

(1975). He was appointed a

in 1989 and a Justice of the

Supreme Court of Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court comprises ...

on 29 May 2012. He was named President of the

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) was formed by the ''Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act'' 1998 in the state of Victoria, Australia. As part of the Victorian Justice system the Tribunal sits 'below' the Magistrat ...

on 1 June 2012, a position he held until 30 May 2018, when he was succeeded by Justice Michelle Quigley. While President of VCAT, Justice Garde was a member of the Courts Council and the Judicial Commission of Victoria He has also been elected President of the Council of Australasian Tribunals – Victorian Chapter and a Director of the Judicial College of Victoria. Justice Garde retired as a Supreme Court justice on 30 March 2019, and was appointed as a reserve judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria on 1 April 2019 for a period of five years. Garde is the fourth general to become a Victorian judge, and the second general to become a Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Justice Garde was appointed as the Chair of the Victorian Law Foundation in October 2020.

Military career

Garde joined the

Melbourne University Regiment The Melbourne University Regiment (MUR) is an officer training unit in the Australian Army Reserve (ARes). It has a depot at Grattan Street, Carlton, Melbourne, Australia. History MUR traces its origins to 1884 as D Company, 4th Battalion of th ...

in 1967.
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After he was commissioned into the

Royal Australian Infantry Corps The Royal Australian Infantry Corps (RA Inf) is the parent corps for all infantry regiments of the Australian Army. It was established on 14 December 1948, with its Royal Corps status being conferred by His Majesty King George VI. At her corona ...

as a lieutenant, he served on a period of full-time duty with the

Pacific Islands Regiment The Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (RPIR) is an infantry regiment of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF). The regiment is descended from the Australian Army infantry battalions formed from native soldiers and Australian officers and non-c ...

in Papua New Guinea. He was later posted to

Monash University Regiment The Monash University Regiment was an officer training regiment of the Australian Army, based in Victoria near Monash University. It was a direct command training unit of the 4th Brigade, and part of the 2nd Division, it was responsible for tra ...

in the 1970s. In the 1980s, he was Commanding Officer of Monash University Regiment and later on transferring from the Royal Australian Infantry Corps to the

Royal Australian Armoured Corps The Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC) is a corps of the Australian Army which provides the Australian Defence Force's armour capability. Armour combines firepower, mobility, protection and networked situational awareness to generate shock ...

, he was appointed by the

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Afg ...

as the Commanding Officer of the

4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse The 4th/19th Prince of Wales's Light Horse (4/19 PWLH) is a cavalry regiment of the Australian Army. The regiment in its current composition was formed in 1948 when the Citizens Military Force (CMF) was re-raised after the completion of the demob ...

. Following promotion to

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

he commanded the 4th Brigade and was later appointed as the Director-General Reserves (Army). From 2001 to 2004, as a major general, he served as Chief of Reserves and Head of Reserve Policy, the highest position for a reserve officer in the Australian Defence Force. He was appointed a

Member of the 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 Gove ...

on 26 January 1996, for "exceptional service to the Army Reserve", and

Officer of the 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 Gove ...

on 26 January 2005 for "distinguished service to the Australian Defence Force Reserves, in particular as the Assistant Chief of the Defence Force (Reserves) and Head Reserve Policy".

Civilian career

Gregory Garde has been a member of Defence Health in various capacities. Since 2004, he was in its board, became its chairman in 2011, and retired as chair and director in 2019.

Family

Garde's daughter Catherine was a barrister in Western Australia. She is now a corporate solicitor practising in Victoria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garde, Gregory 1949 births Australian generals Australian King's Counsel Judges of the Supreme Court of Victoria Living people Officers of the Order of Australia People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne 20th-century King's Counsel University of Melbourne alumni Military personnel from Melbourne