Katherine Louise Bourke is an Australian lawyer and judge. She has been a Judge of the

County Court of Victoria The County Court of Victoria is the intermediate court in the Australian state of Victoria. It is equivalent to district courts in the other states. The County Court is the principal trial court in the state, having a broad criminal and civi ...

since December 2007.

Biography

Judge Bourke was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

on 5 July 1961. She is one of five children, all girls, of Dr John Bourke . Bourke was educated by the

Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...

, first at O'Neill College and then at Presentation Convent. She was dux of her school in her final year, and finished in the top hundred students in the state. She subsequently studied Arts and Laws at 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 ...

, graduating B.A and LL.B. She later completed a Master of Laws degree from UM; her thesis was ''Crimes Compensation.'' While in secondary school Bourke played

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

in the school orchestra and in the State Catholic Schools orchestra. At UM she played competitive soccer, and was a foundation member of the University Women's Soccer Club at UM. After sustaining an injury from playing soccer, Bourke later underwent extensive knee reconstructive surgery. Bourke completed her Articles of Clerkship at Ford & Co, solicitors (later Nevett Ford) and subsequently worked for that firm as a solicitor and as an associate partner. She was called to the Victorian Bar in 1989, and practiced as a barrister for 18 years, principally in the common law jurisdictions of the Victorian courts, before being appointed to bench of the County Court of Victoria (2007) by the Attorney-General of Victoria,

Rob Hulls Rob Justin Hulls (born 23 January 1957) is a former Australian politician who was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2012, representing the electorate of Niddrie. As well as serving as the Deputy Premier of Victoria, ...

. Bourke was appointed Chair of the Bookmakers and Bookmakers' Clerks Registration Committee in 2000. She also served on the Victorian Bar Council from 2000 to 2002. In 2014 Bourke's younger sister Claire Quin was also appointed a judge of the County Court.

Horse racing interests

Bourke was born into a prominent horse-racing family. Her father was Chief Veterinary Surgeon for the

Victoria Racing Club The Victoria Racing Club was founded in 1864. It was formed following the disbanding of the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club. A legacy passed from the Victoria Turf Club was the annual "race that stops a nation", the Melbourne Cup, ...

(VRC) for many years. Her paternal uncle, David Bourke

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, was VRC chairman for 7 years. Judge Bourke has been part-owner of several race horses and in July 2004 was elected to the committee of the

, of which she remains a director.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourke, Katherine 21st-century Australian judges Living people 1961 births Judges of the County Court of Victoria 21st-century Australian women judges