Raymond Hudson Dunn (21 June 1910 – 26 August 1971) was a noted lawyer and football administrator with VFL club

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. Ray Dunn was one of the towering figures at

who laid the foundations for the club's greatest era of success. An immensely successful defence lawyer who won many significant cases, Dunn devoted much of his spare time and energy to the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

over a period of almost forty years.

The son of a cop

Born at Geelong, Victoria, he was the second son of Victorian-born parents, police constable Thomas Dunn (1884–1953) and his wife Mary Ellen (née Hudson). Tom Dunn had a distinguished

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

career after joining the force in 1906. Intelligent and efficient, he was transferred to Russell Street headquarters in 1924, and for the decade from 1927, he successively worked as a special adviser and assistant to (Sir)

Thomas Blamey Field marshal (Australia), Field Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey, (24 January 1884 – 27 May 1951) was an Australian general of the First World War, First and Second World Wars, and the only Australian to attain the rank of field marshal. Bl ...

and to Alexander Duncan. Awarded the Royal Victorian medal in 1934, Tom Dunn retired as the state's second-ranking policeman in June 1944 after 34 years' service. His son Ray was sent to schools in Geelong and

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...

, and attended 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 no ...

on a scholarship. He received an

LL.B. 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 ...

in 1930, an LL.M. two years later and in his final year was awarded the Supreme Court judges' prize. Dunn married Marie Ellen Whelan at St Teresa's Catholic Church, Essendon, in June 1934. Together, the couple had two daughters. They later divorced and Dunn remarried in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

during 1951. With his second wife, Kathleen Monica Patricia (née Foster-Wightman), Dunn had a son, Michael, but this marriage also ended in divorce.

The Great Defender

Dunn was a distinctive figure around the magistrates' courts of

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 ...

- he was balding, plump, wore glasses and had a memorable, gravelly voice. He chose to remain a

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

and declined all inducements to become a

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 ...

. Despite this decision, Dunn built a reputation as one of the outstanding defence lawyers of his time. A man of stunning mental agility, he defended clients against

prosecutions of any type and specialised in gaming legislation. In 1967, he forced the Victorian government to amend the Motor Car Act of 1958, when he secured an acquittal for a truck driver accused of exceeding the

blood alcohol limit Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For exampl ...

. Throughout his life, Dunn was closely associated with the

police force The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

, both in and out of the courtroom. He lectured on prosecution and criminal law in courses at the Detective Training School and the

Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victo ...

College, and acted as legal counsel for the

many times. Engaged by the

Association to defend members who had been counter-summonsed by people that they had arrested, Dunn only lost twice in more than eighty such cases during the mid-1960s. For more than a decade, he worked part-time as a lecturer in criminal procedure at

Melbourne University 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 ...

as well as the new law school at Monash University and at the

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...

's articled clerks' course. He was highly sought-after as an

after-dinner speaker Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech delive ...

Long association with Richmond

However, it was Dunn's long service to the

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...

that brought him the most fame. He first became involved with the club in the 1930s through railwayman and

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

player Martin Bolger. A vice-president from 1940, Dunn formed Richmond's first coterie group in 1963. The following year, he was elected president with the specific brief to negotiate the move of the club's home games to the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

for 1965. From there, Dunn oversaw an era of great success, underwritten by the extra finances gained from the move and the efforts of the coterie. Under his administration, the

broke a 24-year premiership drought in 1967 and followed up with another triumph two years later. Unfortunately, Dunn's health then began to fail. He had battled diabetes since the early 1960s, and finally succumbed to a coronary occlusion on 26 August 1971 at his

Metung Metung is a town in East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The town is east of the state capital Melbourne and between the larger towns of Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance. It is on a small peninsula south-east of Bairnsdale, separating Lak ...

holiday home. Survived by the three children of his two marriages, Dunn was buried in

St Kilda Cemetery St Kilda Cemetery is located in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda East, Victoria. History St Kilda Cemetery covers a large block bordered by Dandenong Road, Hotham Street, Alma Road and Alexandra Street. It is bounded by a historic wall and conta ...

and his estate was sworn for probate at $239,264. Dunn was granted life membership at

in 1946, and elected to the club's hall of fame in 2002.

References

*Hetherington JA, ''Blamey'' (Melb, 1954) *''Victoria Police Journal'': 39, no 12, May 1970 p 303; 41, no 5, October 1971, p 125 *''Argus'' (Melbourne): 16 June 1944 *''Herald'' (Melbourne): 1 June 1967, 26 September 1969, 26 August 1971 *''Age'' (Melbourne): 27 August 1971 *''Australian'': 27 August 1971 *''Sun News-Pictorial'' (Melbourne): 27 August 1971 *Presland G, 'Dunn, Raymond Hudson (1910–1971)', ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 14, Melbourne University Press, 1996, pp 57–58

External links

Richmond Football Club - Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Ray Lawyers from Melbourne Richmond Football Club administrators 1910 births 1971 deaths People from Geelong