Keith John Austin Asche ( ; born 28 November 1925) is a former

Administrator of the Northern Territory The Administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the Governor-General of Australia to represent the government of the Commonwealth in the Northern Territory, Australia. They perform functions similar to those of a state gov ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and was the third Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of the Northern Territory The Supreme Court of the Northern Territory is the superior court for the Australian Territory of the Northern Territory. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. It is ...

Early years, education and family

Asche 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 metro ...

, the son of Eric Thomas Asche and Beryl Victoria Asche (née Woinarski). Eric was the nephew of the actor Oscar Asche. In 1926, Eric Asche (father of Austin Asche) was appointed Legal Assistant in the Crown Law Office, Department of the Government Secretary for the Territory of New Guinea. They departed from Sydney on 25 August, and the family spent a year in Rabaul. Eric then successfully applied for a job in Darwin, and the family sailed on the SS Marella, arriving on 18 February 1928. The family relocated from Rabaul, after a 1-year appointment of Austin's father, to Darwin arriving on the 18 February 1928 on the SS Marella and lived at the Mud Hut (Knight's Folly) before it burnt down on the 31 December 1933. Eric Thomas Asche was one of a small number of lawyers in Darwin at that time and held the position of Crown Law Officer. Austin Asche attended Darwin Primary School before returning to Melbourne in 1938 and attending

Melbourne Grammar School (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denomination ...

. He joined the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

in 1944 and served until 1946. Upon discharge he 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 ...

, where he was a member of

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

, and attained 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 yea ...

and a

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 mo ...

degree. He was admitted to practice on 1 February 1950. He married Valerie James on 11 April 1958 and they have one son and one daughter.

The Victorian Bar and early judicial office

Asche relocated to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

and was admitted to practice there in February 1951. Upon returning to Melbourne in 1954 he practised at the Bar until 1975, eventually being appointed as a

Queen'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 o ...

in 1972. He was a part-time lecturer at the

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

from 1968 to 1975. In 1976 he was appointed as the first Victorian Judge of the new formed

Family Court of Australia The Family Court of Australia was a superior Australian federal court of record which deals with family law matters, such as divorce applications, parenting disputes, and the division of property when a couple separate. Together with the Fed ...

. He was a member of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Council from 1974 to 1976, its vice president from 1977 to 1981 and President from 1981 - 1983. He was

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...

from 1983 - 1987 Acting Chief Judge of the Family Court from 1985 - 1986. He was also a member of the Family Law Council from 1976 to 1979, Chairman of the Inquiry into Teacher Education in Victoria in 1979 and 1980 and a Councillor and later Chairman of the Frankston State College from 1973 - 1979. During his time in Victoria Asche was an active Freemason and served as Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria from 1984 to 1986.

Northern Territory

He was appointed as a Judge of the

on 14 April 1986 and was appointed as Chief Justice on 17 August 1987 following the retirement of

Kevin O'Leary Terence Thomas Kevin O'Leary (born 9 July 1954), also known as Mr. Wonderful, is a Canadian businessman, entrepreneur, and television personality. From 2004 to 2014, he appeared on various Canadian television shows. These include the business n ...

. While Chief Justice he was Chair of the Northern Territory Parole Board and was President of the Northern Territory Division of the Red Cross Society and President of the Northern Territory Branch of the Scout Association. He was also Chancellor of Northern Territory University from 1989 - 1993. He resigned as Chief Justice on 26 February 1993 to take up appointment as

on 1 March. While Administrator he was patron of numerous organisations including being the Northern Territory Chief Scout, an Honorary Colonel in NORFORCE, and a Deputy Prior of the

Order of St. John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...

. He retired in 1997 but is still the Chair of the Northern Territory Law Reform Committee. He is also an adjunct professor in Law and Emeritus Chancellor at the Charles Darwin University.

Honours and awards

He was appointed a Knight of the Order of St. John in 1993 and made a

Companion 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 ...

in 1994. He was also awarded

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

s from both Deakin University and Charles Darwin University. He was also made Honorary Freeman of the City of Darwin in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asche, Austin 1925 births Living people Australian King's Counsel Companions of the Order of Australia People educated at Melbourne Grammar School People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne) Administrators of the Northern Territory Chief Justices of the Northern Territory Judges of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory Charles Darwin University people Judges of the Family Court of Australia 20th-century Australian judges Australian Freemasons Masonic Grand Masters Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Military personnel from Melbourne