Graw, Stephen --- "Preface" [2020] JCULawRw 1; (2020) 26 James Cook University Law Review i

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PREFACE

This volume of the James Cook University Law Review commemorates the 50^th Anniversary of JCU’s establishment as a university. Founded in 1960 as a University College of the University of Queensland it formally became a university in its own right on 20^th April 1970 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II gave Royal Assent to the James Cook University of North Queensland Act 1970, an Act of the Queensland Parliament. It was then the only Act of any Australian Parliament to have received the personal assent of a reigning Monarch and, as far as the University can ascertain, it is also only one of three such Acts establishing a university in the common law world. When it was created, James Cook University became only the second university in the State of Queensland.

The date of Royal Assent was also especially significant for JCU. It occurred during the celebrations for the bicentenary of Lieutenant James Cook’s voyage of discovery, and 20^th April was chosen because it was the date in 1770 on which his log records he first sighted the east coast of Australia.

The University commemorated its 50^th anniversary in 2020 with a range of activities – though they were somewhat more constrained than had originally been planned because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic This volume of the JCULR is but one part of those commemorations but it too was impacted by the pandemic.

In a ‘normal year’ a highlight of the Law calendar at JCU is the annual Mayo Lecture, named after and celebrating the contribution of Marylyn Mayo, the university’s foundation law staff member, to the teaching of Law at JCU. It has also been our tradition that the lecture is published in that year’s volume of the JCU Law Review as an enduring record.

This year the lecture did not proceed because of COVID-19 and the place that it would normally occupy has been taken, very appropriately, by two ‘reminiscences’ pieces’ The first is by Michael Drew, a retired barrister who was a law student at JCU in 1970-71 and then a tutor and lecturer in law in 1978-82. The second is by Neil Williams SC. He commenced his law studies at JCU in 1975 and was the President of the James Cook University Student Union and a member of the University Council in 1976 and 1977.

It has also been our practice in recent years to include, at the end of the JCULR, selected peer-reviewed papers from the Criminology Mini-Conference organised, annually, by the Criminology staff within the College of Arts, Society and Education. This year it, too, did not proceed because of COVID-19 and the place of the papers that would otherwise have been presented there has been taken by a number of invited papers from former senior members of the Law School’s staff. They include two former Heads of School and two former members of the JCULR Editorial Board, Associate Professor Alex Amankwah, a former long-time editor of the journal and Professor Andy Chiu who was a member of the Editorial Board in 2005-06 during his time as an academic staff member in the School. Their contributions can be found immediately following Michael Drew’s and Neil Williams’ ‘reminiscences’ pieces.

Finally, this volume contains a number of other valuable contributions on topics as widely diverse as the new Queensland Human Rights Act 2019, recent developments in Native Title Law and Practice and the impact of COVID-19 on governance issues in sport, the High Court’s controversial decision in Love/Thoms v Commonwealth and the impact of its decision in Moore v Scenic Tours Pty Ltd on consumer rights and the availability of remedies under the Australian Consumer Law for breaches of contract that cause discomfort, disappointment or distress.

The Editorial Board would like to express our very real appreciation to all of our authors for their contributions and for their assistance to getting this volume of the JCULR – commemorating JCU’s 50^th year as a university – to fruition. Thank you.

Emeritus Professor Stephen Graw

(for the Editorial Board)