SA Footy

Interesting politico-legal-SANFL history fact, given what's been in the news this week. The recently appointed head of the Royal Commission into the Northern Territory's treatment of juvenile prisoners is Brian Martin, former chief justice of the NT, barrister, former commissioner of the SANFL tribunal in the 80s, and former Sturt forward and 1968 (IIRC) premiership player. I don't recall his playing days but I do remember him as the guy doling out punishment at the tribunal.

Apparently Martin is one (if not the only) player to kick 10 goals in a game of league footy and get dropped the following week. I think he had taken the spot of Sturt's regular full forward (Emmy Jones?) who recovered the following week to shunt Martin out of the side. Talk about unlucky. Some out there might have more info on this story (if it's true) or similar other tales.

A lot of people not impressed by him:

The man who will lead the Royal Commission into the abuse of children in juvenile detention in the Northern Territory needs no introduction. At least not to Aboriginal people. Chris Graham explains.

Brian Martin, the former NT Supreme Court Chief Justice, achieved infamy among Aboriginal communities in April 2010 when he described five white youths who bashed an Aboriginal man to death in a racially charged drunken rampage as “of otherwise good character”.

The youths – Scott Doody, Timothy Hird, Anton Kloeden, Joshua Spears and Glen Swain – spent the night getting drunk at the local casino, before driving up and down the dry bed of the Todd River, where homeless Aboriginal people sleep.

They abused campers, fired a replica pistol with blank ammunition at them, and ran over at least one swag (owned by an elderly man) with their vehicle.

Eventually, the boys stopped and beat Kwementyaye Ryder, aged 33, to death after he threw a bottle at their car as they drove at him.

He was kicked in the head at least three times, and had a bottle smashed over his skull, before the men told an unconscious Mr Ryder, “Don’t f**k with us”. A pathologist’s report suggested Mr Ryder may have had a pre-existing aneurysm when he was attacked.

The killing remains infamous in Alice Springs to this day, in part for the racial motivation behind the attack.

It’s also infamous for the response of the community – three days after Mr Ryder was killed, a local resident started selling ‘Alice Springs White Power’ t-shirts from his vehicle outside the local Council chambers and police station.

The same day as the shirts went on sale, the Alice Springs Town Council passed new by-laws empowering council rangers to fine Aboriginal people for begging, and to throw out blankets homeless people stored in bushes in the riverbed to keep them warm in the freezing Central Australian winter.

But the killing is most infamous for the amount of time the five young men ending up serving.

Chief Justice Martin sentenced one of the men to as little as 12 months. The longest time served was four years.

One of Justice Martin’s justifications for the light sentences was that the youths would be caused ‘additional hardship’ in prison, given the overwhelming majority of inmates are Aboriginal.

Following is a story I wrote for the ABC’s Drum site in 2010, while staying in Alice Springs for several months. It should give New Matilda readers some insight to how Brian Martin’s stewardship of the Royal Commission is likely to be greeted by black Territorians.

Magellan wrote:Interesting politico-legal-SANFL history fact, given what's been in the news this week. The recently appointed head of the Royal Commission into the Northern Territory's treatment of juvenile prisoners is Brian Martin, former chief justice of the NT, barrister, former commissioner of the SANFL tribunal in the 80s, and former Sturt forward and 1968 (IIRC) premiership player. I don't recall his playing days but I do remember him as the guy doling out punishment at the tribunal.

Apparently Martin is one (if not the only) player to kick 10 goals in a game of league footy and get dropped the following week. I think he had taken the spot of Sturt's regular full forward (Emmy Jones?) who recovered the following week to shunt Martin out of the side. Talk about unlucky. Some out there might have more info on this story (if it's true) or similar other tales.

Described as Scott Salisbury's toughest opponent in his 1990 GFC year book profile...

And now he’s just been dropped from the commission! (Actually, he's just resigned from the commission.)

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politi ... qi4iv.html

It was great to hear Michael Stutchbury on the ABC's 'Insiders' yesterday morning refer to Martin, among this judicial background, as a former Sturt champion.

Good to hear he's being replaced

Wedgie wrote:Good to hear he's being replaced

Some better consultation with indigenous leaders and representatives might've alerted Turnbull to the perceptions around Martin. Now replaced by Margaret White and Mick Gooda.

Magellan wrote:And now he’s just been dropped from the commission! (Actually, he's just resigned from the commission.)

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politi ... qi4iv.html

It was great to hear Michael Stutchbury on the ABC's 'Insiders' yesterday morning refer to Martin, among this judicial background, as a former Sturt champion.

I was surprised Fran Kelly let him get away with it. She's a die hard North supporter.

Leaping Lindner wrote:

Magellan wrote:And now he’s just been dropped from the commission! (Actually, he's just resigned from the commission.)

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politi ... qi4iv.html

It was great to hear Michael Stutchbury on the ABC's 'Insiders' yesterday morning refer to Martin, among this judicial background, as a former Sturt champion.

I was surprised Fran Kelly let him get away with it. She's a die hard North supporter.

Yes, true! A former St Dominic's student, IIRC.

Mind you, that utterance on the ABC was about the same amount of SANFL exposure provided by the channel 7 weekend news.

Magellan wrote:And now he’s just been dropped from the commission! (Actually, he's just resigned from the commission.)

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politi ... qi4iv.html

It was great to hear Michael Stutchbury on the ABC's 'Insiders' yesterday morning refer to Martin, among this judicial background, as a former Sturt champion.

He would be used to being dropped. He famously kicked 10 goals for Sturt in a match against West in 1966 and was dropped to 19th man the next week.

Stuch's comment was a bit over the top to call him a champion, but he was a very, very good footballer in a very, very good side.

robranisgod wrote:

Magellan wrote:And now he’s just been dropped from the commission! (Actually, he's just resigned from the commission.)

http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politi ... qi4iv.html

It was great to hear Michael Stutchbury on the ABC's 'Insiders' yesterday morning refer to Martin, among this judicial background, as a former Sturt champion.

He would be used to being dropped. He famously kicked 10 goals for Sturt in a match against West in 1966 and was dropped to 19th man the next week.

Stuch's comment was a bit over the top to call him a champion, but he was a very, very good footballer in a very, very good side.

I remember Ian Wilmott being dropped after his first league game, when he kicked 6 in THAT GAME over Norwood. Poor bugger had to make way for Big Rick coming back from state duties, and well on his way to a record breaking 151 goal year.

Hopefully Ian Wilmott continues the tradition and becomes a judge.

It was funny cos he was at our big club function for the celebration of the '26,'66 (which he played in) and '76 premiershjps this past season and he resigned the Monday after this function and it would appear in hindsight that he'd already made up his mind to resign those couple of days before because he seemed like he wanted to be somewhere else when MC Keith Conlon was asking him about his appointment