Ken Buckley served as an officer and as a paratrooper in the British Army in the Middle East and in Greece towards the end of the 2nd World War and during the post-war turbulence that followed. He was educated in London where he was born and he graduated from London University. During his university years and beyond, he was an active communist, prominently involved in student politics. In those years, and in Greece, he developed a strong sense of justice and a commitment to the cause of freedom from oppression. This has dominated his life ever since. He migrated to Australia in 1953 to take up a senior lectureship in Economic History at Sydney University and quickly became involved in academic politics and issues of staff welfare. He also led an Australian campaign for the independence of Cyprus from British rule.

Highly regarded as a teacher by his students, he retired as Associate Professor of Economic History at Sydney University in 1988. Since then, Buckley has maintained a positive profile through his writings as an historian and through his media involvement on social issues. He is the author of many books including co-authorship of a biography of Dr H V Evatt, commissioned by the Evatt Foundation. To Buckley the pursuit of justice has no compromise. Civil liberties, he believes, means freedom from arbitrary control of one's life by government - unnecessary intrusions of authority, especially by police and through censorship. It means freedom of expression and the right to dissent. In the name of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties he has led the charge on civil liberties matters in NSW since 1963 and has written and spoken extensively on civil liberties issues. While maintaining a strong personal commitment to the left in politics he has pursued an equally committed, steadfastly non-political position on issues of civil liberties to ensure the Council's acceptance by a broad cross section of people. He has been its lynch pin since its foundation and has occupied most executive positions. Although not a lawyer, he has considerable legal "know-how" which he has acquired through long association with the lawyers on the Council and his characteristically well researched approach to all issues. Describing himself as "an aggressive bastard", he expresses his views without fear or favour, particularly when his audience is a "copper".

In 1998, Ken Buckley and his wife, Berenice, also a foundation member of the organisation, were among 50 Australians recognised by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission for their contribution to the maintenance of human rights in Australia through the Council for Civil Liberties. In 2000 Ken Buckley was awarded an Order of Australia in recognition of his "service to the community as an advocate for civil liberties, human rights and social justice issues in Australia, particularly through the NSW Council for Civil Liberties." Buckley still holds a Committee member on the Council and is an active leader in its activities. Few organisations can boast such ongoing leadership provided by its founder for nearly four decades.

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DICK KLUGMAN

Dr Dick Klugman, a Sydney medico and later federal Labor politician, was one of the founding members of the Council for Civil Liberties. He and many other young students in the late 40s and 50s experienced violent police oppression while expressing their rights of assembly and free speech - in particular during protests against continuing Dutch presence in Indonesia. For him, as for many others, freedom of expression, a civil right of paramount importance, was under threat in this country. He opposed dogmas of any sort, objected strongly to censorship and, perhaps above all, resented the threats to freedoms manifest in the behaviour of the police. While President of the Labor Club of Sydney University and during the demonstrations he made the headlines in the daily newspapers as a 'commo demonstrator' - an epithet that, because of his strong anti-communist views angered him considerably. Klugman was a member of the Humanist Society and strongly opposed compulsory religious education. As well, he protested against racial discrimination and was, in the 60s and 70s, very critical of police and government treatment of Aborigines. He was a strong advocate of law reform, especially of those laws related to victimless crimes like gambling, drug use, prostitution and vagrancy - laws used by many police to flex their muscle and impose unnecessary authority on people's behaviour. He believed such crimes should be decriminalised. He had made earlier attempts to establish an organisation to protect civil liberties and in 1963, together with Ken Buckley and Jack Sweeney, founded the present non-political organisation which would promote a cause that reflected the values of freedom and justice they believed important in a democratic society.

Dick Klugman was heavily involved in the formation of the Council. Not only did he attract membership from many friends, lawyers and academics but he concerned himself in a very practical way with administrative and organisational matters when the new organisation was being established. He became the Council's first Treasurer, was industrious in the development of an office and financial organisation, contacting and attracting new members, processing applications and mailing information - all mundane and time consuming but essential tasks for the new organisation. He was a founder in the true sense of the word. Klugman became a member of the House of Representatives in 1969. During his long parliamentary career he served on many social and foreign affairs committees and was the Australian Labor Party spokesman on Health, Science and Veterans' Affairs while in opposition. His resistance to religious and political dogmas reflected his strong belief in the importance of individual freedoms and although he left the Council during the late 70s because of his perception that partisan political issues were dominating, his belief in a non-political organisation to safeguard civil liberties has remained. Of the three founders, Klugman was politically the most conservative, holding views on issues such as the Vietnam War and conscription that would have varied significantly from those of Buckley and Sweeney. These differences were of little importance while they remained outside the deliberations of the a-political Council for Civil Liberties.

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JACK SWEENEY

Jack Sweeney QC was the third of the founders of the Council for Civil Liberties. He was an established lawyer with a particular reputation for his skills in industrial law, a field in which he was recognised as Sydney's top industrial barrister. He apparently belonged to the Communist Party in the 30s and probably into the 40s when, like many others, he drifted away as a result of the Nazi-Soviet Pact. He had an affinity with the left in the union movement and was an active civil libertarian in the lead-up to and during the second World War when restrictions on liberties were commonplace. Such restrictions were of great concern to many socially aware lawyers and others who believed that basic human rights were sacrosanct and for whom the acceptance of restrictions was untenable. As a solicitor in the 30s, he was involved in the famous Egon Kisch case and in 1941 represented the unionists Ratcliff and Thomas who were interned under the Menzies government's draconian National Security Regulations. Sweeney was always impressive in debate, an outspoken defender of civil liberties and eloquent in his defence of trade unionists generally, whom he saw frequently as victims of employer exploitation and oppressive government regulation. The rights of the less empowered were of great concern to him.

He became a QC in 1962 and was a highly respected member of the bar in NSW. Because of his standing in the legal profession, he was able to interest a considerable number of lawyers in joining the Council for Civil Liberties - lawyers who were tired of defending criminal cases where the police were falsifying evidence or, in some cases, indulging in criminal behaviour themselves. These lawyers were to form the backbone of the Council and provide the technical skills used in defending those denied their rights. They were prepared to work for the CCL, in most cases, as long as it remained apolitical. He was very interested in art, music and the theatre. As well, he owned several race horses with which he had occasional success. In the final stages of his career he was a Deputy President of the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission, then judge of the Australian Industrial Court. In 1977 he was appointed as a judge of the Federal Court where he remained until his death in 1981.

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BERENICE BUCKLEY

One of the people invited to the inaugural meeting of the CCL, because of her knowledge of immigration matters, was Berenice Granger. She was also an active member of the Humanist Society and was attracted to the idea of an organisation safeguarding and promoting civil liberties and rights. Her association with community organisations and her interests were related strongly to her involvement in matters concerning the problems of migrants. She was Secretary of the Good Neighbour Council in NSW, part of a national community organisation which, although supposedly independent in its operation was set up by the federal government to facilitate the acceptance of new migrants into the Australian community. From the inaugural meeting of the Council for Civil Liberties in September 1963, she was involved in the structuring of the organisation, promoting membership and contributing to the drawing up of its constitution. In those formative days she met and married Ken Buckley. Her involvement has been maintained directly and indirectly ever since, as Assistant Secretary, subcommittee co-ordinator and committee member until her retirement during the 90s. Berenice Buckley was very active in the Council for Civil Liberties - particularly in campaigns against censorship - both books and theatre - on one occasion publicly challenging the government to arrest her for importing a banned book. She has also been active in homosexual law reform. However, she has been most involved in and brought special expertise to the CCL in the area of migrant rights and immigration and citizenship issues. At that time the Minister for Immigration had total power and people were being refused citizenship or denied entry into Australia with no reason being provided. The Council was able, with her help, to draw attention to specific issues especially those relating to deportations and the right of appeal. The rights of migrants in relation to the police and the courts, and the absence of interpreters were also issues. Her close affiliation with community organisations made her one of the few people in NSW at that time who understood the law in relation to migrants and what was going on in migrant communities. As a result of this she joined the law Section of the Commission of Inquiry into Poverty under (then) Professor Ron Sackville researching the situation of migrants in relation to their contact and experiences with the law and legal procedures in three states - NSW, Victoria and South Australia. After her many years of dealing with migrant and other community issues, Ms Buckley became a senior public servant in NSW where she remained until she retired. In 1998, together with her husband, she was recognised by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission for her promotion of human rights in Australia.

Click here to read Berenice Buckley Obituary

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KEP ENDERBY

Born Dubbo, New South Wales, 25th June 1926 and educated at Dubbo High School 1939-1943. As a teenager won numerous golf tournaments and championships. Served as a trainee pilot in the Australian Air Force 1944/1945. Studied law at Sydney University 1946/1950. Admitted as barrister to NSW Bar 1950. As an amateur, won numerous Australian golf championships between 1946 and 1950.
Lived and worked as a solicitor in London, England between 1950 and 1954 and part time did postgraduate studies in law at the University of London.
With some success, played in the British Amateur and Open Golf Championships in 1951 and 1952. Returned to Australia in 1955.
Foundation member of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties.
Practiced as a barrister at the NSW Bar and taught law, part time, at Sydney Technical College 1955/1962. Moved to Canberra 1962 to work as Senior Lecturer in Law at the Australian National University. Returned to the Bar, in Canberra in 1966, continuing to teach law part time until being elected, as an Australian Labor Party candidate, to the House of Representatives of the Australian Parliament in 1970.
Appointed a Queens Council [QC] in 1973.
Acted as defence counsel for many anti-Vietnam war activists.
Elected as part of the Whitlam Labor Government in 1972.
Minister for the Australian Capital Territory and also the Northern Territory 1972/1973.
Minister for Secondary Industry and Supply 1973/1974
Minister for Manufacturing Industry 1974/1975
Minister for Customs and Excise, 1975 and finally
Attorney-General of Australia 1975.
Parliamentary delegate to the Australian Constitutional Convention 1973.
Chairman, House of Representatives Privileges Committee 1973.
Member of the National Executive of the Australian Labor Party 1971/1975.
Leader Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Sweden, Denmark and the USSR 1973. As Minister for Manufacturing Industry, in 1974, made official visit to England, France, Sweden, the then two republics of West and East Germany and the then Czechoslavakia.
Leader of the Australian Delegation to 5th UN Congress on Crime and Punishment in Geneva 1975.
For many years President of the Australian/ Soviet Friendship Society.
After the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in 1975 and its subsequent defeat at the 1975 election, moved to Sydney in 1976 and returned to practice at the ACT and NSW Bars. Practiced as a QC.
Appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW in 1982.
President, NSW Branch of the Australian Institute of International Affairs 1983/1985.
Councillor of Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences, 1983/1986.
Retired from the Supreme Court in 1992.
Became President, Australia Esperanto Association, 1992/1997. Chairman, Local Organising Committee of 82nd Universala Kongreso de Esperanto in Adelaide in 1997.
Chairman, NSW Serious Offenders Review Council 1997/2000.

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BOB ST JOHN

One of the foundation members of the CCL was Bob St John, a young lawyer who joined the Council to add his voice to the growing number of protests about the unacceptable behaviour of police in NSW both on the beat and in the courts.

Ex-Navy, a graduate of Sydney University, Bob St John was always available as a 'CCL lawyer' and made his presence felt in court in the cause of civil liberties, defending the underprivileged , notably Aborigines, supporting the right to protest, and challenging the unlawful practices if many police. He championed the victims of the infamous vagrancy laws, as well as demonstrators against government policies on Vietnam and against apartheid in South Africa. In 1964 St John led the way in the CCL's first victory - the acquittal of the Aborigine, Ken Brindle, accused of using insulting words to a policeman. Charges like 'offensive behaviour' - frequently brought by police against demonstrators - quickly lost their status as a sure means of conviction under the scrutiny and eloquence of Bob St John. He was a tough advocate - always impressive in court. As CCL founder, Ken Buckley recalls, "I remember sitting in court as a spectator and learning how apt was the nickname of 'the Bear' for Bob St John - a number of police witnesses were often mauled."

In 1966 the success of the appeal by the authors of Oz magazine against their conviction for printing an obscenity can be attributed largely to the anti-censorship campaign of the CCL which Bob St John actively supported.

He was President of the Council for Civil Liberties from 1970 to 1974. His elevation as Judge of the Federal Court in 1977, a clear acknowledgment of his contribution to justice in Australia, deprived the CCL of one of its most effective advocates. He occupied other judicial positions in Australian courts as well as that of Chief Justice of Western Samoa. He was made a life member of the Council for Civil Liberties in 1975 and retired from the judiciary in 1986 to return to the Bar.

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Mary McNish

Mary McNish was born Mary Flower in Camden NSW on the 31st October 1925. She was the daughter of a bank manager and spent her early years in Willow Tree, NSW.

She was educated at MLC Burwood and Sydney Teachers College and worked as both a primary and special education teacher as well as in a number of other roles.

She married (1) artist John Olsen, and (2) Alex McNish. She has two daughters, Rosemary and Jane (who died in 2009).

A staunch defender of civil liberties, she was a prominent member of the Council for Civil Liberties (CCL) between1969 and her retirement in 1995.

Mary has been a vehement supporter of many issues, including homosexual law reform, censorship, prison reform, immigration issues, Aboriginal rights and the public’s right to assemble.

In 1971, she was charged, together with Tony Blackshield, with attempting to sell an indecent publication. The CCL defended her with the help of member and solicitor (later High Court Judge) Mary Gaudron and got a no bill verdict on the grounds that they had not been properly arrested.

She campaigned against the Queensland legislation prohibiting street marches in 1979, and along with George Petersen, M.L.A., Senator George Georges, and 63 others, was arrested for her action.

Earlier she had been an active anti-Vietnam war campaigner. During this time she was arrested and charged with inciting young men not to register for national service.

She was associated with the Citizens Committee Against National Service and the Liberal Reform Group which became the Australia Party and then the Democrats. In 1971 and 1972 representing the Australia Party, she unsuccessfully stood for election for Willoughby in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.

Mary has filled a number of roles on the council including that of Secretary from 1992-1995. During her time as Secretary she worked in close collaboration with President John Marsden. CCL business was often sorted out at 4.00am in the morning with a telephone call to discuss issues!

Mary was made a life member of the CCL in 1996, for her significant contribution to the organisation. As Justice Mary Gaudron said in her presentation, Mary will always be remembered for her contribution to common sense when common sense was in noticeably short supply.

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