Family’s generosity helps on path to legal career

ASPIRING law students in Tasmania will continue to benefit from one of their eminent forebears following a generous bequest to the University of Tasmania.

Since 1995, the John Kable Memorial Tasmania University Scholarship in Law has been helping public school students from rural and regional parts of the state.

North-West born John Kable QC died suddenly in 1995 after a distinguished career on a national and international scale for his work as a criminal lawyer and reformer.

Following his death, his mother Bess Kable established the scholarship in his name and sat on the selection panel, which has helped 21 students study a Bachelor of Laws at UTAS.

Ms Kable passed away in May and dedicated her entire estate — about $600,000 — to the university to continue the scholarship program.

Acting Vice-Chancellor Mike Calford accepted the gift from the estate’s trustees in a ceremony yesterday.

“The University of Tasmania is deeply grateful for this extraordinary act of generosity, which will continue to gift Tasmanians the opportunity to study a law degree, and extend the remarkable legacy of the Kable family into the future,” Professor Calford said.

Graduating with first class honours this week, Melanie Harris of Devonport, received the scholarship as a mature aged student in 2015.

She said she had known Ms Kable to be kind and generous and thought of the scholarship winners as family.

“I think we were all very humbled as recipients because she was such a remarkable woman,” Ms Harris said.

“Law is an expensive subject to do, and I knew that the scholarship would lighten the load.”