Passing verdict on stellar career
Court officer, 72, ‘never fell asleep’
John Sawyer swears he never fell asleep. Not once in almost 20 years.
For most, the idea of walking into the Cairns courthouse is an intimidating concept, but the 72-year-old grandfather (above) reckons he has done it with nothing but joy.
Yesterday marked the end of an era in the halls of the Sheridan St building, as John stepped down from his selfappointed role as “Cairns’ leading bailiff”.
Since 1999, when he made a career switch from working as a commercial agent, he has been the first and last voice many heard in both the Supreme and District courts.
JOHN Sawyer swears he never fell asleep. Not once in almost 20 years.
For most, the idea of walking into the Cairns courthouse is an intimidating concept, but the 72-year-old grandfather reckons he has done it with nothing but joy.
Yesterday marked the end of an era – a dynasty even – in the halls of the Sheridan St building as Mr Sawyer stepped down from his self-appointed role as “Cairns’ leading bailiff”.
Since 1999, when he made a career switch from being a commercial agent, he has been the first and last voice many heard in both the Supreme and District courts as he opened and closed court proceedings and took care of juries during trials.
But behind that calm professionalism lay a larrikin and a charmer – a man who would tell the judge and associate a joke just before he opened the court door so they would need to contain their laughter while walking inside and who always had a complimentary word for his colleagues.
The fact that he worked well past traditional retirement age had nothing to do with finances and everything to do with how much he loved his job.
But with his 72nd birthday looming today and months after his second knee replacement he decided it was finally time to walk away.
“I just woke up one morning and decided it was time,” he said. “My time here has honestly been a joy. When I come to work I’m happy every day.
“What I liked best was the people that you see every day and just the court process.”
Few would have had the insight into some of the Far North’s biggest cases like Mr Sawyer.
Murderers, fraudsters, drug barons and violent offenders have all sat before him, awaiting their fate.
He could quite easily have become bitter about constantly being force-fed society’s lowest common denominator, but he refused to let it get to him.
In fact he made it a personal mantra that, by the time he crossed Spence St on his way home to Edge Hill, whatever case he was involved with was forgotten.
“What those people who sit up there (in the dock) do, it’s got nothing to do with me,” he said.
“A couple of (cases) you could be emotionally affected by, but I sort of don’t let them get to me.”
Of course, there were memorable moments.
Sticking out brightest was the murder of gold prospector Bruce Schuler, where Mr Sawyer escorted a jury for three days as they travelled to the remote site at Palmerville Station to examine the scene.
He admitted to being shocked by the cold executionstyle double murder of Mt Isa couple Cindy Masonwells, 33, and Scott Maitland, 35, who were killed by Cairns mechanic Brandon MacGowan over a $14,000 debt.
He had to see the heartbreaking and graphic pictures of a young child killed by his parents with an electrical cord.
There were the lighthearted moments too, such as the case of a Kowanyama man who used a wheelie bin to steal cartons of booze from a canteen, but had it taken from him by greedy friends and family and only had a sixpack left for him- self. “We had some great laughs out the back, mainly about what some of the people in the dock get up to in court,” he said.
He admits there were a handful of times where he thinks the jury got it wrong.
Mr Sawyer remembers the elation and emotion when the public gallery broke into cheers, applause or sobs after major decisions. And, while judges and magistrates are constantly under public pressure, he had nothing but praise for the Cairns crop.
“The present-day ones, they’re just ordinary people,” he said.
“They’re doing a very difficult job, which a lot of the time they are condemned over.
“These judges we’ve got up here do it very, very well.”
The respect is clearly mutual and last week Cairns Supreme Court Justice Jim Henry chaired a full ceremonial send-off for Mr Sawyer, which is usually just reserved for departing judges.
“I was very overwhelmed and I was overwhelmed for about three days after, that they’d see fit to hold one like
that for me,” he said. He admits his actual retirement plans are relatively non-existent – a bit of gardening, a few cafe catchups with friends.
Wife Elaine, 71, still works two days a week herself, running an Edge Hill day-care centre, while their three daughters Deanne, Shelly and Belinda, all live on the Gold Coast with their 10 grandchil- dren. The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next year and “still talk to each other”, Mr Sawyer said.
He said it had been emotional having his family by his side for the formal farewell in court last week.
During the ceremony, Justice Henry said it had been “a pleasure” to preside in Mr Sawyer’s courtroom.
“I thank you for your comradeship and commend your sterling service to the court,” he said.
Most people will never see the inside of a courtroom and will never understand the role Mr Sawyer has played.
Those who do know he was invaluable.
And he swears he never fell asleep. Not once.