Salute to a positive spirit
BRIAN JOSEPH BAXTER (17/5/1942 - 21/8/2019)
AYR solicitor Brian Baxter, who died recently after a distinguished legal career spanning 60 years, has been remembered in a eulogy by his brother and long-time colleague Terry as a man devoted to his vocation and his family.
Brian Joseph Baxter was born in Grafton, New South Wales, on May 17, 1942, the eldest of eight children of
Frank and Joan Baxter.
In 1952 the family moved north to live in the Burdekin district on a small cane farm at Maidavale.
After completing his education at Mount Carmel College (now Columba Catholic College) in Charters Towers, Brian obtained employment as an articled law clerk with RJ Ruddy & Tomlins in Ayr.
He was articled to Bill Tomlins who was a renowned courtroom lawyer and Brian proved an apt pupil in this field. In the early part of his legal career he enjoyed the cut and thrust of advocacy and experienced considerable success in this field.
In 1965, Bill Tomlins suffered a heart attack which basically kept him out of the office on a full-time basis. Reg
Ruddy was quite elderly and worked only limited hours.
Although Brian had not then completed his articles, he virtually ran the practice with guidance from Reg Ruddy.
Brian completed his legal studies in 1966 and was admitted as a solicitor that year. He became a partner of the firm in 1968 when the firm name was changed to Ruddy Tomlins & Baxter.
Over the years, Brian spent less time in the courtroom and developed an expertise in the areas of civil litigation, the cane farming industry and particularly valuation and resumption matters.
He developed a widespread and loyal client base. He was appointed as a senior counsellor by the Queensland Law Society and for several years was able to pass on valuable advice to younger practitioners.
Brian was a passionate supporter of the Lower Burdekin community and served in an honorary capacity on various boards and committees. He was a strong supporter of the Catholic Church and held a senior position in the finance committee of the diocese.
Brian loved sport. He was club captain of his local cricket team and represented Ayr in inter-town competition. He was one of the inaugural squash players when courts were opened in Ayr and was also a keen golfer until ill health intervened a few years ago.
In 1970, Brian entered into the most important partnership of his life – his marriage to Pam. They were blessed with four children – Craig, Julie, Mark and Peter. The family has increased to include son-in-law Jeremy, daughtersin-law Odette and Carlie and grandchildren Hayley, Harry, Ryan, Amity and Jai. Brian was an absolutely devoted family man – without doubt his family was the most important thing in his life.
It was a tragedy that in recent years Brian suffered from increasingly debilitative illnesses in Parkinson’s disease and multiple myeloma, which detracted from his ability to remain active, which he always loved to be. These conditions however did not dim his spirit and he remained positive at all times.
Brian’s devotion to his vocation and desire to contribute remained undiminished to the end. It was not until a couple of years ago that, in light of his health issues, he reluctantly consented to cut back to working half days. He was still working at the time of his admission to hospital in July.
Brian passed away in Mater Hospital Townsville on August 21. He will be sorely missed by his family and legion of friends.
Brian’s family have kindly allowed me to share with you my recollection of my life with him. I arrived in Ayr straight out of school at the age of 17. He was my housemate, my boss and my mentor. He taught me more about legal practice than any professor or lecturer could have. The last day I worked in the Ayr office was 48 and a half years to the day after that 17-year-old youth arrived – and in that time we did not have an argument. I will miss him.