Tim

RON CASTAN: A PROUD JEW WHO HELPED SHAPE MODERN AUSTRALIA Ron Castan AM QC played a pioneering role in one of Australia’s most consequential legal achievements: the recognition of native title Born in Melbourne in 1939 to Russian Jewish immigrant parents, he attended Carey Baptist Grammar School before studying law at the University of Melbourne. He graduated with the Supreme Court Prize in 1961, then earned a master’s degree at Harvard He built a distinguished career as a barrister, combining commercial practice with a deep commitment to human rights and pro bono work, providing legal assistance without charging fees His most enduring contribution came as senior counsel in the Mabo case For a decade, Castan & his legal colleagues worked alongside Eddie Koiki Mabo & his fellow Meriam plaintiffs to secure recognition of their traditional land ownership. It demanded extraordinary perseverance, legal imagination & courage On 3 June 1992, the High Court rejected terra nullius: the legal fiction that Australia’s land belonged to no one before British colonisation The judgment recognised the Meriam people’s traditional ownership & established that native title could survive British sovereignty & be recognised in Australian common law. Its significance extended to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples across the country Justice Michael Kirby later described the legal strategy Castan & his colleagues conceived as “breathtaking in its boldness” Castan’s service extended beyond Mabo. He became the founding secretary of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service in 1971 & continued working to protect Indigenous land rights after the historic judgment He was deeply connected to his Jewish heritage. Nova Peris, whom he mentored, remembered him as a proud Jew & a committed Zionist. His awareness of Jewish persecution helped inspire his determination to confront injustice against others Today, Monash University’s Castan Centre for Human Rights Law bears his name, honouring his enduring contribution Ron Castan brought legal brilliance, generosity & conviction to the service of Australia His work helped reshape our nation. His story deserves to be widely known & celebrated