Samuel Edward Keith Hulme
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Samuel Edward Keith Hulme AM QC (13 July 1929 – 26 November 2008)
Samuel Edward Keith Hulme AM QC, commonly known as S. E. K. Hulme, was an Australian barrister, Rhodes Scholar and company director. A senior figure of the Victorian Bar for more than five decades, he was recognised for his work in commercial and constitutional law, his participation in public inquiries, and his service on professional, corporate and charitable bodies. His death was marked by obituaries in The Age and the Herald Sun, as well as commentary in The Australian.[1][2][3]
Early life and education
Hulme was born in Melbourne and educated at Lloyd Street Central School in East Malvern and Wesley College. During the Second World War he attended the Royal Australian Naval College before returning to Wesley College to complete his secondary education.[4][1]
He studied law at the University of Melbourne, residing at Queen’s College, and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours). In 1952 he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and undertook postgraduate study at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he completed the Bachelor of Civil Law with first-class honours. During his time in England he was admitted to Gray’s Inn.[1][5]
Legal career
Hulme was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1953 and took silk in 1968.[1][5]
He practised primarily in equity, revenue and commercial law, and became known for his work in public inquiries and royal commissions, including inquiries into major infrastructure failures in Victoria during the 1960s and 1970s.[1]
Although he had limited involvement in witness-based litigation, Hulme developed a reputation for analytical rigour and written advocacy. After taking silk, his practice expanded significantly, and he later served in senior professional roles within the Bar, including on disciplinary and governance bodies.[5]
Constitutional commentary
Hulme wrote and spoke publicly on constitutional issues and legal process. In the early 1990s he delivered a detailed critique of the High Court’s handling of Mabo v Queensland (No 2), arguing that aspects of the Court’s reasoning had generated unnecessary controversy. His analysis attracted wide attention within legal circles, and he was subsequently invited to make submissions in connection with the development of native title legislation.[1]
Corporate and public roles
Alongside his legal practice, Hulme held long-term directorships with major Australian companies, including Comalco Ltd (later Rio Tinto Alcan), and served as a director and chairman of Joe White Maltings Ltd.[1][5]
He was the inaugural chairman of the Melbourne University Law School Foundation and served on ethics committees associated with major medical and professional institutions, including hospital and surgical ethics bodies. He was also active in charitable and community organisations, including long service with the Old Colonists’ Association of Victoria.[1][4]
Writing and intellectual life
Hulme co-authored Wesley College: The First Hundred Years (1967) with historian Geoffrey Blainey and J. H. Morrissey.[6]
Beyond formal publication, he was known as a manuscript reader and adviser to writers and scholars. Journalist and author Caroline Overington later wrote that Hulme acted as a reader for her work and for Blainey, describing him as an exacting and perceptive critic whose influence extended beyond the legal profession.[3]
Personal life and honours
Hulme married Natalia Ivanovna in 1970. In 1992 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the law.[1]
He retired from legal practice in June 2008 and died later that year at his home in Toorak. Obituaries published in The Age and the Herald Sun described him as a leading figure of the Victorian Bar and noted his influence across professional, corporate and cultural life.[1][2]
In 2013, the Old Colonists’ Association of Victoria named the SEK Hulme Community Centre in his honour.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Tadgell, Clive AO. “Samuel Edward Keith Hulme AM QC.” The Age, January 2009. Obituary.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 “Samuel Edward Keith Hulme AM QC.” Herald Sun, 12 January 2009. Obituary.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Overington, Caroline. “The passing of a glorious man.” The Australian, 16 December 2008 (online).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 “Vale: Samuel Edward Keith Hulme (SEK) (1929–2008).” Wesley College St Kilda Road Newsletter, 5 December 2008.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 “Obituary: Samuel Edward Keith Hulme AM QC.” Victorian Bar, November 2008.
- ↑ Blainey, Geoffrey; Hulme, S. E. K.; Morrissey, J. H. Wesley College: The First Hundred Years. Robertson & Mullens, Melbourne, 1967.
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