The Ryan Scholarship - The Honourable Kevin Ryan CBE RFD QC

This biography has been prepared by UQLA Director, Emily Rudz.

During his lifetime, the Honourable Kevin William Ryan CBE RFD QC made a long-lasting significant contribution to the law, legal scholarship and law reform.

Ryan was born in Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria in 1925, son of Michael James Ryan, motor mechanic, and his wife, Minnie Mabel, née Ogilvie. He lost his mother when he was just four years of age. He was educated at Christian Brothers College, Warrnambool, left school at 13, and at 14 left for Sydney and entered the Order of the Christian Brothers, a teaching order, where he taught in various places, including Mackay, Bundaberg and Toowoomba. He taught mathematics and physics. He remained with the Christian Brothers until 1948, although never took his final vows. During this time, Ryan studied a Bachelor of Arts part-time at the University of Queensland, where his love of languages flourished. He studied Latin and Greek.

Whilst studying for his law degree Ryan began as an academic, teaching in the law school. After graduating from the University of Queensland (1948), he worked as a law clerk (1949) and went onto complete the Barristers Board examinations. On 11 December 1950, he was called to the Bar and commenced practice. Work was hard to come by, so he returned to academia.

Ryan completed his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1956, before winning a scholarship to Clare College at Cambridge University where he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy for a thesis on the Comparative Law of Trust between England, and France, Italy, Germany and Russia.

To make it more challenging, Ryan undertook his research of the original texts of those countries in their native language. He returned to the University of Queensland Law School as a senior lecturer in 1962, and was later appointed as a Reader in 1964. Ryan’s passion for languages and international law saw him appointed as the Australian Government Trade Commissioner and Commercial Counsellor in Rome and then Geneva from 1965 to 1969. He was heavily involved in the Kennedy round of the GATT meetings on trade and tariffs, at a time when the European Community was emerging.

In 1969, Ryan was drawn back to the world of academia and became Professor of Law at the University of Queensland. He served as the Dean of the Law School (1970-1974) and was twice appointed as Garrick Professor (1969-1974; 1979-1985). Ryan took silk in 1978, whilst an academic, a rare achievement. On 1 July 1980, he became a part-time member of the Queensland Law Reform Commission, and later was a full-time member.

On 1 January 1982, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his exceptional public contribution to the law. In 1982 Ryan returned to private practice at the Bar, where he remained until his appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1984. Ryan retired from the Supreme Court in 1994. Ryan also served as a judge of the Court of Appeal of Kiribati between 1996 and 2000.

Ryan’s academic interests were diverse. Over the course of his academic career, he taught most of the subjects offered by the Law School. His contributions to scholarship and law reform lay principally in Civil Law, Military Law, Tax Law, Constitutional Law and International Trade Law. He authored and co-authored several books, which have been relied upon by practitioners and academics alike, on Comparative Law, Income Tax, Constitutional Law, International Trade Law, International Law and Supreme Court Practice.

His accolades include Honorary Doctorates from the University of Queensland (1989) and the Queensland University of Technology (1994), and a Reserve Forces Decoration for his service to the Australian Army legal reserve where he rose to the rank of Colonel. He was also recognised as a Fellow of both the International Academy of Comparative Law and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Ryan’s extra-legal activities were also extensive. He served on the Mater Hospital Board for 20 years, 9 as chairman. He was Vice Patron of Guide Dogs for the Blind. He was Chairman of the Archbishop’s Finance Board and Ethics Committee,

Ryan made a significant impact to the University of Queensland Law School. He was president of the UQLA’s predecessor, the University of Queensland Law Graduate Association.

Ryan was married to Josephine, née Morrison, for approximately 55 years. Together, they had a daughter, Catherine, and a son, James. Ryan passed away on 18 November 2009.