My time in Katherine has continued much as the weeks before have. I'm settling into a routine and I've begun to become accustomed to this place. The Wet Season is starting to dissipate and soon the glorious Dry Season will arrive. There will be horizon-to-horizon sunshine all the time and cooler temperatures. Although that is also when the tourists come there will be plenty of community activities in the coming months. In July, for example, there will be the Katherine Regional Show Day, a sort of carnival of the local area. In May, the races are coming to town and I think I'll go.
I've had some interesting professional development in the last few weeks. Since many of the bush courts we go on are down single-lane roads, and one in particular is down a graded dirt track, all NAAJA employees are given 4-Wheel-Drive training. I had been looking forward to it ever since I had been told about it. The instructor met us at the NAAJA office and gave us a talk on the principles behind 4WD and how to properly use it. He then took us out to an old airfield where we practised manoeuvres like braking and steering at the same time at 80km/h! It was exhilarating to say the least. It's important to know how to do that to avoid the large animals, like buffalo, that pose a serious danger if you hit them at speed. We also practised techniques of how to get out if bogged down.
I then had an opportunity to put my skills to use when I travelled with my workmate John to Borroloola, a small town 655 kilometers east of Katherine. Borroloola is famous as having the first police station in the Northern Territory and now it hosts a bush court. Although it is the Katherine NAAJA office that sends lawyers out to Borroloola, the assizes is run by the Darwin court. I haven't been told why that is yet and it makes things a little complicated.
Anyway, I drove John and myself the whole distance to Borroloola. We went down the Stuart Highway until we turned off to the Carpentaria Highway. This second highway is paved but for the most part is only 1 lane wide, that means that if you see another car coming, you both pull over but if it's a road train, you pull right off to the side. The drive was quite interesting as there was some wet weather and beautiful views. In some places, the highway was slightly flooded which meant driving through water, which was quite an experience.
When John and I were about 45 minutes from Borroloola, having already driven about 6 hours, we got a call saying that the court had been cancelled because of worries of a cyclone hitting Darwin. That meant that instead of 5 days away, John and I would be returning the next day, having taken care of some administrative matters the next morning. The night of our arrival, there wasn't much to do so we just had dinner and sat around with some of the other people who had come in, like Corrections staff, some court staff and some police officers. The next day, after reporting to the magistrate by telephone which clients had turned up because they hadn't heard the news and those that hadn't had their matters put off until the next assizes in May. I did the driving back to Katherine as well, and I must say that I do enjoy long drives, particularly to exotic places. We stopped at the famous Daly Waters Pub and had dinners. The last time I was in Daly Waters was in 2005 and it looks quite a bit different to how I remember it give that I was now seeing it in the Wet Season and after drought-breaking rains the previous year.
Next weekend I'll be travelling to Darwin to take part in a professional course on evidence. One of the requirements of lawyers is that every year that have to do a certain amount of professional training/development and this course counts. I'm looking forward to the trip, just to get out of Katherine for a few days and the course will be important as there's a new evidence regime coming into effect in July.
On another note, 1 year and 1 day after I applied for it, I was notified that my graduate visa had been approved. This visa allows me to live and work in Australia for 18 months and is a stepping stone to permanent residence, should I choose to apply. If I do, I think I will have to do so quickly as a new scheme comes into effect in July and it adds an additional layer of complexity. I'll have to decide how to proceed.
And finally, the cases just keep on coming. I'm taking charge of matters now and some matters will be going to hearing, so I'll be cross-examining witnesses and the like. Hopefully I'll do alright, particularly as someone's freedom may be at stake. I've ordered a book on trial technique and I'll be reading it to get some tips on how to proceed. This is going to be the next big step in my career and I hope I'm up to the challenge.
I've had some interesting professional development in the last few weeks. Since many of the bush courts we go on are down single-lane roads, and one in particular is down a graded dirt track, all NAAJA employees are given 4-Wheel-Drive training. I had been looking forward to it ever since I had been told about it. The instructor met us at the NAAJA office and gave us a talk on the principles behind 4WD and how to properly use it. He then took us out to an old airfield where we practised manoeuvres like braking and steering at the same time at 80km/h! It was exhilarating to say the least. It's important to know how to do that to avoid the large animals, like buffalo, that pose a serious danger if you hit them at speed. We also practised techniques of how to get out if bogged down.
I then had an opportunity to put my skills to use when I travelled with my workmate John to Borroloola, a small town 655 kilometers east of Katherine. Borroloola is famous as having the first police station in the Northern Territory and now it hosts a bush court. Although it is the Katherine NAAJA office that sends lawyers out to Borroloola, the assizes is run by the Darwin court. I haven't been told why that is yet and it makes things a little complicated.
Anyway, I drove John and myself the whole distance to Borroloola. We went down the Stuart Highway until we turned off to the Carpentaria Highway. This second highway is paved but for the most part is only 1 lane wide, that means that if you see another car coming, you both pull over but if it's a road train, you pull right off to the side. The drive was quite interesting as there was some wet weather and beautiful views. In some places, the highway was slightly flooded which meant driving through water, which was quite an experience.
When John and I were about 45 minutes from Borroloola, having already driven about 6 hours, we got a call saying that the court had been cancelled because of worries of a cyclone hitting Darwin. That meant that instead of 5 days away, John and I would be returning the next day, having taken care of some administrative matters the next morning. The night of our arrival, there wasn't much to do so we just had dinner and sat around with some of the other people who had come in, like Corrections staff, some court staff and some police officers. The next day, after reporting to the magistrate by telephone which clients had turned up because they hadn't heard the news and those that hadn't had their matters put off until the next assizes in May. I did the driving back to Katherine as well, and I must say that I do enjoy long drives, particularly to exotic places. We stopped at the famous Daly Waters Pub and had dinners. The last time I was in Daly Waters was in 2005 and it looks quite a bit different to how I remember it give that I was now seeing it in the Wet Season and after drought-breaking rains the previous year.
Next weekend I'll be travelling to Darwin to take part in a professional course on evidence. One of the requirements of lawyers is that every year that have to do a certain amount of professional training/development and this course counts. I'm looking forward to the trip, just to get out of Katherine for a few days and the course will be important as there's a new evidence regime coming into effect in July.
On another note, 1 year and 1 day after I applied for it, I was notified that my graduate visa had been approved. This visa allows me to live and work in Australia for 18 months and is a stepping stone to permanent residence, should I choose to apply. If I do, I think I will have to do so quickly as a new scheme comes into effect in July and it adds an additional layer of complexity. I'll have to decide how to proceed.
And finally, the cases just keep on coming. I'm taking charge of matters now and some matters will be going to hearing, so I'll be cross-examining witnesses and the like. Hopefully I'll do alright, particularly as someone's freedom may be at stake. I've ordered a book on trial technique and I'll be reading it to get some tips on how to proceed. This is going to be the next big step in my career and I hope I'm up to the challenge.
