T*Editions 5 & 6/2012 RRP $18

(includes GST)

Farewell to theHonourable Justice Dean Mildren RFD

Personal Injury claims for immigration detainees

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

2013Year of the Snake

Peggy Cheong,President,Law Society Northern Territory

Thank goodness we have all made it through 2012, especially given the prediction that the world was going

to end on 21 December 2012. I do not take note of such predictions which seem to surface from time to time, especially if the world has survived the last date predicted for the end of the world. However, the end of the world in December 2012 was more pressing, especially since we had booked holidays overseas that meant we were flying out on 22 December, the day after the world ended. Lucky for us, and the rest of the world, we have made it to 2013 and hopefully beyond for many years to come.

I hope that everyone has had an enjoyable and relaxing break over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Having returned from over two weeks overseas, one would expect that I would be chomping at the bit, ready to jump into work with renewed vigour, energy and enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, I think my motivation is still on holidays, somewhere between Chiang Mai and Singapore, and when it reaches Singapore, it may be stuck there for a while. So when I was reminded of my article for Balance, I confess I really struggled. My daughter did suggest that I could write about her, after all it is all about her!

Well, I think it would be reasonable to share our holiday stories with you, given that we had a great time

overseas and the destinations we visited may be of interest to others in Darwin.

We spent five days in Chiang Mai, Thailand, five days in Luang Prabang, Laos and several more days in Singapore, my favourite city close to Darwin. Chiang Mai was beautiful, a quaint and clean city that was built as a fort and still has a moat and the ruins of the walls around the old fort. We stayed in the centre of old Chiang Mai, the people were very nice and helpful, and the locals were not pushing or disruptive. Getting about was very easy, little tuk-tuks or red taxis that you can flag down easily. Travelling costs in the red taxi are usually around 30 to 60 cents each ride. Eating out is also relatively cheap and the food was very nice.

Local attractions include a lot of temples as well as Sunday markets, night bazaars and street stalls. We went to a night market that would have been the largest open air market known to human kind; it was huge, covering many, many streets, probably eight to ten times the size of Mindl markets. There were local produce, food and a lot of local crafts, knick- knacks, t-shirts and everything that you would expect in a huge local market. Apart from temples, visitors to Chiang Mai are also tempted by activities such as cooking classes, visits to elephant farms, elephant rides, and flights with the gibbons. The last

attraction was the highlight of our stay in Chiang Mai. I, who have difficulty with heights, managed to avoid this activity, however, my travelling companions including my daughter, enjoyed the adventure.

Flying with, or “Flight of the Gibbons” is a jungle type adventure where participants spend several hours zip lining, like a flying fox, down a series of lines above the jungle canopy inhabited by gibbons. The general consensus from our group was that the tour was safe, well organised, and, apart from my daughter screaming loud enough to drown out the gibbons, the day was most enjoyable. Although, my daughter could have done without the trek to see the waterfall after the flying, as this was allegedly an optional part of the day’s tour activities.

From flying with the gibbons, we then hopped on a plane and flew from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang in Laos. Luang Prabang is very much a developing country and a huge tourist attraction. It is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site and with its history of French occupation in the past, the buildings in Luang Prabang show signs of the French influence.

We had accommodation in rooms in a quaint colonial looking type building which reminded me of European architecture. We were also fortunate enough that our accommodation was a street from the Mekong River. We literally

4 www.lawsocietynt.asn.au

The Mekong River at Luang Prabang

looked out over the River and while we sat on our balconies reading or just people watching, we also observed long boats and sampans powered by motors and people in equal proportion move gracefully down the Mekong. Once again it was a very relaxing spot.

The attractions in Luang Prabang were similar to those available in Chiang Mai. The food also had a Thai influence, and although the cost was still relatively cheap, food and items generally were more expensive in Luang Prabang, notwithstanding that it was a smaller and less developed city. I understand that there are plans for a railway track and service to be built for visitors to travel to Luang Prabang, and no doubt when this means of transport becomes available, there will be even more tourists to this lovely area. Luang Prabang is affectionately referred to as the ‘mystical Shangri-La’ of North East Asia.

Markets and temples are again abundant in Luang Prabang. We of course visited both and contributed significantly to the local economy. One of the temples in Luang Prabang, known as the Jewel was quite aptly named, for as the sun shone on the walls of the temple, which were covered in glittering and reflecting mosaic tiles, the temple did in fact shine and sparkle like a jewel; quite exquisite. The markets were again filled with local products and crafts. There were beautiful table runners, bed covers and linens which were made locally, some items taking up to nine months to complete.

We also visited the royal residence of the previous kings of Luang Prabang. The previous monarchy and history of its demise in Luang Prabang was very interesting. Notwithstanding that the royal family was much loved by the people generally, the last king was deposed by a local party in about

1975, which then placed the king, the queen and the prince (heir to the throne) in a re-education camp where they ultimately died from ill health or lack of appropriate medical treatment. There are apparently still descendents of that royal line living in the United States and one in Australia. The royal residence was very impressive; the walls of the throne room where the king received guests were beautifully decorated in red and lined with glittering mosaic tiles. Due to the civil unrest, a lot of entrepreneurs, business people and developers fled Luang Prabang and presumably never returned, even after the area was again re-opened to tourist in about 1989. This most likely explains the lack of development, trade and more concentrated commerce in Luang Prabang, which is part of its charm at present. However, as more and more people discover this place and its potential, further development due to or as part

Balance 5&6/2012

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

A beautiful temple at Luang Prabang

of increasing tourism is likely to change the charm and face of Luang Prabang in the future.

Apart from sightseeing, the majority of our group decided to take a Cooking Class at one of the local restaurants. It was an eye opening, interesting and tasty experience. As part of the class, we were taken to the people’s local market just outside the tourist area of Luang Prabang. The market sold all types of products, dry foods, clothes, shoes, and there was also the wet part of the market that sold vegetables, meat of large variety, blood jelly, local game and fresh fish. Despite the wet part of the market, which was an eye opener, even for me, (since I am not really Chinese, or I have been away from local Chinese markets for a long time), the market was generally very clean and the people again were quite friendly.I do recall one particular ‘delicacy’ from the market, buffalo skin,

which can be bought dried, wet, cooked like crackling and no doubt in other forms for food or anything else. There seemed to be a lot of buffalo skin on offer at the market.

After the market, we returned to the restaurant, and each student (a total of six that day) picked a dish that he or she wanted to cook. We were then shown the basics of Laos cooking, and the different styles in various regions of Laos were also explained to us. Then we went into the large kitchen, all the actual food preparation had been done for us and we each then went on to cook our chosen dish. It was my style of cooking. The preparation all done, I cook and then someone else cleans up for me, almost too good to be true. The feast we had at the end of our class included fish, chicken, noodles, sticky rice and a mango desert; all very yum.

After Luang Prabang we travelled

back to Singapore on our way home to Darwin, but of course we had to spend a few days in Singapore just to get used to the idea of coming home. I think Singapore has become a little more expensive since we last visited some 12 months ago, but it is still a great place to visit, especially for the food. We managed to eat our way through our few days in Singapore which were filled with food, shopping, and more food. Then we finally did have to leave and came home to Darwin by Jetstar arriving at 5.00am in the morning... holiday... what holiday.??!!

We came home to Darwin in the second week of January, and the old adage that there is no place like home is very true. Although we enjoyed our holidays immensely, it was good to be home. Then off to work, where the body is present in the office, but the mind and motivation is lagging a long way behind. If one could

6 www.lawsocietynt.asn.au

Cooking class at Luang Prabang

bottle motivation and interest, one could be very rich. So you see this article is devoid of anything legai or ‘lawyerly’, therefore in order to justify your perseverance in reading to the end of my musings, I should note that the National Legal Profession Reforms appear to have had a further setback, with the Federal Attorney-General advising the Law Council of Australia that the anticipated federal funding for the implementation of the reforms is unlikely to be available if the reforms are only accepted by and implemented in Victoria and New South Wales, notwithstanding that those jurisdictions do have almost 75% of the lawyers in the country.

On a more local note, in FebruaryFinally, 2013 is the year of the Snake in the Chinese Zodiac. Chinese New Year commenced on

10 February 2013 and festivities usually last for 15 days. The year of the Snake will have different implications for all the other 11 Chinese zodiac signs. If you are born in the year of the Snake, 2013 will have particular significance for you. The year of the Snake person is smart, calculating, and is driven to achieve their goals. 2013 is said to be a challenging year for people born under the Snake sign. Great opportunities are said to be present for these people in 2013 provided they can guard against complacency and indifference and focus on maximising their considerable skills. So, were you born in the year of the Snake?

Gung Hee Fatt Choy / Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year!

People bom in the following are likely to have the sssssnakey characteristics....

4 February 1905 - 24 January 1906

23 January 1917-10 February 1918

10 February 1929 - 29 January 1930

27 January 1941 - 14 February 1942

14 February 1953-2 February 1954

2 February 1965 - 20 January 1966

18 February 1977-6 February 1978

6 February 1989 - 26 January 1990

23 January 2001 - 11 February 2002

10 February 2013 - 30 January 2014

29 January 2025 - 16 February 2026

Balance 5&6/2012 7