The time has come Chris Wren KC

People The time has come, Chris Wren KC said

Serena Armstrong, Victorian Bar

Never shy of an apt quote, some recall Chris Wren KC lapsing into song during submissions. It was therefore with trademark style that Chris announced his retirement after 47 years at the bar. Those who received his email missive, appreciated it commenced with his typical humour, warmth, theatricality and wit by riffing on Lewis Carroll:

“The time has come”, the Walrus said,

“to talk of many things:

Of days with time to relax-

Of a phone that never rings-

And whilst I haven’t quite lost the plot –

I’m taking to the wings.”1

Without doubt, those who know Chris remark on his loyalty and generosity. He is the consummate gentleman, courteous and calm yet never shy to fire up when it is of benefit to his case. He is a fierce fighter but level headed, provided the argument does not concern his beloved ‘Pies. The strength of his loyalty to his friends is surpassed only by his devotion to his family.

In the words of Stuart Morris KC, “universally you will be told this man is a man of integrity, a man with a strong commitment to the public good, a man who has been a forceful advocate for his clients, and a man who has been a great friend of planning law in Victoria.”

Chris is known to work relentlessly in each of his cases, doing the utmost for his clients. As Justice Osborn aptly describes, “Chris engages deeply with his cases, honing in on the points that matter, asking pertinent questions, listening intently to the answers and reading the bench.” He reflects that Chris is a leader of the jurisdiction, commenting that his body of work has been significant.

Chris was born in 1950, growing up in Kew and was educated at Xavier. After finishing school he resided at Newman College. It was there that his love of wine blossomed. He recalls engaging with his fellow students in developing a thorough understanding of big, bold reds. Despite claiming to have spent “far too much time at the Clyde and not enough at the law library”, Chris excelled in his Bar Roll studies and upon completion commenced articles at Corrs. He was admitted to the legal profession in 1974, signing the bar roll 15 months later on 28 August 1975. He read with John (Jack) Winneke, a formidable intellect whose expertise included town planning and whose judgments are well known from his time as President of the Court of Appeal (1995-2005). Winneke sparked Chris’ love of planning, opening it up as a “fascinating, entertaining and creative” profession. His entre to the planning bar was no doubt further assisted by taking chambers with Robert Osborn KC and Michael Wright KC. He had the good fortune to work with them, as well as Chris Canavan KC, early in his career.

Chris’ early years at the bar were occupied by a typically broad mix of matters. In addition to planning, he was briefed for a range of criminal, personal injuries and workers compensation hearings. But it was planning law that Chris truly loved and as his experience and reputation grew he focused on planning, land valuation, local government and liquor licensing law.

In 1989-1990 he was a member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, hearing matters to clear the backlog of planning cases plaguing the government. Shortly afterwards he authored the “Wren Report” into the Planning Appeals System Review. He wrote the report working out of the Attorney General’s office during the period of Andrew McCutcheon, who was an architect by training and went on to become the Planning Minister from 1990-1992. McCutcheon was also a founding winemaker of Ten Minutes By Tractor, so no doubt there was much talk of pinot and Mornington Peninsula viticulture practices during that period.

Chris was a champion of VPELA and believed deeply in Barber’s vision of a multidisciplinary organisation where people could network and share ideas. He served as its Vice President from 2004 to 2010 and in 2012 was awarded the Richard J Evans Fellowship. He was also an active member of the Law Institute Planning and Environmental Law Committee.

Penny and Chris Wren.

Chris was always generous in the time he spent helping develop the careers of young barristers, including his readers Nick Tweedie, Sarah Porritt, David O’Brien and Joanne Lardner. In 2005 his long and outstanding contribution to law, particularly planning law, was recognised through his appointment as Queens Counsel.

Chris is known for giving his complete focus and energy to each of his cases. This is reflected in his response when I invited him to reflect on his greatest career achievements. He replied: “Every case is so important to the individual client, I don’t really differentiate them. You want your advocate to be totally focused on your case and nothing else. I tried to do that.”

Nonetheless, there are certain matters that warrant mention, including his role in the Inquiry into Nillumbik Council (1998), Basslink (2002), and as ‘Counsel assisting’ in a number of major EES and Advisory Committee matters including the Victorian Desalination Plant (2008) and the Logical Inclusions Advisory Committee (2011).

No chronicle of his achievements would be complete without mention of his commitment to the yearly surfing conferences in Indonesia, where, when not preoccupied by surfing with other lawyers and counsel, he is known to present papers about the laws of ‘dropping in on a wave’.

Last, but by no means least, Chris acknowledges his wife Penny, their four children and seven grandchildren as the most important part of his life. In the years to come, Chris’s time will be filled tending to his farm at Flinders, producing cool climate wines and truffles, teaching the grandchildren to surf and travelling the world with Penny. Chris, we wish you all the best.

Serena Armstrong, is a barrister at the Victorian Bar specialising in planning, environment and heritage matters. She has had the pleasure of working with Chris Wren KC both as a solicitor and later as a junior barrister.

1 Those with a similar love of literature to Chris may recognise the opening three lines appear in Alice Through the Looking Glass.

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