Peter Boyce: Retiring Lawyer Reflects on a Career Fighting for Justice ...
Peter Boyce: “It's been an absolute miracle to see how Bruce and Denise Morcombe have continued that awareness program.”
“Every time there’s been a major event, Nambour has taken a while to recover, but it always comes back”.
The Nambour lawyer who helped jail Daniel Morcombe’s killer is retiring. Peter Boyce, the principal of renowned firm Butler McDermott, will call it a day on April 26. But while he may be stepping back from regularly seeing clients, Mr Boyce will continue to consult with the firm’s directors who are vowing to continue his legacy.
Mr Boyce, 68, said his work in hunting down Daniel’s killer, Brett Peter Cowan, highlighted the best and worst in people and left him with nothing but admiration for the Morcombes.
“The bad aspect, of course, is that Cowan's such a terrible person, a terrible criminal,” he said. “The good is how Daniel's parents took up the challenge to get the message out about child safety.
“It'll be 20 years since Daniel’s murder in December, and here they are, going stronger and better than ever. That's been an absolute miracle to see how Bruce and Denise Morcombe have continued that awareness program, and made sure that they've made a difference, so families don't have to go through the terrible trauma that they've been through.
“You can never get over the loss of a child, but you can try, as they have done, to do something that might make a difference.
“There'll never be a day that they don't miss Daniel, but every day they can look back, and say, ‘we’re making a difference to our society, and keeping kids safe’.
“And for us in the community, it's almost unfathomable to think that, A, you could have enough resilience to do it, but, B, to get up and actually do it. They're things that you just can't imagine when you try and put yourself in their position. But they've been mighty crusaders for safety and children, and I'm sure they will be, until the day they die.”
Mr Boyce has been a Partner at Butler McDermott since July 1, 1977. He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2013 and says he “fell into law” 51 years ago.
“My parents were farmers. We had a farm at Felton outside Toowoomba. And I had a brother on the farm, that was his occupation, helping Dad. And I really liked farming, but there wasn't room for two sons on the farm.
“So, I went to Brisbane and door-knocked to get a job. I got a job within three or four days, so I was pretty lucky.
“I found out that a partner at Butler McDermott, Richard Keller, wanted to sell. I was only 22 at the time, and I thought, ‘Well, I might as well have a go at it’.
“I was pretty green. I'd only just qualified, so I was pretty lucky, frankly.”
Mr Boyce said one of the things that attracted him to law was his “love for the fight”.
“There's nothing like preparing a matter, getting ready to go to trial, going to trial. And if it's successful, it's a great feeling, a great day. And if it's not successful ... those are the days you have to pick yourself up and get going again.
“Because there's a lot of work goes into preparing a matter. But, equally, it’s really interesting and satisfying to go there and win.”
Speaking of fighting Mr Boyce said Nambour was a town that had copped some blows but would always bounce back. “When I started, Nambour was the Sunshine Coast headquarters. The main courthouse was in Nambour. Everything was centered around Nambour. And over that time, there's obviously been a major shift.
“Nambour's had to put up with lots of things, like the closure of the mill, the opening of SCUH (Sunshine Coast University Hospital), Council moving to the Coast. Every time there's been a major event, Nambour has taken a while to recover, but it always comes back.
“It's going through a transition now. That transition, I'm sure, will see Nambour kick back, and become a vibrant place again. In the future, I think Nambour really is one of those towns that will become extremely attractive for investment. It will happen, because if you have a look at pricing on the coastal strip, it's becoming prohibitive for a lot of people. But also Nambour has now got a lot of families, new homes, so it's going through that transition stage, and I think there's lots going for Nambour.
He said he would leave secure in the knowledge he had done the best he could.
“Well, I know I've worked long hours and hard, but one of the things is I also think that I've been really lucky. There have been really interesting cases where you think, ‘God, I wonder how that arrived across my desk?’
“I have had many great experiences in the law and I am eternally grateful to all of the people who have supported our business and more to the point, who have entrusted me with their work over the years.”
First on his retirement list is going to Canada for a couple of months.
“And then I'm going to see what happens. I'm just going to have a spell for a while.”
Mr Boyce and his wife of 36 years Melissa lived in Nambour for 28 years as they raised their six kids who went to St Joseph's.
“I feel so lucky that I've been able to have done what I've been able to do in law, but also I wouldn't be able to do it without my wife and her support. She's done a lot on her own, because I was forever working at times. We had six kids under 11 at one stage. So I needed to go to work. I'm blessed that I've got six healthy children who are all working, and all well. Family's really important. So important that when the chips are down, you know that they're still there, and they'll always support you. ”