Graeme Johnstone, who ran the Canowindra office of Garden and Montgomerie from its opening in the early 1970s, passed away on 9th May 2016 at the age of 93. Graeme had been the family solicitor for many Canowindra residents for at least 30 years, leaving a legacy of his work behind. He commenced work at Garden and Montgomerie as an articled clerk, which is essentially a trainee solicitor, before the second world war. When the war started he enlisted and joined the RAAF where he served as a navigator on Lancaster bombers.
After the war he returned to Garden and Montgomerie and became a partner in 1948. “When I arrived at Garden and Montgomerie in 2004, Graeme was still practicing at the age of 81!” said Grant Chamberlain, a current partner at G and M; “He was an extremely highly regarded and professional solicitor who will be very much missed by all of us at G and M and by his many loyal clients in Canowindra who still regularly ask after him.”
“Graeme founded the Canowindra office of G and M. we believe it was in about 1974 after Stan Wall, another local solicitor was struck off the roll for misappropriating client trust monies. For years afterwards Graeme worked to help his Canowindra clients regularise
their affairs, which frequently involved writing to Stan Wall in prison.” Graeme was a founding member of Lachlan Legacy and the secretary of that organisation for over 30 years. He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to his community. He will be truly missed. Been a local for a few decades? If you can recall exactly when the Garden and Montgomerie office opened in Canowindra,
Grant and the team would be interested to hear from you.