Tim arrived at Parade College in 1982 from Sacred Heart in Diamond Creek.

Tim completed Year 12 (VCE) in 1987. He was Dux of the College (the highest scoring VCE student) studying English, Australian History, Legal Studies, Politics and Economics. I had the privilege of teaching Tim 2 of these subjects where he achieved outstanding results. The Politics classes were always interesting!

Tim was a fine student, gifted in analysis and essay writing. He was the last student to become Dux of the College with straight Humanities subjects. Most who win this honour would do largely Maths and Science base subjects.

Tim was a member of the Prefect Team. His passion at school was in public speaking and debating where he captained the Debating team. The team enjoyed a lot of success.

Tim accepted a place at the University of Melbourne to study Law and Arts.

This was the beginning of a period of outstanding academic achievement at the University. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts in 1993.

Tim continued his studies and completed a Masters Degree in Law from the University of Melbourne in 1998 and a Doctor of Judicial Science from the University of Virginia in the United States in 1999.

Since 2001 at that University, Tim acted as a Professor of Law. He spent an extended period at the University of Virginia with his family taking up a Fulbright Scholarship.

Tim then began his legal career as an Associate to the then Chief Justice of the Federal Court in 1996 and was admitted as a Barrister in 1996.

Tim practiced as a Barrister from 2002-2019, largely in commercial law including contract law, trade practices, administrative law, professional negligence, and defamation.

Tim was appointed Senior Counsel (SC) in 2016.

In 2020 Tim was appointed as a Judicial Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Tim has progressed in his career in the law at a rapid rate.

Prior to being appointed as a Justice of the Federal Court in 2022, Tim was a Senior Counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. This became an important inquiry after so many elderly Australians died in Aged Care facilities during COVID.

In 2019, Tim served as a Judge in the Family Court of Australia until 2022 before being appointed to the Federal Court of Australia. During his time at the Family Court, Tim was described as an efficient, hardworking judge who undertook his judicial role with care, compassion, and skill.

Tim is a highly respected and skilled legal practitioner. Tim’s personal qualities have been demonstrated through his commitment to be a mentor and friend to a good many young lawyers. His appointment to the court acknowledged Tim’s dedication to the law and accomplishments in the legal profession.

We at Parade are very proud of his achievements.

He is a very worthy recipient of the Distinguished Old Paradians Association Award.

I ask Mr Aiello to present Tim with a momento of the occasion.