Mooting Down
Under
Laila
Nasry relives the ups and downs of a legal cum travel experience
Seated in a
taxi speeding at hundred down a highway, I stare at the two unshaven
faces before me and I'm glad it's not a dream. After three flights,
a six-hour transit in a SARS infected country (masked and hardly
breathing)
and what seemed like travelling forever, Hejaaz,
Pubudu and I, chosen to represent Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth
Legal Education Association Mooting Competition, are finally in
Melbourne, Australia.
![](../images/m2.jpg)
The
moot team with our only Sri Lankan supporter
|
Melbourne,
as I soon find out, is a potpourri of varied ethnicity
one
doesn't have to look far
a British immigration officer, a
Chinese customs officer, a Lebanese cab driver and throughout my
trip I'm left amazed at the cultural diversity on offer be it at
Chinatown, the French quarter, Greek quarter or the city centre.
For an eye
used to seeing the Colombo chaos, Melbourne is hard to take in
perfect lane coordination and the smooth flow of traffic along the
broad roads fringed with grassy slopes and blushing autumn trees
Not a vehicle belched smoke, tooted a horn and no driver yelled
obscenities
the change is simply too much to take!
Melbourne in
autumn is very cold, and for those of us from the tropics, braving
the cold took some effort. It doesn't help at all when all one is
wearing is shorts (like my bright spark of a teammate soon found
out). But not one to accept that he got his seasons mixed up, he
insisted on wearing his shorts and walking around looking like a
passenger who was enroute to the Bahamas and was mistakenly left
behind!
For the four
days prior to the competition we stayed with a school friend and
her husband. A law student herself at the Monash University, she
took us to the university, where we spent a day in the library doing
more research and preparing for the competition.
The law library is absolutely impressive. Here you really know what
it is to have the law at your fingertips! After hours of getting
voluntarily lost among the books we settled down in a soundproof
room for our discourse.
The
day before we left for Kings gate Hotel (where we were to stay for
the days of the competition) our legal submissions were finalized.
We needed to get photocopies of it and so we were directed to 'Office
works'; a kind of 'Salaka' in Australia. Having got off the tram
and trudging in that direction we were met by a middle aged Aussie
lady walking towards us. She looked squarely at one of the guys,
with a broad smile and went "hi, gorgeous". His smile
in return out did the sun
he would have replied had it not
been for the little girl who ran up from somewhere behind us with
a yell of joy
mommy! Our laughter was uncontrollable. (He's
going to kill me for this!)
The team briefing
at the hotel was our first meeting with our would-be opponents and
roommates. I hide my laughter when I see my teammates having the
'fortune' of rooming with a six feet three inches tall law student
cum Army officer from Vanuatu, Aca (pronounced Atha and soon dubbed
Etha (elephant) by them.) They tell me later that they let him have
the big bed and large closet space! After brief introductions we
are told of the times, venue, rules, regulations and other arrangements
coordinated by the organizers and the welcome reception that night.
The reception
was at the 'Palladium' in the Crown Complex, which is like a miniature
city. After getting lost among Roulette tables we find ourselves
there. Wow.
After mingling
for a while, with a similarly awestruck Indian team as company we
spot Lord Justice Philip of Worth Matravers of the Court of Appeal
of the United Kingdom whose judgment we quote in the course of our
arguments. Amazed at our luck we don't let it pass. Taking the singular
honour upon us we introduce ourselves and as the conversation progressed
we gather some vital tips on advocacy skills.
Our moot is
in one of the Melbourne Supreme Courts.
The courtroom
is awe-inspiring. Wood panelled walls, teak trimmings, velvet curtains...
Our opponents, the team from the United Kingdom (the defending champs)
walk in coach et al. wearing rehearsed smiles with dockets twice
the size of ours. The clock ticks, the moment is fast approaching
and a little past nine the three judges walk in and the moot court
is in session.
Three months
of research, reading and hard work is argued, tested, disputed and
granted. Tensions run higher than the Rialto tower (the tallest
building in Melbourne and in the Southern hemisphere) and finally
it's all over. Court is adjourned. The judges go in for deliberation.
The next fifteen
minutes is killing. Seated on the benches outside the courtroom
we are joined by our Sri Lankan friend (who becomes our lone supporter)
wishing us 'suba aluth avurudu'. A local face at that time is very
reassuring. We fill him in on the days proceedings while time crawls.
Recalled to
the courtroom to hear the judges' comments, my stomach does a thousand
summersaults. It's all a haze now but what stands out distinctly
in my memory are the words "we hold with the respondents"
(that's us) and the cherry to top it off is us winning the moot,
beating the UK team by a four point margin (pay back time for our
former colonial masters, eh?!).
That afternoon
we begin preparing for the following day's moot against the Caribbean
team.
The next day
after a good night's sleep, we are in courtroom number two. Our
one man cheering squad is there too. Moot begins at nine. The tough
presiding judge asks a lot of questions, answers are followed by
more questions; "counsel are you sure"
"Don't
you think your interpretation is incorrect?"
At the end
of the moot comes the same agonizing process of waiting for results.
However, this time the deliberation time is shorter, the judges
reconvene sooner. The comments are long drawn and just when on the
brink of one's patience, the results are announced. We have won
by eighty points (highest victory in the competition) and the judges
hold with the Sri Lankan team.
Two out of
two... yes, we are grinning.
That evening
all teams meet in the hotel lobby where the notice stating the semi
finalists is posted. The competition was based on a point system,
irrespective of a win or loss, the four teams with the highest number
of points got into the semi finals. Ranked sixth, Sri Lanka did
not make it but remained the only unbeaten team in the competition.
The United Kingdom who lost to us in the first moot went on to win
the Turnbull Shield.
Dinner (arranged
for by the organizers) at the 'Bergerac', a swanky French restaurant,
did nothing to lift our spirits. To add to it the food was far from
très bien
as remarked by one of the competitors "What
was that we just ate? Goat dung?!!" Nevertheless dinnertime
conversations went down well, with everyone taking their turn to
have a go at George W. Bush and his policies!
In the four
days left after the competition we packed in as many sights and
outings as possible. Shark feed at the Melbourne aquarium followed
by a wild and wacky under water ride hanging on for dear life and
wishing for the hundredth time I had addressed that nature call
when it called.
On a clear
day, together with the Indian team, we took a tour down the Great
Ocean Road, which runs along the south Australian coast offering
a vista of the great Pacific. The scenery is absolutely breath taking.
Rolling grassy cliffs dropping sharply to the aqua blue ocean on
one side and on the other hardened volcanic rock, its jagged edges
glinting blue-gray in the morning sunlight.
Our morning
break on a grassy bank along a little stream is true Aussie style
with our driver cum tour guide swinging the billy and serving us
freshly brewed tea. Back on the bus and driving along to the tune
of 'Waltzing Matilda', we pass through the Centenary Arch built
after World War I with a quaint board dangling on its hinges reading
'Great Ocean Road', catch a glimpse of the split point lighthouse,
precariously balancing on a split rock, Fair Haven beach an obvious
surfers paradise, the water dotted with black wet suits.
A bend in the
road and the scenery changes to tall gum trees. Suddenly there is
much excitement. A Koala bear has been spotted high up on a tree.
We make our way to the front of the coach and crane our necks to
see it. The Koala is asleep and oblivious to the fact that around
20 persons are getting a great rear view and photographing it!!!!
The Lock Ard
gorge, our next stop, got its name after the ship 'Lock Ard' was
wrecked a few miles from shore. As the story goes, the deckhand,
Tom, had rescued Eva, a high society missus, brought her ashore,
revived her with brandy and kept her in the limestone cave until
the storm ceased.
The highlight
of the tour is the Twelve Apostles. Once part of the mainland, the
huge lime stone rock, with the passing of time had separated at
various places along the coast and now stands alone, firm and unrelenting.
It's a geographical marvel one doesn't tire of easily.
A trip to Australia
would not be complete without a glimpse of the Sydney Opera House.
I got more than a glimpse with a friend staying just a stone's throw
away from the water's edge across which stood the magnificent structure.
After seeing it on measly coasters and other Aussie souvenir material,
the splendour of the real thing in all its gigantic proportion just
floored me.
I found Sydney
laid back and relaxing. Lots of open spaces in parks, beaches or
just grassy slopes
certainly appealed to the out-of-doors
side in me. Our days were devoted to pure sight seeing. For most
of our stay the perfect weather complemented our intentions, permitting
ferry rides to Darling harbour, Circular Quay, strolls around the
Sydney Opera House, long walks along the craggy cliffs at Watson's
Bay, playing Australian footie (our version) with an empty coke
can in Manly, cuddling Koalas at the Koala park and even when the
weather didn't hold, it never put a damper on things with my friend
swimming in the rain at Bondi beach in spite of a drastic drop in
the temperature and natives running for cover.
On Anzac day
we joined the patriots for the street parade. Balancing on a parapet
wall clinging on to a lamp post and braving the drizzle, I watch
distinguished looking silver haired gentlemen, Australia's brave
naval officers, sailors
marching, chests decorated with medals
thrust forward with pride. Followed by the women medical corps,
war correspondents, descendent of officers.
We had been
told that a tour of the Blue Mountains was a 'must do'. After a
tour of the Olympic stadium in Homebush Bay, which brings back a
flood of memories of our very own Susanthika's Bronze medal run
we head to the Blue Mountains, the catchment area of New South Wales.
Deemed a world heritage site, the name originated due to the permanent
blue haze which envelopes the mountain ranges. An hour and a half
walk down the steep slopes at the edge of the mountain cliff and
a cable car ride back up leaves me breathless. On our way back at
the Katoomba National park I get my first glimpse of bouncing kangaroos.
After nearly
a month of being away I'm back now
to the chaos of Colombo,
the grind at Law College and the chores at home. But my smile remains
intact for I'm back richer
with a wealth of experience, four
reels of wonderful memories and two great friends.
|