Robyn Tupman, Judge of the District Court of New South Wales, was elected President of the AAWJ in May 2014 and had served 7 years when she stood down in 2021. Robyn has made many valuable contributions to both the Australian Association of Women Judges and the International Association of Women Judges.
During her term as President of the AAWJ, she held office as Regional Director for the Asia Pacific and Secretary/Treasurer of the IAWJ, a position she has recently been re-elected to for another 2 years.
Membership of the AAWJ, and therefore the IAWJ, increased under Robyn’s leadership, on the back of a highly successful and well attended Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the IAWJ hosted by the AAWJ in Sydney in 2017. Robyn demonstrated her seemingly inexhaustible energy and determination in overseeing a conference that judges in our region still talk about.
Whenever Robyn spoke as the public face of the AAWJ, she left no-one in doubt about her commitment to the organisation and her pleasure in the role. Her enthusiasm was contagious. As a tireless networker, Robyn was quick to welcome newly appointed women judicial officers and to recruit them to the organisation. She attended nearly every event held under the AAWJ banner,
wherever it might be. Even COVID barely slowed her down, although it did mean her second three-year term as President had to be extended for a fourth year – a service she gave without complaint.
Robyn built on the legacy left by Sarah Bradley, her predecessor as President. She maintained and extended the relationship between the AAWJ and the Papua New Guinea Judicial Women’s Association. She championed the ongoing sponsorship of its members, and other IAWJ members in the Asia Pacific region, to attend IAWJ conferences.
As Immediate Past President, Robyn has remained a vigorous contributor to the work of the AAWJ, providing valuable continuity as an ex-officio member of the AAWJ Committee. The AAWJ is an organisation with limited resources and no secretariat. Administrative and secretariat support is largely provided by the judicial staff to the President and other office bearers. That presents challenges for corporate history and record keeping. In my role as President I have been relieved that I could draw on Robyn’s memory of past events and marvelled at her command of detail.
However, it is Robyn’s work since August 2021 in supporting the women judges of Afghanistan that deserves the greatest accolades.
As a member of the IAWJ committee established to support the women judges at risk when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, Robyn worked for months around the clock. At the 16th IAWJ Biennial, one of the speakers said you should never underestimate what a determined group of women in their pyjamas can achieve. This light-hearted tribute is also a salutary reminder of the incredible toll that it took on the members of the committee, not least of all Robyn, who was on call during the night to reassure and communicate with the Afghan judges. The committee gathered necessary information to arrange visas and safe passage, collaborated with international NGOs and humanitarian organisations to evacuate the judges and made sure there was a loud and strong voice advocating for their interests.
Although the work is now in a different phase, it continues, and Robyn still plays a vital part in the ongoing efforts to support those judges still in Afghanistan or not yet resettled permanently.
What that meant to those women judges from Afghanistan cannot be overstated.
“Judge Robyn” holds a special place in the hearts of the Afghan women judges now in Australia. I have seen it in their genuine delight whenever they see her and their consistent enquiries about her welfare if she cannot make one of their gatherings. These judges know Robyn’s work and that of her colleagues saved them from certain persecution, retaliation, and real and imminent risk to their safety.
The work of the IAWJ committee and the AAWJ in establishing a supportive network for those Afghan judges who have sought refuge in Australia makes me proud to be a member of both organisations.
Robyn Tupman has more than earned life membership of the AAWJ and I am delighted to nominate her for that honour.
Submitted by Fleur Kingham to the AAWJ annual general meeting held on 15 June 2023 and passed unanimously.