Doom … Silver Tray gets the sack and a basket of fruit … The latest victim of a dreadful curse that blights the life of those who cross swords with Justinian 

Madafferi, a wealthy Melbourne fruiterer, with links to crime figures, has been much in the news recently in connection with stories about the mafia in Australia. 

Gillard is the latest to fall victim to the Curse of Justinian – being asked to resign as head of the Victorian Adult Parole Board by prisons minister Wade Noonan. 

Noonan said that Gillard had made “an error of judgment”. 

This frighteningly effective Curse has doomed those who have launched or acted in proceedings against Justinian for defamation or sought injunctions to stop our presses or in other ways harassed this organ. 

Gillard acted for former Melbourne barrister Michael O’Sullivan in a 1983 defamation case against Justinian. 

O’Sullivan was awarded damages of $30,000 plus interest of $7,500 by Justice Bob Brooking.  

Gillard was instructed by Dr Michael Pickering from Dunhill Madden Butler. Pickering was struck down by Justinian’s curse after he plagiarised a learned article from an overseas journal and had it published under his own name in the Law Institute Journal. 

This was regarded as so disgraceful that he was struck from the jam roll. 

Costs became a bit on an issue in the O’Sullivan defamation case and to express his appreciation for Gillard’s sterling efforts O’Sullivan gave his brief a silver tray from his sideboard. 

Subsequently, O’Sullivan left Melbourne and moved to Tasmania. 

Another victim of the Curse was shady Sydney solicitor and property developer, Athanasios Theodore Tzortzatos, aka “Sir” Arthur George. 

Athanasios got an injunction against Justinian in 1982 to prevent publication of details about disciplinary proceedings against him. He was subsequently done for professional misconduct over dodgy dealings with clients’ money. 

In 1994 he went belly-up with personal liabilities of $5,507,320 and assets of $61,843. 

The Curse had struck again.

The wily Greek claimed he had $61,738 in a bank account and $105 in assets and property, which included two watches and two sets of cufflinks worth $50. His gold plated medal, which was an award from the international soccer federation, was worthless.

All the furniture and effects at his home in Vaucluse were purchased by the Sir Arthur George Trust and subsequently sold to his wife Lady Renee George. 

The member for Vaucluse, and now NSW attorney general, Gabrielle Upton, gave a grovelling tribute in parliament to the old scoundrel, without mentioning any of this unfortunate history.  

Now, Silver Tray Gillard, a former judge of the VicSupremes, has lost his job and is fuming. He told The Hun there was nothing improper in him as chairman of the Parole Board giving advice to Tony Madafferi “at the back of a shop”.  

This time there was no silver tray, but a basket of fruit for Gillard from a grateful Madafferi. 

Madafferi is alleged to have been involved in lobbying Liberal Party figures to reverse a decision to deport his criminal brother Frank. Immigration minister Amanda Vanstone gave Frank a visa after donations were made to the Liberals. 

The fruiterer has launched defamation proceedings against The Age over a number of publications, including reports of Gillard’s assistance with the gambling bans.  

He also sought to stop The Age publishing the story about his meeting with Silver Tray on the basis that disclosure of the meeting would be “highly offensive” to the average person.  

Justice John Digby at midnight said it was too late. The story was already up on The Age website and thousands of papers had been printed. Any preliminary injunction would have negligible effect. 

Antonio is now chasing the paper and journalist Nick McKenzie for the sources. 

Silver Tray says he did nothing wrong in advising the over-ripe fruiterer, and is “aghast” that the minister afforded him no natural justice. 

Anyway, he’s been wanting to resign from the parole board for some time. He added: 

“To invite the conclusion that I, a former Supreme Court judge, would corruptly influence a decision of the Parole Board is beneath contempt … 

This outrageous attack on my reputation has had substantial adverse effect on my health.” 

The nation has been warned. The Curse of Justinian can unleash fearful consequences.