The partners and staff of Freehills are saddened by the loss of our respected former partner, mentor and friend, Peter Hollingdale.
Peter joined the firm (then known as Freehill Hollingdale & Co) in 1944 and became a partner in 1950. He retired as a partner in 1994, although he remained as a consultant to the firm until 1996. Peter held with distinction numerous leadership roles in the firm, in particular as a member of the firm’s Management Committee, Managing Partner of the Sydney office, National Practice Coordinator and Chairman of the firm’s Partnership Committee.
Peter was one of the architects in the transformation of the firm into a leading national corporate legal practice and played an important role in the Perth practice for a period in the 1980s.
Peter Hollingdale’s legacy
As was and remains the custom, Peter Eustace Hollingdale was known by his initials, ‘PEH’. These initials embodied virtues he held throughout his professional and family life:
P: PATIENCE
E: ENCOURAGEMENT
H: HOPEFULNESS
Countless letters and memos bore his initials as he was a very productive and prodigious worker. One edict he was known for was the ‘clean desk policy’. Peter encouraged everyone to leave the office at the end of the day with a clean desk, having prepared a list of tasks for the next day.
In the 1970s Ted O’Halloran encouraged Peter to take an interest in office administration and, fortunately for the firm, it was to become a keen interest for him. Ted O’Halloran took him to meet the firm’s bank manager. Peter began by organising accounts and procedures to everyone’s benefit. He threw out the firm’s dreaded old typewriters. He learnt to use the firm’s first Multilith offset printer that produced a black letterhead with red embossed initials in one corner. Peter always waited impatiently for the operator to take her holidays so that he could use it.
At this time, the partnership was gaining momentum. By the late 1970s the firm’s growth was impressive, as was the client base. No longer dependent on the firm’s original clients, the commercial practice was starting to be a match for the leading Sydney firms. During the 1980s the Sydney partnership grew from around 25 to 80 partners. With offices in Perth, Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane, the firm became the first truly national firm. This was phenomenal growth. By the end of that decade, the firm was clearly regarded as one of the leading Sydney and national firms. The firm could not have achieved this growth and success without the development of the innovative office administration and systems Peter established.
As a leading solicitor in his field, Peter acted on many landmark commercial property developments around Australia in a long and distinguished legal career. The firm had a significant property practice in Sydney and he was its leader throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. He was involved in many landmark developments around the country.
After leaving Freehills in 1996, Peter continued to practise in Perth at his son Michael’s then fledging legal practice, Hollingdales.
Peter retired from the law in October 2004. By then, he had converted his garden shed into a small, but effective, office. As a touch of nostalgia, in his office he kept one of the large ‘Freehill Hollingdale & Page’ signs which had been sent to him by David Cooper when the signs were replaced in 2000 with the firm’s new name of ‘Freehills’ and logo.
Peter went about things quietly and effectively. He believed in doing things well and doing the right thing. People were always welcomed into the firm and he was a great mentor. Peter patiently taught, trained and encouraged young lawyers and partners. He will be remembered particularly for his articulation of and steadfast adherence to the firm’s values, principally that of integrity. These are his words on the occasion of his partnership retirement dinner in 1994:
‘Integrity means caring for each other, collegiality, compassion, tolerance and acceptance—all subject to and tempered by the responsibilities due to the Partnership as a whole.’
Peter’s 50 years of dedicated and loyal service to the firm and his contribution to the wider community, particularly through United Way, have left a generous legacy which we acknowledge with gratitude.
A family and professional man of goodness, gentleness, humanity and strong values, Peter will always be fondly remembered and he will be greatly missed.
We send our sincere condolences to his wife Patricia, his children Genevieve, Camille, Deborah, Penelope, Michael, Gillian, Georgina, Patrick, Edwina, and to all of Peter’s extended family and loved ones.
Special thanks to Michael Hollingdale and Suzanne Welborn who kindly provided material for the preparation of this article.