Noel Power

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Honourable Sir Justice Noel Plunkett POWER, G.B.S.)(鮑偉華爵士) is a semi-retired senior judge in Hong Kong.

Sir Noel was born and raised in Brisbane Australia. His father, Dr John Power, was a well-respected surgeon who served in the Australian Army and was the Chairman of the Queensland Turf Club. Sir Noel attended the Downlands School before going on to study law at the University of Queensland. He was called to the Queensland bar and, in 1965, he emigrated, with his Croatian-born wife Irma, to Hong Kong. Power served as a Magistrate and then on the Lands Tribunal. He was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Hong Kong in 1979 and a Justice of the Court of Appeal in 1987. He was later appointed Vice-President of the Court of Appeal in 1995 and, as such, served as acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong in 1996-1997 during the Hong Kong handover period.

After the handover in 1997, Power assumed senior status and was appointed a non-permanent judge of the Court of Final Appeal. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999. Sir Noel continues to sit on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal and the Brunei Appeal Court.

Power has a keen interest in food and wine and is the founder of the renowned Wines of the Pacific Rim Fair in Hong Kong.

Preceded by: Sir Yang Ti-liang

Chief Justice of Hong Kong 1996-1997 (acting)

Succeeded by: Andrew Li (Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong)