Northbridge Bar Convicted Over Law Students' Pub Crawl (1 Viewer)

[hfis]

Northbridge Bar Convicted Over Law Students' Pub Crawl

A pub crawl where University of Western Australia law students vomited into plastic bags, before jogging to the next hotel with the bags tied to their wrists, today saw a Northbridge tavern convicted for allowing indecent behaviour.

In an animated hearing in Perth Magistrates Court, Magistrate Jeremy Packington heard that the law students' Blackstone Society, of which he was once vice-president, had arranged the binge session at Northbridge hotel The Shed.

Licensee Bridget Kenny maintained, through lawyer Peter Fraser, that her staff had only taken the booking for the 60 student drinkers because the Blackstone Society had told them their so-called R U Barking pub crawl was a charity event.

LAWYERS GOOD, ENGINEERS BAD

Mr Fraser said it did not occur to The Shed to doubt the booking's bona fides, because staffers thought student lawyers were beyond reproach. He said the pub may have thought twice if the booking had been made by engineering students.

Magistrate Packington heard the R U Barking revellers entered the Aberdeen Street pub at 2pm on May 9 last year, and began skolling beers already placed on a table near the hotel entry.

The annual binge, whose rules were published on the web but since this story was first published have been taken down, rewards the first student lawyer who can complete a 3.5km pub crawl through Northbridge without vomiting or spilling alcohol on the ground.

To assist this endeavour, queazy crawlers are allowed to lug the regurgitated contents of their stomachs around town in a plastic bag tied to their wrists. Magistrate Packington ruled it was the vomiting that made the pub crawl indecent or disorderly.

"Basically it's a timed event by students, with no spillage (allowed)," Mr Fraser explained.

"The first one to complete the course under the rules wins the race.

"I'm not sure what the prize was."

TWO POT SCREAMER

Mr Fraser conceded at least one budding legal eagle had vomited into a black plastic bag at The Shed.

"Maybe the guy was a two-pot screamer," he said.

Several times during the hearing, silver-haired Magistrate Packington admitted to being perplexed.

"It is far more complicated than the very primitive event that I have vague memories of," he said.

"I'm just wondering if as a former vice president of the Blackstone Society I should disqualify myself (from the hearing)."

But he concluded this would be useless as most of his magistrate peers were also former members.

"You thought 60 people would turn up and have one drink in a very short period of time and go away?" he asked Kenny.

Defence lawyer Jeremy Noble, who was waiting for the next case to come up, whispered with police prosecutors at the back of the court.

"It's a terrible event, shocking," he quipped.

Magistrate Packington's rebuff was swift.

"I heard that, Mr Noble," he fired.

"It seems to me that a clever competitor could bring the alcohol up into a plastic bag and continue to the next venue.

"Mr Noble is nodding at the back of the court which indicates I am right in my submission."

CUT SHORT

Before entering The Shed, the law students had already been refused entry to the Mustang Bar in Lake Street. The next port of call had been slated as The Brass Monkey in James Street.

But Kenny and off duty police officers, who were coincidentally having lunch at The Shed, warned other hotels that the crawl was headed their way, and 2008's R U Barking was cut short.

Kenny later told the Liquor Licensing Board of the binge session. The board subsequently contacted UWA, the Blackstone Society, and prominent law firms that had sponsored R U Barking, to warn them against a repeat of the spirited event.

Mr Fraser said The Shed's staff were not trained for such a function, being more accustomed instead to dealing with incidents of a more violent nature.

"Unfortunately in this case they dropped the ball," he said.

Police prosecutor Tanya Hollaway confirmed R U Barking had paid The Shed a visit in 2007 as well.

Kenny and The Shed were fined $1000 each for allowing disorderly and/or indecent behaviour.

The article linked to the rules of the competition, but it appears that the Law Students' Society has since removed them. Luckily for you however, I know how to recover things that people would rather forget:

The afternoon of Friday 11 May sees the big event that Blackstone and UWA Law School is famous for within the Western Australian legal profession…. R U Barking. With many of Perth’s current legal eagles and high flyers having barked in their university years, this really is an institution of Blackstone, and one of our unique traditions.

The concept is simple:

* A 3.5km course winding through Perth and Northbridge
* 10 stops for the boys, 6 stops for the girls
* A beer a every stop (though the girls can have a glass of champagne)
* No spillage whatsoever - all fluids must cross the line; and
* It’s a RACE!

So get a team together (two-thirds of your team must be Blackstone members; minimum of 4; maximum of 10), think up a clever team name incorporating the word ‘bark’ to show off how witty you are, and start organising your costume.

You MUST REGISTER by 5pm Wednesday 9 May.

Blackstone has organised a BUS for competitors leaving uni at 1pm

The Bark itself will begin sometime around 2pm

The bus will return to UWA some time around 4.30pm

To find out more, or to volunteer to be a marshal to make sure that everyone is safe, get in contact with SVP James Eley at svp@blackstone.asn.au.

This really is an event that every law student should do at least once during their time at UWA. It really is an experience like no other! No matter how fast or slow you are, every team that completes the course is a winner. Keep the tradition alive, and organise a team immediately!

I think that the student body of NSW should take up the challenge and show those WA law schools how it's really done.

 

[bryandawn]

What a disgrace.

 

[Graney]

Only ten beers? That's not a binge.

 

[neo o]

Only ten beers? That's not a binge.

Ten beers is a binge, but it's nowhere near as severe as the initial article makes out. The people who vomited must have been drinking more than their fair share

 

[sirfeathers]

i just loled.

 

[geetarjoe]

Ten beers is a binge, but it's nowhere near as severe as the initial article makes out. The people who vomited must have been drinking more than their fair share

You vomit to complete the course faster.

If you want to be anywhere near the front, you have to neck your beer, start running, stick the fingers down the throat and heave into the bag. Try running even 500m with a couple of beers sloshing around in there.

 

[Hagaren]

You vomit to complete the course faster.

If you want to be anywhere near the front, you have to neck your beer, start running, stick the fingers down the throat and heave into the bag. Try running even 500m with a couple of beers sloshing around in there.

...have ran further after having more to drink

5.4kms to be exact.