The Blackstone Society has a long and colourful history that is oft forgotten by many.

Established in 1927, by a group of UWA law students with an affinity for darkly coloured rocks looking to try and institutionalise their hobby, it soon developed into so much more. After learning that their society shared its name with a famous English jurist from colonial times, the student collective began organising events to display their impressive collection of stones and make Sir William proud. They chose to do so within the Law School courtyard, calling the exhibition ‘The Courtyard Show’. It became so popular that it was held bi-annually.

With growing membership, the Blackstone Society also came to be the voice for law students within the UWA Law Faculty. After the war, Blackstone was endorsed as a Faculty Society by the UWA Student Guild, and was invited on a number of Law School Committees. While the Faculty was not initially thrilled with their presence at these meetings, they soon begun wearing pants and were warmly received.

In the 1970’s, Blackstone came into its own.  The promulgation of free love in the previous decade had made law students ‘cool’, and law graduates were high in demand as capitalist institutions turned to legal regulation to restore social order. As a result, upcoming graduates often juggled multiple interviews daily. For men, ten was the average, while the women usually had six (females unfortunately not enjoying equal opportunity).

As you can see by the few memories recounted above, the Blackstone Society has a lot of history behind it. So be apart of that history, continue the tradition, and get involved in your student society!