MS BARBARA HOLBOROW, an advocate for children and young people, will be speaking at the Bega RSL Club on Saturday, November 16.
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She was invited by the Bega Rotary Club and her topic will be "Kids and parents of today".
Ms Holborow was a Children's Court magistrate in Sydney for 12 years.
Before then she was a solicitor specialising in young people's cases and in 1982 was appointed to the Bench.
After four weeks training, she was sent to one of Sydney's toughest Children's Courts - Minda, where she sat for three years.
Ms Holborow was then transferred to Yasmar Children's Court for three years, before returning to the bearpit of Minda, where she served a further four years.
She then moved to Burwood and Campsie Children's Court.
During that time she saw from the magistrate's bench life as few people have witnessed it.
She saw the abused and the abusers, the pathetic, the humorous and the tragic.
She had great moments, involving not only children, but also adults who were their parents, their protectors, their friends and enemies.
And she saw the system of justice, as it related to children.
She despaired of its inadequacy, but was given heart by those she was able to help and is proud of having done her bit to help change some of the worst aspects of juvenile justice of that era.
At a time when the Children's Court generally considered forbidden to the public gaze, she opened up her court to the cameras of "60 Minutes" and mounted a public campaign to help open special jails for young people who were too old to be locked up as children, but too vulnerable to be incarcerated as adults.
Her other dream came true in 1992 with the opening of Campsie Care Court, a court that dealt exclusively with neglected children, rather than children accused of crime.
Ms Holborow left the Bench in 1994 and is now an outspoken commentator on the rights of young people in particular and victims of crime in general.
Barbara has spent years touring Australia, giving talks at seminars and conferences, doing countless newspaper, radio and TV interviews.
In 1999 "This Is Your Life" devoted a program to her.
In her two books she gives every parent the benefit of her experience of having held the lives of young people in her hands every day, in the hope that they may learn a little bit more about the world, which with any luck, they will never see first hand.
Tikcets to hear Ms Holborow are $10 for adults and $5 for children and pensioners and are now on sale at the Bega RSL Club.
Mr Andy Willis from Travelworld Bega and Phil McDonald from Bega Village Motor Inn have generously agreed to pay the cost of Ms Holborow's airfares and accommodation.
