Retired County Court Judge and former local Chester Stewart Keon-Cohen has been named a Member of the Order (AM) this Australia Day.
The prestigious title was awarded in recognition of his significant service to the law, and to the judiciary in Victoria, and for his support for a range of health and community organisations.
Mr Keon-Cohen is a former occasional chair of the Upper Beaconsfield Community Centre, circa early 2000s, but is best known for his work as a County Court Judge of Victoria, spanning over 13 years from the late 1980s.
During his time as a judge, Mr Keon-Cohen introduced various innovative reforms and measures into the court system including video conferencing in 1997, civil litigation processes in 1995 and compulsory mediation in every case before a trial.
Mr Keon-Cohen was also a founding member and president of the Cardiomyopathy Association of Australia, a committee member and lay vice-president of the Asthma Foundation for 10 years and a Kew City councillor from 1985 to 1989.
