When Stephen Free was sworn in as a Supreme Court Judge and Judge of Appeal on 12 May, 2025, the sense of occasion was considerable. The bench and bar tables were lined with some of the nation’s sharpest legal minds dressed in horsehair wigs and gowns and it was standing room only in the public gallery.

There was high praise for Justice Free, with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Andrew Bell and the Presidents of the Bar Association, Dr Ruth Higgins SC, and Law Society, Jennifer Ball, recognising his academic and legal achievements; from “his perfect HSC score” at Springwood High School to appearing as a barrister in some of Australia’s most significant constitutional cases.

Throughout the speeches, there was a common refrain, summed up best by Ms Ball when she said Justice Free is “really, really nice”.

When reflecting on his career, the former Faulconbridge Public and Springwood High student is quick to point out the critical role his public education played in making him successful and well rounded.

“Public education in my local schools gave me a strong sense of connection to the community, and to people of all backgrounds who were headed in various directions in life,” Justice Free said.

Not only academically brilliant, Justice Free enjoyed success on the soccer field at Springwood High School but he admits his appearance in a rugby league curtain raiser for a Penrith Panthers game will not go down in folklore.

“My performance on the wing was sub-optimal in a 73-0 loss to Blacktown Boys High School, but at least I can tell my children I played on the same turf as the Panthers,” jokes Justice Free.

Justice Free and his two brothers, Dave and Mark, were raised in Faulconbridge in the Blue Mountains, the sons of public school teachers, Ross and Margaret Free (Ross later entered politics and served as a minister in the Hawke and Keating governments).

“My parents would lead by example with a sense of fairness woven into everything that they did and said,” Justice Free recalled.

At the end of the street of his childhood home is the burial place of the Father of Federation, Sir Henry Parkes, whose groundbreaking work resulted in the Public Schools Act of 1866 and the Public Instruction Act of 1880, which introduced compulsory free education.

“There’s no more important value in our society than offering every kid a free and high-quality education in their local community.”

“Mum and Dad were very firm believers in comprehensive education at local schools and they were confident that I would flourish there.

“It meant that our family was embedded in the local community, with school friends in the neighbourhood and Mum involved in the P&C and the high school’s annual arts and craft fair.

“I doubt we would have had those connections if I was travelling away from home to school.”

After finishing first in the state in the HSC for ancient and modern history and fourth for English, Justice Free graduated from Australian National University with first class Honours in Law. He was awarded a scholarship to study at Oxford University in England, where he achieved the best academic record in his year and met his wife, Kim.

Justice Free is proud to be a member of the Department of Education’s Alumni Ambassador Program, alongside leaders across a range of fields including finance, technology, health, sport and the law. He said seeing successful alumni return to his school left a lasting impact on him as a student.

“I was captain in year 12 and happened to be there for the 25th anniversary of the school. And they had a very good celebration where the original school captains came back and I remember being very struck by that and seeing these happy adults who had passed through the same experience and gone on to live fascinating lives.”

Across the courts of NSW, there is an increasing presence of public school alumni at the highest levels, including the Chief Magistrate of NSW, Michael Allen (Parramatta High School), the Senior Judge of the NSW Drug Court, Judge Jane Mottley (Bowraville Central School) and the President of the NSW Children's Court, Judge Ellen Skinner (Artarmon Public School and Chatswood High School).

Just days after joining the judiciary, Justice Free received an unexpected congratulatory card from his year 4 teacher, John Grahame.

“Mr Grahame was one of my all-time favourite teachers – a renowned storyteller – who still lives in the Blue Mountains.

“I was particularly chuffed and it’s a good example of the connections created by schooling in your local community, which can still endure even though I finished primary school in 1986.”