Danvers v Commissioner for Railways
[1969] HCA 64
At a glance
Source factsCourt
High Court of Australia
Decision date
1969-07-01
Before
Windeyer JJ
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (50 paragraphs)
High Court of Australia Barwick C.J. McTiernan, Kitto, Menzies and Windeyer JJ. Danvers v Commissioner for Railways [1969] HCA 64
ORDER Appeal allowed with costs. Order of the Court of Appeal Division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales set aside and in lieu thereof order that the Appeal to that Court be dismissed with costs.
James Francis Danvers was employed by the respondent Commissioner for Railways over a period of about eighteen years before his death on 20th April 1967. Originally a fettler, he became a carpenter, or as it was said, a "rough carpenter". His duties as such in the employ of the respondent took him "up and down the line from Cootamundra" on the New South Wales railway system doing maintenance and repair work. His daily hours of duty were from 7.30 a.m. to 4.15 p.m. Apparently he would travel up or down the railway line by "trike" to the point where his particular place of work at the time was situated. These places were not necessarily, and mostly were not, adjacent to any centre of population and apparently were never so conveniently placed in relation to his home that he could return there at evening during the working week. Thus, since he began to work in this fashion, he had not returned daily to his home near Adelong. He left for work on Monday morning and came home on Friday evening.