Many people have been saddened to hear of the passing of Terry Curley at the age of 78 this week.
Terry was the founder of Stacks in Port Macquarie in the 1980s and a man of huge stature in every sense.
Terry went to school at St Joseph’s in Hunter’s Hill, where his athletic prowess and skill at rugby union led him to play fullback for the school’s 1st XV. At the age of 18 he became fullback for the Wallabies and toured with the team to Britain, France, America and New Zealand.
At the age of 20 Terry retired from rugby and entered the Marist order. He became coach of the 1st XV at his old school, St Joseph’s, as well as serving as its deputy headmaster.
Later in life, Terry left the Marist order and retrained as a lawyer. He originally applied for a job as a junior lawyer in the Taree office but was seen as being too senior for the advertised position. Instead he was offered the opportunity to open an office for the firm in Port Macquarie. As Maurie Stack put it: “We couldn’t waste the opportunity to employ the famous Terry Curley.”
Terry was a talented transactional lawyer and a highly competent manager of people. He was skilled at spotting talent and had tremendous rapport with the local community, so the Port Macquarie office grew and flourished under his leadership.
Terry’s past as a rugby player and a Marist brother left an indelible imprint on his nature. He greatly enjoyed exercise and even though an old knee injury prevented him from being able to run, he walked considerable distances every day. He was also a staunchly religious man who never lost his faith.
Those who were familiar with Terry knew him as a competent, caring solicitor with a deep commitment to his community. For us at Stacks Law Firm, he is an irreplaceable part of our history.
He will be missed by many.