He had conducted a royal commission himself, from 1990 to 1992, into allegations of corruption in the building industry. From 2001 to 2003, the Cole Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry had uncovered more abuses in the same industry. It appeared a third royal commission would be announced, and already the politicking had begun in earnest. “It seems to me that whatever the authorities there are that have been looking at things have not been effective,” Gyles said. “You have to keep the pressure on.” Roger Vincent Gyles was born in Melbourne on August 22, 1938, son of a businessman, Harry Gyles, and Alice (nee Vincent). He did his early schooling at Ashburton Street Public School before the family moved to Sydney when his father became company secretary of Philips Electrical. He finished his primary schooling at Gordon Public School on Sydney’s north shore and won an academic scholarship to Newington College. Entering the school in 1950, he did well academically and was in the top age bracket cricket and rugby teams. He was a sprinter and a hurdler in Newington’s athletics team. In his final year, he was a sub-prefect, a cadet under-officer and a member of the First XI. In rugby, he played in the Second XV, with a few games in the Firsts. Being a year younger than his contemporaries, he was conceding a lot. In 1955, Gyles entered the University of Sydney to do arts/law. He continued cricket and rugby but with local clubs at Lindfield. He became an articled clerk in 1958 with Sly and Russell, while he finished his law course. He graduated in 1961 with first class honours and was admitted as a solicitor of the NSW Supreme Court. That year, he married a teacher, Alison Logan, with whom he was to have a son and three daughters. He was admitted to the bar in 1964. One of his first cases was assisting Bob Ellicott (later a QC and federal attorney-general) in representing Sydney Sparkes Orr, a former professor of philosophy at the University of Tasmania, who was suing the university for defamation. Gyles was mentored by Ellicott and Trevor Morling (later QC and future Federal Court judge). Gyles eventually took on cases in most jurisdictions. In 1972, Gyles took a year off and became a lecturer in law at the University of Papua New Guinea, the year the country attained self-government under the prime ministership of Michael Somare. Returning to Australia, in 1973 Gyles was appointed junior counsel in the royal commission into allegations of infiltration of organised crime into licensed clubs, headed by Justice Athol Moffitt; and in 1974, he was junior counsel in a royal commission into maritime union corruption.