Neil Richard MacLaurin Mackerras, 1930-1987, was the third child of Alan Patrick Mackerras and his wife, Catherine Brearcliffe nee MacLaurin, He attended St Aloysius College and later the University of Sydney where he graduated in Arts and Law. He had a successful legal practice in Sydney specializing in real estate. He wrote on real estate and co-authored 'Landlord and tenant practice and procedure in New South Wales', 1966 and subsequent editions. He lectured and examined on real estate firstly for the Commonwealth Institute of Valuers and later the for Real Estate Institute and the University of Sydney. He drafted forms to the used in real estate. In 1949 he joined the Roman Catholic Church. In 1956 he became a founding member of the Democratic Labor Party. He represented the party in four elections but was defeated in all occasions. In 1972 he resigned from the Democratic Labor Party. He later joined the Australian Labor party