John Spence Winneke was the son of
Sir Henry Winneke who was
Solicitor-General for the State of Victoria,
Chief Justice of Victoria, and
Governor of Victoria. John Winneke's grandfather,
Henry Christian Winneke, was a judge of the
County Court of Victoria. Winneke was educated at
Scotch College and the
University of Melbourne, where he was a Member of the
Melbourne University Law Review. When he completed his legal studies, he completed his articles with Josh Shaw of the law offices of Middleton McEarchern Shaw and Birch. He was admitted to practice as a
solicitor on 1 March 1962. He was called to the
Victorian Bar in 1962. ==Australian Defence Force==