Harold Hancox became a JP in Tapanui in 1974, after being appointed by J.B. ‘‘Peter’’ Gordon, the then member of Parliament for the Clutha electorate.
Despite his youth then, Mr Hancox, 91, was a renowned member of the community, working as a businessman, a convener for search and rescue for West Otago, and volunteering for the local fire brigade.
A few years after his appointment, Mr Hancox made steps to becoming a judicial JP, which involved doing a course to get the correct correspondence.
Mr Hancox said he had to balance work on his farm and the 11 assignments he had to complete for the qualification.
‘‘All winter, I did my farm work in the morning and in the afternoon I sat in the kitchen and worked,’’ he said.
‘‘I didn’t put the heater on so I wouldn’t fall asleep and did all the papers.’’
In his role, Mr Hancox said his work included dealing with immigrants and helped them sort out their paperwork, with one fond memory in particular.
‘‘There was one that sticks to my mind, a family from overseas, where only the middle child could speak English.
‘‘I had to communicate through the daughter, but we did all of their nationalisation work.’’
Mr Hancox said he worked with a lot of Nepalese people, who during his time would come over to New Zealand to work on farms, which was paid back with a dinner raising money after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. It was an experience he would never forget.
In his early days he worked with students and those coming into the Tapanui community, and those heading off for their careers.
Mr Hancox said he was more than happy to have performed the role of JP for the community. He received a certificate for his 50 years of service.
‘‘It was something I was asked to do, and I did it,’’ he said.
Now 50 years later, Mr Hancox has formally resigned from the position, and has settled into retirement in Tapanui with his wife Kay. They have three children and seven grandchildren, most still living in the Tapanui area.
