Family Court Judge Tony Lendrum retired yesterday. Photo/Paul Taylor
Family Court Judge Tony Lendrum retired yesterday. Photo/Paul Taylor
About 80 people were at a special sitting of the Napier District Court yesterday marking the retirement of Hastings-based Family Court judge Tony Lendrum.
The hour-long sitting was presided over by Principal Family Court Judge Laurence Ryan, in the absence of Chief District Court Judge Jan-Marie Doogue, and marked whatis a semi-retirement from a law career of 42 years.
With a special interest in the Family Court and mediation, Judge Lendrum had been a judge for just three and a half years, and will continue doing some mediation in Hawke's Bay.
Seated with Judge Ryan and Judge Lendrum were Hawke's Bay executive judge Bridget Mackintosh and Napier Family Court judge Peter Callinicos.
Judge Lendrum took the chance to praise those involved in the Family Courts of Hawke's Bay, noting that "applications" last year had risen over 30 per cent while department staffing resources had decreased 20 per cent.
The judge is the son of a diplomat and spent much time overseas as a youngster but attended Wellington College, after which his first job was driving a roller in a roading crew.
Then studying at Victoria University he graduated with Honours in political science, and worked in Treasury before returning to university to study law.
Admitted to the bar in 1975, he practised in Wellington and Auckland before extending into mediation, for which he undertook more specialised training in the United States at a World-leading mediation centre in Boulder, Colorado.
