Shirley Christie was delighted to be named as the recipient of a Queen's Birthday honour in 2019 but said it should have gone to someone worthier. Photo / Bevan Conley
Shirley Christie was delighted to be named as the recipient of a Queen's Birthday honour in 2019 but said it should have gone to someone worthier. Photo / Bevan Conley
When Shirley Christie was awarded the Queen's Service Medal (QSM) in 2019 she said whoever nominated her probably deserved it more than she did.
The retired JP and dedicated community supporter died peacefully on April 8 with her daughter Carron Thompson at her side, leaving a loving family and largecircle of friends and colleagues.
Christie requested a private service and Thompson said it was typical of her mother to shun the limelight and want to shine it on others.
"She became ill in early February and up until then, she had still been busy," said Thompson.
"I think she went to a JP dinner the night before she became ill."
Christie served on the executive of the Whanganui and District Justices of the Peace Association for 13 years, during which time she also tutored JP ministerial duties, travelling to Taihape and other district townships.
Christie sat on the Whanganui District Court bench as a Judicial JP for 20 years and was appointed visiting JP to Whanganui and district prisons.
Her family and friends fondly called her "Judge Judy" because of her no-nonsense approach in dealing with offenders.
Anne Flutey who was sworn in as a Whanganui JP on the same day as Christie in 1989 recalls her fearless approach to the role.
"She stood up to chauvinism and wasn't afraid to tell the men off," she said.
"If someone swore at her, she'd just swear right back. It worked because sometimes you need to speak to people in their own language to get the message across."
Judith Browne worked alongside Christie on the Whanganui District Court bench and later joined her on the prison circuit.
Together, they were known as "The Spice Girls".
"Two JPs were required to hear cases together and decide whether they should go to trial before a judge and Shirley and I often did that together," said Browne.
"Someone at court dubbed us the Spice Girls - I was Posh and she was Scary.
"She was always firm but fair and she had such empathy for everyone. She could always walk safely down the street because of that reputation she had for fairness."
Fellow JP Keith Harrison joined Christie and Browne on the prison circuit and remembers Christie as a "wonderful colleague".
"She was always very professional but we had a lot of fun on our drives," he said.
"I remember stopping in Ohakune and having those special chocolate eclairs. Shirley would chat with everyone and I would have to remind her that we still had to drive home.
"I held her in the highest esteem, she was a very special colleague and friend."
Shirley Christie with Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Patsy Reddy after receiving her QSM medal in 2019. Photo / Supplied
Jo Meiklejohn said Christie was a friend and mentor to her when she became a judicial JP in 2001.
"From Shirley, I learned about working within a system that was still something of an old boys' network," Meiklejohn said.
"She had worked with men who became JPs in the 1940s and 50s when it was a very male-dominated domain."
Christie was also a social worker in the drug and alcohol assessment unit at the Whanganui Hospital for 15 years and an executive member of the Alcohol and Drug Education Committee.
Born Shirley McKewen in Oamaru in 1934, she married Ron Christie and the young couple moved to Whanganui when Ron started working at the Zemba clothing factory.
They settled in Aramoho and their children Graeme, Roger, Murray and Carron were all born in Whanganui.
Although her mother always worked with other families through her efforts with Birthright and other voluntary agencies, Thompson said she was always devoted to her own children and the early loss of Murray when he was just 8 affected her deeply.
"I remember Mum wrapping presents for other children at Christmas and waiting in the car while she delivered them to families," she said.
"We never resented it because we always knew that our family was part of a bigger family and she embraced the whole community."
Thompson said there were always swimming vouchers included with the gifts her mother distributed.
"We were a swimming family and Mum believed that every child should have the opportunity to swim.
"Mum would love it if people are able to make donations of Splash Centre vouchers to Birthright Whanganui so struggling families could take their children swimming.
"It would be a perfect way to celebrate her memory."
Christie leaves her husband Ron, three children in Whanganui, Auckland and Perth, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
