Help urgently needed please at the following JP Service desk:

Upper Riccarton: Contact Cheryl Colley 021 707 144 Email: ccolley@actrix.co.nz

Extra help also needed please at the following service desks:

Shirley (The Palms): Contact Rod Paton 027 222 0149 Email: rod.paton@xtra.co.nz
Christchurch South: Contact Stephen Phillips 021 254 6355 Email: stephenphillips@xtra.co.nz
Spreydon: Contact Murray Spackman 027 677 0102 Email: Murrayspackman@xtra.co.nz

We are delighted to have our new JP Service desk at Spreydon library, 266 Barrington Street, Spreydon, up and running.

The desk operates every Thursday between 11 am and 1 pm and the number of clients using the desk is steadily growing. The library staff under the watchful eye of team leader Sam Ludderman look after us so well. It is a pleasure working on the desk.

We sincerely thank Murray Spackman who is co-ordinating the desk, Lorraine McKeown, Ralph Brown, and Karoline Potter for putting their hand up to help. Murray would appreciate another two to three JPs please to help out. It is just a couple of hours every few weeks, the library is warm and welcoming with plenty of free car parking or the bus stop just outside and the library staff make you a cup of tea or coffee. Contact details for Murray listed above.

We will shortly be opening another new JP Service desk at the new Bishopdale library. This desk will operate every Wednesday between 11 am – 1 pm and we are looking to start in September. Jean Taylor is kindly co-ordinating this desk and if you can help, please contact her on 021 0270 3736 Email: jeantaylor@xtra.co.nz

Service desks provide a neutral, warm, safe environment for both clients and the Justices to carry out a variety of tasks. Library staff have a desk and chairs set up for us on the organised day and put up our JP banner, advertising we are there. For two or three hours we work on a variety of documents clients present. It is a great opportunity to use your skills and the work is much appreciated by both clients and the libraries who see it as an extra community service offered.

Our JP trainers plan to organise training exclusively for Justices working on service desks and we organise a yearly morning tea to say thanks. Some desks also have their own individual morning tea catch ups which everyone seems to enjoy. Some good networking occurs and it is a great opportunity to meet other fellow Justices.

If you would like more information or if you would like to “experience working on a desk” please contact Gwen Mitchell 0274 589 178 email: clareview3@xtra.co.nz.

Sincere, special thanks to all our Justices currently working on our twelve desks. 

Meet our August 2017 JP Service desk “Good Sort” Wendy Doody 

Oxford’s Wendy Doody is our “good sort”. Her bubbly personality, ready smile, her “can do” attitude and effervescent personality, her commitment to her family, Community and Local Government make her a stand out citizen.

Wendy has been a JP for 25 years and was born and raised in Oxford in a farming community. Wendy told me that she came from a family background where there was an abundance of love and family support and that they were taught hard work, commitment, and pitching in supporting your community was how family life and communities worked. She has steadfastly adhered to her parents’ teachings and continued the same values within her own family.

She married Ian 50 years ago and subsequently moved from Oxford to live in Hawarden and then onto Culverden and worked as the Manager of the New Zealand Post Office, Culverden. Her daughter said “my Mum always worked and in the 70’s this was not the norm, she has always been a driven lady”. In 2000 she changed careers to work for the ANZ Bank in Rangiora commuting the 150 km round trip from Culverden to Rangiora five days a week for six years. I wasn’t surprised to learn she loves driving!

Local Government was always of interest to her, she had good debating skills learnt from being in the Country Girls club in Oxford so after door knocking in 2001, Wendy was elected on to the Hurunui District Council. She was the highest polling candidate. In her second term on this Council she became Chairperson of the Works and Services portfolio…..first woman on the Hurunui Council to Chair this male oriented Department.

She was a Hurunui District Councillor for 9 years before resigning to move back “home” to Oxford in 2010.

In 2013 Wendy was elected onto the Waimakairi District Council and is still a Councillor. She chairs the Community Facilities portfolio. All Waimakairi Councillors serve on Community Boards and Wendy is one of these Councillors. It was thanks to the local Community Boards that the Canterbury JP Association were able to apply for and receive funding for three JP Banners which are used on our service desks at Oxford, Rangiora and Kaiapoi libraries.

Wendy is a Marriage and Funeral Celebrant and is involved in the Cancer society helping with fundraising and events. She is also involved in the Oxford Garden Fete which is into its 6th year. ( little plug for them……. this year the Oxford Garden fete is on the 29th October and their guest speaker is Richard Till who will be giving a BBQ demonstration for men)

Her interests include cooking, gardening, walking, cricket, history and anything to do with Christmas which includes decorating her home and opening it up to locals. She is Chair of the North Canterbury Neighbourhood Support….their slogan is “be ready” for any emergency and advocates the “Gets Ready” system which notifies you directly of any change in conditions you should be ready for. We should all contact our Neighbourhood Support group and apply to be loaded onto this system. Wendy is family orientated enjoying her daughter Nicola, Grandson Fergus and nephew Simon who she raised from a tiny baby; she still loves being married to Ian after 50 years, takes nothing for granted and enjoys every day. She has a fantastic sense of humour and is always ready for a chat. Her little yellow volkswagon beetle car with the name “Wendy” on it makes her quite easy to find. It was great fun sitting down with her asking her a few questions for this article. I think her community and our JP Association are incredibly lucky having her as a colleague. Thanks Wendy for all your help co-ordinating and working on our Oxford service desk.

Gwen Mitchell