Friends and family gathered with Murray Halberg Village resident Jagdish Natali to mark his retirement from an incredible 50 years of JP duties.

President of the Auckland JP Association Ian Gibson awarded Jagdish a Certificate of Appreciation from the Minister of Justice Andrew Kibblewhite for his service as a Justice of the Peace.

READ MORE:

• Jagdish and Valerie love being part of the Ryman family
• Ryman's resident Lego master recommends Murray Halberg to retirees

Assisted by Registrar Bruce Kilmister, Ian also presented Jagdish with a Recognition of Retirement Certificate from the Royal Federation of New Zealand Justices’ Associations and a gold medal.

“Fifty years of service is an amazing contribution,” Ian said.

The Government appointed Jagdish as a JP on 18 July 1975, recognising that his ability to speak English, Gujarati and Hindi allowed him to sign and witness documents for the Indian community.

He has also served the wider community too. In the five years he has lived at Murray Halberg Village Jagdish reckons he has responded to roughly 700 requests for JP services for both fellow residents and the wider community, with his last request coming in just the night before his official retirement!

His dedication to serving his community was recognised in 2001 when Jagdish was awarded an MNZM by the Governor General Sir Michael Hardie Boys.

Jagdish gave special mention to his friend Ray Ganda QSM, who was there to celebrate with him, for nominating Jagdish for the JP position in the first place.

“For the 50 years of service I have given it has enriched my life, meeting a lot of people from all walks of life.

“As well as immigrants from India, there have been people from every country, you talk about the country, the people, the culture, and it has helped me understand and realise how people have gone through difficulties to come here and make their life better.

“That has made me what I am today. To be humble, and to have patience and understanding.”

Friends and associates from the Indian Association were there to celebrate Jagdish, along with local board member Ella Kumar who said what a great role model he has been.

“He’s the reason I became a JP,” she said.

Three of Jagdish’s four children were also there to support their dad, Anil, Anjala and Sadhana, along with two of his eight grandchildren, Dilan and Nikita (top picture).

There was one noticeable absence though – Jagdish’s much-loved wife Valerie, who had been living with dementia for several years, sadly passed away in the hospital at Murray Halberg two months ago.

“I can’t forget mentioning my dear wife who helped me over the 50 years as a JP,” he said. “People would come to our home, in the evenings, or breakfast time on their way to work and my wife would sit and talk to them and make lots and lots of friends.

“It’s a good thing for husband and wife to work together,” he said.