Veteran Judge Russell Callander retired in 2013 after 35 years on the bench. He presided over hundreds of criminal jury trials and dealt with thousands of litigants and defendants in the District Court. He was Chief Justice of Samoa in the early 1980s and was a convenor of the parole board for 14 years.
Retired New Zealand judge, born 1940. Married, 13 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren. Reads, writes, gardens, and follows directions.
He became a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order (QSO) in 2015. In 1999, he authored Court in the Act, a popular book of humorous judicial anecdotes (Reeds Publishers).
Russell recently published another book of memories from a life on the bench titled Jottings of a Geriatric Judge. He writes, “During my 35 years as a District Court judge I jotted down anything that amused, annoyed, or interested me. When I retired in 2013 I was persuaded to cull, edit, and organise my large stack of jottings.
“It took me 35 years to write them — from conception to birth! But my next book should only take me 25 years because I am now much more alert, and more dextrous on the computer! The book started off twice the size, but I paid an expert assessor an exorbitant and retirement-destructive sum to tell me to purge the original manuscript in half by removing all jottings that smacked of misogyny, gender bias, homophobia, right-wing conservatism, defamation, abusive criticism, racial bias, cultural impropriety, prejudice, religious intolerance, social stigmatism, political insensitivity, indecency, or anything derogatory of the vast majority of Kiwis who are LGBTTQQIAAP (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, or pansexual). Which meant the book was hardly worth the bother and is probably insufferably dull and boring!n I have arranged for the executors of my estate to release the unexpurgated second edition after my demise! I am told it will be immensely popular, will top the East Eketāhuna Sentinel’s best-seller list, and infuriate solicitors and counsel specialising in defamation actions who can no longer sue me!”
Russell enjoying retirement and contemplating his future!
The collection of 383 jottings reconnoitre cases, courts, crimes, and criminals; some serious, some light-hearted, but all exposing the human fallibilities all judges deal with day by day. They are a candid and often chuckle-raising insight. Learn more about the book
JANZ has three free copies to the first three judges to join the association during September 2020. So, come on you lot. All it takes to join is an email to our administrator Lara at lara@janz.nz. Annual fee applies.