New senior S.M. is easy to approach

Press, 6 April 1978, Page 6

New senior S.M. is easy to approach

By

JENNIFER HAMILTON

A magistrate should be surrounded by some mystique ■ and expect to show a certain amount of discretion, said Mr F. G. Paterson, S.M., whose appointment as senior magistrate was announced yesterday. Yet Mr Paterson often punctuates the serious business of the court with a wry comment or amused smile which reflect his down-to-earth attitude. Outside the courtroom he is easy to approach and his door is often left open while he works in his chambers. At the same time he is always conscious of the position he occupies and avoids anv undiplomatic comment with a firm. “No comment.” Visitors feel comfortable in his presence but there is a feeling that the social con-j ventions should never be! waived.

His appointment is unlikely to herald any sweeping changes in the Magistrate’s Court. He has, in fact, occupied this post for 11 months while his predecessor, Mr W. F. Brown, S.M., was on sabbatical and sick leave. Mr Paterson believes that humanity is one of the most important attributes of any judicial officer. “The offender is not just an object. He is a human being and punishment is not a form of punishment,” he said.

Sentencing, he said. ’ involved balancing' the' rehabilitation of a defendant with the security of society. Standards set by the Court of Appeal and social trends were also important. Mr Paterson was in legal practice in Blenheim when his summons to the Bench came “out of the blue” six years ago. He answered a call from the Secretary for Justice. whose name he did not know at the time, and “he ’ just offered me a job.” It was I not something that could be anticipated, he said. A lot of neonle were involved in Mr Paterson’s decision whether to become a magistrate. His wife, Elizabeth Wemvss, is a concert pianist, and her career would be seriouslv affected bv a sudden disruption. The effect on children, parents, inarents-m-law. clients, and I trusteeships all had to be i carefully considered.

' “It takes quite a while for those for whom you are responsible to adjust.” Although there is no legal bar to a magistrate’s returning to private practice, the decision is regarded as final, for no magistrate has changed his mind under the present system of appointments. The shift to Christchurch involved a major physical upheaval, but becoming a magistrate did not greatly! change his life-style, Mr l Paterson said.

“Both my wife and I were’ made very welcome in I

Christchurch in the areas of the arts and the law.”

No single factor persuaded him to become a magistrate but a sense of duty, a liking for people and a general concern for society all played a part. Mr Paterson does not regret the decision to leave private practice. He found his new post challenging and discovered that it did not allow a person to become self-satisfied. Nevertheless, he admits that being a magistrate is very demanding. There is concern about the number of magistrates who die or are incapacitated in office, as illustrated in Christchurch and Auckland, he said. “In the public interest there should be a limit to what a magistrate is required to do.” Mr Paterson believes that like the professional actor, a magistrate must hold back a little of himself, so that he does not become totally immersed in his work and lose his objectivity. ■Mr Paterson is also taking a keen interest in renovations to the interior of the Provincial Council Chambers and said that he was enjoying the progress towards substantially improved facilities.

His own room, with its white walls, and exposed beams, shows how an old room can be transformed into a comfortable refuge from the austerity and pressures of the courtroom.