RETIRING COURT ATTENDENT RECALLS THE GOOD TIMES

By WITT Journalism student GRETA CLEARY

AFTER an auspicious first day on the job at the New Plymouth Court 17 years ago, retiring Court Attendant Brian Holdt, wondered what he had got himself into.

A defendant, who had been charged with assaulting his girlfriend, was allowed into the court foyer for a smoke, where his ex-girlfriend and her mother were waiting.

An argument ensued and the defendant punched a hole in a plate glass window.

Midge Shaw, the then Senior Deputy Registrar, ran out of court to find Mr Holdt to inform him it was his duty to restore order in the foyer.

Mr Holdt recalls he was “…just watching” as four or five police officers restrained the man.

Since 1990, Mr Holdt has been the first person court users, including lawyers, jurors and defendants, meet before they walk into a court room. He took on the role after being made redundant from the Waterfront Industry Commission where he had worked for 31 years. 

On a court list day Mr Holdt is there shepherding people in and out of the courtroom as required by the judge or directing them to be in the right place at the right time.

Criminal caseflow manager Sue Broughton says Mr Holdt has become a court identity.

“Lots of the young guys come to the counter and ask if Brian is upstairs today.”

She says Mr Holdt knows everyone too, and is now dealing with the children of people he dealt with when he first started.

She rates him as a big part of the team and a hard worker doing lots of little jobs no-one wants to do, like checking files before they are filed and ensuring the building is secure each night.

“He may not be the first one there but he’s always the last to leave,” says Mr Shaw, who is now the family court caseflow manager.

Mr Shaw can recall the time Mr Holdt was mowing the lawns around the back of the courthouse when a stone flicked a judge’s car and set the car alarm off. 

Before he could sort that out, the cleaners came out to tell him that the smoke alarms had been set off inside – dry dust from lawn mowing was to blame.

As he waved the fire service off, Mr Holdt noticed a briefcase had been left in the court foyer.

Not wanting to open it himself, he phoned the police station across the road, only to have the call put through to Wellington.

Eventually the police did arrive, and after securing the place, the case was opened with a meter long ruler, only to find a pile of papers accidentally left behind by someone who had come to have documents signed.

It is all in a day’s work for Mr Holdt, who says there are generally no problems “… just the occasional person trying to run away, especially if they realise they are going to prison.”

But he does not chase after them.  He says, “That’s a job for the boys in blue.”

Senior Constable Lee Tyson, from New Plymouth Police Prosecutions, says of Mr Holdt’s impending departure, “I think it’s very sad.  He’s been here such a long time, he’s part of the furniture and he knows the ins and outs of the court so well.”

Court Manager, Catherine Dodd, says, “ Brian is everybody's friend and is one of the most placid and helpful persons I have worked with.”

As well as a great sense of humour, “… his ability with mental arithmetic is incredible; when he leaves it will be a costly exercise, as I will have to buy the staff calculators.”

Both court staff and court users will miss him, she says.

Mr Holdt will soon be 65 and says, “I’m old enough to retire. I’m quite happy too.”

He says he will miss Friday morning tea shouts and the companionship of other staff members, but says he will keep himself occupied with bowls and a list of jobs his wife, Colleen Holdt, has made for him.

Photo: Taranaki Daily News