Feted lawyer, 98, dies of crash injuries

LAW CAREER: Ian Wollerman (centre) with his wife Joan and staff of WCM Legal, at the time Mr Wollerman retired from the firm. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

A man who made an immense contribution to the legal fraternity in Wairarapa has died in Australia as a result of injuries received in a car crash.

Ian Wollerman, 98, moved to Australia in 1997 after retiring from a career as a Carterton solicitor and having been the country's last Transport Licensing Authority.

In earlier years, Mr Wollerman worked for the Department of Justice, before qualifying as a lawyer. He moved to Carterton in 1955 to join the firm of Major Gooding, taking over the practice of law firm partner Alan Clark Tucker.

He was joined by his son Peter in 1977, and four years later solicitors Ed Cooke and Keith McClure joined forces with him to form the law firm eventually known as Wollerman Cooke and McClure, which, in turn, was shortened to WCM Legal.

In early 1992, Mr Wollerman was appointed as a Transport Licensing Authority (TLA), a position which effectively carried the same legal clout as a District Court judge, and carried on in that role until government legislation deregulated the industry and TLAs were abolished. He then returned to work part-time in the Carterton legal practice. Keith McClure, who worked alongside Mr Wollerman, remembers him as a very competent lawyer with a kind heart.

"He used to ride an old bicycle around Carterton, was a long-standing member of Rotary and held office with the Masonic Lodge." Mr McClure said Mr Wollerman served on several committees in the town and loved to play golf.

Tragically, one of Mr Wollerman's sons, John, who had been posted to Singapore with the Diplomatic Corps, died in early 1990. Another setback Mr Wollerman had to face was suffering a stroke in 1996, the year before he moved to Australia to be closer to Peter and his wife Shirley, who had relocated there. Mr Wollerman lived in Berwick, Melbourne, and a funeral service will be held there for him on September 3.