While sport plays a fleeting part in most people’s busy lives, there are a rare group for whom sport becomes a lifetime commitment.

For those folk, the end of their playing days merely signals the beginning of an extended involvement in the activities they have chosen.

One such community icon is Blenheim’s Jim Nicholas.

To the 85-year-old’s surprise, he found his name on the 2018 New Year’s Honours list, receiving the Queen’s Service Medal for services to sport and the community.

Given his 50 plus-year involvement, especially on the Marlborough hockey and bowls scene, no-one should have been surprised by the fact Jim was singled out.

Over the past half century he has been honoured with life membership of four organisations - Bowls Marlborough, the Blenheim Bowling Club, Marlborough Hockey and Marlborough Hockey Umpires. He has also received a Hockey New Zealand long service award.

His involvement in hockey includes 13 years as president of Marlborough Hockey and nine years as a Hockey New Zealand councillor. Jim has been a player, regional representative selector and coach, administrator, umpire and is the current patron of Marlborough Hockey.

He began bowling in 1951 and has been president, treasurer, centre delegate, administration and purchasing officer and chair of various committees with the Blenheim club, vice-president and president of the Marlborough centre, plus president and chief executive of Bowls Marlborough. Jim also served six years as a councillor at Bowls New Zealand and assisted in the establishment of the Bowls Marlborough board, bringing men’s and women’s bowls under the same umbrella.

In the wider community, Jim has given his time to Blenheim School, Marlborough College PTA, Scouts, Athletics, Probus, the Osteomy Society, and is currently a member of the Marlborough branch of the New Zealand Foundation for the Blind, RSA and the Blenheim Lions Pakeke Club.

Adding to the thrill of being recognised is the fact that Jim’s grandfather, James Nicholas, received a similar community service award in the 1940s.

The Blenheim blacksmith’s work with the Foundation for the Blind and the Masonic Lodge earned him a British Empire Medal, which Jim has kept in safekeeping since his grandfather died, aged 92.

He learned some valuable lessons from his grandfather, including “being nice to everybody”.

“Also, those days, when we were young, you never got paid [for helping out] and you didn’t expect to.”

Family has played a huge part in Jim’s involvement.

 He claims he was “born in bowls”. “My grandfather, my father, two of my uncles were all heavily involved so it was just a natural that I got into bowling.”

His first wife, Noeline, who died in 1986, was a leading netball administrator and coach, while the couple spent immeasurable hours organising various sporting teams as they competed throughout the country.

“I used to help her with netball and we also took junior hockey sides. I found that I did more and more [with various sporting organisations] after she died.”

His second wife, Alison, who died in 2015, was also involved administratively, being secretary of the Blenheim Bowling Club for three years.

Underlining his capacity for loyalty and service is the fact Jim was employed by the same company, the Marlborough Express, for the majority of his working life, from 1947, when he left school aged 14, until 1996.

When he left the newspaper he immediately began voluntary work with Bowls New Zealand.

He will travel to Wellington in April to receive his medal, an appropriate venue according to Jim as that is where his grandfather received his BEM and the youngest of his three sons, Grant and Kevin, were presented with scouting awards by the Governor General.

Not content to rest on his laurels, the current patron of Hockey Marlborough and Bowls Marlborough is still very visible on the sporting scene.

He explains his longevity and motivation. “I want to help people. They come to talk to me and I can sometimes help with their problems or concerns as I have often seen them occur before.”