A retired solicitor has celebrated 50 years as a member of the Isle of Wight Catenians Association at a party at the Ryde Castle Hotel. 

Tony Gale, who was born in Ryde, joined the Island Circle, a Catholic men’s society, shortly after it was formed. 

Tony was presented with a framed scroll by Catenians national director Roger Lillee and a 50th anniversary tie, made by circle member Max Paul, by president Mal Butler. 

Tony started training at the offices of Roach Pittis and Co, Newport, in 1946. 

He married his late wife Maureen in 1955 and they moved to Northern Rhodesia where he worked as a solicitor in Ndola, the commercial centre of the Copperbelt for Lloyd Jones and Collins. 

After the birth of their first child, Peter in 1956, they returned to the Island in 1958 where he worked for Roach Pittis, remaining there until his retirement in 1994.

He continued sitting as a part-time deputy district judge until he was 70.  

The couple had four more children, Richard, Susan, Nicholas and Beth. 

Tony's other interests included local history, particularly the history of the pubs of Ryde, of which he wrote some booklets, and the history of the Island's Coastguard service, of which he wrote a book.

Tony, with Maureen, helped start the IW MS Society, and this led to his involvement with The Leonard Cheshire Home at Shanklin where he was chair for more than ten years.  

He was a member of Probus, 41 Club, the Ryde Round Table, the Rotary clubs in Newport, Ryde and Ventnor, and was governor of Ryde High School from 1962 until 1990.