This seems as though it is probably impossible and that I am making it up, or that it comes from some part of the world that strongly believes in the arcane but no, I am not making it up and this comes from one of New Zealand's most populous and modern areas, Christchurch.
I'm not a Kiwi so I have no idea how something like this ever began but the man, named Ian Brackenbury Channell is being relieved of his paid position after nearly 20 years on the job.
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This had nothing to do with Lord of the Rings and according to official documents he was employed to perform "wizardry and wizard-like duties" for the city. I don't know if this was meant ironically or not, but the fact of the matter is that Ian has been paid around $11,000 a year for his services, whatever that might be.
This wasn't his first gig as a wizard either, he was employed as the Wizard of the University of New South Wales in 1969, which was also a paid position. He isn't some crackpot, or at least his CV would indicate that he isn't. Born in London, he served in the Royal Air Force and was an educator in Tehran as well as various places in Australia, often at a university level in things like psychology. I have never really had much faith in the field of psychology as I personally feel as though they are kind of making stuff up in a lot of situations, but having a wizard in their ranks doesn't do much for the impression I have of the discipline.
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He dressed the part and served as an advisor of sorts to the Christchurch city council for 2 decades.
The really dumb thing about this entire situation is that he is being let go not because wizardry isn't real and it is preposterous that tax money would be spent on such ends, but rumor has it that he is being fired for statements that he made in an interview about how you should "never hit a woman because they bruise too easy and they will also tell their neighbors and friends." A rational person would presume that something like this was said in jest, but then again, this is a man whose profession is to be a wizard, so you never know.
Let's hope that Christchurch can put this extra 11 grand to good use. I would suggest hiring a warrior or maybe even a hobgoblin next.
