A qualified boilermaker, he has a love of sports and the outdoors, playing cricket and rugby and rowing for Port Chalmers clubs where he grew up.
About 40 family members and friends joined Mr James to help celebrate his 100th birthday at Iona Home and Hospital on Sunday.
His eldest daughter Sandra said her father was very "hard-working".
"He worked hard and long hours to save to build our home and we had a happy childhood growing up.
"He played many sports although his real love was rugby and dancing. Mum and Dad loved dancing.
"I have many happy memories of that and us all going on family-oriented picnics at the wharf and to the Waikouaiti races," she said.
Despite being born with a deformity in his foot he had overcome a lot of challenges, Ms James said.
"His grandmother helped him by dancing around the kitchen table, and she said, ‘in the end, we’ll have you playing rugby’ and he did," Ms James said.
Mr James joined the Port Chalmers Rugby Club, now known as the Harbour club, in 1939, and played for them up until 1957. He was also a coach, umpire and club president.
He is also a life member of the Awamoa Bowls Club in Oamaru, having moved to North Otago in the late 1980s.
Iona Home and Hospital Kirkness Unit activities co-ordinator Nicky Jenson said the staff "look forward to "seeing George’s smiling face" every day.
"He’s an absolute treasure, he’s really a delight," Ms Jenson said.
When asked by the Otago Daily Times how Mr James felt about reaching the age of 100, he said "It’s been a long haul, but we got there".
With his late wife Aura (nee Twining) they had seven children.
He has 13 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
