Wyndham residents who require document approval are encouraged to take advantage of a group of volunteers operating as Honorary Justices in the area.
Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices (RVAHJ) Wyndham branch chairman Justice of the Peace (JP) Reynald Tibben said their role covers number of different areas.
“JPs mostly are people that officially witness documents, such as statutory declarations, affidavits, powers of attorney, medical decision making documents and wills,“ he said.
“They also certify true copies of documents, they validate identity, and even sign off declarations that a client is still alive and more.“
There are two document signing stations (DSS) currently operating in Wyndham.
The Werribee Police Station DSS operates Monday to Saturday from 10am to 1pm and Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights 6pm to 8pm.
The Wyndham North Police Station offers a DSS on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm and Monday and Wednesday nights from 6pm to 8 pm.
There are about 3750 JPs currently working in Victoria, with Wyndham’s signing stations among the most busy in the state.
Mr Tibben said the role of JPs goes back as far back in history as 14th century England.
“The role was imported into the colonies right from the start and although the roles and responsibilities of JPs changed over time, it is still a valuable and contributing part of our society today,“ he said.
“As a JP, we have a responsibility to provide a free and timely service that is accessible to all members of the community, making ourselves reasonably available to act as an independent witness for documents used for official or legal purposes.“
