There was a time when Point Cook resident Terry could hardly get out of bed in the morning.
Terry, who did not want his last name printed, was suffering from debilitating vertigo, nausea, exhaustion and failing eyesight when he was called to the Melbourne Magistrates Court to resolve historic tollway infringements.
Terry said the fines had spiralled out of control when he became ill.
“I was so unwell that I wasn’t thinking straight,’’ he said. ‘‘Before I knew it I was being summonsed to court.’’
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Terry’s health made it difficult for him to board a bus and train twice a week to get to the Melbourne court.
Late last year, Terry saw an advertisement for an outreach program run by the Wyndham Legal Service.
It was there he met with senior policy lawyer Shorna Moore and began to work through the legal issues that had been plaguing his day-to-day life.
‘‘It was frightening for me because I wanted to get to the magistrates court in Melbourne, but I was unable to drive due to my health problems.’’
Terry was eventually diagnosed with glaucoma and a thyroid condition. He is now medicated and able to live an active life.
He said if his case could have been heard locally, he would not have experienced the stress and anxiety caused by travelling alone on public transport.
Terry said he feared that vulnerable people in the community, including newly arrived residents, could face even more dire situations.
“Particularly migrants who are new to Australia and struggle with language barriers. Couple that with not being familiar with the legal system and living in a new area and struggling to find their way around … the whole process would be a nightmare.
‘‘There needs to be more accessible services locally that are able to help people who have legal issues and those who have special circumstances.”
