THREE South Coast Justices of the Peace have been honoured for 50 years service.
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Member for South Coast Shelley Hancock this week recognised some of the state’s longest serving Justices of the Peace.
Kathleen MacDonell, Les Sykes and Laurence McGinty were presented with commendations by Attorney General Gabrielle Upton and South Coast MP Shelley Hancock a celebratory event at parliament house in Sydney.
“It is a rare achievement to provide an important voluntary service to the community for such a long period of time and Kathleen, Les and Laurence thoroughly deserve to be honoured,” Mrs Hancock said.
“Most of us will need a JP at some point in our lives and they have all helped hundreds of people at key moments, such as buying a house, accessing superannuation or going to court.”
Justices of the Peace serve as an independent witness to documents people use for official or legal purposes.
Their duties include witnessing the signing of statutory declarations or affidavits and certifying copies of original documents.
“JPs are essential to many aspects of community life, including the efficient functioning of our legal system and these unsung heroes deserve recognition and our heartfelt thanks for their service,” Ms Upton said.
The NSW Government introduced commemorative certificates for 50 years of service as a JP in 2012.
Since then, approximately 2000 certificates have been awarded. More than 500 certificates will be issued in 2016.
There are more than 90,000 Justices of the Peace in NSW.
People can search for a Justice of the Peace in their area by visiting the online public register of JPs at www.jp.nsw.gov.au.