May 25, 2016

Justices of the Peace celebrate 50 years service

Media Release 
25 May 2016

Douglas Austin of East Ballina and Colin Zwan from The Pocket have both completed 50 years of service as a Justice of the Peace for New South Wales (as of 2015).

They were today invited to a morning tea to present them with their official certificates of recognition from the Attorney General of New South Wales. Douglas Austin brought his wife Wilma and daughter Diane to my office to share in the celebration of his extraordinary commitment to our community.  Colin Zwan was unable to attend at the last moment and I will be marking his achievement at a later date.

The role of a Justice of the Peace (JP) is to act as an independent and objective witness to documents people use for official or legal purposes.

A JP’s duties include:

  • certifying a true copy of an original document
  • witnessing signatures
  • witnessing oaths or affidavits
  • taking statutory declarations and affirmations
  • attesting the execution of a document

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