JPs honoured as fellows

After years of volunteering as Justices of the Peace, three local men received one of the highest service awards at a Warragul meeting last week.
Geoffrey Lee, Bernard Kingsley and Ian Symons were all presented with Fellowship Awards when Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices state president Rodney Lavin attended a quarterly meeting on Thursday afternoon.
"To be awarded a Fellow is one of our highest awards for long serving, dedicated and hard working JPs who volunteer their time to the community," Mr Lavin said.
"To have one in a branch is an honour," he added. "But to have three - a triple banger - is absolutely fantastic."
Mr Symons said the local group comprising of 13 JPs currently witness and certify documents on a roster system at the Warragul Library.
This free service is provided on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 2pm and, in a recent addition, extended hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10am to 6pm.
They have witnessed 12,000 signatures or documents from more than 3300 people already this year, Mr Symons said.
"We're always looking for more JPs in the district who can help," he said.