Local News: Cutting local red tape

Did you know that the Boyd Community Hub hosts free Justice of the Peace (JP) sessions every Monday?

Southbank resident Atilla Akgüner JP has been volunteering his time for the community since 2014 to host the weekly two-hour sessions inside the Principal’s Office at Boyd.

For those who don’t know, JPs are volunteers who provide document witnessing and certification services to the community both during and outside business hours.

While they don’t provide legal advice, they do not charge for their services.

From 11am until 1pm every Monday, locals can utilise Atilla for a range of services, including:

Attesting the execution of a document;

Witnessing an affidavit for use in court;

Witnessing a statutory declaration;

Certifying a true copy of an original document; and

Certifying a person’s identity.

Atilla said with police stations and courthouses often inundated and difficult for many people to access during business hours, JPs played an important role in filling a gap for assisting with what were often very time-consuming services.

He also said that since beginning his weekly sessions at Boyd, the local demand had increased significantly.

“There’s been a great response since I started,” he said. “As soon as people knew that this service was here more and more started to come.”

“The good thing is it’s very convenient for local people who live here but also people who work here. We also get response through the website because many people still aren’t aware of this beautiful building and its services.”

The demand has become so great, in fact, that the team at Boyd is on the hunt for another JP to offer a session on another day. If you know a JP who would be interested in volunteering their time, contact Nadine Ford on 9658 8317.

To schedule a time with Atilla you can contact him on 0419 584 700 or via email at [email protected]