On Wednesday 27th March, Sr Mary O’Shannassy was granted Life Membership in recognition of her service and commitment to the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices. Mary had previously been recognized as a Fellow of the Association.
Sr Mary has been a Justice of the Peace for an astounding 55 years, volunteering her time and support for her community.
Included amongst their duties, Justice of the Peace volunteers can witness a range of legal documents, including statutory declarations and affidavits, and can also certify true copies of documents.
Sr Mary first became a Justice of the Peace in response to need, when she was Principal of a boys’ boarding college in NSW, for 120 boy boarders aged between 4½ to 12 years.
“Their parents would come and visit on weekends, and they would have documents that needed to be signed. And so I was available,” says Sr Mary.
“I was a Justice of the Peace in NSW for 25 years, from 1969. Then when I came to Victoria, I became a Justice of the Peace here. So this is my 30th year as a Justice of the Peace in Victoria.”
Photo: Sr Mary O'Shannassy sgs OAM JP FRVAHJ holding her Life Membership certificate from the the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices.
Sr Mary works as a Senior Prison Chaplain in CatholicCare Victoria’s Prison Ministry, and she has found being a Justice of the Peace helpful in her ongoing role.
“It's been very helpful in the prison environment for the people there. It's very hard for the residents to get someone to witness documents. Also in the retirement village. It's been very helpful there for people too, particularly new people coming in, as they need a number of documents signed,” says Sr Mary.
Sr Mary spent the afternoon at Government House, with around 130 Justices of the Peace from across Victoria. Her Excellency Professor the Honorable Margaret Gardiner AC, Governor of Victoria, addressed all in attendance, as did Rodney Lavin, the President of the Victorian Association of Honorary Justices.
“It was a lovely gathering and great recognition of the voluntary work that these people do throughout Victoria. We learnt that, over a year, there would be over a million documents signed by Justices of the Peace throughout Victoria!”
“It's a great service to the community and I view it as my little contribution to society, for the betterment of society. Something I can give back.”
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