They are the quiet volunteers, Justices of the Peace, or JPs, and this year Whanganui JPs celebrate 100 years' service to the community. They are quiet volunteers because, until you need one, you probably do not know who they are.
The office is voluntary but holds a lot of responsibility and demands on personal time, space and goodwill.
"There's the ministerial part, the signing of documents, affidavits and certifying documents," says Tania King, local vice president, "But there's also the JJP, which is the Judicial JP, then there are Issuing Officers and Nominated Witnesses."
"All done by JPs in this community," adds fellow JP and registrar, Jo Meiklejohn. "In the Whanganui district, we've got 127 JPs." The district covers a big area.
There have been JPs in Whanganui since 1840 but it was not until the 1920s that there was a push to form an association of JPs to put them under the control of a governing body. Some associations were formed — Whanganui in 1922 — and in 1924 they met in Wellington to form the Royal Federation. Since then Whanganui has provided two Royal Federation presidents.
Tania and Jo are part of the committee helping to organise the centenary and they need some help of the financial kind.
GOME (Grumpy Old Men) have given money to help with the centenary, and the JPs got a Welcoming Activities grant from the Whanganui District Council, and that will help.
JPs' essential work is time-consuming and completely voluntary with no remuneration, in fact, it often costs money to hold the office. It would be a good thing for the community to help recognise the JPs, assist with the centenary and enable JPs to travel from around the district into Whanganui for the occasion.
"We also have, in our community, a number of retired JPs that we don't know and can't contact to let them know we're holding centenary celebrations," says Jo. "That's now become my second focus."
There are also JPs in the community who are not members of the association — they need to know the celebration is on.
The occasion will be in the form of a luncheon on September 10.
Many JPs are retired people of limited means, so assistance to attend the function would be helpful.
Becoming a JP requires adhering to a strict code of conduct, and the letters JP are never to be added to a signature, used for personal gain or to add status. They are ordinary people serving in the community, providing their JP services for free, day and night.
They also have to pay capitation fees to the Royal Federation of Justices of the Peace, so holding the office costs money, as well as all the usual administrative expenses of a home office. JPs are also not allowed to accept gifts as a reward for their services.
