BARBARA Lynch is in an exclusive club.
The 95-year-old Hervey Bay volunteer celebrated 70 years’ service as a Queensland Justice of the Peace.
JP Community Program team leader Brendon Balogh said Mrs Lynch was the fourth person to receive the Queensland Government honour.
“70 years of service to the community is a major milestone and not one that happens to everyone…,” Mr Balogh said.
Mrs Lynch founded the Queensland Justices Association Branch in Hervey Bay in 1998, allowing community members to perform the task of witnessing important documentation.
“I have enjoyed every day of my role as a JP, meeting people at every stage of their lives as well,” Mrs Lynch said.
Her volunteering journey began 78 years ago, as an independent witness for juveniles in police custody.
She worked alongside Queensland Police and St Stephen’s Hospital and oversaw the library at the Ozcare Hervey Bay Aged Care Facility.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but the real reward for me has been able to serve the people of Queensland, especially my local community in Hervey Bay,” she said.
“It is a tight knit community that I have enjoyed living in and volunteering in for most of my life.”
