City celebrates Thank a Volunteer Day

The City of Fremantle celebrated Thank a Volunteer Day and the Fremantle Justice of the Peace 40th Anniversary today at the Fremantle Town Hall with an award ceremony and afternoon tea.

Over 60 guests were invited to attend from volunteering groups across Fremantle, including St. Patrick's Community Support Centre, Fremantle Round House, Fremantle Visitor Centre, the City's precinct groups and Friends of Groups. 

The award ceremony recognised local volunteers with five years, 10 years and 30 years of service to the Fremantle community. 

A special award was also given to Ronelle Brossard (pictured above) for 46 years of volunteering service at The Meeting Place in South Fremantle. 

Ronelle is one of the volunteers who helped establish The Meeting Place in 1976, which was originally a space for migrant community members to get advice, information and access services. 

“There’s a real sense of you’re not on your own at The Meeting Place, right from the beginning women of all cultures have felt safe here and that they could bring their children here,” Ronelle said.

The Meeting Place has since morphed into a community centre, offering a range of unique course, workshops, events and talks across the year, along with hirable rooms for community groups. 

In 2002 Ronelle started the Time Out to Quilt social group, which she continues to facilitate today on Fridays between 10am and 12pm.

“The reason I called it ‘Time Out To Quilt’ was because when you’re at home quilting, it’s very tempting to put yourself last, there’s dishes that have to be done, washing that has to be done, and quilting is last on the list,” Ronelle said.

“We needed a place where we can just leave the house, be here together, share ideas and not have those house jobs looking at us!" 

The Meeting Place is located at 245 South Terrace, South Fremantle and is open Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm. 

Image: Fremantle Justice of the Peace volunteers with Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge. 

The City's Thank a Volunteer Day event also celebrated the 40-year anniversary of the Fremantle Justice of the Peace and the team of 10 dedicated volunteers that run the service today. 

JPs handle administrative duties such as issuing search warrants for the police, witnessing affidavits, statutory declarations, and certifying documents.

President of the Fremantle Association of Justices John Albertie said he enjoys giving his time back to the community.

“I’ve always been involved in the community and a few years back I had a conversation with one of my friends about JPs. It inspired me to learn what they were all about and I’ve volunteered ever since,” John said.

“When I first started in 2001, there were a lot of European people who struggled with English, and this gave me a chance to help people navigate through some of the legal side of things.”

John is fluent in Italian, remains a long-time leader within the Italian community and continues to work behind the scenes with the annual Blessing of the Fleet festival.

He also served as Beaconsfield councillor between 2003–2011 and in 2019 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for Service to the Fremantle Community.

“We often help people who are going through a traumatic event in their life,” John said.

“Our goal is to walk them through the administrative side of legal requirements as easily as possible which can relieve some of the emotional burden.

The Fremantle Justice of the Peace is located at Walyalup Civic Centre (151 High Street, Fremantle) and is open Monday to Friday, between 10am and 1pm. 

There’s no need to book and walk-ins are encouraged however you can always contact the City’s customer service team on 1300 693 736 (after 10am) to check availability.

The City of Fremantle has over 80 internal volunteers who provide community assistance and support in roles such as tourist ambassadors at Fremantle Visitor Centre, French language conversationalists at The Meeting Place and recycling centre attendees at the City’s Reuse Shop.

Our volunteers are the pillars of our community, helping make a difference to the lives of others and giving back to our wonderful city.

Join the City of Fremantle Volunteering Facebook group, visit the City of Fremantle volunteering webpage or email [email protected] for info on local volunteering opportunities. 

Top image: The Meeting Place community programs assistant Jade Coulcher and The Meeting Place volunteer facilitator Ronelle Brossard.