OVER 70 historic court stamps have been preserved and donated to the National Trust South Australia Old Courthouse collection.
In a formal presentation to the NTSA at the Old Courthouse on Thursday, Magistrate Teresa Anderson explained the significance of the stamps.
“Before the advent of the modern court systems, the recording of court proceedings had to be done manually,” Ms Anderson said.
“Every step in the court process needs to be recorded – you can imagine the repetitive stress injury magistrates and clerks might have suffered if they had to hand write everything.
“The stamps were designed to print standard orders and the clerk would fill in dates and added details.”
Ms Anderson said although computers had since rendered the stamps obsolete, it was important to preserve the history of the court system.
“The stamps are a reminder of how things were in the past and the progress that has been made since we used them,” Ms Anderson said.
Prominent lawyer Thomas Rymill collaborated with Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell to preserve the stamps.
“I was aware of a number of these court stamps sitting idle at the Mount Gambier Courthouse,” Mr Rymill said.
“I was keen for them to be preserved and the local registrar was very sympathetic to that idea.
“The Courts Department Adelaide were concerned they could not be released so I took the step of approaching Troy Bell seeking his urgent assistance.”
Mr Bell said the Courts Administration Authority were “very receptive” to his approach for the donation of the stamps.
“Following approval, my office, Heather Kellas from the Mount Gambier Old Courthouse Museum and Sharon Haynes from the Mount Gambier Courthouse have worked collaboratively together to arrange for them to be made available to the NTSA Old Courthouse collection” Mr Bell said.
Mr Rymill acknowledged the contribution of Wendy Monger, who has volunteered for the NTSA for over 40 years.
“Wendy has turned the bare courthouse into something with life – with interpretations, gowns and wigs,” Mr Rymill said.
“She has made the place a heck of a lot more interesting.”
The stamps will be a unique addition to the Old Courthouse Museum display.
The museum is open Thursday to Sunday from 11am until 3pm.
