Inside Southport courthouse: The strange, busy and unsung registry

Hundreds of people visit on Gold Coast office each week – here is a shot at what really happens. READ THE CRAZY STORIES

THE man leaning heavily on the counter at the Southport Courthouse wants to get married – fast.

He is alone and adamant the usual wait time to get a certificate is too long. He needs something faster. “I can’t be walking around any longer not married,” he tells the registry clerk.

The clerk is patient. They explain they can help with the regular marriage registration but for an urgent application he needs to talk to Brisbane.

The man, with a beard and a short-sleeved shirt, is given a phone number and makes that call while still sitting in the registry.

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When he hangs up, it is not clear if he managed to solve his issue.

The man desperate to wed is one of scores of people the clerks at the Southport Court registry deal with each day.

Just to the right of the entrance, the registry is the heart of the court precinct. Every matter which goes through the court has contact at some point with the registry.

From registering births to fines to providing Justice of the Peace services, the clerks at the registry have to know a little bit about everything.

The Bulletin recently visited the registry and over a three-hour period a plethora of people from all walks of life walked through the doors – each with a different inquiry.

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One man wanted to file divorce papers on behalf of his son, another just wanted to know when he was in court next and a lawyer wanted to look through a file he worked on in 2018.

One woman’s inquiry sends one of the clerks on a hunt for the right form.

“We have thousands of forms – I’ve just to find the right one,” she tells her.

A second woman is sent into a frantic search for a document with her new address on it because she needs a birth certificate for her daughter.

For a short time, the registry is quiet, with no one to help.

The clerks start work logging files, talking among themselves as they work and occasionally stop to watch the TV playing in the corner.

The registry at court is small, glassed off from the rest of the courthouse with doors just to the right of the main entrance.

On one wall is dozens of forms and a counter, as well as a table for people to sit at.

In the days of the coronavirus pandemic, every second chair on the two rows has tape over it in order to encourage social distancing.

The counter staff sit behind a large glass wall, with a small break at each counter to allow people to speak and pass papers back and forth.

The ticketing system used to determine those next in line has given way to staff just asking who is next.

They deal with at least 100 people a day and a busy day could see up to 200 people making inquiries.

Mornings are often the busiest. Defendants who don’t know their court date or courtroom will ask for help. Lawyers wanting to file last-minute paperwork. Police seeking to get a search warrant signed.

At least two people man the counter at all times – the most familiar Kevin “Hoppy” Ward who has been at the courthouse for decades.

He will greet the regulars jovially by name before helping them out.

Those who want more privacy just have to ask and they will be taken to a quieter area.

A majority do not, preferring just to get on with their inquiry.

How busy the registry will be at any time is unpredictable.

Afternoons are often a rush with law clerks and legal secretaries busy filing documents before the end of the day.

But as 4.30pm ticks on the registry is usually empty and the staff lock the doors so they can start to prepare for the next day.

Originally published as Inside Southport courthouse: The strange, busy and unsung registry