On Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 9:27 AM, NoOp <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Does Australia have standard 'electronic' forms of this type already for > Word etc? If so you might import and modify those. Certainly there must > already exist similar templates, as I wouldn't think that all Australian > marriage forms are still handwritten.
Hi Keith - sorry I hadn't realised you were in Australia, or I would have replied sooner. And sorry that my reply is a little off topic for Ooo. A month or so ago I was giving some computer help to a woman who has just become a marriage celebrant. I was helping her work out how to use her marriage celebrant software, which is called Celebrant Express. http://www.celebrantexpress.com.au The software is a little expensive, and I assume only works on Windows, but was very easy to use, and once you had filled in their database with the required names, dates and places, would easily print out all of the required forms. If you need to fill these forms in a lot, it may be a worthwhile investment. Here is a list of the forms it produces: - Form 12c - Annual Return relating to professional development activities. This form is automatically generated. All ceremonies performed are totalled up and added to this form for you, as well as other required information - Form 13 - Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM). This form is automatically generated in entirety ready for signing. There are further checks and validation built in to assist the celebrant with compliance - Form 14 - Marriage Declarations. This form is automatically generated in entirety ready for signing. There are further checks and validation built in to assist the celebrant with compliance - Form 14a - Document outlining the obligations and consequences of marriage and stating the availability of marriage education and counselling. Bride and Groom details can be conveniently overlayed on the official 'Happily Ever Before and After' brochure - Form 15 - Couples Marriage Certificate. Necessary text is generated ready for you to print directly on the official Form 15 certificates. The option to add a top and left margin is added to make it fully compatible with any printer - Form 15 - Religious Couples Marriage Certificate. Necessary text is generated ready for you to print directly on the official Form 15 certificates. The option to add a top and left margin is added to make it fully compatible with any printer - Form 16 - Official Marriage Certificate. This form is automatically generated in entirety ready for signing. There are further checks and validation built in to assist the celebrant with compliance - Commonwealth of Australia - Record of Use of Form 15 Marriage Certificates. The system automatically generates the required document of all Form 15's used, damaged or transferred, and allows you to archive and print this at any time - Commonwealth of Australia - Statutory Declaration. This is a useful attachment that you may require throughout your role as a celebrant - Bride and Groom DL Sized Envelopes for correspondence - Custom ceremony Invoices using your own logo and company details. Celebrant Express has a built-in accounting/invoicing system designed specifically for celebrants - Custom ceremony summary sheets using your own logo and company details. This is useful to take with you or to provide to the Bride/Groom for confirmation of ceremony - Custom upcoming ceremony listing report using your own logo and company details. (Sorry if that was a bit long.) Getting a bit more on-topic, creating something similar in OpenOffice.org might be really worthwhile. A database with all of the needed fields for all of the forms would have to be created, and then one form for each printout. Maybe some macros could automate some of the features, and you'd have to make it look pretty. My approach to creating the forms would be to use a ruler on the paper forms to work out the precise location for the fields to go, and then make slight adjustments after a few test prints. While there would be a reasonable amount of work involved in doing all of that, it might interest a large percentage of marriage celebrants around Australia, and get the word about OpenOffice.org out. Just a thought. Keith, let us know what you think of Celebrant Express. Adrian
