Hi all,
I don't know if there's any possibility of answers to this one because it's relatively recent history but hey, if anyone can help it will be a Rootschatter.
My relative, John, is in an awkward situation. His father recently died in the Philippines. John's parents married in Bendigo, Victoria, in 1955 and John was born later that year. Their divorce was finalised in 1961, exact date unknown, and his mother remarried in Victoria in December 1961.
John's father left his assets to be divided between John and his father's last wife, whom John has never met. John needs to prove his identity because the last wife doesn't believe John is his father's son. John has his birth certificate and passport, but his solicitor says he needs proof of his parents' divorce. John's mother does not have any documentation of the divorce (she was very young at the time of the marriage and it was not a happy one) and is not sure whether it was finalised in Victoria or NSW, where she was living when it was finalised. Divorce indexes only go as far as 1930 in NSW and 1932 in Victoria.
John's mother has her second marriage certificate, which gives her marital status as divorced, and is willing to sign a statement attesting to the details of her first marriage and divorce as far as she remembers them. We know the date of the marriage because John's father was an immigrant and there are NAA documents that show the marriage date, although John's mother's name is spelled incorrectly.
Does anyone know if there is any way to find divorce records from 1961? We don't have much to go on, I know. I have tried Trove with no success. Would the second marriage certificate and statement be enough to prove the divorce? I'm ignorant about this sort of stuff. John is going to the Philippines in a week to try and sort it out.
Thank you if you've read this far!
