Although I have physically been away, I could not help but keep a distant eye on how things were going throughout our community, and the continuing good work of our men and women in blue. Mr Gillies is a very competent senior leader and made sure the good work of this command continues as usual. We have welcomed extra staff to both our Southern Highlands and Goulburn sectors and are planning to add to our staffing over the coming months. It is a fantastic place to work and we have people lining up to come and join our hard working team. 

Whilst I am very happy to be back at work, I will be missing the new addition to my family and the reason for my absence over the last two months, our new baby girl! After three boys, a baby girl was a welcomed surprise. Mum and bub and all the boys doing very well, although Mum could do with some more sleep! 

We are in the final stages of planning some big events in our region, namely the Bong Bong Races at Bowral and the Dragon Dreaming Festival at Wee Jasper. We have a number of strategies in place to ensure the safety and security of those attending these events however I do ask those going to both these big events to take some personal responsibility for your actions. By all means have a great time and if we can stay out of your way we will! 

However we will be there to ensure there will be consequences for those who play up, or cannot drive safely to and from the event, or those who think they can take drugs into the events. The organisers for both these events put in endless time and effort into putting on a great event for our community so please go and have a good time whilst being mindful of your actions and behaviour.   

I will once again urge our local road users to drive with safety and care. We have had some terrible incidents on our roads over the last few months, most caused by driver inattention and poor driving behaviour. Please be mindful when you drive and avoid distractions such as using your mobile phone when driving. As we all know, main arterial roads flow through our community and we need to be mindful that big trucks cannot stop quickly, using a phone whilst driving increases the risk of the driver being killed, take breaks on long trips, slow down and be patient, and drive to survive.