Over the last 8 years, I have been lucky enough to travel the length and breadth of the Hawkesbury.
Within a sprawling region, we have so much that makes us special: I love the sandy banks of the Hawkesbury River at Navua and the rolling hills that frame the west.
We have the most delicious apples in the world in Bilpin, not to mention fabulous apple cider, and a diverse local food bowl.
We have Aboriginal heritage, and incredible wilderness that surrounds us.
The history of the region stuns me.
I have lived up the hill for 25 years, and it’s only now that I appreciate the resourcefulness and vision of what was achieved here by the Colonialists, from our oldest church at Ebenezer to Greenway's St Matthew's Anglican Church, the elegance of Richmond’s wide main streets, the historic Officers’ Mess at the RAAF Base and the Georgian architecture of Thompson Square.
I am committed to preserving these gems of the past, so that we retain the things that make the Hawkesbury unique.
And while all those are important, it is really the people who make the Hawkesbury what it is.
I have found a community full of people who see a problem and immediately want to try and make a difference in their local area, who respond in times of catastrophe.
This is a community that sometimes gets forgotten, sitting on Sydney’s outskirts, but has so much to offer as a place to live and a place to visit.
We aren’t just like any other outer suburb, and we must use this uniqueness to form our future, to create jobs and build an even stronger community.