Today I want to speak about a remarkable figure in the bayside community. Senior Sergeant Tony Brown recently marked 30 years as a police officer. It’s a rare feat in his line of work.

I have to say Tony’s done a terrific job while he’s been acting officer-in-charge at Wynnum Police Station. Earlier this year, he came out to one of my crime mobile offices to reassure residents in Gumdale and Wakerley about local crime and police presence in the area.

The last 30 years have gone by just like that, Tony told me the other day. He’s worked all around south-east Queensland: out in the country as a rural constable, down at the Gold Coast, and in his home town of Wynnum.

Tony’s spent a lot of his career as a detective investigating crime. One of his proudest achievements was putting a lot of time into a homicide at Wishart and eventually securing a conviction. He takes pride in being out in the public eye and reassuring people that things are safe. And thankfully, crime has remained relatively low around the bayside—the biggest challenges he sees in the future are more people and more development in the area, bringing more traffic issues and more demand for services.

Tony you’ve had an outstanding career and you should be proud of everything you’ve achieved. Thank you for all you’ve done for the bayside community. There are great things ahead in your future and I wish you the best.