During the past two weeks I have heard an alarming number of crime-related, absolutely disgusting and scary events; more than I have in the 20-odd years of living here.

Rocks being thrown at trucks, deliberate fires, car theft, break and enters, vandalism and the list goes on.

What is going on Moree?

I myself, returned home late one night about two weeks ago to find two people in dark hoods trying to enter through my backdoor.

That was the first time I had ever been scared in Moree.

I was scared for my safety, but now I am scared for the town’s future.

For six months I left Moree and for six months I spent every minute wishing I was back.

I missed the feel of the town, the friendly people, the beautiful scenery and many of Moree’s hidden charms.

But I wouldn’t know about the wonderful things Moree has to offer if I were not a local.

When I told people on the coast where I was from, they had only heard terrible things about the place.

One time someone said “oh that’s a rough town, how many times did you get broken into. Ever get stabbed?” I thought to myself how uneducated that person must have been to have those thoughts.

I am not here to slam Moree, what I am here to do is to encourage Moree.

To each and every resident, how do you feel about what’s happening in your town? and most importantly what are you doing to combat crime?

I am challenging myself, and I am challenging my community to find out what more we can do to show that crime will not be accepted?

Maybe a neighbourhood watch needs to be established or a people-approach fundraiser for more CCTV footage in crime hot spots.

I want to know who in our community is willing to take a stand, liaise with police, politicians and the likes to make a real difference? Because I certainly am.

I would like to acknowledge the work of local police who do all they can to fight crime, among many other issues in Moree.

Lastly, I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas, Moree is known to stand as one when times are tough, and it’s fair to say times are tough.                    Laini Kirkman