SA Police Officer of the Year for 2007: Sergeant Michelle Smith with Unley Rotary President David Middleton and Northern Operations Service Assistant Commissioner Graeme Barton

This year's winner of the Award is Michele Smith from Port Pirie.

Northern Operations Service Assistant Commissioner Graeme Barton congratulated Sergeant Michele Smith of North East LSA on being named South Australia Police Officer of the Year at a ceremony in Rundle Mall on Tuesday, 13 May 2008.

Sergeant Smith is the 30th recipient of the annual award, presented by the Rotary Club of Unley for outstanding courtesy, kindness, understanding courage and devotion to duty as well as community involvement and voluntary work.

Nominated by Country Health SA and the Port Pirie Victim Support Service, Sergeant Smith was recognised for her contribution to the local community, particularly through with the Mid North Drug Action Team. She is also chairperson of the Mid North Rape and Sexual Assault group, Port Pirie Road Safety Committee and Port Pirie Liquor Licensing Accord, as well as working closely with key community health and welfare agencies.

Most recently she was the driving influence behind the '30 Lives' exhibition, a road safety awareness initiative featuring the personal stories, photographs and belongings of 30 local road accident victims. The display was acclaimed throughout the mid north where it was viewed by around 2000 people.

Assistant Commissioner Barton said Sergeant Smith had made a very significant contribution towards improving the lives of those within the North East LSA community. "Whether the issue is road safety, preventing sexual abuse or illicit drug activity she has been a tireless worker and is a very deserving winner of the award."

Sergeant Michelle Smith's comments upon receiving her award:

My thanks go to the Rotary Club of Unley for the sponsorship and co-ordination of this award, .... this is a very humbling experience. My experience with Rotary Clubs goes back a long way. My late Grandfather, Fred Smith was a past President and Paul Harris Fellow and I clearly remember going 'to Rotary' with him in Port Pirie as a young child - it was a very special night and he had to get through 14 grandkids, so it was also a very rare night. The Rotary service followed with my late father, John Smith, who was a past President of the Port Augusta chapter and continues today with my uncle Paul Smith, who is also a past President and again a Paul Harris Fellow. Since joining the South Australia Police and traipsing around the countryside, I have also been invited to sing for my supper at local Rotary Clubs along the way.

My dad actually resigned from Rotary in protest when the vote was taken to allow women to join. Let me tell you, that time saw some very heated and passionate debate in our home. And whilst I (so very) did not agree with his view, his decision to resign taught me to have the courage of my convictions. If I was going to take a stand about something - then I needed to be ready to put my money where my mouth is. And I believe that is why I am here tonight. My passion is country communities. In particular, my communities of the Mid North region of South Australia. And they are mine, because I know that, as a country copper, what I do can have a direct impact on the world where I and my family choose to live, work and play. So I don't like that border at Gepps Cross and I refuse to let it mean that people in the country should have to accept a lower standard of service. And I don't just mean this for the police service. I believe all agencies need to work together to ensure our standards of service are the best they can be. In particular in the area of rape and sexual assault, we have worked really hard with police, health and social services, to ensure that victims of these offences are offered the same standard of service and range of options they would receive in the city.

It came as no surprise to me to learn that in the 30 year history of this award 20 of the recipients, myself included, had come from country areas of SA. I think this is really indicative of the way country police officers integrate and work in partnership with their communities. Your race, sex or gender really doesn't matter. What matters is if you are willing to put in the effort and be an integral part of your community. Policing in regional, rural and remote South Australia is challenging, exciting, diverse, scary, lonely, frustrating and the most wonderful thing you could ever choose to do. But for those who choose to take up that challenge and don the khaki uniform, you never look back.

The men and women who police those wonderful regions north of Gepps Cross are very proud to wear this uniform and we can become quite parochial about how crucial country policing is. Quite often the town's solitary police officer is the only government representative for miles around and we stand at the front of every community event, both good and bad. We take very seriously our responsibility to keep safe our communities and our responsibility does not stop when we take off our uniform at the end of a long day. You are always, first and foremost, identified as a police officer in every public and private action you take. Often when it is all going pear shaped - you are it. Specialist assistance or backup can be literally hours away and those who have called you automatically assume you have all the answers. Problem solving takes on a whole new meaning at 3 am in the middle of nowhere!

But country people will repay you tenfold for the effort you put in. You are not a faceless uniform they interact with and never see again. What affects your community affects you. It affects your kids' school, your sporting teams, your streets, your roads, your home. What you do to improve things impacts directly on you and your community. And those positive come back to you in a 1000 different ways from a 1000 different directions. This award today is one of them.

Thanks again to my husband Robin, who shares my vision and our belief in living life on the land.

On a professional level there are way too many dedicated, professional and caring country coppers who have led by example and been wonderful mentors and role models - but they have all at some point in their careers worn khaki and no matter where they have ended up, they have never been able to quite shake the dust out of their boots. The philosophy behind Rotary is the same as the philosophy behind policing. A group of caring people with a common purpose, who come together to make the world in which they and others live a better place. So it is really fitting that your club has sponsored this award since its inception in 1979.

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