We have worked very hard in becoming advocates against bullying, violence and becoming a White Ribbon school.

Thank you to the Honourable Pru Goward MP for your ongoing support and providing Goulburn High a voice in Parliament.

Thank you very much to our new principal, Paul Hogan, for taking a giant leap in stamping out bullying at Goulburn High and being our proactive and hardworking principal. You will always have our respect and support!

Fighting against bullying takes respect, responsibility and resilience. This should be from everyone, not just students and children.

Everyone needs to understand: children as well as adults don’t always possess the skills required to deal with bullying, so we are working toward providing a path for every family so everyone has an equal opportunity to gain these much desired skills.

Opportunity is the operative word. If you are offered an opportunity, grab it, don’t knock it! If it weren’t for bullies we would not be having this conversation.

Sadly, bullying happens everywhere and it can have devastating effects on children and their families. Most of us would have seen this first-hand as parents or families. It is heartbreaking.

Why are some incidents heard of more than others? Social media can be used negatively and it seems this is easy way of promoting an opinion, whether it be fact or fiction.

How disappointing, though, that after all the hard work Goulburn High put into launching and promoting such a valuable tool at our school that the Goulburn Post and a few social media followers quickly forgot it was an initial launch and what the launch was about.

Encouragement should have been focused toward helping launch this program off to a positive start, not slamming it before it has even begun.

This is what we as a community are fighting against and this is what makes everyone’s job a whole lot more difficult.

This could also be why schools are afraid to “speak up”: fear of being knocked down and publicly criticised.

All schools have varying issues. How parents support and publicly portray their school can make a huge difference.

Bullying behaviour is not going away. Sadly it is a culture as we have seen. Bullying is a “tough gig”’ and it takes an even tougher person to be positive and stand up to it as well as fight against it.

Goulburn High will continue to positively push forward.

Great news for Goulburn region in the State Budget.

Funding for the Goulburn Base Hospital (over four years), roadworks, a new bridge replacing Lansdowne Bridge (part-funded), plus education and more.

But what is missing? Yes, you guessed it: no funding for transport, especially the long-awaited upgrade of the Southern Highlands line, not to mention the promised new trains.

Oh well, we will have to wait until the State election is due.

Bright Sparks, the local social riding group, is hosting a new page on Facebook.

It is called Riding Buddy and its main aim is to keep bicycle riders safer.

Some are not aware how much more dangerous it is riding by yourself, if a car swipes you or if you lose control after hitting a road bump etc.

You might not be able to get help, so your riding buddy can get help for you.

To find a Riding Buddy, just get on this page, tell readers what sort of ride you do, a time and place to meet, and someone will hopefully join you.

Wishing you all safe riding.

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing [to quote Henry Ford].

So, what has Goulburn Mulwaree Council learnt from giving the saleyards away and now losing them completely?

Nothing. That's because no one has bothered finding out exactly what the council did, or didn't do, to spoil the giveaway and linked saleyards redevlopment.

On the other hand, the council has admitted its mistakes with management of the Aquatic Centre over the past few years. Now the pool is on the right track (even though an extravagant cafe and gym but no sun protection ovet he 50-metre pool is still planned).

The council now just needs to stop begging for grants (that never come), spend its money (like it did with the $1 million for every business block of the main street) and redevelop the Aquatic Centre for the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone.

But, before the council redevelops, sells or gives away any other assets, someone must find out what the mistakes where with the saleyards, so we all learn to manage the city and surrounds better.