The last few months have been very difficult for many people in many ways but the Northern Grampians community has shown exemplary resilience in the face of this unprecedented hardship.

We have all adhered to social distancing regulations and changed our habits to prevent the spread of this awful illness and it has worked.

Over the course of this time, there has only ever been three cases in our region, a remarkable achievement showing how responsible and caring we all are.

It has not been easy, I know that, but through all this we have managed to halt this virus in its tracks and we should all be incredibly proud of one another.

Thanks to all our hard work, we are now well and truly into the final quarter of this match to borrow parlance from the football.

There is light at the end of the tunnel but we are not clear from this threat just yet.

This means we must hold fast through this final stretch and continue the great work we have all managed so far to really nail the competition to the wall once and forever.

During this time, myself, my fellow councillors, and the staff the Northern Grampians Shire Council have not stopped our work to make sure the community is safe and protected.

Every day we are having meetings with healthcare agencies, emergency services, community service providers community groups and more groups, task forces, and committees all working together on plans and ways forward for everyone in our region and surrounding regions.

Projects in our shire have continued - the North Park Development has powered forward with strict hygiene protocols in place, the Queen Mary Gardens upgrades are almost finished, just to name a few - and council staff have not left their posts serving the community even though they are not physically in the offices.

Other councils and agencies have been working closer than ever before during this time, keeping each other informed and creating leadership, support, and welfare opportunities wherever we can to help everyone get through this as quickly and safely as plausible so we can all return to our normal lives.

Citizens of our region, throughout the Wimmera, have made extraordinary sacrifices and it has not gone unnoticed.

We've banded together and it has worked so far, I urge everyone to keep it up, keep strong and keep going - we are almost there.