General News
10 September, 2024
Troy Grant to speak at Tony McGrane luncheon this weekend
The Hon. Troy Grant, inspector-general of water compliance, is the guest speaker at this weekend's luncheon
Mr Grant will be the guest speaker at the upcoming local event this weekend.
At the age of 19, Mr Grant was placed in Gilgandra straight from the police academy. He served three years as part of the local Gilgandra police force, which he described as “the best three years of my life.”
“I loved Gilgandra, I loved the people, loved the experience [of the town],” Mr. Grant said. “I was just a general police officer back then. I ran a lot of youth programs like ‘Adopt-a-Cop’ and played a lot of local sport, like cricket, and refereed rugby league. Community policing was my focus [on the job]. We had some big incidents over the years, some very notable crimes that were reported on in The Gil Weekly. It was very community-focused policing.”
Of his time in Gilgandra, Mr. Grant said it was the people who made it so great for him. “[It’s] a wonderful community. [I noticed] great comradery between the emergency services, and great friendship between the sporting groups. I made friends back then that I am still close friends with today.”
It was during his time as a police officer that Mr. Grant got to know Anthony McGrane, who at the time was president of the Gilgandra Shire and owner of the local Royal Hotel. It was thanks to him that Mr. Grant was stationed at Gilgandra; Mr. McGrane successfully lobbied the state government for an increased police force for Gilgandra, securing four additional officers, including a young Troy Grant.
“He was larger-than-life,” said Mr. Grant. “He was a real character. He wore memorable clothes, very prominent business shirts or colourful patterns. He was a real presence, with a unique personality, persona, and style. Beyond that, he was exceptionally funny, [he] just had a great sense of humour.”
“I always remember his shirts. I was a cartoonist as a high school student, and I did caricatures of people around Gil. I remember featuring his shirt in my [cartoon] for a Gil Weekly story sometime in 1991. It came out black and white, so I couldn’t quite capture it right. I gave the original to his sister Maureen at the opening of Tony McGrane Way back in 2012.”
Mr. Grant said that in his time within the shire, he knew Mr. McGrane more in his formal capacity than he did in his personal life. “As president, he was responsible for lobbying the state government. Beyond that, he was very influential and very community-centric. That was well demonstrated when he became councillor and mayor of Dubbo, and later a state MP. We all learnt a lot from him, and I brought some of his teachings with me when I myself became a state member. I think he didn’t have any direct involvement in my career path, but he certainly had a profound influence by way of example. I took many of his examples of his both in my policing and in my local representation later in parliament.”
“It’s funny how full circle it’s all come. I started as a police officer getting to know Tony as a state MP. Now I’ve become a state MP and have opened roads in his name.”
Mr. Grant said that Gilgandra had a special impact on him during his formative years, getting to serve the community before he was even 20. “I got to meet a lot of influential people during my time in Gil. My family used to say that I left [them] a boy and came back a man. It wasn’t just Tony. There were other community leaders as well; paramedics and fire captains, and Tony was part of that. I will be forever grateful to them all. When I was asked to do this year’s event, I didn’t hesitate, as a way to thank everyone broadly.”
This will be Mr. Grant’s first time being directly involved in the Tony McGrane Memorial Scholarship, although he has been long aware of it. “I think 23 [scholarships] have been awarded so far. To my knowledge, the majority has gone to nursing students, which is appropriate given the importance of healthcare in our region. I think it’s a wonderful legacy that Tony has left… that people are able to benefit from the scholarship and have a tertiary education that they may not have otherwise. I can’t wait [for the luncheon]. I’m sure it will be a great event, [there is] a really dedicated organizing committee that’s making sure Tony’s legacy is living on in the best way possible. It speaks volumes to his character that he’s been gone a while now, but his impact is still being felt today. Speaks volumes to his contributions in life to the region.”
