earlier this month. Mr Elworthy was on his usual school run, picking up the children from Irrawang High School

at Raymond Terrace on a Monday afternoon. The trip was going as usual until the bus reached a left-hand bend

along Richardson Road. As the bus turned, the two back wheels became dislodged and flung off, leaving the bus

lopsided with the axels digging into the ground. The wheels dangerously rolled into oncoming traffic and then

off into Grahamstown Dam. The bus began to swerve dangerously across the road, making it nearly impossible

to control.

The safety of the passengers was compromised, as the bus could have crashed at any moment, but Mr Elworthy

fought to get the bus and all of its passengers to safety. He dropped the gears down until he was eventually able

to bring the bus to a stop. Police officers at the scene noted that it took great skill to exercise such control. As

a result of Mr Elworthy’s expertise at the wheel and his quick thinking in the face of danger, all of the students

As he told AAP: ‘None of them were upset. They didn’t require any counselling.’

I consider the actions of Mr Elworthy very heroic, and I am sure that my feelings are shared by all of the

children that were on the bus and by their friends and their families. Without him, things surely could have

been far worse. It is for this reason that I wish to praise Mr Elworthy’s efforts. As the member for Paterson, the

safety and prosperity of my constituents is my No. 1 concern. I am extremely grateful to have such a competent

individual looking after them. It is important to acknowledge local heroes like Mr Elworthy. Too often we forget

to thank the everyday people who make our lives safe. While Mr Elworthy is a modest man and claims that

luck was on his side, it is possible that a less-capable driver would not have been able to save themselves or the

students on board. I would again like to thank Mr Elworthy for his actions in preventing a possible tragedy and

for keeping our kids safe on their way to and from school.