When I was first elected in 2012, I anticipated keeping a clean desk with good administrative order. Four years later, this is what awaited me.

While my term as councillor officially expires on Saturday morning, I decided to get a head start on the seemingly monolithic task of cleaning up last Friday. It took the best part of two hours just to sort between what needed recycling and shredding from the desktop. I’m slowly getting there, but in small dents.

I am generally quite good at throwing away unnecessary items, but I have kept quite a few little things around that I have collected over the past four years.

For all of my personal faults at keeping a tidy desk, it has served me well. I have quite a bit more tidying to do – the symbolic ‘clearing of the desk’ is no doubt occurring in many other councillors’ homes and offices across the state at this time.