For the past ten or so years, local police officer Senior Constable Scott Chester has enthralled the Gloucester community with a spectacular display of Christmas lights and decorations on and around the police residence.

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Snr Con. Chester is one of four police officers in Gloucester.

He has been in the force for 37 years, and stationed in Gloucester for sixteen of those years.

He said he loves Gloucester and has no plans to leave, although as a police officer he is exposed to the less savoury aspects of the town.

Most local police work now consists of dealing with domestic violence, mental health issues and motor accidents. The work can be challenging, and good community relations are essential.

“If you treat people the way you’d expect to be treated then most people understand,” he said.

“It’s not like big cities where you arrest someone and never see them again.

“In a small country town you may have to arrest someone and you’re talking to them again the next day in the supermarket.”

Each year it takes many hours of his free time to set up the Christmas display, and people might wonder why he does it, and what it has to do with his role as a police officer.

He said he doesn’t really know why he started putting in all the hard work.

It started small with just a few lights, and got bigger and bigger each year, but he has no doubt that it helps enormously with community relations.

This activity was one of the significant reasons why in January 2024, Snr Con. Chester became Gloucester’s Australian of the Year.

By John WATTS