A year ago today, in the Victorian township of Newmerella, Victoria Police and Vic Roads conducted an operation that subjected drivers towing caravans, campers and boats to weight checks. It was the first time in Australia such an operation had been conducted by law enforcement authorities and it kick started a year in which towing safety became the number one priority for many drivers in the RV community.

Sadly, this important anniversary will largely be ignored by the mainstream media. Instead, we will likely see yet another segment on A Current Affair sensationalising the supposed menace that caravans and motor-homes pose on our roads. Its saddening because it will overshadow all the hard work promoting towing safety in this country since the Newmerella operation.

So rather than take the quite obvious bait and whinge about this sort of reporting, we should share the successes and achievements of the year thanks to the hard work of a handful of individuals and organisations across the country.

For our part, we recall the safety events in Victoria and South Australia organised by Caravan Industry Association of Victoria, Everything Caravan and Camping and RVeeThereYet.com. These events were supported by Victoria Police, Vic Roads, Energy Safe Victoria, Victorian Building Authority and industry businesses including Advantage Caravan Repairs, Caravan Electrical Solutions, Epsom Palms Caravan World, Northern RV Services and Swift Caravan Services.

In particular, today, we must acknowledge the work of Senior Sergeant Graeme Shenton who's vision and persistence, against all odds, resulted in a year in which huge strides were made towards raising awareness of towing safety and driver responsibility within the Caravan, Motor-home and general RV communities. Work that will continue in the coming years.

Safe Travels Everyone...!