Well, here we are.

The ABC has had its say, the Murray Pioneer has had its say, and the community has had the opportunity to have its say, although I must admit I have been pleasantly surprised that, to date, I have not been attacked on social media.

Time will tell, of course, because people who believe they have ammunition, do have a remarkable habit of eventually pulling the trigger, or throwing the hand grenade, especially when a keyboard gives them the courage and protection that a face to face conversation doesn’t.

But before anything else is said, the central point remains simple. I drove over the prescribed limit, I pleaded guilty, I was convicted, I was fined, I lost my licence for six months, and I accept all of that.

There is no clever sentence, no media criticism, no public explanation, no personal history, and no amount of reflection that changes the fact that I got it wrong. I have said that before, and I will keep saying it, because accountability is not a line you say once in the hope people move on. It is something you carry, and in my case it now has two wheels, a helmet, and the real possibility of being humbled by headwinds and magpies.

Yes, this is the new bike.

For the next six months, when people see me riding around Berri, Barmera, or wherever my legs and remaining dignity can take me, they should consider themselves lucky they are not me. That is the reality.

For the media, this may be a story. For readers, it may be a few minutes over coffee. For Facebook, it may be a potential bonfire, although so far the matchbox has remained surprisingly closed. For me, however, it is now daily life.

That is the part easily missed in a headline.

The ABC moves on. The Murray Pioneer moves on. The newspaper eventually finds itself wrapped around food scraps, sitting in a recycling bin, or lining the bottom of the cocky cage. The social media attention, if it comes, will also move on, because outrage has a short attention span and a very busy diary.

But I will still be without a licence and working out how to get to Council duties, community commitments, appointments, family obligations, seeing friends, just going out for a meal and all the ordinary things most people do without even thinking about it.

That is the real consequence. It is not a 20 second news grab or a headline. It is not a public shaming exercise that ends when people get bored. for me it is every day, for six months, and I accept that because consequences are supposed to be inconvenient.

I also want to be clear that I am not asking for sympathy. My website is called Being A Better Man, not Being A Perfect Man, Being A Saint, or Being A Bloke Who Has Never Stuffed Anything Up And Would Like A Certificate Of Achievement.

The point has always been growth, reflection, humour, humility, resilience, and trying to make the next decision better than the last one.

This time, I learned the hard way with a six month daily calender reminder attached to it.

I also want to acknowledge the Berri Barmera Council’s response. The Council has nothing to justify for my conduct, and I agree with the position that has been taken.

I remain able to perform my duties as an elected member. Not having a driver’s licence does not prevent me from reading agendas and documents (about 80% of a Councillor’s life!!), attending meetings, asking questions, representing residents, considering risk, challenging decisions, supporting good governance and financial management, or doing the work I was elected to do.

It makes some of the logistics harder, but it does not make my commitment weaker and my promise to be transparent and accountable thrown out with last weeks Murray Pioneer.

That matters to me, because I did not stand for Council to be popular, comfortable, or decorative, and I can tell you the $15,000 a year allowance gets burned quickly in time, transport and stress. I stood because I believe local government matters, community service matters, accountability matters, and because I would rather be in the arena trying to do something useful than sitting safely outside it throwing cheap advice at those who are.

This week has also reminded me of something about public life.

Some people will judge fairly. Some will judge harshly. Some will wait quietly to see what happens next. Some will be kinder than expected. Some will be worse than expected. Some will read the whole story. Some will stop at the headline and feel fully qualified.

But I will not let one serious mistake define the whole of me.

I am also a proud father, a proud former Police Officer, a proud former Detective, a mental health advocate, a councillor, a community volunteer, a traveller all over the world, a writer, a frontend loader/backhoe driver and someone who has been through enough difficult chapters to know that shame only wins when you hide from it and let it build into crippling regret without a lesson attached.

I have also not hidden in the preceding three years on Council. I have replied to many social media posts, putting my direct phone number and email address on social media and invited people to contact me directly. To date, I would estimate I have done this 50 times, and to date, not one person has taken up that offer, which says something about how public debate now works.

It is easier to post than to talk.
It is easier to accuse than to ask.
It is easier to throw stones from behind a screen than to have a proper conversation with a real person.

As for the Murray Pioneer, I appreciated the respectful conversation I had with the editor, but I still think there is a fair question about journalistic depth when an article appears to lean heavily on the ABC report, my letter, and my blog, with the ancient and noble craft of copying and pasting apparently still alive and well in local journalism.

I understand why I was named. I am an elected member. I expect and accept public interest.

But I also noticed that two other drink driving matters were reported in the same edition without names, including one involving a higher reading. I am not saying those people should have been named. I am saying consistency and context matter, particularly when reputations, public confidence, and fairness are involved.

So where does this leave me?

It leaves me remorseful, accountable, embarrassed, punished, and still standing. It also leaves me riding a bike.

There may even be benefits. I may get fitter. I may feel closer to nature. I may discover parts of town I normally drive past. I may also discover that nature includes wind, rain, flies, magpies, uneven roads, and the quiet public humiliation of arriving somewhere sweaty when everyone else arrived by air conditioning.

So if you see me on the bike, wave.
If you want to talk, stop me.
If you want to criticise me, that is your right, I have earned some of it, but, expect a reply.
If you want to understand me, ask me, talk to me, get to know me.

This matter is not over for me because the articles have been printed. It is not over because the court has spoken. It is not over because the headline fades. It continues every day for the next six months and into the future when I’m driving again. It is all, not really about the driving….?

The point of a consequences… is they often keep on giving….

I wish I had learned the lesson before I had to live it…

Now I will live it…

With my personal strength, resolve, integrity and character in tact….

and… a helmet on my head! And, knowing my luck, probably into a headwind in the pouring rain!