I proudly stood alongside Hawkesbury councillors and the community recently to call for the NSW Government to save the historic Windsor Bridge.

Hawkesbury City Council has launched a campaign - Saved By The Bell - to retain the old bridge, which was opened in 1874.

It’s part of the rich fabric of Windsor’s history, and while there is no good reason to destroy it, there is lots of opportunity for the local area and economy if we keep it: think market days, events, family days, part of a tourist walkway taking in the river, or for bike riding.

It would link the two sides of the river safely for pedestrians. Local families as well as tourists could enjoy the river and stay for a meal without having to walk on a busy, noisy roadway.

The bridge is a part of what makes this picturesque area of the Hawkesbury unique. There is heritage in Windsor that you simply cannot find anywhere else on the mainland – you have to go to Tasmania for it. Do we really want to be remembered as the generation that destroyed that heritage?

I would urge the local community do everything they can to preserve one of the last remnants of what we know as Thompson Square, to preserve an irreplaceable part of the Hawkesbury’s proud heritage.

I have joined Hawkesbury City Council in encouraging everyone to sign the petition and ring the bell, located at the Regional Museum in Windsor, to save the bridge.