Former Forbes resident, Tony Mileto, took us to a few of the places around Forbes that holds the fondest memories for him.

Born in Sydney and raised on the Central Coast of NSW, Tony moved to Orange at the age of 12, where he completed his schooling and eventually followed his long time ambition of becoming a Police officer.

Upon following through with his dream of joining the Police Force, Tony chose to be stationed at Forbes Police Station where he served for just over three years. 

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, Forbes was a 24-hour police station back then, it’s not anymore,” said Tony.

Whilst reminiscing about his time as a police officer in Forbes, Tony went on to talk about why he initially joined the police force: “I chose to be a police officer because there is no greater honour or privilege than to represent your community, and that is what I wanted to do, serve the community. That’s what I enjoyed during my time in Forbes,” said Tony. 

During his time with Forbes Police, Tony was also the School Liaison Officer and described himself as passionate about working with kids at risk. He knows many kids come from challenging backgrounds and beleives it is always worth investing time in our youth as they are our future.

During Tony’s three year stay in Forbes, he proudly talks about his time spent enjoying local sport. Tony said he spent two years playing with the Forbes Magpies reserve grade team and then one year playing with the Forbes Platypi, stating “I thoroughly enjoyed playing with both clubs”.

After his three years in Forbes, Tony returned to Orange, where he continued his work with local youth while working at Orange PCYC, before moving into more mainstream police work. 

Tony worked in different specialist areas of the police force until he was unfortunately involved in a serious motor vehicle accident while on duty. Tony was in a police vehicle when another driver drove head first into his vehicle. Whilst he eventually recovered, that accident ended Tony’s police career. He went on to become a Factual Investigator, which involves investigating serious motor vehicle accidents.

“My life changed when I came across a motor vehicle accident where three young boys were killed at Billpin,” said Tony. Following this, he committed himself to making our roads safer, for young people and the community as a whole.

In 2017, Tony joined Orange City Council, so that he could have a platform to make a positive difference in his community, and that is where his political journey started.

Tony is extremely passionate and dedicated to serving the communities in his region which include Parkes, Forbes and surrounds. Tony explained that in order to actually make things happen, “You need to do it at the highest level, and that is why I have joined up with a strong political party like The Nationals who I know can deliver.”