Long listed for the Write about Walking Together competition 2024

Satellite imagery showed an unusual shade of green.

The map overlay placed it in a remote location within an extensive national park.

Crime analysts agreed it was likely another of the cannabis farms that exploited the temperate bushland.

Commander Sergeant Neilsen of the NSW Police had relished leading teams through similar operations.

He assembled his group as authorisation came from head office and off-road vehicles were booked.

They gathered at the nearest police station, an hour or so from the green patch nestled among bushland.

Operations like these are exciting for the officers, who enjoy the excursion as much as the activity of a bust.

Over coffee they speculated how many kilos of illicit product would be collected.

Some imagined how the operation would assist their careers.

Strikeforce lead Sgt. Neilsen concluded his presentation and they split into their cars.

He started the mix CD from previous operations, a mixture of classic rock that elevated the mood as they drove.

The opening track had only just played a second time when they approached the destination and it was silenced.

Some might have noticed that the fire-trails winding through the remote hills were covered in debris, but it wasn’t until they walked together through the scrub that their suspicions were confirmed.

Among the eucalypts there were no flowering cannabis plants and, instead, a thicket of bamboo was taking hold.

Sergeant Neilsen, however, would never live it down.
Years later he was still known by the nickname Commander Panda.

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