Leading Senior Constable Leigh Johnson gets paid to wear the blue uniform, but his role as Victoria Police’s Goulburn Valley multicultural liaison officer is more than just a job.

He says the excellence award he has just won is evidence.

“The diversity here is incredible, the multiculturalism is incredible and four and a half years down the track doing this role I love going to work, I love what I do and I guess it showed eventually in this award,” Leading Sen Constable Johnson said.

“You can’t fake sincerity and authenticity; some of the comments I’ve had, not just from the multicultural communities, but the wider communities, are along those lines, we know that you’re passionate about what you do.”

Born on the east coast of New Zealand’s north island, he joined Victoria Police 38 years ago, in 1987.

He did some growing up in Shepparton after moving to Australia in the early ’70s, and also spent some of his early police career working here, but was based in Melbourne’s suburbs before taking on his latest role four and a half years ago.

“I was working in the north-west of Melbourne and I saw the position come up,” Leading Sen Constable Johnson said.

“I had an idea that this is probably one of the only positions that exists outside of Melbourne and Geelong, which tells you how diverse Greater Shepparton and beyond is, so I put my hat in the ring and got the position and made the move from Melbourne.”

He’d always planned to return to the country to see out the “twilight years” of his career.

While he has spent time searching for missing elves at Victoria Park Lake recently, his role usually entails working with multicultural communities and leaders, building trust and relationships, attending festivals and event, visiting schools and places of faith, and generally supporting communities however they need to be supported.

“You’re the person who extends the blue hand of friendship into those communities,” he said.

Leading Sen Constable Johnson doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk.

Embracing his Goulburn Valley home and absorbing himself fully into life here, getting involved in theatre and performing (not least those starring roles in elf-related arrest videos), he said some of the things he did for his job were in his own time and for the love of it, but he always felt supported by his workplace.

The Police Annual Multicultural Award he has just been awarded at the Victorian Awards for Excellence is the first award he has received.

“I am very thankful,” Leading Sen Constable Johnson said.

“I got an email from the Department of Premier and Cabinet and requested by the Governor of Victoria to attend the event at Government House.”

He attended the December 4 event, where he said a highlight was meeting the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Mike Bush, who is also of Maori descent and offered a Maori greeting in place of a traditional handshake.

“I want to thank the community for supporting me in my role,” Leading Sen Constable Johnson said.

“Without the support of the agencies and networks and the leaders, then the position wouldn’t be as strong as the position should be.”

The Goulburn Valley was represented further in the Victorian awards, with Greater Shepparton City Council also winning the Local Government Award for its commitment to multicultural inclusion.

The award celebrates its Resilience in Recovery program, which was developed in partnership with the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District, Wise Well Women and VICSES.

“This achievement reflects the strong partnerships we have with our multicultural organisations and emergency services,” City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali said.

“Together, we have co-designed a program that makes emergency information accessible, informative, and empowers communities to prepare and recover from disasters.”

Developed after the 2022 floods, the program incorporates multicultural inclusion into emergency management planning and preparedness to ensure culturally and linguistically diverse communities are supported before, during and after emergencies.

Initiatives from the program include in-language emergency preparedness sessions, translated resources including The First 72 Hours plan, and innovative engagement activities including dancing, food, yoga and swimming.

It also delivered training for local interpreters and bilingual workers in partnership with Monash University, creating long-term capacity for inclusive communication.

For more information on the awards, including a full list of recipients and a video of the awards ceremony, visit the awards’ website.

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Thursday, 21st May 2026

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