A POLICEMAN has made it his mission to put smiles on the faces of those waiting at the Victorian-NSW border.
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He swears he's only an enthusiastic amateur, but State Highway Patrol Leading Senior Constable Peter Gough has been dancing his way into the hearts of people at the Echuca-Moama COVID-19 checkpoint in recent weeks.
Leading Senior Constable Gough is one of many police from outside the region who have been assigned to cover the major Murray River crossing at Echuca-Moama since all NSW was declared a red zone.
The public has enjoyed his antics as he gets a smile and-or laugh from most cars - proving a real hit with children in particular, who enjoy his quick hellos through the window as they drive by.
"I'm only here for another 15 minutes today, but don't panic, I'll be here all week," he said.
He is also just as popular with his colleagues at the checkpoint; many of them suggesting the reason he is so happy to do the job is it helps keep him warm.
"This is a pretty cold town at this time of the year," one of them said.
"But no question; Peter has certainly worked out how to keep warmer than the rest of us."
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Leading Senior Constable Gough isn't the only police officer bringing joy to people at the NSW-Victorian border.
"It was a tedious repetitive task, so I thought I'd just brighten up people's mornings by doing a bit of a dance," he said.
"It was a bit like an air traffic controller guiding in a plane and then a bit of a Shakira 'Hips don't lie' chucked in at the end as well.
"It started out as a bit of fun and the more I did it, the more smiles sort of came through and the community were really engaging.
"I thought 'why not make it a thing?', I'll just do it to every car that comes in; wave them in, do a bit of a dance."
