She was "proud to be the first female" in the state seat of Blue Mountains, but former dentist and sitting Liberal MP Roza Sage was trounced in the NSW election held on Saturday night after just one term.
At the small election night gathering of 30, held at the home of Warwick and Betty Reynolds' 13 acre property - a former B and B called The Mountain Jewel in Faulconbridge - Mrs Sage became emotional talking to the party faithful about her term of service.
"I started my term off with the big wind storm at the top of the Mountains and we've had fires, we've had dumps of snow and of course we had the big bushfire in 2013 and that, that is still very emotional for me because that was my area and I knew so many people who lost their homes," she said.
"During that whole time I tried to support them and be there for them and it's very disappointing some other people in the opposition didn't think we did a good job.
"I did my utmost. I hold my head high, everything I promised at the last election I delivered."
Mrs Sage counted improvements to the highway and Katoomba hospital as just some of her proudest achievements and thanked all her supporters and family, including Federal MP for Macquarie Louise Markus who she had "leant on".
"In the end the community decided. I think it was the polls and wires people didn't like. It was a relentless [unions] campaign and it wasn't truthful. It was very disappointing," Mrs Sage said.
She did not rule out having another tilt at politics in four years time and admitted her busy role as an MP had meant she had not been able to keep up with her professional development hours as a dentist so could not commence back at her dental practice straight away.
"It has been an absolute honour serving the people of the Blue Mountains and I'm genuinely disappointed. It was going to be a tough campaign, the unions worked very hard to unseat us.
"I know I can hold my head high. Some doors close and others open."
Liberal Party State Electoral Conference president Jeff Egan said Mrs Sage had "delivered a lot for the people of the Blue Mountains".
"That record of her first four years, we should be very proud of it," he said.
"Fortunately for the state, the government has been returned. The Labor Party talks a lot but Roza's actually delivered."
MP for Macquarie Louise Markus said Mrs Sage had been "inspiring".
"Tonight the numbers may not say it but you are a champion," she told the group gathered on the night, adding "Trish Doyle will not be able to deliver in the way you have".
Liberal stalwart councillor Chris Van der Kley said he was "sad to see Roza go". "I have lost a colleague in state government," he said.
Mrs Sage would not be drawn on whether last minute Liberal Party letterboxing of Katoomba residents on Friday had backfired relating to the Luke Foley gaffe about Mike Baird's campaign bus graffiti.
"I don't know. I couldn't tell you," she said.
Mrs Sage said she would "sit back and get some sleep and look at what I'm going to do. I'm an optimist, I see the silver lining in the clouds."