National Police Remembrance Day and Sniper.

The kiddies love to hear this story as I’m sure a lot of kiddies do in other families, that is the story of how their parents met. As a teenage girl struggling in life with the social and academic pressures of high school I didn’t do as well in my last few years of school as I would have liked to. To obtain the marks that I needed in my final school results to get into university I went to Tafe and undertook another course to get the marks I needed. At Tafe I met a whole different social circle of friends than those that I had gone to school with. One day during our lunch break a few girls from my course and I were sitting outside in the common area and the girls were telling me about a party that I had been unable to go to recently. They were saying how the party was really cool and the guy whose birthday it was was a really nice guy. I expressed my disappointment at not being able to make it and then the conversation quickly turned to another topic.

If I recall correctly I believe we were then talking about one of the girls’ cats that had been sick and had passed away. At that moment a boy appeared standing in front (and almost above us, as we were sitting on the ground) and said “Is this a private conversation, or can anyone join?”……….. I looked up but could barely see because the sun was in my eyes and said “you can join if you like but it’s not the happiest of topics”. Just then the sun disappeared behind the clouds and standing in front of me was this gorgeous, at least six foot tall, guy with big brown eyes and brown hair tied back in a shoulder length pony tail (hey what, it was the nineties you know, long hair on boys was cool!!). One of the girls I was sitting with started chatting to the boy as if they were old friends and I was a little confused. Then the boy said “oh sorry I haven’t meet you yet, have I?” He promptly reached out his hand to shake mine and I felt my face flush. How very polite and confident, and good looking he is, I thought to myself. Just then one of the girls interrupted and said “Oh yeah Noosh, this is Stu the guy that had the party we were just talking about” and I said “Oh Ok” as I thought to myself, damn now I really wish I had of made more effort to go.

I snapped out of daydreaming and overheard that the conversation had digressed to everyone making plans to meet up before a Tea Party Concert (Canadian Band, amazing music!!) that was coming up soon. I hadn’t had any plans on going and just as I was about to say that I wasn’t going, Stu said to me “Are you going?” and I said “No I don’t think so, I can’t really afford it this week”, “Oh really, that’s a shame, hey I can pay for you if you want to come?” he said. I was taken aback by the offer but pretty stoked at the same time; I mean I had only known the guy for five minutes!!!! So I said “we can call it a loan and I’ll pay you back as soon as I can, yeah?” “Ok if you want that’s fine by me” he said, with this massive big cheeky grin on his face, almost as if he was poking fun at me trying to be independent or not come across as if I was taking handouts.

So it was decided that I would drive as I was the only one with a car at the time and everyone else had already planned the night before I blew in, I thought it was a kind gesture of me to be the designated driver. Of course later in the evening I was cursing myself for offering when I was eyeing the bar and all I could drink was soft drink.

I had picked Stu up first then the others so it was him and I in the front of the car and he was so easy to talk to and really funny. The concert was amazing and we all had a good time and afterwards I drove everyone home and it just so happened that the last to be dropped off was Stu because he lived the closest to me………… And the rest is history 🙂

We have been together nearly half our lives throughout which(ten of those married) life has been a myriad of amazingness!! Times full of laughter and tears, happiness and heartache!! Always coming through the other side together. We have been together and supported each other through, births, adoptions, separations, break downs and deaths of those close to us. The births together have been amazing, the adoption stressful and amazing, the separations, breakdowns and deaths of those around us have only been survived by having each other……

We finished our Tafe studies and headed into our university studies. Stu began a Bachelor of Music at, yep as I tell people all the time; I thought I was marrying a rock star!! But it wasn’t to be…….

After several attempts at various studies and career paths, I believe he has found the career that suits him perfectly. One of the proudest and I won’t lie, scariest moments of my life was watching my husband graduate from the Police Academy, where he was given the nickname Sniper for receiving an award for shooting. It’s a career he chose with the hope that he would be able to help those that could not help themselves and protect people. He chose this career with the utmost selfless and good intentions. I know his heart and I know his mind and these are the reasons and motivations for his career choice. All the reasons that make me feel pride and love for him.

What really saddens me is the common public misconception that all police are control freaks out to get them or give them fines or tickets. Just to clarify a lot of police men and women are caring everyday people that have families do and are just doing a job. A job that is under paid, overworked and very often thankless!!

My husband works ridiculous hours, twelve and eight hour shifts all over the week not pattern or sensible rostering. He often works nights and sleeps all day. My husband and his colleagues do a job that so many are quick to criticise but would never have the guts to do! They work to protect the very people in the community that are quick to judge and insult them. They give people who break the law chance after chance after chance until that moment from frustration they snap and use necessary due force to control the offender and of course instantly its splashed all over the media about brute force…… This saddens me. Let’s celebrate the everyday heroes that have to deal with the pain of delivering death notices to families, or that attend domestic after domestic desperately trying to protect a woman from a violent partner that she refuses to leave!!

These are the things that my husband has to deal with on a day to day basis and I know he is tough, as I’m sure his workmates are too but how long do you think it takes for a genuinely kind soul to turn cold? How much crime, violence and badness does it take to make you angry or feel hopeless with frustration? How much distrust, verbal abuse, exploitation and under-appreciation do my husband and his colleagues have to endure until they are broken?

Coming from my hippie stock of course it doesn’t seem a true fit to be married to a cop and of course at times some of the politics involved baffles me. But let’s just remember people it’s not the police we see on the streets that make some of these stupid rules its the big wigs and politicians. But I don’t want this page to wade in on the debate about good cop/bad cop, or which laws are good and which are bad. I’m not here for that discussion today.

This page is a living tribute to my beautiful boy!! To the man who puts up with all my crap, my mood swings, my rushing out at two in the morning to help someone he doesn’t necessarily feels deserves it but knows it goes against my nature to deny them.

To my husband that is the most patient, kind and loving father in the world! To my husband the Police man you make your whole family proud! To my husband, that at times I don’t seem to appreciate enough, you are my hero. You are funny, kind and sincere. At times your shy and people mistake it for rude, but I know you. Your humble about your physical strength and will probably die of embarrassment after reading this line, but hey remember that time I watched you carry a three hundred litre fridge on your own!! The gentle giant the kids call you as they climb onto your lap for cuddles.

These last few years have been really tough and we’ve come through, I’ll always be here for you! I’ll support you and keep you grounded if I need to, I’ll always love you and remind you of the wonderful person that you are.

I’ll always feel a lump rise up in my throat every time you walk out the door for your next shift. I’ll always hold my breath every minute your late after you’re supposed to be finished your shift. I’ll always be proud of you! I’ll never ever (despite my hippie stock) be ashamed to say my husband is a Police Officer.

Today is National Police Remembrance Day.