SERVING with the police force is an exciting and challenging career, one that can open doors for many career opportunities.

It is also one that involves dealing with people or situations in a state of crisis, and that requires special skills and the ability to make decisions quickly.

Senior Sergeant Garry Nowlan has been with the NSW Police Force for 33 years.

During those years he has embraced the many challenges and opportunities that have come his way through his work, from walking the beat at Kings Cross to walking the Kokoda track, from guarding visiting royalty to working with outback communities and maintaining law and order in Papua New Guinea.

Garry joined the Force in 1973, after completing his Military Service with the 7th Battalian RAR and Military Police.

"When I was discharged it seemed a rational thing to do to join the State Police Force," Garry said.

"As a police trainee, I was sworn in six weeks early to guard the Queen when she came to open the Opera House in 1973."

He was the first in his family to join the police force, and served in No 2 Division in Sydney, his home city.

"That involved walking the beat around Central Railway Station and Redfern as a probationary constable," Garry said.

"That beat took in, Paddy's Market, Ultimo and Glebe - it was a very interesting area.

"It was the time of the Green Bans, with Jack Mundy and the Builders Labourers Federation and a lot of social change was happening.

"Squatters moved into old Victoria Street buildings in Kings Cross so that the developers couldn't knock them down, and we had to go in and get them out.

"They'd chuck tins of paint, rocks and buckets of urine on us - but to their credit, those buildings are still there."

Police officers on the beat did not have mobile phones then; they were issued with a call box key.

"Call boxes were set out strategically around the beat.

"Every 30 minutes we had to call the station from a call box and advise the sergeant if we were OK; if we didn't call in someone would come looking for us."

After a year, Garry decided a change was in order, and that he would pursue a career opportunity - a pattern that marks his police career.

"I wanted to become a police motor cyclist - so I did!"

He became a clearway cyclist, and after a year of that transferred to Special Traffic Patrol as a high speed pursuit cyclist, working around the Sydney Metropolitan area.

He was a foundation member of Highway Patrol, which began in 1975, working under very different conditions from today.

"There were no radios on bikes then, and if an arrest was made we had to handcuff the offender to an object and use a public or business telephone to call for back up to come and collect the prisoner."

Garry rode in the Police Spectacular at the Sydney Showground in 1974 performing motor cycle stunts.

After being in the very fast lane, Garry decided he'd had enough of the city and would transfer to the country. The only vacancy was at Broken Hill.

Although he initially had no idea where it was, Garry went on to spend three happy years with Highway Patrol in the Far West of New South Wales.

"After 1978 I became sick of that, and decided to become a detective.

"In 1979 I went into plain clothes and qualified as a designated detective."

As a general criminal investigator in the bush Garry investigated the full range of crime up to and including multiple murders in an area that took in Broken Hill, Menindee, Ivanhoe, Wilcannia, White Cliffs and Tibooburra.

It stretched from the South Australian border, to the Queensland border and the Victorian border in the south.

In 1988 he was involved in locating the largest cannabis plantation ever located in NSW at that time, a 456 million dollar crop near Wanaaring.

Working with the Special Weapons and Operations Squad (SWOS) was Garry's next challenge, and he joined the country SWOS unit, staying with it for 15 years and eventually taking charge.

"We provided a rapid response to high risk incidents in the Far West region," Garry said.

"My previous experience guarding the Queen came in handy - 20 years later I was put in charge of guarding Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, patron of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, on a visit to Broken Hill."

In 1991 Garry was promoted to sergeant, and returned to uniform duties in charge of community based policing.

By 1994 Garry was again looking for new challenges.

He was seconded to the Royal Papua New Guinea constabulary, and posted to Mendi in the Southern Highlands province.

There he was attached to CID and Mobile Squad 8, operating in what he describes as "pretty much a frontier town."

"Most of the areas in the Southern Highlands were uncontrolled (by Government) areas until 1956; so the people were still very tribal.

"I received on the job training in language and cultural issues, and was the only white police officer working with 210 National Police all culturally different from me.

"For two years my main role was responding to incidents of tribal warfare in the 5 Highlands provinces, and investigating Raskol gang activity.

There were many 'tricky' moments; because of his background in SWOS, Garry was attached to the training team that provided specialist tactical and weapons training to the police mobile squads during the secessionist war on Bougainville.

This took up two years of Garry's life, and in 1996 he transferred to Goroka in the Eastern Highlands province, where he was attached to the Drug Squad.

"I also worked in conjunction with the Australian Federal Police to prevent the drugs for guns trade between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

In 1997 Garry was involved in restoring law and order in Port Moresby during the Sandline Mercenary crisis, when foreign mercenaries were imported in an attempt to end the Bougainville conflict.

"The Sandline mercenaries were all ex British SAS; it resulted in a mutiny among the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, when Parliament House was occupied. Widespread rioting, looting and civil disobedience took over in Port Moresby for ten days.

"The crisis ended with the fall of the Chan led Government."

In 1998 Garry transferred to Lae on the North Coast, and was attached to Lae Police Station.

Here he trained National Police in criminal investigations and high risk incident management.

At this time 2,500 people lost their lives in the Tsunami at Aitape, and Garry assisted in getting aid and relief to the region.

"People don't hear much of what happens in Papua New Guinea - for years there had only been one ABC reporter, Sean Dorney, reporting from there.

During that time Garry did have time to develop two hobbies - scuba diving, exploring WWII shipwrecks, and looking for crashed planes and war relics in the jungle.

Then it was back to Australia in 1999, returning to Broken Hill in charge of the anti-theft squad.

One might think Garry had had enough of challenges by then, but he embarked on yet another, as officer in charge at the then troubled town of Wilcannia.

During his years there most of the crime was identified as alcohol related, so he took all the licensed premises in Wilcannia to the Liquor Administration Board over the responsible service of alcohol.

"We were successful in having conditions imposed on the sale of alcohol on pension days, and the removal of glass from licensed premises," Garry said.

A significant reduction in crime and injury was achieved. In 2002 Garry returned to Broken Hill as Officer in Charge of the station.

By 2004 he had been serving in remote areas for 29 years, and was ready for a 'tree change.'

"I purchased some land at Tantawanglo, with a view to retiring there.

"I was fortunate enough to secure a transfer to Bega, where I am now station manager."

After a career that has had many exciting highlights, Garry is happy living and working in the Bega Valley.

Every year he organises the local Police Remembrance Day service and was selected this year to represent the Far South Coast LAC at the opening of the National Police Memorial in Canberra.

He commends working in the police force, and says that the opportunities are there for anyone prepared to pursue them and qualify themselves for the role.

"You have to be prepared to seize the opportunities as they present themselves.

"It is interesting and exciting work, and constantly changing - particularly since the Police Royal Commission in 1996.

"Half the people entering the force have degrees or trade qualifications; I went to University and graduated with a degree in Justice Studies when I was nearly 50 years of age.

"New South Wales Police is a highly sought after employer offering good pay and conditions - there are 900 students in Goulburn now."

Garry stresses that police officers are a cross representation of the community, not a force apart.

"We draw police officers from all different sectors and ethnic groups in the community of New South Wales.

"We're just ordinary people doing an extraordinary job."