MANY police would tell you Tibooburra is the State’s most remote police station, but that’s because most police haven’t heard of Wanaaring, says local police officer Brian Chow.
Constable Chow joined the force in 1995, starting his career with a city posting in Sydney before moving to Menindee for three years for a country adventure.
With his wife Penny he then moved to the Blue Mountains where he worked in a police rescue unit, but resigned in 2007 to join the Australin Federal Police (AFP).
“I worked in East Timor for a year with the United Nations (through the International Development Group (IDG) of the AFP) and for a year with the Northern Territory Police working in remote communities,” he said.
“I left the IDG in 2009 and became a federal agent at the Sydney office. I quickly realised it wasn’t for me and I didn’t belong in either an office or a suit, or the city for that matter.”
About the time of this realisation Constable Chow heard about a vacancy at Wanaaring and was convinced to apply in just five minutes.
“When I lived in Sydney I spent four hours a day commuting, my wife had to work fulltime and most of her pay went in childcare,” he said.
“Now my daily commute is from the bedroom to the police station – across the hallway.
“That’s 20 hours of my life I get back again each week. I also get to see my kids (Matthew, 4, and Lucas, 2) every day – their playroom is next to the police station room.
“I eat well because there is no fast food out here and we hardly ever get sick.”
Constable Chow also enjoys the slower pace Wanaaring offers, as well as the daily sense of adventure that comes with policing a remote sector.
“Also working by yourself means no office politics,” he said.
“My police station backs onto the Paroo River and is usually great for yabbies, until it dries up.”
However, some mod-cons such as fast internet are presently non-existent and at times frustrating, with the computer freezing every five minutes.
“As police across the State rely more on technology a lot of things are still done out here with a pen and notebook,” he said.
It’s therefore, along with its isolation, usually not considered a great posting and for many years officers have used such towns as a stepping stone to a “plum job” on the coast.
“What I’ve noticed is more and more of these police are now returning to the bush, having realised these areas offer a better quality of life, both in and out of work,” he said.
However, it is still important to be able to balance work and a social life.
“I do go to the pub occasionally and I socialise with the community – it’s expected our family attends local events,” he said.
However, he tries not to align himself too much with any particular group to avoid the perception of showing bias.
“I’ll only ever have one or two beers because although I’m not officially on call, I want to be able to respond when needed.”
Living and working in the community also means he has his finger on the pulse.
He said he had formed a better understanding of the underlying issues and had more time to solve problems permanantly, rather than applying “bandaid solutions”.
“People often ask how I feel about being so far away from back-up – I operate with an attitude that if you respect an area and the people in it, they will respect you back.”
With his profile in his area so important, holidays are usually spent in anononimity with the family in Sydney.
“Sydney is so much better when it is a holiday destination – you tend to appreciate things like shopping centres and restaurants more than when you live there.”