Thursday, 27 September 2018 - 9:15am

Past and present unite

1 min read

News article photos (4 items)

UH cake
UH cutting
UH peeps
UH more peeps

Upper Hutt Police staff from yesteryear travelled from all over the country to attend a reunion that weaved together the past and present.

More than 100 people gathered in the Dennis Mahoney Lounge at Upper Hutt Station on Friday 31 August, with the invitation extended to both current and retired staff.

Constable Janine Laing, who organised the event, says the inclusion of current staff provided the opportunity for different generations to share their range of experiences with each other.

“Including current and former staff proved to be beneficial for everyone - feedback from the evening has been extremely positive,” says Janine.

“A number of people have commented how they can’t wait for the next reunion.”

Attendees browsed through the 600-odd photos that were on display, as well as a variety of uniforms from throughout the years.

Two cakes were also enjoyed, one depicting the past and one depicting the present, joined by a bridge.

The cakes, cut by former Prosecutor Roger Wasson and former Area Commander Alex Davidson, were made by a member of the Upper Hutt Community Patrols.

The consensus was that the event was well-organised and fun, with one former colleague saying it was fantastic to catch up in such a safe and friendly space.

“Former members don’t get the opportunity to mingle with current active coppers and it was a great ‘flash back’ to step in to the station again,” he said.

“It was awesome to catch up with former work mates… I still have high respect for what service Police staff do on a day-to-day basis.”

While the next reunion hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’s intended there will be similar events in the near future.