Inspector Dave Gaskin has called time on his 45-year career, leaving with the honour of being Police’s longest-serving area commander.
On Friday 26 August, with his wife Linda, their children, partners and grandchildren by his side, Aoraki Area Commander Dave was piped out of the Timaru Police Station through a guard of honour by colleagues, friends and staff.
He says it’s been ‘an absolute privilege’ to have been a member of Police for 45 years.
“I’ve been incredibly blessed with my choice of career and the fact that I've been allowed to do it for so long,” Dave says.
As a graduating member of section 2, Wing 69 in 1977, Dave has seen a lot and done a lot, and he accepts that the world has changed. “I know I’m a bit of a dinosaur about some things – that’s why it’s a good time for me to bugger off.
“It’s going to leave an enormous hole; I’m not going to minimise that. Policing for the last 45 years really has been my life.”
But with typical pragmatism, he adds, “You’ve just got to get on with it. You either get on with life or you get out of it and there’s no way I’m ready for that.”
Dave was the youngest of five children and spent the first four years of his life on a little farm in Puketitiri, inland from Napier.
“We weren’t a wealthy family. My dad was a farm worker and my mum was a teacher,” Dave explains.“They couldn’t afford boarding school, so when my older sisters went to high school, we moved to New Plymouth.”
Dave says he's seen a lot of change over his 45 years - the banner proves not everything has changed completely.
Dave says that although they didn’t have much, the one thing his parents gave them was their time.
“When I was a kid, we used to have tea early then we all sat around the kitchen table, in a very small house, playing cards. We spent a lot of time together as a family, but when mum and dad were working, we’d make our own fun.
“My brother would have been 12 and I would have been about seven, but we’d go out shooting goats or catching freshwater crayfish and eels in the creeks. We were tough little kids – we had to be tough.”
If family was the biggest influence in Dave’s early years, the second biggest was undoubtedly the mountains, Mount Taranaki in particular.
Dave has climbed Mt Taranaki over 200 times, the first when he was just six years old. When he was 12, he joined the Taranaki Alpine Club and spent every available moment on the mountain.
“Mount Taranaki was my playground, it’s where I grew up and it’s where I learned the art of leadership in a way.”
As a member of the Alpine Club, Dave was 14 when he took part in his first rescue. “A chap fell off a bluff. He was lucky enough to live, but he did some serious damage.
“When you’re involved in that type of activity, you end up helping other people and sometimes you need help. It gave me a good grounding and good resilience.”
After finishing school, Dave tried his hand at university study and truck driving, but neither of them stuck. He was working in Christchurch when he saw an ad for a trainee court registrar. He got an interview and on his way home he walked past Christchurch Police Station. He thought ‘now that’s a job I’ve always wanted to do’.
“When I was in primary school, I had to play the jolly policeman in a Christmas pantomime because I was a big kid – my family used to call me ‘old fat’. I don’t remember too much else about it, but ever since then it was always a job that I fancied I’d like to do.”
Dave walked into the station, filled in a form and three months later he was at Trentham Police College embarking on a career that would inspire and drive him for the next 45 years.
All roads lead to Timaru
After graduation, Dave was set to go to Wellington until the head of recruit training told him there was a change of plan. He was going to Timaru.
“I told him that I had already organised everything for Wellington. His reply to me was, ‘That’s fine, you can go Wellington, but if you want to work for New Zealand Police, you’re going to Timaru.’ So I thought, ‘yip, Timaru’s great’.”
There was a good reason why Dave was happy to head south. A few years prior, he had met a young girl, who had since moved to Timaru, at a meeting of the Taranaki Tramping Club – he would never have eyes for anyone else.
Linda Gaskin is Dave’s ‘gold nugget.’ She trained as a police officer two years after Dave, then made the switch to Corrections. Together, Dave and Linda have been partners in life and in crime prevention for all their adult lives.
After three years in Timaru, Dave and Linda got married and moved to Dunedin.
“When I got to Dunedin, I realised how far ahead I was of my wingmates. One of the last jobs I had in Timaru was O/C body of a homicide. As a two-and-a-half-year constable, I was doing the whole thing. That’s the beauty of a smaller station; fewer staff means more opportunities.”
Dave spent seven-and-a-half years in Dunedin and completed his sergeant and senior’s papers in his final two years. A sergeant’s vacancy came up in Timaru and Dave and Linda were on the move again.
They spent five years back in Timaru before moving to Christchurch, where they stayed for three years. But Timaru called again, and Dave returned as a senior sergeant in 1995 before being appointed to the area commander role in 1997, a position he has held for the past 25 years. Dave says it’s a great job.
“Area commanders are the interface between the people doing the work and management. You’re not out there leading the charge but you’re making decisions that affect the staff.”
The gifting of the name Aoraki by the local hapū to the Police area previously known as Mid-South Canterbury was a proud moment for Dave.
A passion for search and rescue
With his love of the outdoors and his early start in mountain rescues, Dave has always had a passion for search and rescue.
“I‘ve been to some terrible places with search and rescue. I’ve had some great times and some sad times – but I love working with the volunteers and community groups."
One of the most influential moments in Dave’s search and rescue career came in 1982.
“I was appointed as the police liaison officer for the Otago Cliff Face Rescue Team. We were on a training trip up the Temple Valley at the head of Lake Ohau and the leader of the team fell to his death.
“I was the most inexperienced person there, but because I was a police officer – a person of authority – they all looked to me to make the decisions from that point on.
“The district commander at the time (Timaru was a district in those days) wouldn’t fly a helicopter in to get the body. So I had to get the Cliff Face Rescue Team sufficiently on board to climb back to where their leader was lying, load him on to a stretcher and lower him down a cliff. Then we helped carry him out.
"I had to make decisions that affected the morale and wellbeing of everyone there.”
Career highs
In the early 1990s, Timaru had a reputation as a gang town. Operation Shovel was the police response and Dave considers his involvement in the operation as one of his proudest achievements.
“The operation was run by Detective Senior Sergeant Bill Gregory, who was an inspirational figure. I worked on it for a year as a sergeant.
“We did everything we could to disrupt the gangs. Road policing came in in 1992, so we could write out tickets. We hit them financially, we seized their motorbikes and we got buy-in from the courts and probation.
“Everyone did what they could and we destroyed them. It was easy because everyone who was involved lived in the area. They knew how the gangs affected the community. They saw the benefit and it worked.”
Dave received his Queen's Service Medal from the then Governor General, Rt Hon Sir Anand Satvanand.
Another of Dave’s proudest moments was receiving a Queen’s Service Medal at Government House in 2011 for his services to Police and search and rescue.
Although undoubtedly well-earned, he says he never expected such an honour – and neither it seems did his mother.
Ida Gaskin, Dave’s mum, who has since died, was the first woman to win the New Zealand version of Mastermind. She was also made a companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1997 for her services to education and the community.
When asked what she thought about Dave’s honours, Ida replied: “I never thought I'd see the day. One doesn't expect it when they are naughty little boys.”
Retirement beckons
Passion for the job and passion for people is what has kept Dave in the job for 45 years. He also believes it has to be fun – if it can’t be fun, you shouldn’t do it, he says.
“I love coming to work. I don't think I’ve had a single day when I’ve thought ‘I don't want to do this any more’.
“I have been to so many crashes. I have seen so much tragedy. I think those serious incidents take a little bit of your soul and I don’t have a lot more to give, if I’m honest. So, as much as I would love to keep going forever, I’m ready. I know that.
“I think it’s really important for me and my family that I retire and it’s important for this area. There’s never been another area commander in Aoraki. It’s time for someone else to take over.
“My measure of success is a safer community. If Aoraki is safer than when I first came here, then I'll go happily – and I truly believe it is a safer place.”
What they said…
Canterbury District Commander John Price: "You have left a legacy of total commitment to the role and the community you have have served with great distinction and grace. This massive dedicated service needs the support and aroha of whānau and our thanks and gratitude go out to Linda and your wider family."
Inspector Nigel Allan, Whanganui-Ruapehu Area Commander (and Dave’s nephew): "I describe you as the rangatira of our family. You are a role model and a source of inspiration. Your contribution and your commitment to your role as Area Commander Aoraki has been immense. Twenty-five years in this role is, I suspect, a unique achievement in New Zealand Police and one that will not be topped. Your tenure in this role is made possible only through your unwavering commitment to providing the best possible leadership to your staff and to your community."
Former Canterbury District Commander Dave Cliff: "It’s a poignant time when you come to the end of such a long career, so I just wanted to say how much I appreciated working with you. You are one of those rock-solid individuals who are always completely and thoroughly reliable. You could always be trusted to do the right thing and show that excellent judgement and wisdom that you became so well known for.
So long Dave, and happy retirement
A farewell was held for Dave on Friday 26 August at Timaru Police Station. Senior Sergeant Dylan Murray was the MC and speakers who paid tribute to Dave included Canterbury District Commander John Price, South Comms Inspector John Robinson, Dave's wife Linda, and representatives from local council, Department of Conservation and Fire and Emergency.