Leading Senior Constable Matt Ryan opens the door to the Boolarra Police Station.
He’s the only cop in town.
“I think you’ve jinxed me,” he said.
“It was all quiet until you called an hour ago.”
He had just received reports of a diesel theft at a rural property outside Churchill overnight and believed it could be linked to a number of break-ins to caravans reported earlier in the day.
It’s just another day in the life of Boolarra’s officer in charge, the 26th officer to work out of the station since police were first introduced to the town 110 years ago.
“Everybody’s friendly, that’s the biggest surprise out of all,” Leading Senior Constable Ryan said.
“Out here everybody waves and says hello and the kids are happy to see you. It’s really different and people expect you to call in for cups of tea and coffee. I don’t think I’ve ever done that – randomly call into people’s houses for a coffee and chat.”
For the past two years, the 40-year-old has managed the one-person station – responsible for about 316 square kilometres bound by Yinnar and Gunyah Gunyah on the Grand Ridge Road through to the Strzelecki Highway and up to the hills of Budgeree.
Before Boolarra, the father of three spent time as a detective at Morwell and Wonthaggi, as well as stints at Trafalgar, Churchill, Moe and Traralgon police stations and a six-month secondment in the major drug squad in Melbourne.
But living in a town with a population of just 500 people has it’s challenges but it’s something he says he wouldn’t change.
“Like when you just want to have a quiet beer and people come up and tell you their problems or want to report something or when a fight breaks out and everyone looks at you and goes ‘what are you going to do’,” he said.
“But I’ll go the pub with my family for a meal and it’s good food, you just get a hello and wave and people will come and say g’day and I do like that.”
While drugs and burglaries remain issues for the rural communities in Boolarra’s patch, he believes he has had a good impact on the town since he moved there in July 2016.
“I’d like to think I’ve made an impact on the drink driving by getting out and doing patrols, you’ve still got some of the older locals who think ‘I’ll be alright if I have a couple of beers and drive home’ because they’ve done it for so many years,” he said.
“I don’t like it because they’ll end up hurting somebody … so if I can stop that bloke from doing it by taking away his licence, then so be it.
One of the best parts of the job is exploring some of Gippsland’s rugged and picturesque terrain.
“It’s fun going four-wheel-driving going through some of the mud … I think I’m up to four tourists in this area who have followed their Navman down bush tracks that you wouldn’t go down in a four-wheel-drive, let alone an Audi.”
While Leading Senior Constable Ryan is unsure of his future, he said working out of Boolarra was a job he thoroughly enjoyed.
“I’m a long way off retiring, I’m only 40 and I’ve got another 13 years before I get maximum super and I can’t touch my super until I’m 65 so I don’t know, 25 years here is a long time,” he said.
“This is an awesome job here in terms of benefits for my family and in a busier station you’ve always got the next job waiting. It’s different here.”
