By Emma Sun
OLINDA top cop Sergeant Tony Haining has retired after 15 years at the station and 37 years with the police force.
Friday was his last day on the job.
Since graduating as a police officer, Sgt Haining has travelled around metro and eastern Victoria, including Nunawading, St Kilda and the police academy in Glen Waverley.
He was instrumental in getting the new Olinda Police Station up and running five years ago and said it was one of his greatest achievements.
“I pushed hard for it and we got support from people in many areas,” he said. “Once that was achieved, the next step was to keep it open, to justify its existence.
“While our population by households may not be so high, during the tourist season in autumn, our population can quadruple, so we know police are needed here.”
Sgt Haining said one of his goals as a policeman has always been to get involved with the community and work closely with police officers from nearby stations like Monbulk and Belgrave to make the community a better place and, as such, it would be the people he would miss the most.
“I’ll miss the blokes at the station and the grassroots policing,” he said. “It’s a completely different policing attitude in the hills because we have more time to get out there and talk and investigate issues happening in the area.”
Sgt Haining said he’s not one to sit still, so he will be keeping himself busy with his duties as a Rotarian at the Montrose and District Rotary Club and being a civil celebrant.
“I recently took a course by correspondence to be a civil celebrant because I figured I could play to my strengths – my physical presence, my voice, which is normally louder and I do have a softer side I can utilise,” he said.
“So if people want me to marry them, I will.”
