This week marks the 35th anniversary of the 20th Police Cadet Wing. Their patron was Sir Denis Blundell, who at the time was the serving Governor-General of New Zealand.

To mark this very special occasion 14 members of the wing, who between them have given 490 years of service.to the New Zealand Police, will be presented with their 35-year service clasp by the current Governor-General, His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO. The ceremony will be held at The Royal New Zealand Police College tomorrow.

The recipients, now all aged in their 50s, were recruited straight out of school at 17 or 18. Over their expansive careers they have achieved ranks from Senior Constable to Inspector. Of the 14 members, there is one Senior Constable, three Sergeants, five Senior Sergeants and five Inspectors. Greg O'Connor, President of the Police Association, is one of the recipients.

The officers have worked on some high profile local and international incidents during their 35 years of service. Many of these events are ones that have shaped our nation, including the occupation of Bastion Point (1978), the Mt Erebus disaster (1979), the Springbok tour (1981), the Trades Hall (1984) and Rainbow Warrior (1985) bombings, and most recently the Pike River mining disaster (2010).

On the world stage some have supported such tragic events as the Bali bombings (2002) and the Thailand (2005) and Samoan (2009) tsunamis. They have also served in the international hot spots of Afghanistan, East Timor and the Solomon Islands.

The presentation ceremony will take place at 2pm on Friday 28 January at The Royal New Zealand Police College, and will be attended by His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand and Police Commissioner Howard Broad.

ENDS

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