Senior Constable Ryan Yaun is experiencing a warm reception in the tight-knit community of Rathdowney, which has gone several years without a permanent live-in police presence.
The Rathdowney and District Historical Association hosted a well-attended meet and greet for Senior Constable Yaun at the Rathdowney Bowls Club on May 16.
Senior Constable Yaun moved to Rathdowney earlier this year with his partner Chemere Slama.
He has been policing for 23 years and aside from a stint in Cairns for four years, he has been primarily based at stations on the Gold Coast.
At the meet and greet, which his partner, sister, father and father’s wife also attended, he spoke candidly with the people of Rathdowney about his experience.
“City policing got the better of me in the end and this was a better fit for me, which leads me to my personal life because I was born and raised in the country, in Numinbah Valley,” he said.
“I went to a small country school, was born and raised in a country community, so this is very familiar to me, even the way this town is set up – we had the prison farm up the road, used to play cricket with the prisoners, Landcare committee they used to do, volunteer fire brigade… I’m used to the people, and I think they’re more my kind of people.”
Carol Taylor from RADHA said the town was grateful to see Senior Constable Yaun appointed.
“I’m sure everyone feels a lot safer, knowing there is a police presence at hand, especially when our regular escapees are on the run,” she said.
She said Senior Constable Yaun and Ms Slama fit in from the start, even attending a community hall concert next to their residence the night they moved house.
“A willingness to get involved in the community is one of the important attributes of small-town policing, and it looks like we have ourselves someone who fits that bill, so we feel very fortunate.”
