Yesterday South West police district superintendent Mick Sutherland presented Brian with a clasp to commemorate 30 years service as a policeman, and on Saturday colleagues and friends will gather for an official sendoff for the policeman who will officially retire later this month.

In fact, Snr Const MacAuley achieved the 30-year milestone on April 3 last year.

Supt Sutherland expressed regret about losing an officer with Brian MacAuley’s experience.

“These days it is becoming rarer for a policeman to make such a contribution over so many years,” said Supt Sutherland.

He described Snr Const MacAuley as a gentleman and dedicated policeman with an abundance of wisdom and knowledge, who had made a great contribution to the community.

Brian MacAuley’s organisation of the annual charity motorcycle run earned him a nomination for the Police Officer of the Year Award, in which he was a finalist.

Snr Const MacAuley joined the Police Force in 1978 and, with wife Annette, had three sons under the age of three at the time.

He paid tribute to his wife’s steadfast support and having to deal with a husband working shifts for most of his career.

Snr Const MacAuley first came to Busselton in 1981 from Fremantle traffic division, and it proved to be a turning point in the family’s life.

Wife Annette declared she wanted them to make it their permanent home, and despite later stints in Bunbury and Collie, that has proved to be the case.

Snr Const MacAuley has been permanently posted in Busselton, for the second time in his career, since 1999.

The couple are well ensconsed in the community, along with their three sons and grandchildren.

Half of Snr Const MacAuley’s police service involved the traffic division and motorcycles, and that suited him down to the ground.

He has always had a love of bikes and intends to pursue his interest by restoring several of his own motorcycles in retirement.

The other aspect of police work that he appreciated was dealing with the ordinary citizens in the community, which he was more likely to encounter while with the traffic division.