Retired officers celebrated at Deni

A small formal ceremony was also held on the day, at which some retired officers were presented with official police medals awarded after they departed the station.

Detective Chief Inspector Jy Brown said it included former Retired Detective Senior Constable Tim Simmons.

“Ret Det Snr Cont Simmons was presented with an emergency services award for his role in the 2019-2020 bush fires,” Det Chief Insp Brown said.

“He also collected his clasp to the Police Medal and a clasp to his Emergency Services Medal.

“He was based here in Deniliquin with the Rural Crime Investigation Unit, and within the Murray River Police District for more than 20 years.”

The presentations were made by Murray River Police District Superintendent Paul Smith, who made the trip from Albury to attend the ceremony.

His father and former police officer Roger Smith was also a guest on the day.

A special guest was Ret Senior Sergeant Peter Beacroft, who spoke on his involvement in the investigation surrounding the Mascot to Temora air disaster.

It was on February 21, 1980 that the passenger flight Advance Airlines Flight DR4210 crashed on takeoff out of Sydney's Mascot Airport.

It was bound for Temora and all 13 people on board were killed.

The vast majority of those passengers were from Temora, including Constable Donald Henderson of Temora Police Unit, his wife Judith and their one week old son, Adam.

The cause of the crash was identified as "engine failure" and the pilot was attempting an emergency landing when the tragedy occurred.