A PIONEER CALLS TIME

ATRAILBLAZER for female police officers in regional Queensland, one of the Townsville district’s most popular cops, is retiring after 38 years in blue.

Senior Sergeant Mary-anne Reaston ( pictured) finished her distinguished career yesterday, which saw her work 35 years in Townsville including as an officerin-charge at Mundingburra Station. Heading education and training, the self-confessed ‘ knowledge bank’ is inspiring the next generation of both young female and male officers to fulfil a long and successful career.

BREAKING THE MOULD

Mary-anne joined the Police Academy in October 1982 at just 20 years of age after contemplating a career in the force, with her brother joining the service a catalyst for signing up.

Having gone to a public school and coming from a fairly structured background, joining didn’t provide much of a culture shock, but one thing did stand out.

“When I joined there weren’t a lot of women in the police, senior women, because you had to leave if you got married,” Mary-anne said.

“Then as it progressed, but still early in the piece for me, women left because they had children.

“So (while) they might have been able to stay once they married … because of no maternity leave or any real support they would leave the police.”

A tall woman, Mary-anne was once told at a recruiting seminar she “had the height for it” with entry requirements dictating men had to be taller than 5’8” and women 5’6”.

While it was also a requirement that recruits had to be single and younger than 34, starting young meant there was potential for a career for life, filled with variety.

Mary-anne now proudly champions more women taking on roles in regional areas and in charge of larger stations, with her own promotions and a climbing of the ladder, the pride of her career.

HOW TOWNSVILLE BECAME HOME

A month on the beat in Brisbane and Fortitude Valley was followed by six months in Maryborough.

Mary-anne’s first role was in Innisfail.

Having initially permanent applied for a busy Cairns offering, she didn’t even know where Innisfail was.

“I had to find an atlas at the time because you couldn’t Google it, so I went to Innisfail and it was just like Maryborough only it rained more,” Mary-anne said.

It was through police circles in Innisfail that Mary-anne met her Townsville-based husband, with a move to the city in 1985.

“I started at Townsville station, did some time at Kirwan and then Townsville Juvenile Aid Bureau after that from about 1988,” she said.

“With the position I am now in the office, during times of disaster, especially cyclones and floods, you get drawn into those disaster management areas and then any other big operations that come you get involved with those as well.

“I’ve dealt a lot with child abuse and that type of thing so I have been able to assist people through some pretty difficult times.”

While her position now skips the variety and the excitement of field work, Mary-anne’s role in educating and training means officers will be safer on the beat in a modern and changing world.

But while her role has transformed over the course of a long career, there’s one key element of policing that never changes – communication.

“The main thing is talking to people, that’s the key,” Mary-anne said.

“No matter how technology changes and work equipment changes, you still need to have the ability to talk to people from a variety of backgrounds.

“You can wear all the kit in the world but if you talk to people the right way you’ll get a better outcome, and if (they) speak to police in the right way, (we’ll) help you out.”

RETIREMENT BRINGS NEW OPPORTUNITIES

A people-person at heart, Mary-anne will always regard the police as her second family.

While there were mixed emotions on her final day, sadness was tinged with excitement for what the future holds as the world continues to be more accepting of women in leadership than when she first started.

Staying in Townsville, MaryAnne says there’s plenty of work to be done at home, and even a bit of travelling when that opportunity opens up.

But for the first few months, the phone may need to be turned off.

“I’m a bit of a knowledge bank, it’s all ‘ Mary-anne will know that, ring Mary-anne, she might know that’, so I think they might have to fend for themselves a little bit,” she said.

“I’ll look for volunteering opportunities, I’ve seen some at the PCYC such as the driver training program with young people, so I think those sorts of things are really worthwhile.”

Describing her police family as a second home, she’ll never be far from that place with Townsville to remain her first home.

And as the city continues to move forward and grapple with its own issues Mary-anne knows all too well, she’ll continue to keep her passion for helping people close at heart. As any great female leader, she offers some parting words of wisdom to set her home on the right track.

“I think as a police role, we have to promote the good things being done, and the police do, do a lot of good engagement with youth,” she said. “It all comes back to the family unit.

“It’s a joint effort between education, health, police and everywhere that’s got some sort of partnership to try and improve family life.”