CONSIDERED to be a major milestone for Cooktown Police Station, freshly-minted Constable Kelsey Wilson is the first officer to complete her first-year training in Cooktown.
Officer in charge, Senior Sergeant John McArthur, said the volume and variety of call-outs qualified Cooktown as a training station.
“The training environment that the area provides will make sure Constable Wilson experiences a broad cross section of policing scenarios,” he said.
The 26-year-old is also the first in her family to join the police, and said she was proud to be Cooktown’s first ever rookie constable.
“At the academy, whenever I would say Cooktown, all the instructors were surprised to hear a first-year was going there,” she said.
“I am definitely proud, but I also think it’s a credit to the station itself; all my colleagues have been really supportive of having a first-year here and they’ve gone above and beyond to pass on their knowledge and skills and I’m super grateful and appreciative of them all.”
Originally from Victoria, Constable Wilson moved to the Far North four years ago and said the variety of the job attracted her to the police.
“I wanted a stable career that I could go home and be proud of what I do,” she said.
“I always thought I needed a 9 to 5 job, until I did that and realised it wasn’t stimulating enough; policing is the total opposite, it’s exciting because no two days are the same.”
Following a six-month training period in the Townsville Police Academy, Constable Wilson will complete her training with 12 months in Cooktown.
“I’ve been in Cooktown for roughly three months now; my first shift was actually on Christmas Day, so that’s definitely something I won’t ever forget,” she said.
“There have been some funny moments, mostly just from me making mistakes and having a laugh at myself, and there have also been some memorable moments that I won’t forget any time soon.”
Although missing her partner and family, who are based in Cairns, Constable Wilson said so far the role had been everything she’d hoped for.
“It’s exactly how I imagined it would be,” she said.
“I’m still finding my feet given I’ve only been doing the job for three months, but I’m very happy with my decision to join the police.”
Constable Wilson told Cape York Weekly that she was looking forward to drier weather and being able to explore more of the Cooktown area’s waterfalls and camping spots.
