New England police and residents are mourning the loss of former Inverell police officer Sergeant Brian Kenny, pictured, who died in an off-duty motorcycle accident on Thursday.
NEW England police and residents are mourning the loss of former Inverell police officer Sergeant Brian Kenny, pictred, who died in an off-duty motorcycle accident on Thursday.
The 63-year-old officer has been remembered by friends and colleagues as a "one of a kind" officer who will be "missed dearly."
Called "BJ" by his colleagues, Sergeant Kenny began his policing career at 20.
The NSW Police Force veteran served for 44 years - 11 of those in Inverell where he transferred to in 1973.
Sergeant Kenny performed highway patrol duties during that time, until he left in 1984 to go to Kings Cross - then known as Darlinghurst - where he has served for the last 28 years.
On Thursday at 8.40am, was riding his motorcycle on the Great Western Highway at Wentworth Falls when it crashed into the back of a truck. Sergeant Kenny died at the scene.
New England Local Area Command Detective Sergeant Matt Crotty said police in country stations across NSW would be feeling the loss of the "one of a kind" police officer in Sergeant Kenny.
Detective Crotty is now based in the area the veteran officer called home for more than a decade and once worked with him in Kings Cross.
He said they didn't make them like that anymore.
"Where would you find an officer who has been on the frontline of policing for that long?" he said.
"Many officers have lengthy careers but I don't know if you'll find someone who was actually at the front line of first response policing for that amount of time."
Detective Crotty said he had still been doing that in Kings Cross, a "busy and difficult place" to work in, until the time he passed.
Bill Sutton, who was in the Macintyre Lions Club with Sergeant Kenny, described him as a real good Lion and a real good bloke to local media outlet yesterday ((Friday 27)) morning.
"He was a keen fisherman, he was a bloke's bloke," Mr Sutton said.
"He was involved in everything we did and was secretary of the club one year."
Mr Sutton said Sergeant Kenny had joined the service club in June 1980 and remained a member until he left Inverell.