Age: 42

Michael is a father of four and comes to Tamworth Police Station from Armidale where he lives.

He served in the defence force 15 years ago before he and his two brothers opened a smash repair business.

Michael said he’d always wanted to be a police officer but when he turned 40 it was “now or never”.

He spent the entire eight months of his police training in Goulburn and away from his family which he said was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do.

“My wife ran the house, the kids and a business,” he said.

“I just want to get out there and start learning what to do on the street.”

Maria Nolan

Age: 31

New Zealand-born Maria is the only woman among 10 men to start work at Tamworth Police Station yesterday.

She’s a horse enthusiast who said she worked with race horses and had a career as a dental technician before she joined the police force.

She describes herself as a “country girl at heart” and said she believed Tamworth was an ideal base for her because it’s halfway between Brisbane and Sydney, where she has family and friends.

“It’s exciting and all I want to do is get out and do the job,” she said.

“I’ve heard Tamworth is a really friendly place to live and people have been very welcoming.”

Maria said the most difficult part of her police training was the weapons component.

Adam Taylor

Age: 19

Adam is the youngest of the 11 recruits to start work at Tamworth and he comes to the city from Penrith.

He was studying a university degree in policing before he joined the NSW Police Academy.

He said he was “nervous and excited” about his first day on the job.

“I just want to get in the thick of it,” he said.

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Rhys Mort

Age: 21

Rhys comes to Tamworth from Cronulla and said the worst part of his academy experience was the food, which was “terrible”.

He said he had wanted to be a police officer since he was a child and he hoped to work his away into the police dog squad.

He told The Leader his first impressions of Tamworth were positive but he would miss the beach back home.

Michael Rainbow

Age: 33

Michael is a father of three with one on the way.

His wife and children are in the process of moving to Tamworth, which Michael says was their first preference to be stationed.

He was a labourer and barman before he took on an eight-month stint in Goulburn, which he said was hard as it meant he was away from his young family.

“It was a long way from home but definitely worth it in the long run,” he said.

Michael’s younger brother is also a police officer and he said he wanted to join the police force because it was a “solid career”.

He hopes to be a highway patrol officer later in his career.