She has helped keep the roads of the Manning Great Lakes Police District safe for almost a decade, but the time has come for Senior Constable Cassandra Weekes to retire.
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A morning tea was held for Cassandra on Wednesday, November 11 so colleagues could say goodbye.
"It feels surreal and I've got mixed emotions. It's bittersweet but it's the right time," Cassandra said.
"It's been a good experience and I've really enjoyed it."
While working in the emergency department of Manning Base Hospital as an after hours clerk and later a nurse, Cassandra began applying to the NSW Police Force.
"It took me about three years to get in," she said.
Cassandra started at the police academy in June 2007 and attested the following January.
Soon after, she joined the Manning Great Lakes police ranks.
Cassandra worked in general duties for about five and a half years before a transfer to the highway patrol.
"I always knew when I was at the academy that I wanted to do highway patrol," Cassandra said.
"It was my passion and that's where I wanted to be."
The main highlight of her eight year stint with the patrol was working with her daughter Steph.
"We worked together on numerous occasions and were in the same office for a while," Cassandra explained.
"To have that connection was fantastic and was the highlight of my career."
She loved being on the roads and visiting all towns across the police district.
"My office was my car, it took me to some beautiful spots around the Manning Great Lakes area," Cassandra said.
The camaraderie shared between police officers will be missed.
It's been a good experience and I've really enjoyed it.
- Cassandra Weekes.
"It's a good team here in a lovely new station... they're like an extended family," Cassandra said.
Freshly retired, Cassandra said she will now focus on photography and 'enjoying what life brings'.
Cassandra first worked as a nurse at Sydney Adventist Hospital, Wahroonga in the mid 1970s before time at Westmead Hospital on the main switchboard, patient inquiries and as an intensive care unit ward clerk.
She got married in 1980, moved to the Mid Coast area and spent a year working in the Mayo Hospital operating theatre.
Then it was time to have children and in 1994 she bought a women's clothing store in Taree.
She owned the business for about five years before heading to Manning Base Hospital in 2000 as a nurse.
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