SERGEANT Karen Peasley is now with the Police Forensic Division in Sydney and deals with terrorism and victim identification.
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Her parents - local residents Bruce and June Peasley - think she is now right into some pretty horrific stuff.
But not half as horrific as their feelings on the morning they received her phone call telling them she had almost been killed on duty.
On April 15, 2012, then Senior Constable Peasley and her partner, Sergeant Carter Knyvett, were faced with a potentially deadly situation.
They were threatened with a crossbow wielding man on a property at Rocky River near Tenterfield.
The man was subsequently shot dead by Sergeant Knyvett.
Last Friday, both officers were presented with valour awards at the Goulbourn Police Academy for ‘conspicuous merit and exceptional bravery’.
In 2012, the pair responded to a call at 8pm to the School of Happiness commune, near Tenterfield. There were reports of a man threatening people with a knife. Upon arrival they were confronted by the man, who dropped the knife and retreated into the darkness.
While the officers evacuated the site the man returned armed with a cross bow. He tried to disarm the two police officers. He refused to put the weapon down and tried to get closer. Sergeant Knyvett shot him.
“She rang us about 5am on the morning after the incident occurred,” Mr Peasley said.
“She was not in a position to get in contact with earlier than that because she had no mobile reception where she was. You don’t like getting those types of calls at 4 or 5am.
“The first thing she said was ‘Dad, we’re OK. But unfortunately, Carter had to shoot a guy last night.’ She told me briefly what the situation was, and we waited to hear the news. Then it came on the ABC news.
“I felt cold. They couldn’t have been reporting a more tragic outcome.”
Mr Peasley said he still has nightmares about it.
“The guy had a crossbow and he was about to shoot her,” Mr Peasley said.
He said he was relieved his daughter came out of it with no physical scars.
“It was a very tense time and she was very emotional and I understand when she had to recount the whole thing to the inquest she was very emotional.”
