Among those who attended the service at St Barnabas Anglican Church was Lorraine Carty from Murga, who came with her family to honour her son David Carty, a serving police officer who was killed in Fairfield in 1997 when he was 25.

He was murdered after having a drink with colleagues after finishing his shift at midnight, by men he had reprimanded earlier in the night for swearing.

Mrs Carty attends Police Remembrance Day services every year, but this was the first time she had attended the Orange service.

Her niece’s husband Steve Roddom is a police officer in Orange, but she has previously attended services in Parkes and Forbes.

“It was lovely, it was nice to have it, people say it brings back memories but it’s good to remind the people in the public,” Mrs Carty said.

“The chaplain [Reverend Gary Neville] he was just beautiful, he spoke beautifully from the heart.”

Reverend Neville is also the region’s police chaplain.

“We are here to remember the people that came before us ... the price they paid and their sacrifices, the people here today are a stepping stone that came after,” Reverend Neville said during the service.

Since the inception of the NSW Police Force in 1862, 252 police officers have died in the line of duty. Acting Superintendent Peter Atkins said the first of those officers to die was Constable William Haviland, who was shot and killed on the corner of Byng and Sale Streets in Orange on June 16, 1862.

“We’ve had five officers die in Orange in the past 150 years,” Superintendent Atkins said.

But it wasn’t only those officers who were honoured. 

Retired policeman Bob Baker served in Orange for nine years as a second class sergeant from 1977 and said it brought back memories of those who have now gone.

To coincide with 100 years of women in policing, some of Orange’s female police officers read out stories during the service of women who died on duty.

tanya.marschke@fairfaxmedia.com.au