BLESSED are the peacemakers might be a term heard little these days but anybody who has been helped out by three of Geelong’s peacekeepers can count their blessings.
Acting Sergeant Leanne Rayner, 41, Siobhan Daly, 38, a leading senior constable and police prosecutor, and senior constable Kimberley Vaughan, 42, all have a passion for the job.
They’ve seen their share of broken bones and broken hearts and at times it gets to them but they believe that just makes them better policewomen.
The trio agrees the force has changed drastically from its status as a boy’s club, which dominated the ranks for much of its history since 1853.
Women now comprise more than 25 per cent of Victoria Police’s 13,000 members, a far cry from the two appointed in 1917 without powers of arrest.
The changes have been gradual, snail’s pace at best. Women in the job were issued custom-made handbags for their batons from 1972 until 1986 ….
These three women — sisters, mothers, wives, crime-fighters — are three Geelong policewomen committed to making a difference in the community.
Reporter Paul Millar meets up with them in the latest edition of GC Geelong Coast magazine, out now at selected newsagents.
