"Probably few government officials are so taken for granted, and yet fulfil such valuable and essential functions, as that army of men upon which the community depends for the preservation of law, order and decency - the police force. One may go along for years without recourse to their services, and then, in the twinkling of an eye, be confronted with trouble - then, instinctive reaction of us all - 'Call the police!'

He who joins the stalwarts in blue must indeed be a man of many parts, possessing tact, sympathy and understanding, a deep and abiding knowledge of human nature, a thorough grasp of the law which he is called upon to administer, and that selfless courage which, as so often exemplified in the annals of the force, counting not the cost, dares all, even to the laying down of life itself, in the cause of duty. Whether it be in the many routine jobs which fall to his lot, restoring a lost child to its family, breaking up a gang of larrikins, braving a gunman's bullets or carrying news of tragedy, the policeman is always on the job, a welcome and familiar figure, spelling comfort, succour and reliability."

Back then, unlike now, few women served as police officers and thus Parry speaks only of police 'men'. He then provided an historical overview of the local police force, noting that for many years Moss Vale had been the district's judicial headquarters.

"Government buildings were gradually constructed at Bong Bong from November 14, 1821, the date on which Surveyor William Harper surveyed and reserved lands for a township. Apart from huts which Dr Throsby and Joseph Wild had erected, the first building is believed to have been for police purposes, which may or may not be a commentary on the behaviour of district residents in those days.

Later, with the decline of Bong Bong, facilities of a constabulary nature were ultimately transferred to Berrima, details of which are of such scope as to warrant a separate article. Regarding Moss Vale, a police station first appeared in the list of stations in the Department's annual report for 1877, and is thus presumed to have been established in that year. The strength was then one constable (foot). According to the Bowral Free Press of March 28, 1903, reporting his death at Liverpool, he was R Jones, formerly a corporal in the 12th Regiment who served in the Maori war, and retired from the police force in 1887 after 27 years' service."

Having noted the above, Parry then jumps forward to 1914 and the pulling down of the police station and court house that then stood near Moss Vale railway station. The following details, which may not have been available to Parry in 1948, are provided here to bridge this gap.

The above-mentioned constable and a Petty Sessions Clerk were, from 1877, housed in a weatherboard building near the Argyle Street rail bridge. New police and court premises were built in 1880, located on Bay Street near Moss Vale Post Office and the railway station. The well-designed buildings were of brick, with gardens and a lock-up keeper's quarters, police yards and stables. In November 1881 the second tier of the judiciary, the District Court, until then held at Berrima, was moved to the Moss Vale precinct. It exercised jurisdiction in and over the entire district.

The buildings should still be standing today but, as Parry notes, the entire precinct was pulled down in 1914. He continues: "In this regard the Wollondilly Press of April 8, 1914, commenting on the duplication of the railway line from Mittagong to Goulburn, said that work was expected to be in full swing immediately after Easter. In anticipation of receiving notice to quit the police station, went on the report, Sgt Moroney was looking out for suitable premises. The new line would take the lock-up keeper's quarters, police yards and stables, so that wherever the new quarters were to be, erection of temporary cells to accommodate transgressors would be necessary."

Parry also noted that the railways would acquire the land on which the courthouse stood.