Sergeant Tony Wilson recently landed his dream job as officer in charge of the Gippsland Water Police.

Sgt Wilson has been with the water police for 17 years and says it’s a job he truly loves.

A Paynesville resident, Sgt Wilson grew up spending countless hours on the Gippsland Lakes.

He’s the fourth generation in his family to have done so.

Sgt Wilson’s great-grandfather, Adam, helped build the steamship SS Gippsland.

His grandfather, affectionately known as Att, was the manager of Gippsland Ports in Paynesville.

Sgt Wilson’s father, Dennis, became a shipwright and worked from the very yard where the Gippsland Water Police are based. “We used to come fishing here, so it really does feel like home,” Sgt Wilson said.

Being by the water was in his blood, so becoming a member of the water police team seemed like a logical choice after he graduated from the police academy.

“I went through the police force be- fore joining the Melbourne Water Police”, Sgt Wilson says.

He spent two years based in St Kilda and a year in Williamstown before being transferred to the Gippsland Water Police 14 years ago.

Sgt Wilson has made East Gippsland his home and says his wife, Lisa, and 11-year-old twins, Darcy and Amber, are equally happy with the decision.

PICTURED: Sergeant Tony Wilson was recently appointed officer in charge of the Gippsland Water Police.