Making a difference with youth

SAM BAKER/Manawatu Standard

HANDY MAN: When's he's not teaching youngsters about staying safe, you'll find Senior Constable Bob Filbee at his caravan at Foxton Beach planning his next DIY project.

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Senior Constable Bob Filbee has been educating school students on safety for the past 18 years and was awarded a Queen's Service Medal in the New Year Honours. Marika Hill delves into his life outside the police force.

What is your hidden talent? I can still do a mean headstand.

What's your foolproof home-cooked meal? Roast meal – I picked it up when I was flatting.

What are you working on at the moment? I'm building up motivation to paint the house. We were going to do it last summer but never got around to it.

What's the best thing about your job? Teaching young people how to keep safe and grow into responsible adults. It's really satisfying to know I had a little to do with their development.

If you could take anyone out to dinner, who would it be? My wife, obviously. Also Sir Brian Lochore (former All Black captain and coach). He's a real good, humble, down-to-earth bloke. I'd also take a comedian like Tim Allen.

What is one of your greatest achievements? Building the deck for our caravan by the beach. It evolved over a few months. I'm a non-building [man], so it's nice to look at, just not up close!

What is it about Manawatu that keeps you here? It's a great place to bring up kids and everything is in easy reach.

Tell us about your favourite holiday... My wife and I went to Hamilton Island [Australia] around 18 years ago for 10 days. It was just magical – great weather and so relaxing.

Palmerston North could do with: less crime.

What is one piece of advice you would give young people? Choose your friends wisely.

What's your idea of romance? Buy some flowers for my wife. Once I had wrapped the flowers in newspaper, I then biked home with them to give to her.

What's your word or phrase of the moment? I must start painting the house.

What's your most disliked band or musician and why? Rap gangster music – there's negative undertones to it.

What are you listening to at the moment? Bruce Springsteen, The Seeger Sessions.

What are you reading at the moment? Blue Horizon by Wilbur Smith. I have the other two books in the series to read as well.

What are your plans in the next couple of months? Paint the house. Whether it gets done I don't know, but I have got the paints all there.

- © Fairfax NZ News