THIS week, the Gilgandra community farewelled Senior Constable Chris Butterfield, who has elected to pursue other passions after serving 26 years with NSW Police.

Senior Constable Butterfield's last day on the job was Friday 6 May during which he was wished well by his colleagues, and the wider community.

First joining the NSW Police Force in 1996, Senior Constable Butterfield's first posting was in Cabramatta where he spent 10 years before transferring to the State Crime Command as a detective.

He then transferred to Gilgandra Police Station in December 2020 where he served as an active member of the local squad until this week.

Speaking on the more than two decades he had spent working as a police officer, Senior Constable Butterfield had little more to say than "I enjoyed every minute of it".

Senior Constable Butterfield now intends to take a few months off, potentially throwing in an overseas holiday while he's at it, and then undertake further study next year in a brand new career direction: carpentry.

One of Senior Constable Butterfield's colleagues who wished him well on his last day was Officer in Charge of the Northern Sector in the Orana Mid Western Police District Inspector Russell McArthur.

Inspector McArthur, who travelled down to Gilgandra from his home station in Coonabarabran for the day, said he was glad to be part of giving Senior Constable Butterfield a proper send-off.

"We just want to thank him for his dedicated service and wish him all the best in his future endeavours," Inspector McArthur said.