John Moloney smiles as he talks. His deep blue eyes tell a story of gratitude and passion, but there is tragedy there too. 

The retired policeman is speaking about Cops N’ Kids, a camp he established with his Ballarat police colleagues more than 22 years ago for children with cancer and life threatening illnesses. 

The four-day camp provides families with seriously ill children some respite from their everyday anxiety and children an opportunity to enjoy an adventure packed experience. 

The tragedy Mr Moloney experienced during his 38 year career as a police officer has driven his passion for Cops n Kids. 

“Sometimes the job may be sad but I think out of one tragedy another door opens. You might have something that is a tragic situation but in the coming days, months and years you can change that tragedy into something that is a positive outcome for the family that is involved,” he said. 

“I used to work on the one to 99 theory. One thing we couldn’t do was change what had happened, but there was 99 other ways we could make change, whether it be taking the children for a ride in a police car, or giving them something that would make their lives a bit easier or better. 

“The police car was always my greatest tool of helping people’s grief. I found taking them for a ride in the police car opened so many doors... The other night I went to get some fish and chips and the young lady said to me ‘Mr Moloney, I still remember when you gave me a ride to school in the police car’. It is lovely that 30 years later that is what she remembered.”

Mr Moloney first started running youth camps in 1990 through the Ballarat Police Youth Club. In 1996 the focus of the camps switched to supporting children with cancer or life threatening illnesses after his close friend’s wife was diagnosed with Leukemia. 

Cops N’ Kids now runs two camps a year. Up to 60 children from around Victoria are invited to a four-day camp in November held in Ballarat, while a three-day camp is run at Queenscliff in February specifically for Ballarat families. 

The camps run by Victoria Police, the Royal Children’s Hospital, cancer charity Challenge and volunteers rely on fundraising to run. 

READ MORE: Sirens blazing as cops n kids make their way to Ballarat

Now 68-years-old and retired from the police force, Mr Moloney still attends camps and says he acts like the biggest kid of them all. 

“I believe in life we are given an opportunity and sometimes that opportunity is presented in so many different ways. I just found the police force gave me an opportunity to dream a whole heap of different ideas and that is what I try to still do these days,” he said.

“I try to put myself into another person’s situation and think if I was that person, what would assist me through this tragic or sad time through my life and what would make my life a little bit better. I suppose that is what we are trying to pull off.”

While supporting children and families throughout Victoria, the Cops N’ Kids program has helped strengthen Victoria Police’s connection with the community and change public perceptions of the police force. 

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