Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson went to work one final time with his retirement tantalisingly close.
He was looking forward to spending more time with the love of his life, Lisa, and already had a list of tasks to tackle in his free time.
But that golden years dream was cruelly snatched away almost a fortnight ago when he was gunned down while attempting to serve Dezi Freeman a warrant.
Instead, his partner will be among thousands of mourners who farewell the 59-year-old at a funeral at the Victoria Police Academy later on Monday.
Described as an adventurer, Det Lead Sen Const Thompson revelled in the great outdoors and regularly ventured out into nature on trips with friends and colleagues.
He is said to have found new purpose since meeting Lisa, described as the love of his life who he proudly built a new home with.
A veteran officer of 38 years, he joined the police in 1987 and worked his way up to being a detective at the Major Fraud Squad and the State Crime Squad before shifting to Wangaratta to join the Crime Investigation Unit in 2007.
Members of the force will form a guard of honour for him as they did on Friday for colleague Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, also killed in the same incident.
An estimated 3000 mourners attended the 34-year-old’s funeral, triple the number expected.
The Belgian native was remembered as a smiling protector with an enduring Batman fascination, given a send off worth of a real-life superhero.
The two officers were among 10 police serving a warrant at a property in Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, when they were shot dead and another colleague seriously hurt on August 26.
Freeman, 56, fled into bushland and remains at large.
Hundreds of officers are looking for him in Victoria’s high country, with more than 100 properties searched, as investigators believe some people know his whereabouts.