Berenice Benson had told staff at Uniting Care’s Mirinjani aged care home that she had always wanted to meet a real New York policeman.
The 85-year-old, who has dementia, has travelled throughout Europe, but never made it to the Big Apple.
“Just the idea of strolling through the streets of New York and asking a policeman for directions to the nearest coffee shop,” she said.
Now they’ve made her dream a reality, organising a visit from NYPD Detective Howard Shank who was visiting Sydney and drove down to Canberra to surprise Ms Benson.
The detective said while it was one of the strangest requests he’s received in his 33 years on the force, it was one of the better moments of his career.
Ms Benson was certainly thrilled.
“This excitement, this has been the best day of my life,” she said.
