When Troy Viljoen’s mum asked her little man what he’d like for his fourth birthday – since a birthday party was not possible during lockdown – Troy said he’d like his dad to be there.
Knowing that Troy’s dad Tim, a sanitation officer stuck on a cruise liner in San Diego, without anyone relieving him so that he could return to Auckland on April 7 as planned, mum Sharon asked Troy for the next best gift he would like.
‘A police car with a siren, a fire engine and a hospital,” said the young lad.
Sharon put on her thinking cap and dared to put in a request on via the Counties Manukau Police Facebook page. ‘What are the chances of a police car driving past our house on Gosford Dr for Troy’s fourth birthday? she posted.
Not long after, Sharon was thrilled to get a call from Constable Steve Webb saying he’d heard her little man is turning four.
Sharon was told that depending on their schedule that day, they would try but “don’t get your hopes up”.
On Friday morning (April 17) Sharon got a call from Constable Webb saying a police car would be driving past their house.
However, Sharon and her kids Troy and Jordan along with friend Carla Economou were in for a huge surprise.
They spotted not only police cars drive-in with the officers wishing Troy a happy birthday over the PA speaker system, but there was also a fire engine and an ambulance too tooting and putting on a personal drive-by show.
“It had people charging out on the street wondering what was happening. Troy just couldn’t believe it. It was so heart-warming,” Sharon said.
“It was such a memorable birthday.”
One, that little Troy will likely remember forever.
