Ron Mason earned a reputation as one of our toughest cops during nearly 40 years' service, stepping up in the face of everything from waves of attacks by rioting bikers to a gunman in a stolen tank on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. But it was a family tragedy that drove his desire to join the police force, which he did at just 16, and despite his fearless attitude, some of the traumatic events he was involved in inevitably took their toll. Warning: Graphic content