One police graduation got a beautiful surprise in the form of a marriage proposal.
78 new police officers in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand finished their training with a graduation ceremony last week.
As the event for the Wing 315 went on smoothly, Constable Erik Meechan, who was honored with the Commissioner’s Award for Leadership, slowed the program down to ask an important question. The Constable asked his boyfriend of five years, Matty Judd, to step forward.
When Judd appeared from the crowd, Meechan got down on one knee and proposed. Judd instantly said yes and the crowd cheered in approval.
An extra special graduation at police college today ?❤️??? #heputaringonit pic.twitter.com/OCyL7KqVaY
— New Zealand Police (@nzpolice) June 28, 2018
As Meechan later told the New Zealand Herald, he had struggled for a whole month on whether or not he should propose at the event. He only made the decision a few days prior.
“I wasn’t 100 percent sure until a couple days out. We actually got his ring customized and that arrived the day before so it was cutting it pretty fine,” he said.
Meechan decided to do it at the graduation ceremony because he wanted the moment to be “a bit special, a bit different.”
As for Judd, he totally understands.
“I think he wanted to do something extravagant that I would appreciate. And I did,” said the newly engaged man.
Judd then added, “It was a really good time and place, and also it’s quite rare to get all our family together in the same place, so it was good to get them all together.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner Mike Bush shared his approval and congratulations.
“It was just awesome,” he says. “The fact that Erik felt so safe and supported in that environment was a fantastic demonstration of what our core value of valuing diversity is all about.”
“I wish Eric and Matty all the very best for the future,” he added.
