Mr Symons started his career in 1966 as a motorcycle officer in Palmerston North and in 1970 was promoted to a mufti car in rural Manawatu.
The following year, he was appointed sole charge at Hunterville, the first time a traffic officer had been stationed there.
Parallel to his time as a traffic officer, Mr Symons also volunteered with the Hunterville ambulance and as a volunteer fire fighter. In 1978, he transferred to Bulls, where he remained up to his retirement today. He rose to be the chief fire officer at Bulls, a position he held for 15 years until he retired in 2007 after 35 years as a volunteer.
Before he joined the police, Mr Symons qualified as a carpenter-joiner, which he worked at for six years.
"It has been good to have that qualification," he says of the skill. Shortly after he moved to Bulls Mr Symons saw the need for an adventure playground at Clifton School, so one August holidays, he built the play equipment.
In 1995, Mr Symons became one of the first six highway officers ever to operate in the Central Districts.
This was before the National Highway Patrol section was set up. During this time, Mr Symons was responsible for getting many state highway accident corners and hazard areas rectified.
His knowledge and expertise has been sought over the years and he featured in a training video which was shown for years to new police recruits at Palmerston North. In 2000, Mr Symons was transferred to the patrol unit at Ohakea.
The 2004 floods swept through and devastated the small coastal village of Scott's Ferry. Mr Symons was responsible for evacuating the village and assisted to get an access road open through the forest that had been blocked by trees.