The patrolman this year clocks up 30 years of helping people with common problems, like keys locked in the car or changing a tyre.

But sometimes he has to use a little ingenuity.

"It was a Saturday morning - this guy had spent the night on the pier at Lake Illawarra," Stocker remembers.

"His wife had kicked him out of the house, and he'd had a bit to drink.

"He'd slept on the end of the pier and dropped his keys into the water so I had to go fishing for them with a magnet on a long rod."

Stocker found the keys but there was worse news to come for the man. While his car was parked nearby someone had smashed the windows and stolen his stereo.

Stocker can be called to a job as far north as the M1 motorway at Engadine and down to Dunmore.

He says he prefers being on the road to spending his working days in a garage.

"You're out and about. I like being outside, I like being outdoors and you'll find that's the same with all the guys," he says.

"Being stuck in a workshop in summertime, wearing overalls and hovering over a hot engine is not pleasant."

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While rescuing keys locked in cars is a common job, Stocker says the increased security measures in modern cars has made it a bit trickier.

"If we can see the keys we can maybe pry the door open a bit without damaging the vehicle and then flip the key over with a long rod with a lever on the end so we can push the button to unlock it," he says.

"That way you don't actually have to get the keys out.

"I've had to fish nappies out of bags and sandwiches out of handbags because the keys are at the bottom of the bag sitting on the floor."

He doesn't mind people calling him for things they could do themselves - says it keeps his job secure - but there is one thing he'd like motorists to consider.

"Safety's a big thing - we're working on the motorways where the speed limit is 100-110km/h," he says.

"If they see our flashing lights, maybe they could slow down and give us space."