He was placed onto a lounge, where Constable Nelson lay until his hurried burial within the grounds of the Collector Police Station.

Now, 150 years later, the lounge has found a home at the Goulburn Police Academy.

On Wednesday, Peter and Belinda Zantis officially handed over the ‘Nelson Lounge’, which has been in the Zantis family since the early 1970s, to Police Academy Commander Julie Middlemiss.

Mr Zantis said that the heirloom had come into his family’s possession when his father Ange purchased it from the Bushranger Hotel in Collector.

“For years it sat in the foyer of the Hotel, and was quite a talking point,” Mr Zantis said.

“But something of this historical value shouldn’t be kept in a private collection.”

At the presentation on Wednesday, Acting Hume LAC Commander Evan Quarmby described the lounge as “a tangible piece of history”.

“It is an important artefact, symbolising dedication to duty and bravery for one man and his endeavours to catch notorious and dangerous local bushrangers,” A/Commander Quarmby said.

“The lounge is an important part of NSW Police history, and is a tangible link to the past for our Command.”

The story of Constable Nelson’s death is well-known. At the time, he was the lock up keeper at Collector, when Kimberley’s Inn was attacked by renowned bushrangers, Ben Hall, John Gilbert and Dunn.

With the local police out searching for the men, Constable Nelson was the sole officer left in town. When he heard of the attack on the Inn, he told his wife that he would simply “have to do my best” against the gang.

Arming himself with his police carbine and bayonet, he was shot by Dunn as he approached the Inn. Taking a shotgun blast to the chest, Constable Nelson staggered, and was shot again in the face.

He died almost instantly.

The gang robbed his body of his personal belongings and his weapon, before fleeing.

The lounge is a timely addition to the Academy’s historical collection, with the NSW Police Force this year celebrating 150 years of service.