Stations: Wagga Wagga G.D’s & HWP in 1995, Tarcutta HWP ( paper transfer only ),
Batemans Bay HWP, Bodalla LUK & Jugiong LUK & HWP
Awards: No Find on Australian Honours system
Service: From ? – To 4 March 2007
Born: 1968
Illness: viral Myocarditis, this illness led to major organ failure.
Hospitalised ( St Vincent’s ) 11 September 2006
Heart bypass: 3 March 2007
Died: Sunday 4 March 2007 @ 6.15am
39 old
Funeral: 9 March 2007 at
Wagga Wagga St Johns Anglican Church ( Full Police Funeral )
Evan was Cremated and remains with the family
Memorial: NSW Police force Service Memorial Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, F31 ( left wall )
Evan contracted an illness – viral myocarditis, this illness led to major organ failure. Evan was airlifted to to Sydney St Vincent’s hospital on 11/9/2006, and was placed in a coma for several weeks until a special total heart bypass machine was bought from England.
This Machine kept Evan alive and awake until a donor heart became available.
This machine bought many months of family time that the family will be forever grateful for.
The transplant surgery was a success on the 3/3/2007 but the effects of the prolonged use of blood thinners was unable to be reversed and Evan passed away 6.15am on 4/3/2007.
Evan is survived by his wife Helen, children Hannah, Olivia and Theo Heinjus.
Evan was a much adored country cop, he always said his mouth was his best weapon and he could talk people around with his manner. Evan loved his work as a NSW Police Officer and received many Superintendent and Commissioners commendation’s and awards.
May you forever Rest In Peace Evan.
The Commissioner’s Police Remembrance Day Scholarship
On the 29th day of each September, police officers, fellow officers, wives, husbands, parents, partners, and children gather at sites across the state to remember those police officers who have lost their lives in the course of serving their community.
A commemoration is held at the NSW Police Force Wall of Remembrance in the Domain, Sydney which includes a service and prayers for those fallen officers.
As the dignitaries laid wreaths they were accompanied by some of our young Legatees. We’d like to thank Theo, Olivia and Hannah Heinjus and Brendon Speechley who laid wreaths in honour of their lost parents and all fallen officers.
Each year at the Remembrance Day Ceremony, the Commissioner’s Scholarship is presented to a young Legatee to assist with furthering their education. Congratulations to Theo Heinjus, 11, who was the 2011 recipient of this $5,000 scholarship.
Theo was only six years old when his father, Senior Constable Evan Heinjus, died from complications after a heart transplant, aged 38.
Theo received the award from NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione. “Theo is a popular and enthusiastic boy, who has exhibited a great deal of courage in dealing with the grief of his father’s death,” Commissioner Scipione said.
“He has enormous potential to reach his dreams and I hope this scholarship will assist him to reach his potential.”
The $5000 scholarship will be put into a trust fund for Theo and will be managed by NSW Police Legacy.
“I am immensely proud that he has been able to achieve this award, it will certainly make a difference to his schooling in the upcoming years,” Theo’s mother Helen Foley said.
Legatee, Olivia Heinjus aged 12 records her experience of the 2011 October Camp
below.
This year we went to the Gold Coast, staying for the week at the Christian Youth Camp (CYC). I was in a room with Maddie, Jasmine, Margaret, Eleano and the new girls, Catlin & Katie.
On the first day we went to Dreamworld and I’m sure everyone loved it. I personally had a thrilling time because I went on the CLAW. Lara and Amy dragged me on to it!
On Monday we did stand up paddle boarding and surfing. The weather wasn’t great and some of us were being blown away by the wind but standing up paddle boarding was so much fun!
On Tuesday we did canoeing and tubing and it was great. While we were tubing Iveta and James did a switch and swapped sides and Callum and Mitch tried to flip it.
On Wednesday we went to Wet ‘n Wild and had lots of fun on all the rides. On Thursday we went to the movies at this giant shopping centre and after our movie we went shopping.
Friday was goodbye. When we landed Theo and I were back in our mothers arms. We had a great time and can’t wait to go on our next camp.
Evan is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Evan is NOT mentioned on the Retired Police Association Vale list
Evan IS mentioned on the NSW Police Memorial Wall , Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, F31 ( left wall )
Location of Church Service [codepeople-post-map]
Edmund ‘Ted’ John Patrick COLLINS
04/12/2014
Edmund ‘Ted’ John Patrick COLLINS
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # ?
Joined via the NSW Police Cadets on 21 April 1947
Cadet # 653
Resigned about 1957
Stations:
Died 8 August 2014 St Joseph’s Aged Care Home, Kensington, Sydney.
83 old
Funeral 19 August 2014, 2pm in Darwin
Edmund John Patrick COLLINS
Edmund John Patrick COLLINS ( Supplied by Catholic Church )
Darwin, December 24, 2004. Bishop Ted Collins near the location he was sitting at when Cyclone Tracy struck. The bishop was giving a midnight mass radio broadcast when the cyclone hit, smashing the glass windows above him. Luckily those directly above him were spared and he did not get showered with glass. Cyclone Tracy, packing winds of up to 217 kph, struck in the early hours of Christmas day, 1974. The cyclone demolished 90 percent of Darwin’s buildings, killed 66 and left 45,000 people homeless. (AAP Image/Paul Benjafield) NO ARCHIVING
Death of Bishop Ted Collins, Former N.S.W.P.
Former N.S.W. Police Officer Edmund (Ted) Collins died on 08.08.14. He was also the Emeritus Catholic Bishop of Darwin. I regrettably don’t know his service history in the Job.Below is an excerpt taken from the Catholic Diocese of Darwin’s website. I met the then Father Collins when I started at the B.C.I. in 1981. I lived at Randwick then, and he was Parish Priest there. I doubt we ever agreed on anything religion-related, but he wasn’t a bad bloke, and I was surprised to learn he’d been in the Job. When he was appointed Bishop of Darwin in 1986, it was probably the first time a Bishop was featured in Police News!!!Dis.
via TBL Website Forum
http://www.tbl.australianpolice.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=19094++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Bishop Edmund John Patrick Collins, familiarly known as Bishop Ted, died late on Friday night, August 8, at St Joseph’s Aged Care Home in Kensington, Sydney. At the actual time of his death, his older sister, Madge, her son and daughter, Gerard and Anne and Father Pat Austin MSC were present.
Throughout the day and indeed over preceding days, many Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from the adjoining Monastery, many Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart as well as friends and relatives visited him.
Bishop Ted had been declining in health over recent months, with multiple and ongoing health issues.
Bishop Ted was 83 years of age. He was Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Darwin for 21 years from 1986 to 2007. He was a man of great kindness and pastoral gifts, much loved not only by members of his own Faith, but by all who came in contact with him.
A Requiem Mass will be celebrated in St Mary’s Cathedral, Darwin and Bishop Ted’s body will be laid to rest in the Crypt of the Cathedral.
The funeral for Bishop Ted will be held at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Cathedral on Tuesday, August 19, at 2.00pm.
May his gentle soul rest in peace.
Bishop Eugene Hurley
Bishop of Darwin.
Location of Death in SydneyLocation of Funeral & Interment in Darwin
Ted Collins Village is a 20-unit housing complex that provides accommodation on 6 to 12 month leases for people in Darwin. The Village was opened in 2011 and is named after Bishop Edmund ‘Ted’ Collins who led the Catholic Church in the Territory for more than 20 years. The facility was built in response to Darwin’s extreme housing crisis, which has contributed to a high occupancy rate and to large numbers of people and families living in poverty in the area. We provide property management services to the tenants of Ted Collins Village. We ask that tenants retain the referring agency as their case manager and therefore that resident’s transition out of the Village within the 12 month period is stipulated in the lease.
SOMETHING BETTER: Edmund ‘Ted’ Collins answered a call to “something better”
By Damir Govorcin, Published in 2003.
Why did Ted Collins toss in a promising career in the NSW police force to join the priesthood? Well, says Ted, now the Bishop of Darwin: “It was like indigestion … the idea kept coming back up”.
The bishop’s trademark sense of humour and easygoing nature have made him a much-loved figure in NSW, South Australia and the Northern Territory over the past 40 years.
This year, to mark the 40th anniversary of his ordination, celebrations were organised at St Mary’s Cathedral in Darwin and at his former parish in Randwick, where he had two stints as parish priest at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (1964-67 and 1978-85).
His former parishioners showed their appreciation by packing a function room at Randwick Racecourse for a luncheon and concert to celebrate the life of a man they call “a true shepherd”.
“Bishop Collins is such a wonderful person, and he is greatly missed at Randwick,” said parishioner Joan Taylor.
“With his genial disposition, he has overcome many obstacles in his life and I pray that he will spend many more years looking after the Top End.”
Bishop Collins says he has been overwhelmed by the love and support he has received over the years, and was delighted to “return home” to Randwick to see so many old friends.
“I spent 12 years at Randwick, so it has a special place in my heart,” he says. “It was terrific to see so many familiar faces and I was amazed by the turnout.”
Ted Collins, the youngest of five children in an Irish-Catholic family, grew up in Bermagui on the NSW far south coast.
He was a keen sportsman and loved surfing, cricket, golf, rugby league, rugby union and Australian Rules.
“Bermagui was great place to grow up,” he says. “There was always plenty to do.
“I was always active and tried my hand at many different sports.
“I’ve got nothing but happy memories from my childhood.” There were tough times, though.
He was only five when his mother died, leaving his policeman father the task of raising five children on his own.
“It was a big blow, losing Mum at such a young age,” says Bishop Collins.
“It put a lot of pressure on Dad, but he did a great job.
“Just my sister Madge and I are alive.”
It was only natural that Bishop Collins would follow in his father’s footsteps, joining the police force at the age of 16.
He was based in Sydney for eight years, describing his tenure as a policeman “as some of the happiest times of my life”.
“Becoming a policeman was something that was in the blood and it was my way of helping serve the community,” he says.
“I saw some gruesome things, but that was part of the job.
“I had happy memories in the police force and I wouldn’t have left the job if I wasn’t going on to something better.
“I would lock someone up while they were getting sober, but I didn’t feel I was helping them enough.”
The “something better” that was beckoning him was the priesthood.
And, in July 1963, at the age of 32 he was ordained by Cardinal Gilroy.
Apart from his two stints as parish priest at Randwick, Bishop Collins served in the parishes of Hindmarsh, Adelaide (1968-70), and Nightcliff, Darwin (1971).
He became superior of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in the Northern Territory and director of Catholic Missions in the Territory (1972-77) before he was ordained Bishop of Darwin in 1986.
“I always felt drawn to the priesthood,” he says. “I wanted to do something better with my life.
“I felt being a priest gave me more of a chance to help someone by getting to know them and helping them with their problems.
“I haven’t had any regrets with the choice I made.”
Bishop Collins will never forget the night Cyclone Tracy destroyed Darwin in 1974.
He was attending Midnight Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral when the cyclone hit on Christmas Eve, smashing everything in its path.
“We were told that the cyclone was going to hit at six on Christmas morning, but by 11.30pm it had hit and it was the most terrifying experience of my life,” he recalls.
“I will never forget the roar of the wind … the lights went out in the cathedral and windows were smashing, with glass all over the place.
“It was a devastating time … many lives were lost and people’s homes were totally destroyed. I didn’t get any sleep that night and I said a few decades of the rosary.”
Bishop Collins says he was excited to be appointed Bishop of Darwin, but he had a “gut feeling that it was going to happen”.
“Before I went on a sabbatical to New Mexico I knew that I was in contention for the position, so it wasn’t a shock when I got the job,” he says.
“When I got a call in the middle of the night from my provincial to say I was appointed, I didn’t think twice about accepting the position.”
His reign as bishop hasn’t been without controversy.
He campaigned strongly against the Northern Territory Parliament’s decision to legalise euthanasia.
The Federal Government overturned the decision, banning euthanasia in the Territory.
“Euthanasia is murder and you can’t legalise murder,” the bishop says. “I fought tooth and nail, along with many other people, to stop it. “And, thank God, it was banned.
“I have sympathy for people in pain, but it’s not the way out. “God will take you when he wants to.”
Despite heart bypass surgery a few years ago, the 72-year-old bishop shows no signs of slowing down.
“I went in for back surgery, but then the doctor told me I needed a bypass,” he says.
“I can still play golf, but walking long distances can be a struggle.”
Asked what he will do in retirement, Bishop Collins says: “Probably play more golf”
LIFE STORY: BISHOP TED COLLINS MSC
LIFE STORY: BISHOP TED COLLINS MSC
Ted Collins, former Bishop of Darwin, dies aged 83
Bishop Ted Collins, who was the Bishop of Darwin for 21 years, has died aged 83, reports the ABC on Yahoo7.
Bishop Ted, as he was known, died late on Friday at the St Joseph’s Aged Care Home in Kensington in Sydney, a statement from the Church said.
He was Bishop of Darwin between 1986 and 2007.
‘He was a man of great kindness and pastoral gifts, much loved not only by members of his own faith, but by all who came in contact with him,’ said Darwin’s current Bishop, Eugene Hurley.
Bishop Ted did not rush to become a priest, working in the police force until he was 24 before deciding to join the priesthood. ‘I had this sort of longing to follow the Lord a bit closer and I said “but I have to go back to school to learn Latin for instance”… so I decided to do it, I launched out into the deep,’ he told the ABC in 2007.
While working in the NT on Indigenous Catholic Missions Bishop Ted encouraged the use of Aboriginality in faith, allowing didgeridoos and clap-sticks to be played during masses.
Bishop Ted was also an outspoken opponent of the NT’s voluntary euthanasia laws, which he believed could be perilous for disadvantaged people.
Interred 1 August 2014 – HENRY KENDALL GARDENS – ROSE GARDEN 40 – Position 0056
Henry BRENNAN
How is this for a group of legends? Around ’75 and Harry BRENNAN is giving the Maroubra HWP people a stir up, Bob ALLGOOD is behind him, Stevo Bill White and Jerry AMBROSE. Four out of the six have gone.
Harry (Henry) BRENNAN GM, 86 old, former Regd. No. 6424, an Unattached member of Caringbah.
Henry passed away on 01/06/2014 and his funeral is proposed to be held at 9am on Friday 6th Instant at Southern Chapel, Woronora Crematorium, SUTHERLAND
Funeral location: Dress is winter uniform (leather jacket) plus full size medals. For plain clothes Police it is suitable day dress with medals.
[codepeople-post-map]
Not all names come up in the 1968 ‘ Stud Book ‘ Inscription: Traffic cyclists L – R: Jack ” Happy Jack ” AGNEW ( NSWPF # ??? ), Col ” Smoothie ” COGLE, Joe Dainer, Max ” Slobber ” Robertson, Harry ” Bren ” BRENNAN ( NSWPF # 6424 ), John Ackroyd, Charlie Spicer ( NSWPF # 7263? ), Dino Tallon, Brian ‘ Boofa ” Skyes and Wally ” Sockeye ” Salmon. Names are from an article in an old Retired Police Journal by Harry BRENNAN, which featured the photo. I am guessing mid 60’s, leather caps have given way to black helmets and BMW’s instead of the earlier Triumphs. Looks like Centennial Park – possibly on delivery of the BMW’s??? https://www.flickr.com/photos/nswpoliceforce/5599527423/in/photostream/
Constable Harry Brennan – 14 October 1954
The Sydney Morning Herald Thursday 14 October 1954 page 1 of 32
Two Policemen Shot In Wild 80-m.p.h. Chase Across City:
Dragnet Out For Gunman
In Sydney’s biggest manhunt hundreds of police last night and early this morning were searching for a gunman who had shot and wounded two police, during an 80-mile-an-hour chase through eastern and southern suburbs.
The gunman wounded Sergeant Neville Townsend and Constable John Melton ( both of Bondi ).
Sergeant Townsend was shot in the ring finger of the right hand, which was later amputated.
Constable Melton was shot under the left arm.
Police have been told that earlier the gunman fired five shots over the head of a woman at Manly and threatened to shoot her dead.
He then made off in a grey sedan car with a Victorian number-plate.
Constable Harry Brennan, a motor cyclist of the Safety Bureau, heard the description of the car over the police radio.
He was patrolling Bondi Promenade five minutes later when he saw the wanted car being driven slowly past him.
The driver saw that he was being followed but he still did not hurry.
SOUNDED SIREN
Constable Brennan sounded his siren as they passed Bondi Police Station.
The crew of the Bondi police truck – Sergeant Townsend, Constable Melton and Constable Len Ryan – heard the siren and ran out.
They jumped in the truck and joined in the chase.
The truck drew level with the car at the end of Blair Street. The car driver leant out and the shooting started.
Police said that Sergeant Townsend’s handcuffs saved his life. A bullet fired by the gunman passed through Sergeant Townsend’s clothing and struck his handcuffs, hanging from his belt.
The handcuffs deflected the bullet, which only grazed the skin around Sergeant Townsend’s ribs.
A second bullet hit him on the hand.
A shot passed through Constable Ryan’s cap just above the badge.
Another shot broke a glass wind deflector.
Police in the truck, Constable Brennan, and the driver were firing together at one stage.
One bullet whistled past Constable Brennan’s face. Constable Melton, who was driving the van, had his revolver ready but did not fire any shots. He received a bullet under the left arm, but continued to drive the van while Constable Ryan called other police cars to the scene.
When the other cars arrived the Bondi police van pulled out of the chase and took the injured officers to St. Vincent’s Hospital.
The man fired about seven shots. Constable Brennan did not know that the police in the truck had been hit. He chased the car when the driver, apparently having emptied his magazine, stopped firing and increased his speed.
Police think that the man must have reloaded while driving.
The car entered Birriga Road, slewed round at a bend and nearly overturned.
Constable Brennan, who was following close behind, nearly crashed into the side of the car.
The driver leant out and fired a shot point blank at Constable Brennan but it missed.
The chase continued through Bondi Junction, along Oxford Street, down Lang Road into Robb Road and into Anzac Parade.
CYCLE HIT
In Robb Road, approaching Centennial Park, Constable Brennan drew close to the racing car. The man slowed down suddenly and swerved across the road.
The car struck Constable Brennan’s motor cycle and sent it careering sideways, but he managed to keep it from crashing.
The man leaned out of the window and fired a shot at Constable Brennan.
The car then entered Anzac Parade at Moore Park and headed south and the man fired two more shots both of which missed.
A car in Anzac Parade near Cleveland Street was struck and hurled on to the footpath.
Soon after the fugitive car crashed into another car and then almost immediately scraped past the front of another car.
The driver braked just in time to stop a serious crash.
The fugitive swerved repeatedly in attempts to wreck Constable Brennan’s motor cycle.
Constable Brennan fired five shots during the chase and he thinks several of them hit the car.
The car was travelling at about 80 m.p.h. when it approached Prince Henry Hospital.
Constable Brennan raised his pistol to fire the last shot in the magazine, but the bullet jammed in the barrel.
The car then swerved hard to the right past St. Michael’s Golf Course. Constable Brennan had to stop when his pistol became useless.
He ran into the hospital and called for reinforcements.
A man who resembled the fugitive was seen at Yarra Bay about 10.30 p.m. and shortly afterwards near Bunnerong Power-house.
Practically every available police car in Sydney was sent to the La Perouse and Bunnerong area.
Hundreds of police, armed with pistols and “shot guns,” began to search St. Michael’s golf course and the surrounding area.
It was thought the gunman might have taken cover on the golf course.
“FROGMAN”
About midnight police began to think that the fugitive had slipped through their cordon.
The man is believed to know the area very well and in the few minutes he had after escaping from Constable Brennan he might have had time to double back possibly by the road running between Bunnerong power station and Botany Bay.
This would have enabled him to reach Botany Road and reach the southern suburbs while he was still thought to be at La Perouse.
The man is said to be an accomplished “frogman” and a strong swimmer. Police think he could have swum out to a ship or yacht anchored in Botany Bay.
Early to-day police were searching a tanker anchored in Botany Bay.
A police launch from Blakehurst was speeding to Botany Bay to assist in the search.
POLICE PUZZLED
Police are puzzled by the fact that they have not been able to find the grey car, which is believed to be bullet scarred.
Detectives have considered the possibility that the man realised he could not escape unobserved in the car and drove it over the cliffs before trying to escape on foot.
Using searchlights they began a yard by yard search last night of the cliff edges for tyre marks.
Squads of police made an intensive search of caravans, humpies, sheds, backyards, and other buildings at Yarra Bay and nearby.
Other police searched among the tombstones of the Botany cemetery.
Aborigines from the settlement assisted police in the search.
Police, outside Prince Henry Hospital confer on moves in the search for the gunman. On the left is Constable Harry Brennan who exchanged shots with the gunman.
Sunday Mail ( Brisbane, Qld ) Sunday 17 October 1954 page 1 of 36
‘DON’T SHOOT’ : GUNMAN’S PLEA TO POLICE AT CAPTURE HUNT ENDS ON THIRD DAY
Offender – Robert Brown
SYDNEY— After the grimmest manhunt New South Wales has known Robert Michael Brown, 20, surrendered to two young police officers on Bushrangers’ Hill, in the Sydney suburb, Newport, at 11.25 a.m. yesterday. Brown, who was dirty arid dishevelled, was hiding in a crevice under a clump of bushes when the police arrested him.
With their guns drawn, the two policemen, Constables Clive Curtayne and George Spowart, stood over Brown as he crouched in the bushes and ordered him to surrender.
“Throw up your hands and submit quietly or we will shoot,” Constable Curtayne ordered. Rising slowly to his feet and with both hands’ in the air, Brown said: “I’ve had it. Don’t shoot. You’re too good. I’m all in. Give me a break. I’ve thrown my gun away. I’ll go quietly.” Brown’s capture was the climax to the biggest search on land, sea, and air in the history of New South Wales. He had been at liberty for 62½ hours. The police search for Brown began on Wednesday night after two police men had been shot in a running gun battle between Bondi and La Perouse.
Ate meal
Brown threw back his head and stared defiantly at police and Press while his picture was taken from all angles. He made no attempt to conceal his face and made a couple of half-hearted wise cracks to photographers as the bulbs flashed. With the Commissioner of Police ( Mr. C. J. Delaney ) in the front seat, Brown was driven to the Collaroy Police Station where he dictated a long statement.
[blockquote]While making the statement Brown ate ravenously and gulped down several cups of water. Later he smoked cigarettes and drank tea. [/blockquote]
It is understood that Brown commandeered the trawler Aklavic from The Spit about 9 p.m. on Friday and sailed it out of Sydney Harbour. The trawler struck heavy seas late on Friday night and about 1 a.m. yesterday it is believed that Brown dived overboard. Brown told police that the trawler was running against a strong wind and a high tide. The vessel was found firmly aground on the sand on Newport Beach. It showed no signs of serious damage.
‘The swim knocked it out of me.” Brown told police. “I didn’t think I would make the shore. I’ve had practically no sleep since last Wednesday. It’s been a terrible business.”
After receiving countless false alarms, police finally pinpointed Brown soon after 9.15 a.m. yesterday, when residents sighted him on Bushrangers’ Hill.
No shoes
An anonymous phone caller told police: “Brown is at Newport on Bushrangers’ Hill. He has just gone into a house. I think the house is unoccupied.”
About 20 police cars, police trucks, and motor cycle police gathered at the foot of the hill, and the hunt began. A shout went up when Brown was sighted by police about 300 yards from a house.
Brown, who was wearing a light sweatshirt, shorts, and gaberdine overcoat, was barefooted when police caught him.
He showed only one visible sign of injury — a deep scratch on the left side of the face.
He looked a picture of misery when police handcuffed him and marched him back to the main road, where scores of police had been posted.
His shoulders sagged, and he was limping. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had a stubble of beard on his chin.
Had limp
At times police had to hold him up as he staggered through the dense bush back to the road. Placed in a police car between the two arresting officers. Brown said wearily: “There’s no doubt about you boys, you’re too hot.” “For God’s sake, give me a cigarette, and I want a drink of water. I’m thirsty and I’m hungry.” ‘There was no need to worry about a gun. I threw it away. It went into the water. I had to throw it away.”
Brown’s grandmother, Mrs. Florence Brown, said to-day: “My grandson, Bobbie, is ill . . . mentally very ill … I am sure of it.”
Last Tuesday he had told her : “I’ve got women-trouble Nan. Bad women-trouble.” Mrs. Brown said Brown’s wife had a maintenance order out against him. His parents had divorced when he was about 16, and his father, a dog trainer; now lived at Southport, Queensland.
After Brown had been questioned he was charged with the following: —
Shooting with intent to murder Constable Harry Brennan, Detective Sergeant N Townsend, and Constable Len Ryan.
Stealing a diesel trawler, valued at £5000, the property of Dr. T. J. Cottee, sen., dentist, of Military Road, Mosman.
Disobeying a maintenance order. Having in his possession a motor car stolen from another State.
Police refused bail and Brown will appear before the Central Court of Petty Sessions tomorrow.
Find car
Police late yesterday found a stolen Victorian car, in dense bush on St. Michael’s golf course near Malabar with seven bullet holes in it. The car was reported stolen from Victoria at the beginning of the week.
On Wednesday night about 25 shots were exchanged by police and a man in the car during a chase.
DETECTIVES escort fugitive gunman Robert Michael Brown, 20, to a waiting police car after his capture yesterday. — RADIOPHOTO.
The Sun-Herald ( Sydney ) Sunday 24 October 1954 page 40 of 64
FEATURES
A Worried Young Man Has –
ONE LESS FEAR
By A Staff Correspondent
ROBERT MICHAEL BROWN, the 20-year-old ex-skin diver who sits today in Long Bay Gaol on remand, has at least one thing less to worry him at the moment. He has not got T.B.
AS 300 police, armed with sub-machine guns, turned Sydney into what seemed like Chicago on-Sea the week before last, word spread that Brown was worried about a spot on his lung.
Pleas to surrender went out from his girl friend. Relatives said he needed medical treatment.
He was reported to be extremely worried about the condition of his lungs. This amounted, it was said, almost to a phobia with him.
But last week that fear ended. Under a heavily armed escort of prison officers, Brown was taken from behind the big walls of Long Bay Gaol to the Prince Henry Hospital for an X-ray examination.
This showed that his lungs were clear.
Back in Long Bay the young man spends much of his time in a padded cell under constant observation.
Glass panels give prison officers a view of him, even as he sleeps.
However, he is not isolated in the observation block. Every day about 35 other detained men are his companions, and with them Brown plays handball, cards, and chess.
The only member of his family to see him in the gaol so far has been his father.
Last week, only a few minutes walk from Long Bay’s grim walls, a “Sun Herald” reporter visited Brown’s grandmother. Mrs. Florence Brown.
Her well-kept, modern, little brick home in Anzac Parade, Maroubra, was shuttered against inquisitive eyes.
A doctor’s car stood outside. Mrs. Brown peered through the half-open door and nervously said that her grandson’s alleged escapade had no effect on her apart from the worry and strain.
People had left her alone.
She had not been bothered by the curious.
She obviously intends to stay that way, for she shut the door very firmly as she said: “I don’t think I had better say anything at all now.”
Brown will appear in court on November 1.
He is charged with wounding two policemen with intent to murder them; shooting at two other policemen with intent to murder them; having an unlicensed pistol and a stolen car in his possession; and stealing the trawler Aklavic from The Spit on October 14.
Queensland Times ( Ipswich ) Wednesday 3 November 1954 page 3 of 8
Policeman’s Claim:
“FIRED AT FROM 10ft., BUT MISSED”
SYDNEY, Nov. 2. – A motor cycle policeman said today that Robert Michael Brown (20) had fired at him from a distance of 10ft., but missed. The policeman, Constable Harry Brennan, was giving evidence in the Central Court in the hearing of seven charges against Brown.
Brown was charged with having attempted to murder four policemen, having carried an unlicensed revolver, possessed a stolen car, and stolen a £5000 trawler.
Police have alleged that Brown tried to murder the police officers when he fired at them during an 80 mile an-hour car chase through Sydney streets on October 13.
Constable Brennan described how he questioned Brown on October 13, at Bondi, about the Holden car he was driving. The car had been reported stolen from Victoria. Brennan said he asked Brown to follow him to the police station.
Brown had agreed, but instead accelerated the car and drove at the police motor cycle. The car collided with the cycle and then drove off.
Brennan said he followed the car, and saw Brown lean out the window and fire a shot in his direction. The chase sped past Bondi Police Station, and a police van carrying three policemen joined in.
[blockquote]Brennan said at one stage during the chase Brown aimed at him from 10ft. away, but the bullet struck the ground between the motor cycle’s wheels. Brennan said his gun jammed, and Brown eluded the police pursuers. [/blockquote]
Constable Clive Curtayne said he and another officer arrested Brown on October 16 near the beach at Newport, 11 miles north of Sydney. Brown told them he had jumped overboard to swim to shore from the trawler Aklavic.
Curtayne said Brown told the police he would have shot them if he had not lost his gun in the swim for the shore. The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.
Barrier Daily Truth ( Broken Hill, NSW ) Thursday 4 November 1954 page 2 of 8
GUNMAN FOR TRIAL
Sydney, November 3. — In Central Court today Robert Michael Brown, 20, was committed for trial on seven charges, including four of having attempted to murder policemen.
Mr. Beavers, S.M. refused bail and directed that Brown should stand trial at Central Criminal Court next Monday.
When he was asked if he had anything to say, Brown replied: “I have nothing to say, Your Worship.” During the proceedings Brown stood stiffly erect, with his fists clenched, and stared sternly ahead.
Illawarra Daily Mercury ( Wollongong, NSW ) Wednesday 8 December 1954 PAGE 1 of 12
Date Fixed For Hearing
SYDNEY, Tues. — Robert Michael Brown will stand trial in Central Criminal Court next March.
Brown, 20, of Darley Rd., Manly, is charged with having in October, wounded a police officer and shot at another with intent to prevent arrest, with possessing an unlicensed pistol and with larceny.
Brown is at present in custody in Long Bay gaol.
Mr. Justice Dovey, in Central Criminal Court today, adjourned the trial till the first week in March on the application of solicitor, Mr. P. Roach, who made no application for bail.
The Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 8 December 1954 page 11 of 36
TRIAL OF BROWN
IN MARCH
Mr. Justice Dovey yesterday adjourned the trial of Robert Michael Brown until the March sittings of the Central Criminal Court.
Brown, 20, labourer, of Darley Road, Manly, was committed for trial at Central Court of Petty Sessions on November 3, on seven charges.
Indictments for Brown’s trial have not yet been laid, but he was committed on charges of having wounded a sergeant and a constable with intent to murder, having shot at two constables with intent
to murder, having used an unlicensed pistol, having been in possession of a car stolen from Melbourne, and larceny.
Brown’s solicitor. Mr. P. N. Roach, asked Mr. Justice Dovey yesterday to postpone the trial to enable him to interview a number of witnesses and obtain evidence.
Brown was in gaol, and no application would be made for bail, he said. Brown, therefore, would have to remain in gaol until the trial.
CAR REPAIRS
The Senior Crown Prosecutor, Mr. W. J. Knight, said the Crown did not object to the trial being stood over, but said the owner of the car, which would be an exhibit in the case, would like to have the car repaired.
Mr. Roach said he had no objection to photographs of the car being used in evidence.
The North Western Courier ( Narrabri, NSW ) Monday 28 March 1955 page 1 of 10
Manhunt Ends IN COURT
SYDNEY, Monday,
The central figure in a dramatic police search last October, Robert Michael Brown, (20) of Darley Rd., Manly, pleaded guilty to seven charges in the Central Criminal Court today.
Two of the charges alleged Brown maliciously wounded two police officers with intent to prevent his lawful apprehension, and two others alleged he shot at two other policemen to prevent lawful apprehension.
Brown also pleaded guilty to having in his possession a stolen car, without lawful excuse, having used a pistol, without a license, and, having stolen a trawler from Mosman.
Robert Michael Brown, 21, of Darley Road, Manly, pleaded guilty in Central Criminal Court today to four charges of shooting at police.
Detective Inspector Aldridge described the manhunt in Sydney last october in which Brown was alleged to have exchanged a number of shots with police.
The four charges were malicious shooting at Bondi of Sgt. Neville Bernard Townsend and Constables Henry Brennan, Leonard Ryand and Charles Melton, with intent to prevent arrest.
Brown also pleaded guilty to three other charge, relating to the possession of a stolen car, use of a pistol without a licence and the stealing of a trawler.
Inspector Aldridge said that last October a message was received from the Melbourne C.I.B. stating that Brown had left Melbourne in a stolen car with the intention of shooting his wife in Sydney.
After threatening his wife with a gun, she agreed to withdraw the warrant if he did not shoot her, Aldridge said.
Brown was detained at Bondi by Constable Brennan.
Brown swerved his car at Brennan’s motor cycle and drove off.
Brown fired a shot at Constable Brennan and later fired four more shots, all of which struck a police truck.
More shots were fired during the chase, and one struck Sgt. Townsend on a finger, which was later amputated.
The next day Brown boarded the trawler Aklavic and headed out to sea.
Inspector Aldridge said Brown swam ashore at Newport and was arrested.
Aldridge said Brown had told him he intended to shoot himself at Melbourne but he did not have the nerve.
Brown had said that he had never intended to injure the police, but had fired so that “they would get serious and shoot me.”
Mr. Justice MacGuire remanded Brown for medical observation before passing sentence.
The Argus ( Melbourne ) Friday 22 April 1955 page 5 of 26
Crown appeal on sentence
SYDNEY, Thursday : The Crown will appeal against a five years’ gaol sentence imposed on Robert Michael Brown, 21, frogman, for a number of offences, including maliciously shooting at police.
Mr. Sheahan, Attorney General, said today he had directed that an appeal be lodged.
On March 31 Judge Maguire imposed two sentences of five years, one of three years, two years, and one of six months’ gaol, , on Brown.
The Canberra Times Tuesday 22 November 1955 page 5 of 8
Cooma Police In Bravery Awards
SYDNEY, Monday.
Six policemen who took part in gun battles have been awarded bravery medals by the Queen, the Governor, Sir John Northcoft, announced to-day.
They are:
Constable Henry Brennan (George Medal), Sergeant Neville Townsend, Constable Leonard Eyan and Charles John Melton (British Empire Medals) for their part in the capture of Robert Michael Brown in October, 1954.
Sergeant Alfred Edmund Frederick Chapman and Constable William Alexander Graham (British Empire Medals), who shot dead Canadian migrant Harry Edgar Rymal, in a gun duel at Cooma in May this year.
In the Cooma gun battle, Rymal was shot by Constable Graham, as he was about to shoot Sergeant Chapman at almost point blank range.
Rymal and the police exchanged 10 shots at a range of less than 20ft. during the fight.
Earlier Rymal had dragged a woman acquaintance from a Cooma hotel and shot her in the thigh as she lay in a shop doorway.
The George Medal was granted to Henry Brennan on the 22 November 1955 as a result of apprehending an armed man during a shootout whilst pursuing the offender(s) on his motor cycle.
On the 8 June 1988, Henry was granted the National Medal.
May Henry forever Rest In Peace
Cal
Updated 20 December 2025 with Maroubra HWP Photo and further links.
Jason Guilbert BAKER
04/12/2014
Jason Guilbert BAKER
Late of ?
AKA Jase, Packa, Paka, Packaroon,
NSW Police Academy – Goulburn – Class 234
New South Wales Police Force
ProCst # 99740
Regd. # 25194
Rank: Commenced Training at Goulburn Police Academy on 15 February 1988 ( aged 18 years, 9 months, 16 days )( spent 2 months, 21 days at Academy )( Start of a new, and worthless, Superannuation scheme for Police as of 1 April 1988 )
Probationary Constable – appointed 6 May 1988 ( aged 19 years & 6 days )
Sergeant –
Final Rank = Sergeant
Stations: ?, Maroubra ( 1980s ), Paddington ( 1990s ), Barrier, Broken Hill, Walgett, Castlereagh and Darling River LAC’s
Service: From 15 February 1988 to 13 January 2014= 25years, 10 months, 2 days Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: Wednesday 30 April 1969
Died on: Monday 13 January 2014
Age: 44 years, 8 months, 14 days
Cause: Illness – Depression – Suicide
Event location: Walgett, NSW
Event date: ?
Funeral date: Friday 24 January 2014, 11am
Funeral location: Holy Family Catholic Church, 214 Maroubra Rd, Maroubra
Wake location: Maroubra Seals Club
Funeral Parlour: ?
Buried at: Cremated
Memorial located at: NSW Police force Service Memorial Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, D21 ( right wall )
Memorials: Jason Baker Memorial Cup
JASON IS mentioned on the Sydney Police Centre Memorial Wall
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
Sergeant Jason Baker sadly passed away on Monday 13 January 2014. He leaves behind a young family.
His funeral will be held on Friday 24 January at the Holy Family Church in Maroubra followed by a private cremation.
The wake will then be at the Maroubra Seals Club. I am not sure of times etc. at this early stage.
Do NOT listen to rumour about the circumstances surrounding this terrible tragedy. Jason was a great man and a great cop and this is time to celebrate his life and pass on condolences to his family.
Deepest condolences to his wife, Alison, and daughters McKenzie & ?.
On Wednesday 18th June, 2014, Police from the Barrier, Castlereagh and Darling River LAC’s met at Cobar to compete for the inaugural “Jason Baker Memorial Cup”.
The event was in remembrance for Sergeant Baker who worked at each of the three Commands.
With Police Bank as a major sponsor the event raised over $5,000 for Jason’s wife and 3 daughters. A huge congratulations and well done to all the teams who participated.
Today in Port Macquarie we had the privilege of attending the annual Jason Baker Memorial Cup, held each year in memory of Sergeant Jason Baker. It was a huge day of touch footy, with teams from around the district competing in a round-robin tournament. After a fiercely fought contest, the Meerkats emerged victorious, with the Hogs coming in a very credible second place. Thanks to all competitors and organisers, and a huge thank you for the money raised for Police Legacy in support of our Police Family.
At the end of October in Port Macquarie, we had the privilege of attending the annual Jason Baker Memorial Cup, held each year in memory of Sergeant Jason Baker. It was a huge day of touch footy, with teams from around the district competing in a round-robin tournament. After a fiercely fought contest, the Meerkats emerged victorious, with the Hogs coming in a very credible second place. Thanks to all competitors and organisers, and a huge thank you for the money raised for Police Legacy in support of our Police Family.
Two people have been arrested after a senior police officer died after sustaining critical injuries in an axe attack in Sydney’s north-west.
Police say Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson was among a number of officers called to a dispute between neighbours at ScheyvilleRoad in Oakville about 2pm (AEDT).
About two hours later, Detective Inspector Anderson was seriously injured in what is understood to have been an axe attack.
Det Insp Bryson Anderson killed with an axe on Thu 061212
After treatment by paramedics he was rushed to Windsor Hospital in a critical condition but died a short time later.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said a 19-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman had been arrested at the scene and taken to Windsor Police Station where they were assisting investigators with their inquiries.
Mr Scipione said Detective Inspector Anderson was from a police family and had left a wife and three children.
“They are, as you imagine, distraught, but taking strong support from not only their immediate family, but the police family.
“We will console officers that were part of this particular operation.
“They, as you would also imagine, are traumatised and all support services have been put around them.
“I’ve got to say the strength and courage that is being shown inside (the hospital), not only by the police that are there, but also by the family, is incredible.”
Photo: Police say the officer was called to a dispute between neighbours in Oakville.
Det Insp Bryson Anderson killed with an axe on Thu 061212
Mr Scipione said he could not provide too many details of the events leading up to the attack given the investigation was in its early stages.
“I understand the (neighbourhood) dispute did involve the use of some weapons, but again having said that, we want to get to the bottom of this investigation before we start making too many statements,” he said.
“Suffice to say it was a violent neighbourhood incident that caused the police to attend and there were many police there.
“Some time after they first attended, there was an interaction which led to the death of Inspector Anderson.
“I understand they were trying to communicate with affected parties and were looking to resolve this peacefully.”
Mr Scipione said Detective Inspector Anderson had worked for him more than 10 years ago and paid tribute to his skills as an investigator.
“He was nothing short of a role model to those officers that come after him,” he said.
“Today is a stark reminder how dangerous this job is. These people do this in such a way they put their lives before the lives of others.
“You have an idea what the price is today.”
Anyone with information about the incident are being asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers website.
RIP Bryson
A tribute from our Commissioner
Today ( Wednesday 12 December 2012) we honour a brave man. Bryson Anderson. A police officer, and so much more.
A man who was so deeply respected by the community in which he lived, worked and devoted much of his spare time.
A true man of the people. His service to the community was far greater than simply those days when he wore that blue uniform with such pride and distinction. And of course, Bryson was a loving husband, father and brother to his own family. To this family we owe so much. A debt of gratitude for the support you gave Bryson as he went about his duties. Police officers understand that each day they go to work, they put their lives on the line. This tragedy reminds us all of the sacrifice that goes with that understanding. Our community will always rely on men and women of courage who are willing to put up their hands to serve and protect. Bryson Anderson stood tall in their ranks. Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson, friend, you have left us with an enduring legacy, a standard to which we can all aspire and for which we are forever grateful. You will always be remembered.
Andrew Scipione
12 December 2012
Valedictory for Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson
Date
As delivered by NSW Police Force Commissioner Andrew Scipione APM
At 3.30pm on the 6th of December 2012, Detective Inspector Bryson Charles Anderson arrived at the scene of a neighbourhood dispute at Oakville near Windsor that had escalated beyond all reason.
He went to lend support to fellow officers who were seeking to bring matters to a peaceful resolution.
It was not to be.
The approach of police was resisted and Detective Inspector Anderson was fatally wounded.
Detective Inspector Anderson was rushed by ambulance to Hawkesbury Hospital but died as a result of his injuries.
Bryson Charles Anderson began his career as a trainee police officer on the 18th of August 1986 and attested on the 7th of November 1986.
His first general duties posting was here in Parramatta. That was followed by others to Granville and Ermington.
While at Granville in 1991, Constable First Class Anderson commenced criminal investigation duties, successfully gaining his designation as a Detective in November 1993.
Bryson’s designation was a defining moment in his policing career and he quickly displayed an aptitude and an enthusiasm for criminal investigation that was soon recognised by his commanding officers.
At Castle Hill, Task Force Boyne, Ermington, Rosehill and then within Special Crime and Internal Affairs, Bryson honed his detective skills. He was dedicated, analytical and meticulous.
A thoroughly good bloke. I worked with Bryson … and I can vouch for that.
In 2004, promoted to sergeant, Bryson returned to general duties. This time it was to Hawkesbury Local Area Command, where he was to spend three years as a supervisor.
In 2007criminal investigation was again to beckon, Bryson seizing the opportunity to return to Special Crime and Internal Affairs … now known as Professional Standards … where he applied his skills to covert investigations. There he was promoted to the rank of Detective Inspector in 2009.
What was to prove Bryson’s final posting was back in Hawkesbury. He took up the role of Duty Officer in Hawkesbury Local Area Command on the 19th of December 2010, and served with distinction in that role until the moment of his passing.
Throughout his service Detective Inspector Anderson undertook extensive internal training in his chosen policing specialisation.
He was awarded the NSW Police Medal; the National Medal; as well as the first and second clasps to the NSW Police Medal.
In 2003 he received a Commissioner’s Unit Citation for highly professional investigations.
He will posthumously receive the first clasp to the National Medal and the third clasp to the NSW Police Medal.
Impressive as they are, the bare facts I have recounted do Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson little justice. Those who knew him … know that Bryson the man transcended … in achievements and in potential … any chronology of this type.
Those that know it best of all are Bryson’s wife, Donna, and his three children, Olivia, Darcy and Cain. It is with them that Bryson, devoted husband and father, was closest. And it is they who, tragically, must now manage without his love, strength and support.
Bryson’s father, Rex; mother, Shirley; and brothers Warwick and Damian also know the calibre of the man. Bryson’s is a profound loss, but be assured his life was just as profound a credit to you. I know for certain that he enriched the lives of all of us in the NSW Police Force who had the good fortune to know him.
What the record does not disclose is Bryson’s wholehearted embrace of community service.
Even when on holiday, Bryson was thinking of what he could do for others. On packing his bags last year for Vanuatu, in with the board shorts and sunscreen he found room for gifts and sporting equipment for the local village kids.
The demands of policing are great: more than enough for most of us, and often more than a full-time job. But not for Bryson. He was retained as a fire-fighter, serving for eight years between 1994 and 2002 at Number 81 Station, Windsor, rising to the rank of Deputy Captain.
And it didn’t stop there. Bryson coached a number of junior soccer teams for the Colo Soccer Club. And on the day before he died he took part in the final leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, held in Windsor, an event which five months earlier he volunteered to organise.
Bryson loved the Hawkesbury area, where he lived and worked most of his adult life.
And innumerable people, from the Hawkesbury and elsewhere, loved and admired Bryson in return. His personnel file is full to overflowing with complimentary remarks and letters of appreciation, many from the community and victims of crime, moved to write in gratitude for the care, dedication and professionalism with which he went about his work.
In Vanuatu, upon hearing of his passing, the villagers whose lives Bryson had so selflessly touched while on holiday held a service in his memory.
He was equally admired by his fellow police officers, myself among them. On the one hand, a tenacious and committed police officer, driven to pursue offenders for the darkest and most serious of crimes. Yet retaining the most extraordinary empathy, compassion and concern for the victims of those crimes.
He showed initiative and leadership; intelligence and perseverance; dedication and humility; and, memorably, a ready smile and an engaging way. Bryson drew people to him, without guile and without effort. The workplace was a better place for him being there.
The tributes from his fellow officers were immediate and many. They tell variously of a proud husband and father, a keen motor cyclist, an active participant in sporting clubs, and, invariably, of a superb police officer.
He made his vast store of policing wisdom available to young officers but never imposed it. More likely were those officers to hear from Bryson an encouraging “Just play your natural game, it’s first class” – one of his favourite sayings – to go with some tip or insight he’d somehow manage to convey.
Reflecting on her career, one officer … echoing the thoughts of many others I am sure, wrote: “Bryson you are an amazing officer and an even nicer gentleman. I formed this opinion 20 years ago as a naïve female probationary constable. I still hold the same opinion now. You will be truly missed”
There can be no doubt Bryson will be missed.
He lived for the community, died serving it and deserved much better.
His death reminds us that law and order are not givens. They come at a price and that price, on occasion, is a prohibitive one.
With Bryson’s death we realise, suddenly, even if belatedly, that ours is a society worth defending.
We realise that our hard won freedoms and protections are vulnerable and easily demolished.
We realise that not only is each individual’s life precious and fragile … but that so too is our way of life.
We meet Bryson’s death with grief and tears, but that can’t be allowed to suffice.
If he could lend us his voice, I’m sure Bryson would agree that now is not the time to be timid or defensive. It is not a time to be apologetic, nor a time for retreat.
The anger and regret we all feel – for Bryson’s sake and for the sake of all of the officers who have fallen before him – need to find constructive expression. As a society we need to rise up to repudiate violence, however and wherever we can, with all the energy we can muster.
For his wider police family … of which all police officers and their families are a part … Bryson’s death will neither be forgotten nor be in vain. Bryson’s courage and conviction inspire us now … and will into the future. We will continue to protect and serve the community as Bryson did. Of that he can be sure.
It is my honour today to posthumously confer two awards on Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson.
The National Police Service Medal: recognising Bryson’s ethical and diligent service in protecting the community.
And the Commissioner’s Valour Award for the conspicuous action and exceptional courage he displayed at the incident in Oakville where he lost his life. After being attacked with a knife and sustaining wounds that would prove fatal, Detective Inspector Anderson went to the aid of a fellow injured officer without hesitation.
In part the valour citation reads:
Conferred for conspicuous merit and exceptional bravery whilst under attack during the execution of his duties at Oakville on Thursday, 6 December 2012.
By his conspicuous actions and exceptional courage in a dangerous situation, Detective Inspector Anderson evinced the highest standards of the New South Wales Police Force and is so conferred with the Commissioner’s Valour Award.
I am deeply honoured, and indeed privileged, to be able to represent every member of the New South Wales Police Force here today to farewell a man who served his community with courage, honour, and distinction.
A loving husband and father.
A prized friend and colleague.
A police officer.
Our prayers are with you Bryson. May you rest in peace.
Homily for the Funeral Mass for Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson, St Patrick’s Cathedral Parramatta, Most Rev Anthony Fisher OP, Bishop of Parramatta
Wednesday, 12 December 2012 02:57:38 PM
Any death is a loss. The death of a loved one before time is worse. A senseless, violent, innocent death is even more appalling. But a death in the line of duty hits us especially hard. Why is that?
Our word police comes from the Greek word polis, meaning the city-state, its citizens and civilisation. Police are appointed to keep order in the polis and protect persons and property. The word politician comes from the same root, for they too work for the people, with our bureaucracies and courts. Yet none of these is in the front-line the way police are.
We all shelter behind our police officers’ sense of law and order, their character and courage, their instincts, reactions, negotiating and other skills. Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson devoted his life to providing such shelter for his family, friends and community. He lived for this and this was a gift to us all; he died for this and this affronts us all.
His fellow officers also mourn his passing, as Commissioner Scipione testified. I first got to know the Commissioner and his people in the lead-up to World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008. It was a time when hundreds of thousands of youth threw them kisses and told them God loved them and they loved them. If only it was always so! One such beloved of God and people was described in our first Scripture reading today (Wisdom 4:7-15). Being virtuous, untarnished and God-pleasing, the man in that passage was ready for God sooner than most.
Bryson’s fellow officers tell me he was such a man, and that his integrity inspired them. That his death has left them in shock is a sign of that bond within the police family said to be as thick as blood.
Of course, policing was literally in Bryson’s blood, as his father and brother both served in the force, Rex for many years here in Parramatta. When I saw Donna and the family after the terrible news, there were policemen present as if they were his own brothers. Such a death must make all officers aware of their own mortality, must bring to the surface daily anxiety for the safety of the public, their comrades and themselves, and so too for beloved spouses who might be widowed or children orphaned. But it also brings out into the open their fraternity and courage.
Thousands are here today to pray for Bryson and the Anderson family, to share in their natural sorrow and supernatural hope. But proud as they must be and however comforted by our presence, they still have the very personal grief of ones who’ve lost husband, father, son and brother.
Perhaps they are asking themselves: How could an argument over a bird cage end so horribly? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God permit such things? Well, God could have made us robots, obedient to His every command. Instead He took the great ‘gamble’ of making us free, able to choose good or evil. He does everything to persuade, encourage, inspire us to live lives of service and self-sacrifice.
Some of us do. Most of us try. Some don’t. When bushfires, floods or other natural evils hurt innocent people, we know that these are part and parcel of a world that is beautiful and bountiful but has its own law and order.
The real mystery for us is man-made evil: why human beings do terrible things to each other, why they misuse the godlike gifts of freedom and intelligence. Like those in our first reading, we “look on uncomprehending”. Few of us will face death by an assailant’s knife or have that happen in our family. But when our own crosses come, we too must try to make some sense of it. In Jesus Christ, we believe, God fully embraced our human condition, including His own violent death as an innocent man before his time.
Why was it necessary for Christ to suffer? Because that was where humanity was. To redeem us, He had to go where we are. So God became a real human being, with friends and enemies, hopes and fears, who wept for His dead friend Lazarus, and later cried out tired, frightened, abandoned.
God in Jesus Christ is the great realist: no evasion, no false front, no easy escape; no pretending away the sin of the world or the suffering of ordinary lives. But He did what any man, any God-made-man, could do.
The problem of evil drives some to atheism, some to despair. But it draws some to the Crucified One, to unite their sufferings with His, as He united His whole being with them at Christmas and beyond.
This doesn’t ‘magic away’ all that is unpleasant; we may still ache that someone we love has been stolen from us. Our hearts may be troubled as Jesus’ was (John 12:27, 13:31). But in time faith can bring new perspective, the courage to face the human condition, the grace to grow through this stage of our life, and compassion for others who suffer also.
Any faith or philosophy worthy of us must face evil straight on. Every police officer knows this. Euphemisms and positive thinking will not do; neither will glorifying evil or emptying it of its mystery. From the side of the Crucified God flows the blood and water of human life and death. But from there, too, flows hope for every hurting heart, every fragile person, even for the dead.
2012 is the sesquicentenary of the New South Wales Police Force and was supposed to be a year of celebration for them. Yet it began with the killing of Senior Constable Dave Rixon and ends with the killing of Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson. He is the 14th to be killed on duty since 1980. Death is no respecter of office, rank or character. And so this week a family, a force, a whole state join Christ in His Passion. We are joined with Him in His mortal combat with evil: proposing the good and beautiful and true to all; preventing violence and injustice where we can; comforting the victims, those who suffer for justice’s sake and those who mourn them.
In our Gospel passage, Christ called Himself the Way, the Truth and the Life for every troubled heart (John 14:1-6). His life offers us the way, as it did to Bryson, the way of justice, mercy and peace. Christ’s death offers us the truth, as it did for Bryson, the truth about human fragility and promise, freedom and intelligence for good or evil. And His Resurrection offers us the life, as it does for Bryson, life eternal for every noble soul.
2012 should have been a year of celebration for police officers and still it should be: a celebration of what is most worthy in the force and in those who bring it credit. It should have been a time of pride and joy for the Anderson family: that will come later, as they treasure what Bryson gave to them and to us all.
But for now: “We seem to be giving Bryson back to you, O God, who gave him to us.
Yet, as you did not lose him in giving him to us, so we do not lose him by his return. For
you do not give as the world gives, O Lover of souls: what you give you never take
away … For life is eternal, and love immortal, and death is only an horizon, and the
horizon is no more than the limit of our sight.
“Lift us up, strong Son of God, that we may see further. Cleanse our tearful eyes that
we may see more clearly. Draw us closer to yourself, that we may know ourselves to be
nearer to Bryson, now that he is with you. And while you prepare a place for us (John
14:1-6), prepare us also for that happy place, that where you and he are, we may be
also, for evermore.” (Prayer of Fr Bede Jarrett OP)
Bryson ANDERSON IS mentioned on the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra
Mitchell Barbieri and his mother Fiona plead guilty to their roles in killing of decorated officer Bryson Anderson
Amy Dale
The Daily Telegraph
November 05, 201412:24PM
Police officers arrive for the trial for Fiona and Mitchell Barbieri charged with the murder of Inspector Bryson Anderson. They pleaded guilty to their roles in his death at the start of the trial this morning. Picture: John Grainger
THE mother and son charged with killing decorated police officer Detective Inspector Bryson Anderson have pleaded guilty on the morning their trial was due to start.
Detective inspector Bryson Anderson, 45, who was killed when he attended a neighbourhood dispute in Oakville on December 6, 2012.
Mitchell Barbieri pleaded guilty to murdering the 45 year old officer, while his mother, 47, pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty of the officer’s manslaughter.
The pleas came as the jury were about to be empanelled and begin to hear the opening address.
Bryson Anderson was killed on December 6, 2012, after being called to the pair’s Oakville home, in Sydney’s north west.
Fiona Barbieri’s plea to manslaughter is being accepted on the grounds of “substantial impairment”, the court heard.
It is expected a sentencing hearing will take place next year.
Mitchell Barbieri, 21, is facing a mandatory life sentence without parole for murdering a police officer.
The Supreme Court was packed with family, colleagues and friends of Det Insp Anderson, some of whom shed tears as the guilty pleas were announced.
Artist impression of Fiona Barbieri and her son Mitchell in the dock of Central Local Court last year. Artist impression by Bernd Heinrich
Flanked by police officers, Det Insp Anderson’s brother Warwick Anderson thanked the investigating officers for their “support and strength” and the hard work of the DPP.
He said the family was very mindful of the officers who were with his brother on the day he died and who continued to suffer physical and psychological injuries.
“The thoughts, care and prayers of our family go out to them,” he told reporters outside court.
There was still a significant way to go for his family to come to terms with the “senseless and tragic loss of Bryson”, he said
Justice Robert Hulme adjourned the case until next Wednesday, when the Crown will begin calling evidence on sentence.
Defence counsel will give their submissions to court on November 24.
Family and friends of murdered Detective inspector Bryson Anderson and police
Grave of Bryson Anderson
Shelley Leanne DAVIS
04/12/2014
Shelley Leanne DAVIS
NSW Goulburn Police Academy Class ?
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 37034
Rank: Constable
Stations: Goulburn
Service: From 30 August 2002 to 19 June 2004 = 1+ years of Service
Awards: Nil
Born: ? ? 1977
Died on: Saturday 19 June 2004
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – passenger in Police sedan. Vehicle -v- tree
Event location: Sydney Rd, Goulburn East, approx. 300 mtrs prior to Hume Hwy entrance.
Age: 27
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: Cremated at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Camden Valley Way, Leppington.
Ashes collected by family.
Memorial at: Small car park on north side of north bound lane upon Sydney Rd, Goulburn East a few hundred metres from the Hume Hwy.
Plaque on a bolder.
The ” original memorial ” was a large gum tree in between the north and south bound lanes – opposite the car park.
The tree was lopped to ground level about 2013.
Tree location: Lat: -34.74257
Long: 149.76721
On the 19 June 2004 Constable Davis was the observer in a police vehicle when it was involved in a motor vehicle accident on the Sydney Road, just north of Goulburn. As a result of the accident the constable sustained fatal injuries.
The constable was born in 1977 and was sworn in as a probationary constable on the 30 August 2002. At the time of her death she was stationed at Goulburn.
SHELLEY IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra
Touch plate at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra
This Memorial stone is located in a small car park siding on Sydney Rd, Goulburn, northbound towards the Hume Freeway from the city.
Photos taken, by Cal, on 24 April 2018. Note that the photo, of Shelley, had fallen from the plaque pre June 2017 and needs replacing.
GPS: -34.74226 149.76644
Note: The photo of Shelley Davis fell off her Memorial plaque pre June 2017 & still needs replacing. Photo taken 24 April 2018. As of 29 July 2018 there was still no ceramic plate attached. On 31 July 2018 a photo was sent to a ceramic business for this job to be done. Wednesday 12 September 2018 – the new ceramic photo plate ( below ) has been received and will be placed on the memorial plate ( above ) before Police Remembrance Day, 29 September 2018.
Many thanks to Paul Pepe, Necro Imaging, 11 Bruce St, West Preston, Vic. ( necroimaging@hotmail.com ) for doing the new ceramic photo plate below.
Memorial before the replacement of the photo on Tuesday 18 September 2018.
Memorial after the replacement of the photo on Tuesday 18 September 2018.
The way the Memorial plaque should have looked as soon as the damage was reported 15 months ago. Those that complained about Cal picking up the damaged porcelain photo from Goulburn – you had 15 months to have it replaced. I did it in ONE MONTH and didn’t even know the girl. Shame on those who complained.
A small section of St John Of God, Richmond Hospital, where Police ( and others ) with PTSD have gone for Inpatient Treatment.
This is a small Memorial that previous patients ( Police ) have done to remember our friends who have fallen before us. The Black & Dark Blue Memorial stones are by Army members
WEDNESDAY 27 JULY 2005. MEMORIAL SITE AT THE TREE AGAINST WHICH CONSTABLE SHELLEY DAVIS, FROM GOULBURN POLICE STATION, LOST HER LIFE ONE NIGHT WHEN THE POLICE SEDAN SHE WAS A PASSENGER IN SLAMMED SIDEWAYS INTO THIS TREE – KILLING SHELLEY. THIS IS A HUGE TRIBUTE. I FOUND A 20 CENT PIECE ON THE GROUND AT THE BASE OF THE TREE. IT WAS COVERED IN BROWN (DRY BLOOD) AND WOULD HAVE OBVIOUSLY COME FROM THE CAR AND POSSIBLY BELONGED TO ONE OF THE OCCUPANTS. I KEPT THIS COIN. IT WAS RAINING ON THE NIGHT OF THIS ACCIDENT. SOMETIME IN 2010, THIS TREE AND THE GIFTS WERE TOTALLY REMOVED FROM THIS LOCATION. A ‘STONE’ MEMORIAL, WITH PLAQUE, WAS LATER LAID IN THE CAR PARK ADJACENT TO THIS TREE. I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE PHOTOS, PRAYERS ETC BUT THE TREE HAS BEEN TOTALLY REMOVED FROM THE LOCATION ALSO.
Police crash scandal
By Rhett Watson
The Daily Telegraph
July 06, 200712:00AM
THE Deputy State Coroner has recommended the DPP investigate laying charges over the death of a police officer killed when the patrol car in which she was a passenger crashed three years ago.
The coronial inquest into the death of Constable Shelley Davis heard her partner, Senior-Constable Paul Sharman, was doing up to 110km/h in an 80km/h zone when he lost control of the vehicle on a road just outside Goulburn on June 19, 2004.
Criminal charges layed against him soon after the crash failed a year ago due to a technicality.
In releasing her findings in Glebe Coroners Court yesterday, Deputy State Coroner Dorelle Pinch recommended the DPP investigate laying charges “against an individual”.
Davis’ mother, Diane, said she was “pleased” the matter had been referred to the DPP and praised the efforts of investigators.
During the hearing last month, Mrs Davis read out a submission where she accused Sen-Constable Sharman of being a “cowboy cop, reckless, irresponsible and dishonest”.
Mrs Davis said outside court yesterday her family had visited Sen-Constable Sharman twice since her daughter’s death to support him but had never received an apology.
“That’s the main thing we would have wanted from the beginning – the truth, with an apology, would have been good,” Mrs Davis said.
“Shelley was always so honest and yet we have got officers she worked with who didn’t hold those values.”
Ms Pinch was highly critical of a second officer – Constable Damien Ottley – who had been a witness to the crash but had initially lied to investigators.
The inquest heard that Const Davis and Sen-Constable Sharman were travelling in police sedan Goulburn 37 – under lights and sirens – when the crash occurred at 9am on June 19.
Ms Pinch found there was no reason for them to be speeding as they were not needed at the job they were heading to – nor was that job considered urgent in the first place.
Other evidence heard in the inquest revealed that one witness described Goulburn 37’s speed as so fast “they were flying”.
Sen-Constable Sharman did not give evidence to the inquest.
A PERMANENT memorial has been dedicated to honour the “ray of sunshine”, Constable Shelley Davis, who died seven years ago last Sunday.
About 25 friends, former work colleagues and senior personnel from the Goulburn Local Area Command where Shelley worked attended the dedication ceremony last Sunday at the rest area opposite the site where she died in a patrol car accident on June 19, 2004.
Celebrant Trish Cunningham ( R.I.P. ) – whose husband Tony had helped with creating the memorial, fixing the plaque to the rock – conducted the brief ceremony. The rock for the memorial was transported from retired sergeant Rosie Jackson’s property by Primmer’s Towing while Rhod Stevens from the RTA assisted in the positioning of the site.
Local Area Commander, Superintendent Gary Worboys reminded everyone that police work is difficult and dangerous and the decisions that officers make can have lasting effects on other people. He said Shelley was, according to those who knew her, “like a ray of sunshine warming the hearts of those around her”.
“She was a dedicated officer and her loss was a tragedy,” Supt Worboys said.
“We can only hope that the lessons of that day will be learnt and that a similar tragedy will never happen again.”
Rosie Jackson said she would also like to thank Shane Biesterveld of Rudd Funerals for organising the plaque at short notice; Shepherds Hill Nursery who supplied some of the plants for the garden; Lena Cooper who helped with creating the garden, and everyone else who had a part in making the memorial possible.
Supt Worboys suggested the memorial would be a fitting place for a service during the annual Police Remembrance Day.
In memoriam: Constable Shelley Leanne DAVIS, New South Wales Police, killed on 19th June 2004
On the 19 June 2004 Constable Davis was the observer in a police vehicle when it was involved in a motor vehicle accident on the Sydney Road, just north of Goulburn. As a result of the accident, the constable sustained fatal injuries.
The constable was born in 1977 and was sworn in as a probationary constable on the 30 August 2002. At the time of her death she was stationed at Goulburn.
When Constable Davis began her Diploma of Policing Practice at the New South Wales Police College at Goulburn in August 2001 she did not know that the Southern Highlands would become her home in the longer term. She was stationed at Goulburn police station in August 2002 and settled at nearby Hill Top. Constable Davis made clear her motivation for joining NSW Police in a story published in the Goulburn Post to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Police College.
She said: “It may sound a little clichéd, but I wanted a job where I could make a difference, that was not boring and where I could challenge my boundaries.”
Constable Shelley Davis made the ultimate sacrifice in the course of the job that she loved. Shelley lived in Hill Top with her partner in life. She moved there so that she could continue to work in and be within commuting distance of her beloved Goulburn. Her colleagues described her as a bubbly, outgoing, lovely girl who loved to do everything, including horse riding and running, and she never had a bad word to say about anyone.
Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said that Constable Shelley Davis was, according to those who knew her, “like a ray of sunshine warming the hearts of those around her. She was a dedicated officer and her loss was a tragedy.”
Fallen in the line of duty. Gone, but never forgotten and forever in our hearts.
Cause: Murdered – by Motor Vehicle whilst using Road Spikes to stop a stolen vehicle which drove straight at, and collided with, him.
Location: Hume Hwy ( north bound ), Glen Alpine
Funeral date: Thursday 18 January 2001
Funeral location: Camden Civic Centre
Grave: Cremated
Grave site: Interred in Woronora Cemetery on 3 June 2003
General Plaque Lawn. Lawn 4 Position 0796
Memorial 1/: Jim Affleck Bridge, Hume Hwy, Glen Alpine, NSW
Memorial 2/: HWP Vehicle ( 213 ) attached to Campbelltown – Registration JA-213 213 was the Call Sign of his HWP Vehicle.
Jim AFFLECK
2022
JA-213 NSW Registration – in Memory of Jim Affleck
About 8.40am on 14 January, 2001 police were attempting to stop a stolen vehicle during a high speed pursuit at Mittagong. Approval was given to place road spikes on the roadway and Senior Constable Affleck and other police did this near the Mark Evans Bridge, Glen Alpine. When the offending vehicle, travelling north, reached the spikes the driver intentionally swerved from one side of the north bound laned road to the other, hitting the senior constable, who was killed instantly. The driver was later arrested and charged with murder.
The senior constable was born in 1957 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 18 September, 1978. At the time of his death he was attached to the Campbelltown Highway Patrol.
Jim IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
On the 14th of January 2001, Senior Constable Jim Affleck VA was hit and killed by a vehicle trying to evade police during a police pursuit on the Hume Highway, Glen Alpine.
To celebrate his life and remember his sacrifice 20 years on, there will be a memorial service and wreath laying held at Campbelltown Police Station at 8:30am on Thursday the 14th January 2021. This will be followed by a light morning tea.
An invitation has been extended to Jim’s friends, family and colleagues to attend.
Campbelltown mourns 13th anniversary of police officer’s death
Amanda Partridge
Macarthur Chronicle Campbelltown
January 15, 201412:02PM
Police officers pause to remember the late Jim Affleck, who was killed in the line of duty in 2001. Picture: ROBERT POZOSource: News Limited
IT’S been 13 years since highway patrol officer Jim Affleck was run down by a car on the Hume Highway.
But as nearly 100 people packed into the Campbelltown police station carpark yesterday to mark the anniversary of Sen Constable Affleck’s death, it was clear his legacy still burns strong.
Fellow officers, his widow Trish, and even a great nephew were among those to pay tribute to Sen Constable Affleck during a memorial yesterday.
The congregation gathered around the memorial garden dedicated to Sen Constable Affleck to lay wreaths and share kind words in honour of the police officer.
Jim Affleck’s widow Trish lays a wreath at the memorial garden, in honour of her late husband. Picture: ROBERT POZO.Source: News Limited
The Jim Affleck memorial garden bears freshly-laid flowers. Picture: ROBERT POZOSource: News Limited
Sen Constable Affleck’s car and police hat were present for the service.
The day marked 13 years since Sen Constable Affleck was run down by a car on the Hume Highway near Menangle on January 14, 2001, while laying road spikes to stop a stolen vehicle whose occupants were wanted for robberies.
Campbelltown police Insp Jason Inkster said the command believed it was important to honour Sen Constable Affleck’s sacrifice each year.
“It’s important because Jim was attached to the command at the time the incident occurred,” he said. “It’s important to remember our colleagues killed in the line of duty.
“I think it means a lot to his fellow officers and family, showing that we still remember the commitment and sacrifice made by Jim.”
Police and Jim Affleck’s family share hugs and fond memories of the late Jim Affleck. Picture: ROBERT POZOSource: News Limited
A photo of Jim Affleck sat atop his car at a memorial service yesterday. Picture: ROBERT POZOSource: News Limited
Driver who ran down officer ‘was re-enacting computer game’
By Ellen Connolly May 14 2002
The scene of Senior Constable Affleck’s death. Photo: Nick Moir
The driver of a stolen car who killed a highway patrol officer during a police chase was re-enacting one of his PlayStation computer games, The Need for Speed – Hot Pursuit, the Supreme Court heard yesterday.
Trevor Edward Holton, 26, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Senior Constable Jim Affleck, 43, near Campbelltown on January 14 last year.
In his opening address yesterday, the Crown prosecutor, Mark Tedeschi, QC, said that during the pursuit Holton was ”testing his car rallying skills” and was ”engaged in a real life re-enactment of the computer game”.
”To him the lives of other road users and the lives of police officers were just there as props to provide the thrill of the chase, and they were expendable in the pursuit of that thrill. Jim Affleck’s death was just part of this real-life game.”
The court was told the chase began about 8.30am after another man, who was a passenger in the four-wheel-drive, committed a bag snatch at Moss Vale. Also in the car was the man’s four-year-old stepdaughter.
For the next 40 minutes police chased the stolen vehicle as it drove on the wrong side of the road along the M5 freeway and the old Hume Highway, reaching speeds of up to 180kmh.
At one stage the passenger got out of the car and tried to take the girl with him but Holton sped off with her.
Senior Constable Affleck tried to stop the vehicle by throwing road spikes across the M5 but Holton swerved across two lanes to miss the spikes and hit the officer, Mr Tedeschi said. His body landed 80 metres away.
The stolen vehicle somersaulted and landed on its roof, with the girl, uninjured, still in the back. Holton fled but was arrested that night.
In a police interview Holton had said he ”was not prepared, at any stage, to get pulled over or stop”. He had seen Senior Constable Affleck running across the road in front of him trying to get the spikes under the vehicle.
”I couldn’t swerve; I couldn’t dodge him. I was going too fast. It’s like he [Affleck] didn’t care what happened.
”To me it was like it was suicide. He could see how fast I was going. He could see I could not stop.
”I have just been so angry … he could have avoided me so easy.”
He had said he knew about road spikes from playing the computer game, in which the main method of avoiding spikes is to veer off the road onto a median strip or the grass.
The state Opposition has called for compulsory life terms to be imposed on anyone who kills a police officer, after the “lenient” sentencing of a man who ran down a highway patrol officer.
Trevor Edward Holton, 27, was jailed yesterday for a minimum 12 years for the murder of Senior Constable Jim Affleck, killed while laying road spikes during a high-speed pursuit in western Sydney on January 14 last year.
In handing down sentence in the Supreme Court, Acting Justice Thomas Davidson said the jail term had to deter others and demonstrate that such acts against police in the execution of their duty would not be supported by the courts.
But the shadow attorney-general, Chris Hartcher, said this was not reflected in the sentence and called on the judicial system to stand behind police officers.
“Mr Holton should go to jail for the rest of his natural life. He certainly would if the coalition was in office,” Mr Hartcher said.
The Attorney-General, Bob Debus, said he had sought advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions on prospects for an appeal. “Understandably, there is considerable community concern about the sentence imposed,” Mr Debus said.
The court heard Holton was re-enacting one of his PlayStation computer games and was testing his car rally skills during the 40-minute pursuit.
Constable Affleck’s distraught family said it was “extremely disappointed” at the sentence and wanted harsher terms imposed on anyone convicted of murdering a police officer.
“If someone is prepared to kill a police officer they’re prepared to kill anybody, and I think they should have a sentence which is much stronger for police,” the victim’s brother, Paul Affleck, said outside court. “They’re out there doing their job, protecting us, and it should be reflected in the sentencing. Mr Carr’s talking about minimum sentences all the time.”
Inspector Hans Rupp, who led the investigation, said: “Trish has lost a good husband, his work colleagues have lost a great mate and, unfortunately for NSW, we’ve lost a great policeman. You just can’t replace police of the calibre of Jim Affleck.”
The family of murdered policeman Jim Affleck has described his killer’s attempt to appeal against a 12-year jail sentence as “an outrage”.
A year after Trevor Edward Holton was sentenced to serve a minimum of 12 years (maximum of 16) in jail for the highway patrol officer’s murder, he has initiated an appeal against the severity of the sentence in the Court of Criminal Appeal.
Holton, of Claymore, south-west Sydney, was sentenced in August after he ran down and killed Affleck in January 2001.
He hit Affleck with a stolen four-wheel-drive when he swerved to avoid road spikes the policeman was laying across the M5 Freeway at Campbelltown.
Delivering the sentence in the Supreme Court, Acting Judge Thomas Davidson said the jail term needed to act as a deterrent and demonstrate that such acts against police in the execution of their duty would not be tolerated.
However, the Department of Public Prosecutions has since lodged an appeal against the leniency of the sentence, with a hearing due next month.
The Crown’s stance is in contrast to Holton’s planned appeal against the harshness of the same sentence.
“If he does [appeal], it may well be that the Crown appeal in December will be vacated,” a court spokesman said. “The court likes to deal with these things as one.”
Any appeal against the severity flies in the face of the outrage that greeted the sentencing last year.
“We thought he deserved more,” the victim’s brother, Paul Affleck, said. “Before the sentencing we sat down with [then police minister] Michael Costa. He gave us an idea of what they were looking at for minimum sentences and more stringent sentencing.
“It has now been 12 months since the sentencing and nothing has been done. How many more policemen have to die before someone does something?”
NSW shadow attorney-general Andrew Tink said he had a simple approach to the matter.
“Anyone who kills a police officer while they are carrying out their duties should go to jail for life,” he said. “That is our strong stance.”
Mr Affleck said Holton’s bid to reduce his sentence was not a surprise, just unfortunate.
“We have been expecting that all along, just the way the defence was talking after the trial,” he said.
“Anyone who kills a policeman should spend his life in jail – he had a criminal record going back until he was 13 or something.
“I think it’s ridiculous and I don’t know why we tolerate these things. I just think it’s ridiculous he has the opportunity to [appeal].
“I think anyone who kills anyone doesn’t deserve any freedom.”
A policeman who died after being run over by a fleeing car thief should have shot his killer “between the eyes”, his widow says.
The widow of Senior Constable Jim Affleck was speaking yesterday after a court rejected the Crown’s appeal against the leniency of the sentence given to the man who ran him down.
Trish Affleck compared the situation her husband was in when he was killed by Trevor Edward Holton to that faced by another policeman, Inspector Shane Cribb, who has been charged over the shooting of a criminal who drove a getaway car at him three years ago.
“You have got Inspector Cribb looking down the barrel of a jail term for doing what I wish to God Jim had done. I wish to God he would have shot Holton between the eyes,” Mrs Affleck said with tears in her eyes.
The NSW Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 decision, yesterday rejected the Crown’s argument for a tougher sentence for Holton, who was jailed in August 2002 for a minimum of 12 years, and a maximum 16, for the murder of Senior Constable Affleck.
On January 14, 2001, the stolen four-wheel-drive Holton was driving hit Senior Constable Affleck, a highway patrolman, as he laid out road spikes on M5 to stop the vehicle. Holton was being pursued by police after committing a robbery.
Holton also appealed against his conviction, but that was unanimously dismissed by justices Michael Grove, Robert Hulme and Rex Smart yesterday.
Wall To Wall Ride 2012 – M5 Motorway South of Sydney. Slowing down in tribute to Jim Affleck, crossing the bridge named in his honour. Polair was hovering above filming, but because I didn’t check my vertical camera angle, I missed it!
In January 2001 Senior Constable Jim Affleck was a Highway Patrol Officer who was run over a killed whilst deploying a set of ‘road spikes’ during a high speed police pursuit. The offending driver actually drove his vehicle at Affleck in a deliberate attempt to run him down. He was subsequently charged with murder.
Alone in his patrol car, Chris Thornton had the police siren flashing as he chased a white sedan through Woy Woy.
Thornton, 35, a highway patrolman, had been in the force for 15 years. He was, his mother says, “the best driver I have ever seen”.
The reason for the chase that night in April 2002 is unknown. Both cars were seen travelling at high speed. Thornton was about 50 metres behind.
Meanwhile, Leonard Rowley, 56, an unlicensed driver, was driving to his local KFC to pick up dinner. He saw the first car flash past and judged – wrongly – that he had time to turn out in front of the patrol car. Thornton tried to avoid Rowley’s car but clipped the back, veered onto the wrong side of the road and hit a power pole.
Thornton died on the spot, which is marked by a permanent stainless-steel cross. Rowley later received a suspended two-year sentence.
“His life from the age of 12 was about helping people,” says Thornton’s mother, Freada Thornton. “He was in the surf club and he was there to rescue people and then he went into the force and he was doing the same thing.” His father, Barry Thornton, says: “He loved life. He had been in Gosford for 15 years and was so popular with the community there.”
Police pursuits are, says Barry, a necessary evil: “If they don’t catch the criminals there will be more deaths on the roads. The ones that they’re in pursuit of are the idiots that have done the wrong thing to start with.”
But pursuits have come at a cost to the NSW Police Department. Fifteen officers have died as a result of high-speed chases, beginning with the death of Constable George Boore in 1937.
Details provided by the NSW Police Association show a steady stream of fatalities involving cars and motorcycles. The full list of casualties is as follows:
Rank: Junior Trainee from about Monday 11 May 1970 ( ” 6 Week Wonder ” ) ( aged 19 years, 9 months, 9 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed 22 June 1970 ( aged 19 years, 10 months, 20 days )
Constable 1st Class – appointed 22 June 1975
Senior Constable – appointed 22 June 1979
Sergeant 3rd Class – appointed 20 November 1985
Senior Sergeant – appointed 1990 – death
Stations: ?, Rockdale – Clearway Cyclist, Goulburn for 18 years to become Sgt, Maitland District HWP Supervisor ( SenSgt ), Traffic Co-ordinator Northern Suburbs District Hornsby – 3 years, Parramatta – Traffic Support Group Operations Manager – death
Service: From 11 May 1970 to 13 July 1998 = 28 years, 2 months, 2 days Service
1st Clasp to National Medal – granted 2 December 1995
Born: Wednesday 2 August 1950
Died on: Monday 13 July 1998
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – Police motor cycle – Non Urgent
Event location: F3 Freeway, Calga, NSW
Age: 47 years, 11 months, 11 days
Single, unmarried with no children
Funeral date: Friday 17 July 1998
Funeral location:
Buried at: Cremated Woronora Cemetery
Memorial location: Police Memorial Wall – Woronora Cemetery, Sutherland
Plot: Centenary Court, Rose Garden 2, #01
Raymond Keith SMITH
RAYMOND IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
On the morning of 13 July, 1998 Senior Sergeant Smith was riding a police motor cycle to work along the F3 Freeway near Calga when a piece of wood fell from a truck, hitting him and causing the cycle to collide with a rock wall. It is thought that the sergeant was killed instantly.
The sergeant was born in 1950 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 22 June, 1970. At the time of his death he was attached to the Traffic Support Group, Parramatta.
Woronora Cemetery Police Memorial Wall
Police pay tribute to Sen Sgt Ray Smith 20 years on
Richard Noone,
Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate
The motorcycle of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith after he was killed when a piece of firewood fell from a truck hitting him in the head forcing him into a concrete wall on the F3 near Mt White.
TWENTY years ago today we lost one of the state’s most experienced police motorcyclists and the public face of road safety.
Senior Sergeant Ray Smith was riding to work along the F3 Freeway (now M1)3km south of the Calga interchange, near Mount White, at 6.10am on July 13, 1998, when a 30cm by 40cm piece of wood fell off the back of a truck in front.
The wood bounced off the road and into the 47-year-old’s helmet as he travelled 100km/h.
The impact sent his bike into a concrete wall, killing him instantly.
Police inspect the scene where Senior Sergeant Ray Smith was killed.
Today, two decades later and the state’s top traffic cop Chief Inspector Phil Brooks said the dangers to motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users was as real now as it was then.
“Primarily it certainly highlights the risks police face every day of the week,” Chief Insp Brooks said.
“Police leave home and their families expect them to come home after their duties.”
Traffic & Highway Patrol Command held a tribute to mark the 20th anniversary of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith’s death this morning.
Chief Insp Brooks was a relatively junior officer when Sen Sgt Smith was killed but remembers well the profound sense of loss which swept through the entire NSW Police Force.
At the time Sen Sgt Smith was one of 26 police motorcyclists patrolling NSW roads.
Today Chief Insp Phil Brooks said of the fleet of 680 Traffic and Highway Patrol vehicles, 100 were motorcycles.
The front page of The Daily Telegraph on July 14, 1998
He said they remained an important asset to enforcing road safety and minimising congestion in the event of crashes and other road issues.
He said there were 6.19 million licence holders in NSW driving 6.5 million registered vehicles and the M1 — which has seen vehicle movements increase dramatically in the past 20 years — continued to be a big focus for police.
Senior police officers salute as the coffin of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith is carried during procession at his funeral service.
“Our road safety programs are such that cars and Highway Patrol vehicles are tasked to that road every day of the week,” he said.
“While there are significant road works along the M1 the crash risk is minimised by a very visible police presence.”
At 10am today Traffic & Highway Patrol Command staff at Huntingwood came together to recognise the service of Senior Sgt Smith.
Police bikes have changed but the job remains the same.
Staff were welcomed at today’s memorial by Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, who noted the significant service that police motorcyclists give to the community every day.
Meanwhile police on the Central Coast observed a minute’s silence this morning.
Only yesterday Brisbane Water police found the body and the wreckage of a man who had gone for a ride the previous day along the Old Pacific Highway at Bar Point.
The 34-year-old had left his Ryde home about 2pm on Wednesday.
When he had not arrived home at 11pm his worried partner contacted police.
Senior Sergeant Ray Smith uses a radar gun on Parramatta Road, part of the Operation Slow-down campaign in 1997.
Officers scoured the Old Road where they eventually found his body at 3.30am.
The man had lost control, gone down an embankment and collided with a tree.
Meanwhile the Coronial Inquest into the death of Senior Sgt Smith found the truck driver — who continued on oblivious to the carnage behind him — “had done everything right” in securing his load.
At the time of his death Sen Sgt Smith was a member of the Traffic Support Group and the focal point of the previous year’s road safety campaign Operation Slowdown.
But 27 years’ riding experience and a life dedicated to road safety were unable to save him from the freak accident.
The motorcycle of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith after he was killed when a piece of firewood fell from a truck hitting him in the head forcing him into a concrete wall on the F3 near Mt White.
“There was no way of escaping,” Sen Sgt Smith’s colleague of seven years, Sergeant Graeme Priest said at the time.
Sen Sgt Smith lived at Maitland and was travelling to work at Parramatta when the accident occurred.
He never married and had no children. Fellow officers said his life was dedicated to serving in the police force and he had a love of motorcycles, of which he had a collection.
At 10am today Traffic & Highway Patrol Command staff, Huntingwood, came together to recognise the service of Senior Sergeant Smith, who tragically lost his life at 6:10am on the 13 July, 1998, 20 years ago today.
Staff were welcomed at today’s memorial by Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, who noted the significant service that police motorcyclists give to the community every day, keeping road users safe, as Senior Sergeant Smith proudly did during his career. A/Inspector Clint Williams acknowledged Senior Sergeant Smith‘s career history, and Police Chaplain, Father Paul O’Donoghue told those present that ‘…those who served alongside Ray were his family..’, and noted the sad loss that Ray‘s sister must have suffered after this sad event. Father O’Donoghue then offered a prayer where those present observed a minutes silence in memory.
Featured in these photographs is ‘HWP-200‘ (Call sign Traffic 200) which we struck in memory of the life & career of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith.
Article from Goulburn Post, Wednesday 22 July 1998
Rank: Commenced Training at Goulburn Police Academy on Sunday 20 February 1994 ( aged
Probationary Constable – appointed 19 August 1994 ( aged
Constable – appointed 19 August 1995
Constable 1st Class – appointed ? ? ?
Time employed with NSW Police: From: 19 August 1994 to 18 April 1997 = 2 years, 7 months, 30 days
Served: From 20 February 1994 to 18 April 1997 = 3 years, 1 month, 29 days Service
Retirement / Leaving age: = 25 years, ? months, ? days
Time in Retirement from Police: 0
Stations: Liverpool ( 22 Division )( 19 August 1994 – 19 November 1994 ),
Fairfield ( 20 November 1994 – 18 April 1997 ) – Death
Awards: Commended for Good Police Work & Professionalism displayed in connect with an attempted hold-up of a takeaway food store in Fairfield in February 1996.
Commissioners Valour Award
No find on It’s An Honour
Born: 1971 in Parkes, NSW
Age: 25
Died: Friday 18 April 1997
Cause: Stabbed ( Murdered )
Event date: Friday 18 April 1997
Event location: Cambridge Tavern, Horsley Dve & Alan St, Fairfield
Location of the Murder: [codepeople-post-map]
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried / Cremated: Carty Family property – Parkes, NSW
Memorial location: 1/ Police Dog Carts ( coincidentally also stabbed to death )
2/ David Carty Reserve, Fairfield East, NSW ( cnr Fairfield St & The Horsley Dve )
3/ David Carty Conference Room – Fairfield Police Station, Smart St, Fairfield, NSW ( Dedicated / Opened on 18 April 2017 )
Constable David Carty ( 1997 )
David Carty – whilst a Student Police Officer
DAVID IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
About 8pm on 17 April, 1997 Constable Carty and other police had reason to speak to a number of people in the street at Fairfield while carrying out foot patrols. Some time later the constable and other police, then off duty, attended a local hotel, the Cambridge Tavern. About 2.10am as he was leaving the hotel Constable Carty was set upon by a number of offenders, including some of those he had spoken to earlier, and was stabbed to death. Senior Constable Michelle Auld ( # 23293 ), who had gone to his assistance, was also seriously assaulted in the cowardly attack.
Both Constable Carty and Senior Constable Auld were awarded the Commissioner’s Valour Award.
The constable was born in 1971 and was sworn in as a probationary constable in August, 1994. At the time of his death he was stationed at Fairfield.
Constable David Andrew CARTY touch pad at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
A small section of St John Of God, Richmond Hospital, where Police ( and others ) with PTSD have gone for Inpatient Treatment.
This is a small Memorial that previous patients ( Police ) have done to remember our friends who have fallen before us. The Black & Dark Blue Memorial stones are by Army members.
Photo posted up on NSW Cops, Old, Bold & Retired FB Group on 28 May 2017.
Remembering our colleague, Constable David Carty after 25 years.
An Official Ceremony will take place on Tuesday 19 April 2022 @ 10am at the Fairfield RSL ( Due to weather conditions it won’t be held at David Carty Park ).
Senior Constable Michelle AULD ( # 23293 ) at Constable David Carty’s Funeral – 1997
Tuesday 18 April 2017 20 year Memorial
18 April 2017
18 April 2017
Fairfield Police Station Wall of Remembrance Smart St, Fairfield
David Carty Conference Room – Fairfield Police Station ( Dedicated / Opened on 18 April 2017 )
Constable David Carty was remembered as a respected man at the 17th anniversary of his death
Kimberley Caines
Fairfield Advance
April 23, 201412:00AM
Constable David Carty is remembered as a respectable country man.
THE pain of April 18 doesn’t get any easier for Fairfield police officers who recall Constable David Carty as a respectable country man.
Const Carty (pictured) was remembered by police officers and former colleagues at Fairfield police station on Friday, the 17th anniversary of his brutal death.
On April 18, 1997, Const Carty, 25, was stabbed in the Cambridge Tavern car park, after having a drink with colleagues after a late shift.
Superintendent Peter Lennon said April 18 was one date he and his fellow officers would never forget. “He (Const Carty) came from the country and was well-respected by everyone,” he said.
During the memorial service, a minute’s silence was held and wreaths were laid in memory of the young man.
Supt Lennon said being in the police force meant brave men and women confronted dangers as they performed their duties.
“Police officers put their lives on the line every day for their community,” he said. “Whilst this event was after hours, he was still a serving officer because he was known to be a police officer when the incident occurred.”
HONOURING DAVID CARTY
■ David Andrew Carty, from Parkes, joined the NSW Police Force on February 20, 1994
■ After being posted to Liverpool police station, he was transferred to Fairfield police station on November 20, 1994, and confirmed to the rank of Constable on August 19, 1995
■ During the early hours of April 18, 1997, Constable Carty, 25, was stabbed in the car park of Fairfield’s Cambridge Tavern, where he had enjoyed a drink with colleagues after a late shift
■ His memory was honoured at Fairfield police station on Friday for the 17th anniversary of his death
Friday was the 17th anniversary of the murder of David Carty. Fairfield police officers held a minute’s silence at the station’s Wall of Remembrance. Picture: Tim Clapin
Fairfield police officers and former colleagues holding a memorial for the 15th anniversary of the death of Constable David Carty.
The David Carty Memorial set up at this week’s service in Sydney.
NSW Police Force held a memorial service on Wednesday to commemorate the life and service of former Parkes man Constable David Carty, who was slain 15 years ago.
Const Carty was stabbed to death as he left licensed premises in the Sydney suburb of Fairfield in the early hours of Friday, April 18, 1997, after having a drink with colleagues following a late shift.
At 10am on Wednesday April 18, 2012, colleagues and friends gathered at Fairfield Police Station for a memorial service, on the 15th anniversary of his death.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Michael Gallacher, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, South West Metropolitan Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Frank Mennilli, Fairfield Local Area Commander, Superintendent Peter Lennon, former colleagues, local police officers, local members of Parliament and members of the Fairfield community also attended.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Michael Gallacher, and NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, pay their respects to slain local police officer, David Carty and Wednesday’s special memorial service in Sydney.
Senior Catholic Police Chaplain, Father Paul O’Donoghue, led the blessing for serving police and emergency service officers.
Constable Carty’s family also held a memorial service on the family property in Parkes where Lachlan Local Area Commander, Robert Ryan, and local police officers paid their respects.
Supt Lennon said while it was painful to recall the circumstances of Constable Carty’s death, it was important for his memory to be honoured.
“David was a young man with a great future, personally and professionally,” Supt Lennon said.
“He had committed himself to protecting his community and paid the ultimate price.
“Every day, officers confront dangers as they perform their duties, and the memory of a departed colleague reminds us that a safe community can come at a high price for officers and their families,” Supt Lennon said.
Police officers during the ceremony
Constable Carty joined the NSW Police Force on February 20, 1994, attesting as a Probationary Constable on August 19, 1994, and began working at Liverpool.
On November 20, 1994, he was transferred to Fairfield and confirmed to the rank of Constable on August 19, 1995.
Before joining the NSW Police, David Carty worked on the family farm and showed as much dedication and independence there as he did as a Constable.
“Constable Carty’s relatively short experience in the NSW Police Force showed him to be an exemplary police officer,” Supt Lennon said.
Mr GUY ZANGARI (Fairfield) [12.11 p.m.]: On 18 April 2012 Fairfield police station held a 15-year memorial service for the late Constable David Carty. The memorial was to be held at David Carty Reserve but due to the torrential rain it was held at Fairfield police station. Besides the Fairfield memorial, a memorial was held also at the Carty family property in Parkes where Lachlan Local Area Commander Robert Ryan and local police officers paid their respects, together with the Carty family. The memorial at Fairfield was attended by the police commissioner, assistant commissioners, police Minister and local and State government representatives. Local fire, ambulance and State Emergency Service representatives paid their respects on this solemn occasion. Also present were the emergency response officers who, in the words of Superintendent Peter Lennon, moved heaven and earth to save this officer’s life. Inspector Brendan McMahon was the official master of ceremonies, with Commissioner Andrew Scipione offering kind and comforting words to the entire community. Superintendent Peter Lennon brought home the message of the loss to the community of David Carty and how to this day, so many years later, people in Fairfield still feel the pain. Father Paul O’Donoghue offered blessings and prayers to the gathering. Following the prayers a wreath-laying ceremony took place. It was at that point that emotion set in and not a dry eye could be seen in the gathering. Many of those who were present did not know David but they had grieved his loss for years. I recall that David’s death in 1997 was a shock to the entire community. So brutal was his death that churches around Fairfield held masses and services in his memory. At that time I was teaching at Patrician Brothers College, Fairfield, and I remember witnessing the grief that beset the community. Students and teachers held prayer services following David’s death. Sitting at the memorial service gave me the empty feeling that Fairfield experienced in 1997. I can only imagine what it was like for David’s work colleagues and especially for his family. David Carty was a country boy who came to Sydney to fulfil his dream of becoming a police officer. He joined the NSW Police Force on 20 February 1994, was sworn in as a probationary constable in August 1994 and began working at Liverpool. On 20 November 1994 Constable Carty was transferred to Fairfield and quickly established himself in the Fairfield Local Area Command and in the community as a hardworking police officer. On 17 April 1997, whilst on a daily foot patrol, David and other police officers had reason to speak to a number of people on a local Fairfield street. Later that evening, whilst off duty, Constable Carty and his colleagues attended the Cambridge Tavern. At about 2.10 a.m., as he was leaving the tavern, David was set upon by a number of offenders, including some of those he had spoken to earlier that day. Constable David Carty was stabbed to death by his attackers. Senior Constable Michelle Auld also was seriously assaulted whilst giving David assistance. Early that morning a piece of Fairfield was taken away. We will never forget David Carty. As a community we keep his memory alive by having a reserve named in his honour—the David Carty Reserve. There are plans in the Fairfield community to include a memorial garden in the reserve, to create a place where the community can offer prayers and thanks to the late Constable David Carty and reflect on the many sacrifices that he ultimately made as a result of his vocation as a police officer. David was never given a chance to marry, to have children and to experience what so many of us take for granted. What we as legislators can do is to ensure that our police are given the powers and support they need not only to keep the community safe but also to keep uniformed officers safe in the line of duty. Constable David Carty will never be forgotten by Fairfield.
Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina—Minister for Local Government, and Minister for the North Coast) [12.15 p.m.]: I take this opportunity to thank the member for Fairfield for reminding us of the terrible murder of David Carty. I am sure that all members and the people of New South Wales remember the despicable murder that took place late at night in a car park outside licensed premises when David Carty was off duty. David Carty’s father, John Carty, is a constituent of the member for Dubbo who is in the Chamber. I was interested to hear the member for Fairfield mention the David Carty memorial that is to be established in the Fairfield reserve—a nice tribute to a man whose life was cut short by a most heinous crime.
Rank: Commenced training at Redfern Police Academy on Monday 17 August 1981 ( aged 22 years, 6 months, 15 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed 6 November 1981 ( 22 years, 9 months, 4 days )
Constable – appointed 6 November 1982
Constable 1st Class – appointed 6 November 1986
Senior Constable – death
Final Rank: Senior Constable
Stations: ?, Kempsey
Service: From 17 August 1981 to 9 July 1995 = 13 years, 10 months, 22 days Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour – However:
Commissioner’s Medal for Valour – posthumously
National Police Service Medal – granted 9 July 2015 – posthumously
Born: Monday 2 February 1959
Died on: Sunday 9 July 1995
Death location: Main Street, Crescent Heads
Cause: Shot – murdered – On Duty
Age: 36 years, 5 months, 7 days
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: Rose Garden, Innes Gardens Memorial Park, NSW: [codepeople-post-map]
Grave location: Lat/Long: -31.462153 , 152.858907
Memorial location: Killuke St, Crescent Head’s, NSW
PETER IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
SenCon Peter John ADDISON – shot – 9 July 1995 – Crescent Head
Peter John ADDISON – touch plate at National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
Grave plaque for Peter ADDISON
Redfern Police Academy Class 175 – Sub Class A Back Row L to R: R. BARRIE # 19933, R.F. EDWARDS, Peter John ADDISON # 19914, A.J. CATTELL # 20205, J. DeROTA # 19902, G.J. DUNCAN # 19913, D.P. ELLIS # 19906, E.S. BIRCHALL # 19917 Centre Row L to R: Sgt 3/c J.A. SHIPLEE # 11230, P. DAVIES # 19919, D.F. BAILEY # 19916, P.G. DUNWORTH # 19937, M.D. BALDOCK # 20162, P.A. BLAIR # 19942, S.G. BENNETT # 19934, Sgt 3/c R.E. FORD # 10076 Front Row L to R: A.C. BURNS # 19904, J.M. CLUGSTON # 19895, Donna M. BURTON ( Donna McMAHON / Donna Thompson ) # 19929 , M.E. AUSTIN # 19908, Suzanne Joy DEARNLEY # 19945, J.A. CAMPBELL # 19903, M.L. CORNISH # 19898, J.A. DAHLBERG, D.M. CONNELL # 19891
&
Robert Bruce SPEARS
( late of Port Macquarie )
New South Wales Police Force
Redfern Police Academy Class # 227
ProCst # 98500
Regd. # 23854
Rank: Commenced training at Goulburn Police Academy on Wednesday 1 April 1987 ( aged 28 years, 16 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed 26 June 1987 ( aged 28 years, 3 months, 10 days )
Constable – appointed 26 June 1988
Senior Constable – death
Final Rank: Senior Constable
Stations: ?, Liverpool ( 22 Division ), Kempsey
Service: From1 April 1987 to9 July 1995 = 8 years, 3 months, 8 days Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour – However:
Commissioner’s Medal for Valour – posthumously
National Police Service Medal – granted 9 July 2015 – posthumously
Born: Monday 16 March 1959
Died on: Sunday 9 July 1995
Cause: Shot – murdered – On Duty
Age: 36 years, 3 months, 23 days
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?, Liverpool, NSW
Buried at: ?
Grave location: Lat/Long: -31.462153 , 152.858907
Compass Rose Garden, Innes Gardens Memorial Park, NSW: [codepeople-post-map]
Memorial location: Killuke St, Crescent Head’s, NSW
ROBERT IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
SenCon Robert Bruce SPEARS – shot – 9 July 1995 – Crescent Head
Bob Spears and his son
Touch plate for Senior Constable Robert SPEARS at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
Grave plate for Robert SPEARS
Crescent Head memorial as of July 5, 2013. The memorial to Senior Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears is being well cared for. 2013 marks the 18th anniversary of their death. Such a sad waste of the lives of such good men. Their bravery was exceptional. R.I.P.
About 12.35am on 9 July, 1995 the constables were performing night shift at the Kempsey Police Station when they were called to a malicious damage complaint at the nearby township of Crescent Head. Having attended one address in relation to the complaint they drove to a dwelling in Main Street, Crescent Head. There they parked the police vehicle in a driveway and began to walk toward the front door.
At 1.22am an urgent radio message was received from Senior Constable Addison requesting urgent assistance. It was later learned that the offender McGowan had hidden near the carport of the dwelling and, camouflaged and armed with a high-powered Ruger rifle, had opened fire on the two police.
While withdrawing to the police vehicle Senior Constable Spears received a severe wound to the head and collapsed onto the ground. After exchanging shots with the offender Senior Constable Addison quickly sought help from neighbours. While apparently seeking a house with a telephone so he could call for assistance for his partner, he was also shot to death.
The murderer then committed suicide with the rifle.
At the inquest into the deaths of the two constables the New South Wales Coroner Mr Derek Hand commended both men for their extraordinary courage. Special mention was made of Senior Constable Addison‘s bravery in that “No-one would have blamed him if he had decided to seek safety. Not only was he obviously concerned about Constable Spears but he was faced with an armed man who could have caused much more death and injury in the neighbourhood”.
Mr Hand also commended the brave actions of Detective Senior Constable Michael Clark, Ambulance Officer Edward Hill and Mr Gregory Barnett.
Senior Constable Addison was born in 1959 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 6 November, 1981. At the time of his death he was stationed at Kempsey. He was posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Medal for Valour.
Senior Constable Spears was born in 1959 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 26 June, 1987. At the time of his death he was stationed at Kempsey. He was posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Medal for Valour.
New South Wales. State Coroner (1995). [Inquests into the deaths of Robert Bruce Spears, Peter John Addison and John Craig McGowan : transcript of the Coroner’s address, findings and recommendations of 13 October 1995.]. New South Wales State Coroner’s Court, [Penrith, N.S.W ( no link )
Commemorative service 10:30am, Thursday 9 July 2015 Addison/Spears memorial site Corner of Baker Dr and Killuke Cr, Crescent Head
Valour not forgotten
A ceremony this month will mark the 20th anniversary of one of our darkest days.
STORY SHAUN FEWINGS
PUBLIC AFFAIRS BRANCH
On the face of it, it was a routine call to a domestic violence complaint but within an hour two police officers were ambushed and shot dead.
When Kempsey-based police officers, Senior Constables Peter Addison VA and Robert Spears VA arrived in the small mid north coast town of Crescent Head, they came under attack from a hidden assassin. Local electrician John McGowan was drunk and dressed in camouflage gear, hiding near a car port on his Walker Street property.
The 35-year-old, armed with a high-powered modified Ruger 14 rifle, opened fire on the officers as they got out of their 4WD. The pair took cover behind their vehicle and exchanged shots with the gunman.
As Snr Cst Addison got back in the car to radio for backup, McGowan shot his partner in the head.
Snr Cst Addison ran to a neighbouring house to seek help but it didn’t have a telephone. He continued to exchange shots with the offender but was also shot dead. The killer then turned the gun on himself.
It happened at 1.22am on 9 July, 1995 and remains one of the darkest days in the history of the NSWPF. The deaths led to major reforms, including the introduction of automatic pistols and bullet proof vests for first response officers, improved radio equipment and coverage, and advances in police tactical training.
A special ceremony will mark the 20th anniversary of their deaths at a memorial site within the town. Commissioner Andrew Scipione will present the widows of Senior Constables Addison and Spears with National Police Service Medals in honour of their courage, service and diligence.
Today the ranks of the NSWPF are filled with many officers too young to remember the Crescent Head shootings but who remain protected by the legacy of two brave police officers.July 2015Police Monthly3
The medals awarded to widows of Peter Addison and Robert Spears. Picture: Lindsay Moller
$18 loader may have saved police life
Feb. 6, 2001, 9:02 p.m.
ONE of two police officers killed after being ambushed by a drunken gunmen at Crescent Head in 1995 may have survived if he had been issued with an $18 speed-loader the Industrial Relations Court has been told.
NSW WorkCover Authority is proceeding with eight summonses against the Crown over alleged Occupational, Health and Safety Act breaches by the NSW Police Service stemming from the shooting deaths of Kempsey policemen, Senior Constables Robert Spears and Peter Addison.
The matter, being heard by Justice Hungerford, began in Sydney on Monday and is expected to take three weeks to complete.
Senior Constables Addison and Spears, both Port Macquarie residents, were shot by John McGowan on July 9, 1995 when they went to investigate a domestic violence complaint.
In the preceding Coronial Inquest, Coroner Derrick Hand found the two officers had been ‘massively outgunned’, lacked bulletproof vests and were hampered by poor radio communications.
WorkCover alleges the breaches of the Act contributed to the deaths of the policemen and specifically refers to inadequate equipment and training and the alleged failure to provide self-loading firearms.
When the officers arrived at the home of McGowan he was armed .223 calibre Ruger Rifle.
Constable Spears was shot dead in McGowan’s first salvo before Const. Addison managed to enter a house across the road to use a phone for help, when he was told there was not one he left the house only to be shot dead himself.
McGowan then shot himself.
WorkCover alleges the Crown failed to ensure the health and safety of Const. Addison and Spears by not providing them with a speed-loader or a self-loader weapon such as a the 9mm Glock pistol, which holds 17 rounds, now used by the service.
WorkCover’s Barrister Steven Crawshaw told the court a speed-loader, a round device used to load all six bullets into the then standard police weapon, a .38 Smith and Wesson, would have let Const. Addison reload more efficiently under pressure.
Police Service Barrister, Peter Hastings, QC, told the court Const. Addison did not appear to be reloading at the time he was killed so the issue was irrelevant.
The officers were issued with speed strip reloaders that enable rounds to be loaded two at a time.
The court heard Const. Addison had fired all six rounds from his revolver and investigators found his unused speed strip lying near his body.
WorkCover has also alleged that the police service failed to provide the two officers with training addressing in a practical way the tactics to be employed in a high-risk situation such as they were faced with and the systems the police service had in place to ensure training was deficient.
Training of police attacked May 3, 2001, 9:06 p.m.
SIX years after the shooting deaths of two Kempsey police officers a NSW court has found the NSW Police Service negligent in not providing adequate training and communications for the officers.
Senior Constables Robert Spears and Peter Addison, both Port Macquarie residents, were gunned down by a drunken John McGowan when they went to investigate a domestic violence complaint at Crescent Head on July 9, 1995.
NSW WorkCover, in January, started proceedings against the NSW Police Service through the NSW Industrial Relations Court over breaches of the Occupational, Health and Safety Act in relation to the deaths of Constables Addison and Spears.
On Wednesday, Justice Barrie Hungerford found that the NSW Police Service failed to provide adequate training and radio equipment.
Justice Hungerford found that the radio communications equipment was inadequate.
In the judgement Justice Hungerford said Senior Constable Spears and Addison were placed at risk of injury in that they could not communicate with other officers and vice versa.
“This created a working environment in which there was a greater risk of physical harm,” he said.
Justice Hungerford said there was evidence that supported the proposition that the officers concerned had not received up-to-date training in the various matters relevant to operational situations.
“Those subject matters, specifically, were weapons handling, tactics in high-risk situations, method of approach to buildings, concealment and the use of lights and torches.
“The very nature of the circumstances as they existed at Crescent Head during the subject incident made relevant the type of training the two officers had not recently received,” Justice Hungerford said.
Justice Hungerford dismissed eight other charges brought against the NSW Police Service by WorkCover relating to firearms, firearm equipment and training and operational duties.
The case was adjourned for a number of weeks to give the Police Service time to prepare mitigating evidence to be presented to Justice Hungerford before he announces the penalty.
On that night in 1995, after talking to a woman complaining of domestic violence threats, Constables Spears and Addison attended McGowan’s house in Walker Street at Crescent Head.
It is believed an altercation occurred between McGowan and the two officers. At some point McGowan produced a modified Ruger 14 rifle and the two officers retreated behind their 4WD.
McGowan then fired a number of shots at the officers while they sheltered behind their vehicle. Both officers returned fire from their position. A short time later Constables Addison and Spears got into the 4WD.
While Constable Addison radioed that they were in trouble McGowan shot Constable Spears in the head.
Constable Addison then again radioed that an officer was down before retreating across the road and entering a house in a bid to use a telephone to call for help.
After realising the house didn’t have a telephone Constable Addison left the house and exchanged shots with McGowan who was still beside the police vehicle.
A witness stated that then Constable Addison might have emptied his revolver while retreating to the rear of the house he just exited.
For reasons which were not clear, it is believed that Constable Addison attempted to go forward, with an empty gun and his torch shinning, but was shot dead by McGowan .
McGowan then shot himself and was found the next morning slumped on the lawn.
THE NSW Police Service has been fined $220,000 for not providing adequate training to two Kempsey police officers killed in a shoot-out at Crescent Head in 1995.
Senior Constable Peter Addison and Senior Constable Robert Spears, both residents of Port Macquarie, were shot and killed by John McGowan when they went to investigate a domestic violence complaint in the seaside village on the night of Saturday, July 9, 1995.
NSW WorkCover started proceedings, in the NSW Industrial Court, against the NSW Police Service in January 2001.
NSW WorkCover alleged a number of breaches of the Occupational, Health and Safety Act in relation to the deaths of Constables Addison and Spears.
In May of last year Justice Barrie Hungerford found that NSW Police had not provided Constables Spears and Addison with up-to-date training in high-risk situation tactics.
Justice Hungerford described the offence as being ‘extremely serious’ and noted that the officers had not undergone mandatory training in the use and reloading of weapons, use of torches, defensive tactics and communications.
In assessing the penalty, Justice Hungerford said the action taken by the Police Service since that fatal day to develop training programs and its previously clear occupational health and safety record.
“It is not unreasonable to conclude, in light of the clearly dangerous nature of the industry in which the Police Service operates, that the fact it has a clear occupational health and safety record is a weighty factor in its favour…,” Justice Hungerford said in his decision.
“Another relevant subjective consideration is the action taken by the defendant in respect of the Police Service in developing training programs for police officers, including the important program of ammunition training, and its leading role in that respect compared with police forces in other states,” he said.
WorkCover NSW acting general managerMichelle Patterson said “this tragic incident highlights the need for all employers to undertake appropriate risk management and to provide adequate training so that employees are able to carry out their duties”.
Honouring their grandfathers: Blake Addison, Joey Addison and Liam Jones.
THE memories of former police officers Bob Spears and Peter Addison are being preserved by three Port Macquarie boys who never met their grandfathers. Blake Addison, 6, Joey Addison, 4, and Liam Jones, 4, were not born when the Kempsey-based senior constables were shot down at Crescent Head in 1995. Late last month the boys were taken into their grandparents’ former world of crime and justice during an open day at Port Macquarie Police Station. They joined retired officers and their families on a tour of the station to uphold their family’s connection with the NSW Police Force.“I wasn’t lucky enough to meet them but my brother Joe and cousin Liam and I were treated so special at the open day we know our pops were important and special,” Blake said. There has been a concerted effort by the Addison and Spears families to ensure the boys understand the sacrifices their grandfathers made to protect the community before their death. Policing had been such a dominant part of the Addison and Spears lives before the shooting that the boys’ parents wanted it to be part of the next generation too. Blake and Joey Addison were an indirect result of the tragedy 12 years ago. The shooting brought their parents Jade Spears and Glen Addison together – Jade Spears and Glen Addison were the children of Bob Spears and Peter Addison. Liam Jones is Bob Spears’s grandson – Liam’s mother Hayley Jones changed her maiden name from Addison when she married.
The web of family connections and history has only brought the Addisons and Spears closer.
The trio of boys, their sisters, their parents, and their grandmothers are almost inseparable.
Next year, they will all attend Police Remembrance Day for the first time as a whole family to reflect again on the lives Bob Spears and Peter Addison.
SACRIFICE and sadness will hang heavy in the air on Thursday for officers and wider family of the Mid North Coast Local Area Command.It will be the 20th anniversary of senior constables Pete Addison and Bob Spears‘ murders at Crescent Head.The two officers, stationed at Kempsey but both of whom lived in Port Macquarie, were killed while responding to a violent disturbance on Main Street about 1am on July 9, 1995.Electrician John McGowan killed Sen Const Spears first by using a .223 calibre Rutger Rifle, before taking the other officer’s life.McGowan then shot himself.The two officers were posthumously awarded the NSW Police Force’s highest honour, the Commissioner’s Valour Award, the following month.More than 200 officers and guests are expected at Crescent Head’s Killuke St memorial tomorrow at 10.30am to commemorate the fallen colleagues.
Killuke St memorial Stone to Addison & Spears – 2015
“It will be an opportunity for all colleagues to show we haven’t forgotten what happened,” Superintendent Paul Fehon said on Monday.
“It’s for us to remember, and for us to let the families know we will never forget their bravery.
“There was an impact on so many people.”
Police chaplain Father Paul Gooley will lead the service, which will be co-celebrated by Fr John Casey who was the LAC’s chaplain 20 years ago and conducted Sen. Const. Addison’s funeral.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione will then present the National Police Service medals to the widows of the two officers to mark the men’s heroism and diligence to duty.
Deputy commissioners Catherine Burn and Nick Kaldas will also be at the service, as well as former commissioners, politicians and the heads of Ambulance NSW and Fire and Rescue NSW.
Former State Coroner Derrick Hand, who investigated the murders, is another notable guest.
The general public is also invited to attend, with plenty of space available in surrounding parkland.
The slain officers’ families will lay wreaths, followed by Commissioner Scipione and fellow police.
The community are also able to lay a wreath. A reception will take place following the ceremony at the Crescent Head Country Club.
Families of slain officers Peter Addison and Robert Spears united by love
Samantha Townsend
The Daily Telegraph
July 09, 2015 1:02PM
Glenn Addison (centre back) and Jade Spears (centre front in blue) with family members of Peter Addison and Robert Spears at Crescent Head. Picture: Lindsay Moller
TWO families united in the most horrific of circumstances are forever joined through the generations.
Senior Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears, both 36, were killed by a gunman after responding to a domestic violence call in Crescent Head on the Mid North Coast on July 9, 1995.
Their children Glenn Addison and Jade Spears, who were 16 and 15 at the time, met after their fathers’ deaths and went on to get married.
The pair, with their children Blake, 14, Joe, 12, and Charlie, 10, joined their mothers Liana and Kathy as well as family and friends today at a ceremony in the coastal town to mark the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Liana (Addison) Stewart, said their families would always be connected not only because of their loss but through the marriage of their children.
“There has to be good come out of this,” Liana said. “Our families will always be connected.”
Haley Addison and Liana (Addison) Stewart at the special 20th Anniversary ceremony. Picture: Lindsay Moller
Jade Spears with her son and husband Glenn Addison at Crescent Head. Picture: Lindsay Moller
She said the ceremony was a special day for the family and she knew “without a doubt” their legacy would stay strong.
“It’s nice they have never been forgot,” she said.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione presented National Police Service medals to the widows of the slain officers today in honour of the men, who gave their lives while attempting to apprehend an armed offender.
The Kempsey-based senior constables had been dispatched to Crescent Head to investigate a report of domestic violence in the early hours of July 9, 1995.
As they arrived in Walker St, the policemen came under fire from drunken gunman John McGowan, dressed in camouflage gear and hiding near a carport.
The officers returned fire as they sought cover behind their four wheel drive. Addison tried to call for back-up on their police radio when Spears was fatally wounded.
Robert Spears was fatally wounded trying to apprehend an armed gunman.
Peter Addison who was gunned down in the line of duty.
In a desperate bid to seek help for his dying friend, Addison ran to a nearby house but it didn’t have a telephone.
As he tried to enter another property, still returning fire, the 14-year police veteran was also shot dead by the gunman, who then turned his high-powered rifle on himself.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the heroic officers had “stood their ground, defending themselves and their community from a cowardly assassin”.
“Peter Addison was not prepared to leave his wounded friend and colleague… together they made the ultimate sacrifice and we will never forget them for it,” he said
Their deaths led to major reforms within the force including the transition from revolvers to automatic pistols, bulletproof vests for first response officers, improved radio coverage and equipment as well as state-of-the-art tactical training for uniformed police.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione handing the National Police Service medal to Kathy Spears. Picture: Lindsay Moller
The Spears and Addison families are connected by love and tragedy thanks to a marriage between the officer’s children. Picture: Lindsay Moller
Walker St, the scene of the Crescent Head shootings, on July 9, 1995.
Crescent Heads police killings: Two decades on, ceremony will mark sacrifice made by senior constables on duty
Samantha Townsend Regional Reporter
The Daily Telegraph
July 09, 2015 12:00AM
The scene in Walker Street, Crescent Head, the morning of the shootings, with the body of gunman John McGowan (right) covered by a sheet as police speak with shocked residents.
Pair on night shift when they attended to domestic dispute call
Arrived to find gunman in camouflage gear carrying high-powered rifle
Gunman shot two policemen dead before killing himself
Tragedy led to major reforms within police force
IT WAS supposed to be a routine domestic violence call, but what happened next not only tore apart two families but also stunned a NSW coastal town.
Senior Constables Robert Spears and Peter Addison made the ultimate sacrifice when they were killed in the line of duty while protecting the community of Crescent Head on the Mid North Coast from an armed gunman on July 9, 1995.
Today is the 20th anniversary of their deaths and Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has presented National Police Service medals to the widows of the slain officers in honour of the pair’s heroism and diligence to duty.
Spears and Addison, both 36, respectively the fathers of two and three children, had moved to the Mid North Coast for a better lifestyle.
The Daily Telegraph reported at that time that on the night on July 8, 1995, the officers had kissed their families goodbye and headed out for the late shift at Kempsey Police Station.
At 12.35am the officers received a distress call about a domestic violence incident at nearby Crescent Head from the former girlfriend of electrician John McGowan.
The scene after two police officers responding to a domestic disturbance call were gunned down by John McGowan.
Senior police officers next to the covered body of McGowan.
When they arrived into the township around 1am, The Daily Telegraph Mirror reported the police officers were confronted by a drunken McGowan dressed in camouflage gear and armed with a high-powered rifle.
THE DAY MURDER CAME TO MY SLEEPY BEACH TOWN
The officers were armed with police-issue .38 Smith and Wesson revolvers.
A call for back-up was made around 1.22am.
A NSW police spokesman told The Daily Telegraph yesterday that Spears was fatally wounded first, having been shot in the head.
John McGowan shot and killed the two policemen before committing suicide in the street.
Unable to get radio assistance, the spokesman said Addison dashed to a nearby home to use the landline but the occupants did not have one.
On his way to a second house, Addison was shot dead.
McGowan then turned the gun on himself.
In the hours after the incident, police swarmed into the town, warning residents to stay inside their homes.
Police guard lines route of Senior Constable Robert Spears‘ funeral at Liverpool.
Glen Addison weeps as his brother Scott consoles him at their father’s funeral.
Uniformed police link arms at funeral of colleague Senior Constable Addison.
Police carry the coffin of Senior Constable Peter Addison.
At that stage they did not know the gunman had killed himself.
It has been reported that police found his body around 9am.
Not long after the senior constables deaths, the fallen officers were awarded the Police Force’s highest honour, the Commissioner’s Valour Award.
Their deaths led to major reforms within the force including the transition from revolvers to automatic pistols, bullet-proof vests for first response officers, improved radio coverage and equipment as well as state-of-the-art tactical training for uniformed police.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says the shootings of two police officers at Crescent head is the darkest day in the NSW police history.
Around 250 people gathered at Crescent head including families and friends of the dead officers where their widows were awarded with medals for officers valour.
“Senior Constables, Peter Addison and Robert Spears, walked into an ambush,” he said.
“Human instinct would demand you remove yourself from harm’s way in a situation like that, but not these brave officers.
“They knew they had to try to stop this gunman who could have gone on to kill or injure others.
“They stood their ground, defending themselves and their community from a cowardly assassin.
“Peter Addison was not prepared to leave his wounded friend and colleague…together they made the ultimate sacrifice and we will never forget them for it.”
A memorial plaque was unveiled in the town in 1996 just a few hundred metres away from the street where the officers were slain.
The plaque reads: “The Kempsey Shire Council on behalf of the community, has erected this memorial acknowledging the personal courage and sacrifice of Senior Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears, who gave their lives while attempting to apprehend an armed offender on the 9th July, 1995.”
Police Commission Andrew Scipione joined a host of other dignitaries at the Crescent Head memorial to mark the 20th anniversary of their deaths.
A long list of dignitaries including former Police Commissioners, Tony Lauer and Neil Taylor, attended today’s ceremony to honour the officers for their bravery and dedication to duty.
Following the shooting murders of Senior Constables Peter John Addison and Robert Bruce Spears at Crescent Head, on the 9 July, 1995, the Police Association pressed for a serious review of the firearms on issue to general duties police, with the aim of having
the .38 special Smith & Wesson model 10 revolver replaced with a self loading pistol.
The model 10 had been in service for 30 years. Addison and Spears were shot dead by John McGowan, who was armed with a .223 calibre Ruger Mini 14 self loading rifle.
McGowan had several loaded magazines and his rifle was painted in camouflage paint.
The two policemen went to McGowan’s residence in Walker Street, Crescent Head, following a complaint that McGowan made threats to his former girlfriend. Addison and Spears exchanged shots with McGowan but were obviously out-gunned. It appeared that when Spears tried to reload his revolver, the speed strip containing his ammunition fell to the ground. McGowan shot himself dead after shooting Addison and Spears and his rifle was found next to his body. It was estimated that McGowan fired 30 shots from the rifle,
with some of McGowan’s bullets hitting neighbouring houses and killing a stray dog.
Peter Addison joined the police in 1981 and Robert Spears had been in the police since 1987. Both men were posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Medal for Valour.
Since the late 1980s, the adequacy of the revolver for police duties had been in question and the self loading pistol was favoured as a replacement for the Smith & Wesson model 10 revolver. In 1998, the Glock model 22 self loading pistol chambered for the .40 S&W cartridge was being issued to replace the .38 calibre Smith & Wesson model 10 revolver.
The Glock is not the first type of self loading pistol that has been issued to NSW Police.
From the late 1920s, until phasing in of the Smith & Wesson model 10 revolver in the 1960s, an assorted variety of pistols and revolvers were used for police use, many coming from confiscated and surrendered stocks as well as government purchase. Throughout this period leading up to 1965, revolvers such as the .32 Colt Police Positive, the Colt Pocket Positive and also the .38 special Smith & Wesson model 10, were issued to ranks below sergeants 1st class were issued with .25 calibre self loading pistols. While this may have been the desired mode of issue, the types of pistols and revolvers issued depended on things such as supply and availability.
Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995),
Friday 14 July 1995, page 6
Firearms amnesty follows tragedy
SYDNEY: The NSW Government has announced a 12 month firearms amnesty effective immediately.
The Premier, Bob Carr, said yesterday that anyone who was holding an illegal firearm should surrender it to police.
” I have asked the Minister for Police, Paul Whelan, to widely publicise the amnesty, ” Mr Carr said.
” The amnesty means the owner of an illegal and prohibited firearm can hand it over to the police without fear of prosecution. ”
The Victorian Government announced a permanent gun amnesty on Tuesday and Mr Carr said then that he wanted an amnesty up and running in NSW as soon as possible.
He made the announcement yesterday after returning from the funeral of Senior Constable Peter Addison, who with his partner, Senior Constable Robert Spears, was gunned down outside a house at Crescent Head on the NSW mid-north coast on Sunday morning.
The pair had gone to the address in response to a domestic dispute.
The gunman, John McGowan, shot himself in the head later.
He had made his Ruger 14 mini-rank rifle illegal by attaching two magazines so the weapon could fire 30 rounds without reloading. The legal limit is five.
And police said the rifle was not licensed.
” The challenge we face here is that there was a gun, illegal under NSW law, in the possession of someone who did not have a shooter’s licence, ” Mr Carr said.
” Now obviously an amnesty that would drain the number of guns out of the community makes sense. ”
NSW had a gun amnesty after the August 1991 Strathfield massacre when Wade Frankum opened fire and shot dead six people in a suburban shopping plaza before turning the gun on himself.
In April 1994, the NSW Police Service switched on its Computerised Operational Policing System list, on which the name and address of every licensed shooter in the state is on the computer database.
There is a also a “persons’ of special interest” category on COPS which would cater for people with a psychological history of violence or a criminal record.
Coastal holiday village woken to the sound of murder
KEMPSEY: The serenity of a north-coast township was broken early yesterday when two police officers were shot dead while on duty and their killer committed suicide by turning his gun on himself.
Police said that just after 1am Senior Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears, both aged 36, had arrived at a house in Crescent Head, 21km south-east of Kempsey, in response to a call about malicious damage to a car.
Within minutes, the pair, who had transferred to Kempsey with their young families about six months ago, were gunned down as they walked toward the house, by a man reportedly drunk and depressed over a failed love affair.
Police have confirmed that no one else was in the house with the man.
Nearby residents heard a series of shots and shouting then further blasts from a semi-automatic rifle as 35-year-old electrician John McGowan tried to comprehend his deed.
Special Protection Group members and negotiators from Sydney were rushed to the house, and residents were warned to stay in doors.
Traffic was barred from entering the town.
Anita Crowley, who lives a few streets away from the shooting, said she was woken up by the shots.
“I thought it was firecrackers,” she said. “I heard somebody shouting and yelling ‘ get down ‘.”
Police said negotiators were assessing the situation when, just before 9am, McGowan’s body was found on the front lawn of the house. He had turned the gun on himself and died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
The small town is now trying to come to terms with how a man who seemed “just a normal bloke” could shoot two police officers.
One resident, who did not want to be named, said McGowan was well-known. “He was just a normal bloke, just a resident of Crescent Head,” the man said.
“He was a bloke who would go to the club once a week, have a drink with mates, go to work five days a week.”
Another resident, who lives close to Walker Street, said: “This is just a quiet little holiday village where people come to enjoy themselves. This is the last thing you would expect from it.”
Kempsey’s Mayor, Stuart McIntyre, whose shire takes in Crescent Heads, said the shootings were an “absolute disaster” for the close-knit community, which has a population of 1200.
“It has absolutely stunned everybody,” Mr McIntyre said. “It’s one of those things which you think could never happen here.”
NSW Police Commissioner Tony Lauer said he was deeply saddened by the shooting.
“Two young police officers, going about their duties with commitment and dedication, have made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting their community,” Mr Lauer said in a statement. “These tragic events remind us of the unforeseen possibilities any police officer can face while performing their duties.”
NSW Police Association secretary Lloyd Taylor described the killings as “bad and a bloody disastrous day in policing”.
“Policing can be at times a mundane, sedentary job but it is also a job in which you can pay with your life,” Mr Taylor said.
He said the association had sent members to Kempsey to help the dead officers’ wives and children cope with the tragedy.
Local National Party MP Bruce Jeffery called for police to be issued with bullet-proof vests or soft body armour for all potentially dangerous situations.
“What has happened has highlighted the degree of danger police can face every day,” he said.
“The potential cost of these vests is a small consideration when you consider they would be protecting lives.”
The deaths of the constables brought the toll of NSW police shot and killed on duty to six in the past 10 years.
In 1986, Sergeant Paul Quinn died of a gunshot wound received on duty at Bathurst; in 1988 probationary Constable Sharon Wilson died after being accidently shot by a colleague at Leeton; in 1989, Constable Alan McQueen died after being shot when he and his partner disturbed a man trying to steal a car in central Sydney; and in 1992 Constable Juan Hernandez died when he accidently shot himself during weapons training at the Redfern Police Complex.
A police spokeswoman said Senior Constables Addison and Spears would be buried this week. The results of McGowan’s post-mortem examination should be released early this week.
Location of Funeral & Interment in Darwin 
The George Medal
