Killed just for doing their jobs: The heroic police who put their lives on the line – only to be ambushed in lonely alleys and hacked to death with machetes by angry young men
National Police Remembrance Day will honour 757 police killed on duty
Ceremonies across the nation and the south Pacific will respect the fallen
Police remembered include those shot or stabbed while investigating crimes
Constables Steve Tynan and Damian Eyre were gunned down in Melbourne’s infamous Walsh Street shootings while investigating an abandoned car
Constable David Carty was stabbed to death by men in a Sydney car park
Geoffrey Bowen was killed by a parcel bomb during an Adelaide drug case
Published: 14:42 EST, 29 September 2014 | Updated: 22:42 EST, 29 September 2014
They went off to work for the day and never came home to their wives or families.
Constables Steven John Tynan, 22, and Damien Jeffrey Eyre, 20, were ambushed and shot by one of Melbourne most notorious crime families after they were deliberately lured to abandoned car and gunned down.
The two young Victorians are among 757 police officers killed in the line of duty who will be honoured across the nation today in a series of ceremonies to mark National Police Remembrance Day.
The Australian Federal Police will host a dusk service at the National Police Memorial on Monday evening to honour all Australian police officers who have lost their lives while serving the Australian community.
Mounted police line up at the National Police Memorial to commemorate the 757 Australian police officers who have died in the line of duty while serving the community in each state and territory.
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Each state and territory police jurisdiction across Australia will pay tribute to the fallen officers, as well as those in Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Samoa and the Solomon Islands.
The National Police Memorial lists every Australian Police officer who has been killed or who has died as a result of their duties, starting with Constable Joseph Luker in 1803.
Luker was set upon while investigating burglaries on the night of August 25, 1803 in East Sydney and beaten to death, having a piece of his own sword embedded in his skull.
The 756 police officers who have followed Luker to the grave died from several different causes – car accidents while doing their job, plane crashes en route to a crime investigation and murder, by being shot, stabbed or blown up in a targeted letter bomb.
Despite constant calls from senior police or politicians to jail police killers for life, some of the most shocking murders have resulted in short sentences or acquittals.
These are the police murders which shocked the nation:
Constable Steven John Tynan was just 22-years-old when he and fellow officer Damian Jeffery Eyre, 20, were lured to a street where they were ambushed and shot in a deliberate murder by one of Melbourne’s most notorious criminals, Victor Peirce
It was 4.50am on October 12, 1988, when Constable Damian Eyre and his fellow officer went to investigate an alleged abandoned car in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. Both were shot in the back of the head at close range and as Eyre lay dying, his service revolver was take from its holster and he was again shot in the head.
Shot in the back of the head: Constable Steven John Tynan (above, left) was just 22-years-old when he and fellow officer Damian Jeffery Eyre, 20, (right) were lured to a street where they were ambushed and shot in the head in a deliberate murder by one of Melbourne’s most notorious criminals, Victor Peirce
The Walsh Street killings
At 4.50am on Wednesday October, 12, 1988, Constables Steve Tynan and Damien Eyre responded to a report about a suspicious abandoned vehicle on a street in the inner south Melbourne suburb of South Yarra.
The two young officers turned up at 222 Walsh Street, unaware that they had been deliberately lured there by members of the notorious Melbourne crime family, the Pettingills.
One of four sons of the infamous Kath Pettingill – the former brothel owner upon whom the crime matriarch played by Jacki Weaver in the film Animal Kingdom is based – was Victor Peirce.
Peirce, who was shot dead in 2002, planned the ambush, according to an interview with his widow, Wendy, who said he had deliberately lured police to the scene for the purpose of murdering them.
Both Tynan and Eyre were shot in the back of the head at close range; while Eyre lay dying, his service revolver was taken from its holster and he was again shot in the head.
Peirce, his brother Trevor Pettingill and two other men, , Anthony Leigh Farrell and Peter David McEvoy, went on trial for the murders, but were acquitted in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Kicked to death: Constable David Carty, 25, was set upon by young men a western Sydney tavern in April, 1997. He had earlier reprimanded for using obscene language. The men kicked him and struck him with bottles and machetes he lay in the tavern car park in what was later described as a ‘brutal, ferocious and savage’ attack. His killer is now out of prison.
The brutal slaying of David Carty
On duty in the western Sydney suburb of Fairfield on April 17, 1997, Constable David Carty and other police spoke to a number of people on the street while conducting foot patrols.
When they had signed off for the evening, Carty and fellow officers went to the nearby Cambridge Tavern to relax over a few drinks.
Carty, 25, who was engaged to be married, was the among the last of the officers to leave the hotel at around 2.10am.He was set upon by a number of men in the tavern car park, among them some of the individuals he had reprimanded for using obscene language while on his earlier foot patrol.
During the attack, which was later described by a judge as brutal, ferocious and savage, Carty was fatally stabbed in the heart and then kicked, punched and stomped on by a group of men as he lay on the ground.
Senior Constable Michelle Auld who went to his assistance was also seriously assaulted.
According to his post mortem, Carty had several incised wounds to his head, bruising and trauma consistent with kicking, blunt trauma consistent with having been hit with a beer bottle, part of his earlobe has been cut, and he had a ‘scalping’ wound to the back of the head, possibly caused by a a sharp-edged machete.
Edward Esho, then aged 21, was convicted and sentenced to six years and five months for the killing and has since been released from prison.
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In the early hours of Sunday, August 16, 1998, Victoria Police Officers Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rodney Miller (pictured) were staking out the Silky Emperor Restaurant in Moorabbin, in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs during an investigation into a spate of armed robberies when they were gunned down at close range.
Father of six Bandali Debs (pictured) was convicted of the murders of Gary Silk and Rodney Miller, who were shot at close range when the police officers were closing in on an investigation into armed robberies in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburb in August, 1998.
Apprentice builder Jason Joseph Roberts is serving life in prison for the shooting murders of two police officers who were investigating a string of armed robberies.
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The Moorabbin police murders
In the early hours of Sunday, August 16, 1998, Victoria Police Officers Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rodney Miller were staking out the Silky Emperor Restaurant in Moorabbin, in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs during an investigation into a spate of armed robberies.
At 12.20 am, the two officers were gunned down at close range and the shooters fled.
Evidence at the crime scene included pieces of glass, which police later matched to a Hyundai hatchback and were eventually able to track down the exact model – and the vehicle, which was registered to the daughter of a known criminal, Bandali Debs.
Debs and an apprentice builder, Jason Joseph Roberts, were charged with the murders and with a string of armed robberies and in 2002 were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Debs was subsequently convicted of two more murders, of sex workers, Kristy Harty, 18, and Donna Hicks, 34, during the 1990s, and is currently under investigation for the 24-year-old cold case murder of Sarah MacDiarmid, who disappeared from a railway station in 1990 and whose body has never been found.
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Killed by the mafia: Geoffrey Bowen was a senior investigator into Italian organised crime in Australia when he targeted the alleged financier of a cannabis operation. Weeks later he opened a parcel delivered to crime headquarters in Adelaide and it blew up, killing him. Officers, who will wear ribbons (above, right) for National Police Remembrance Day, have never solved his murder.
Police officers around Australian and the south Pacific region will wear ribbons (pictured) for National Police Remembrance Day, which commemorates the more than seven hundred officers who have died while on duty
Death by letter bomb
Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen was a Western Australian police officer who on March 2, 1994, was on secondment to the National Crime Authority in the NCA’s office in the Adelaide central business district.
St the time, he was investigating a man called Domenic Perre over a suspected mafia drug operation.
Detective Bowen was a senior investigator exclusively involved with Operation Cerberus, the investigation into Italian organised crime in Australia.
Two years earlier, police had uncovered a huge cannabis growing operation and charged men of Calabrian decsent who were believed to be members of the secret mafia society, ‘Ndrangheta.
Bowen had concluded that Perre was the financier and controller of the operation and the man was due to face court, when a parcel addressed to Bowen slipped through the security system at the NCA office and blew up in Bowen’s hands.
Neither Perre, nor anyone else, has been convicted for Bowen’s murder.
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Lyncon Williams and his partner arrived to investigate a shooting in north Adelaide and had just pulled up the patrol car when a 17-year-old shot and killed him.
The shooting of Lync Williams
Lyncon Williams did not even have the chance to get out of his patrol car when he arrived with his junior partner at the scene in Blair Athol, in northern Adelaide on August 29, 1985.
The police officers were responding to reports of gunfire when they pulled up on Ross Avenue and a 17-year-old shot him.
Police arrested and charged the shooter with murder. He was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment at the Governor’s pleasure.
Police Association president Peter Alexander later reflected on Williams’ death, saying ‘I didn’t know Lync Williams but ’ I’ll always remember the circumstances of that murder.
‘I remember the shock of it and the grief for his family and workmates. It was a tragedy that was reflected right across the job.’
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Constables Robert Spears (above, left) and Peter Addison (right) went to investigate a domestic violence matter at Crescent Head on the Mid North Coast of NSW and were shot by a drunken John McGowan who lay in wait dressed in camouflage gear and armed with a .223 calibre Ruger Rifle.
Senior Constable Peter Addison
Peter Addison and Robert Spears
At 12.35am on July 9, 1995 Constables Peter Addison and Robert Spears were on the night shift at at the Kempsey Police Station on the NSW Mid North Coast.
They were called to a malicious damage and domestic violence complaint at the nearby coastal town of Crescent Head, where they attended one address and then drove to a house on Main Street.
They parked the car and began to walk towards the front door; they were unaware that a drunken man called John McGowan was lying in wait in the carport dressed in camouflage gear and armed with a .223 calibre Ruger rifle.
Neither of the officers had bullet proof vests or carried sufficient weaponry and in the next few moments they were ‘outgunned’.
McGowan shot Spears dead. At 1.22am, Senior Constable Addison radioed a message for urgent assistance.
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 himself.
McGowan then shot himself.
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Attacked with a knife: David Thomas Barr responded to a domestic scene and was stabbed through the heart by his attacker and later died in hospital. He was the father of two young girls.
Father of two knifed through the heart
On July 29, 1990, South Australian police officer David Thomas Barr was responding with his partner, officer Jamie Lewcock, to a report of a man threatening a woman.
The father-of-two young girls, Barr was attacked soon after he arrived at the scene as he attempted to arrest the man who was wielding a knife and refusing repeated requests to lay down thew weapon.
The man plunged the knife deep into the Barr’s heart. Barr was rushed to hospital, where doctors tried desperately to save him.
As his wife Gwenda waited in a room, Barr succumbed to massive loss of blood and died.
Gwenda Barr, who had been married for nine years and had daughters Nicola and Sarah, then aged eight and six, later described how devastated she had been by the death.
‘I was shocked stunned and numb’ she said. ‘I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it either. It was terrifying.’
Barr’s murderer was sentenced to life imprisonment. Barr was later awarded posthumously the Australian Bravery Medal.
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Detective Inspector Bryson Charles Anderson was stabbed to death while attending a siege in Oakville, 50km north-west of Sydney’s CBD on December 6, 2012.
When residents on a property complained to police that a number of arrows had been fired from a neighbouring farm, senior police officer Bryson Charles Anderson attended the scene.
It was shortly after 4.15pm on December 6, 2012 and Detective Inspector Anderson went to the property and was speaking with a man who was at the back door of the residence.
The man produced a knife and stabbed him to the face and chest. Anderson assisted other officers in subduing the offender and a female accomplice before he collapsed from his injuries.
He was unable to be revived and died at the scene.
Anderson had been a police officer for 26 years.
At a ceremony in Queensland on Monday, Police Commissioner Ian Stewart highlighted the inherent risks faced by police officers everyday as they provide for the safety and security of Queensland and acknowledged the tireless work of all QPS members, across a diverse state.
‘Our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of those officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, as we honour their memories on National Police Remembrance Day,’Commissioner Stewart said.
‘The QPS operates 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year; and we have at least 15,000 interactions with the public every day, with each police officer swearing an oath to protect and serve the community,’Commissioner Stewart said
‘There are times however, when no matter how dedicated, committed and courageous our officers are, they face unbeatable odds.’
Stations: Hendra Police Station before transferring to South Brisbane Traffic as a Senior Constable.
2007 Dan was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and transferred to the Oxley District Division Traffic Branch, working out of Mount Ommaney Police Station – HWP Cyclist
Service: From? ? 2002to 1 December 2010
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 32276
” Possibly ” in PREP Class 272
Rank: Constable
Stations: ?, Bankstown ( late 1990’s ),
Service: From? ? 1997to14 July 2001= 4 years Service with NSW Police force
Awards: Queensland Police Service medal – posthumously
Queensland Police Service Award for Meritorious Service – posthumously
Born: 6 January1977
Died on: Wednesday 1 December 2010
Death location: Bruce Hwy, approximately 15km south of Mt Larcom, Qld
Cause: Motor cycle collision – rider -v- jacknifing semi trailer
Age: 33
Funeral date: Thursday 9 December 2010 @ 10.30a,
Funeral location: St Peter Chanel Catholic Church, Chaprowe Roadn The Gap
Buried at: Settlement Road, and on to a private interment
Memorial at: Sergeant Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve, Heathwood, 4110. Stapylton, Johnson & Paradise Rd & Logan Motorway, Qld
Lat: -27.6425
Long: 152.986389 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
Sergeant Dan Stiller died when his motorcycle was struck by a truck.
[alert_green]DAN IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
Details of Death:
On 30th November 2010 Sergeant Stiller departed Brisbane on escort duty with another officer, escorting an oversized load from Brisbane, destined for Rockhampton in central Queensland. Sergeant Stiller was riding a Qld Police Service motorcycle and the other officer was in a marked police sedan. That afternoon they rested at Miriam Vale over night and recommenced at 6am on 1st December 2010. In this escort, Sergeant Stiller was the lead escort, behind a pilot vehicle which was approximately 500 metres in front, and the police sedan was to the rear of Sergeant Stiller. Approximately 15 kilometres south of Mt Larcom on the Bruce Highway, in heavy rain, at 7am on 1st December 2010 three articulated vehicles were travelling south and were advised by the pilot of the load travelling north that there was an oversized load ahead, and to pull to the side of the road to make room. In doing so one of the articulated vehicles, whilst braking, lost control of the vehicle, causing it to ‘jack knife’, and travel onto the incorrect side of the road. The articulated vehicle collided head on with Sergeant Stiller, who was travelling in the centre of the northbound lane. Sergeant Stiller was killed instantly as a result of the impact. Sergeant Stiller has been posthumously awarded the Queensland Police Service Medal and the QPS Award for Meritorious Service.
Funeral location: ?
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
A police officer has been killed while escorting an oversized truck along the Bruce Highway in central Queensland.
Sergeant Dan Stiller, 33, was killed when the motorcycle he was riding was struck by a truck on the highway about 15 kilometres south of Mount Larcom at about 7am.
The crash closed the highway in both directions near Mount Larcom for more than five hours.
Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett said it appeared the truck jack-knifed before it hit Sergeant Stiller, who was escorting a wide load and convoy along the Bruce Highway.
‘‘The tragic loss of a young promising officer of Sergeant Stiller’s calibre will be felt right throughout the organisation, particularly among those who were fortunate enough to work with him,’’ he said.
Mr Barnett said another police officer, in a police sedan, was also involved in the wide load escort but that officer was not injured.
Sergeant Stiller’s wife, also a police officer, was ‘‘naturally devastated’’ and was receiving the support of her colleagues and close friends, Mr Barnett said.
Premier Anna Bligh said Sergeant Stiller’s death was a ‘‘tragic reminder’’ that police put their lives on the line every day.
“Our thoughts, my thoughts, and think those of all Queenslanders are with his family. This is a very sad day for them,’’ she said.
“It’s also a very sad day for the police service. It’s been almost four years … since we’ve seen a Queensland police officer lose their life in the course of their duties.
Opposition leader John-Paul Langbroek also paid tribute to Sergeant Stiller.“This is a very sad day for our state’s police service and our greater Queensland community,” he said.
“I know each day that every one of Queensland’s 10,702 police officers go to work, they work in challenging and sometimes dangerous situations.’’
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
The 33-year-old sergeant, originally from New South Wales, was an officer with the Oxley District Traffic Branch. Police are investigating the death of their colleague.
The investigating will be overviewed by the Ethical Standards Command.
11 comments so far
To my mate Dan,
You were a great guy, an excellent policeman and will be truly missed.
My condolences to your lovely wife Julie and your family.
Commenter
Ben G
Location
Sydney
Date and time
December 01, 2010, 2:06PM
My deepest condolences to his family. I am very very sorry for your loss.
Commenter
Marie
Location
Brisbane
Date and time
December 01, 2010, 2:22PM
My deepest sympathies go out to this young man’s family and friends. My respect and condolences go to all his brothers and sisters in the force.
Commenter
Roy
Location
Brisbane
Date and time
December 01, 2010, 2:56PM
Dan. Incredibly sad to hear this news, you were a great guy and I will always remember your smile. Condolences to Julie and Dans family.
Commenter
Steven Cooper
Location
Melbourne
Date and time
December 01, 2010, 3:18PM
Proud to have served with Dan in NSWPF, a friendly, lovely, smiling man taken from this world too soon. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. xoxo
Commenter
Kate Y
Location
Sydney
Date and time
December 01, 2010, 4:10PM
My Deepest sympathies to those who have lost a loved one, while serving the community.
Something must be done about the way these extra wide loads are allowed to travel at high speed along the highways. The escort system and rules are NOW Broken and Inadequate. Attitude seems to be anything goes as long as there is an escort. As a regular car driver on the Burnett and D’Aguilar highways, I have often seen very close calls several times as the escorts often do not give enough warning to oncoming vehicles for a heavy load that now often spreads across the two lanes , travelling at maximum legal speed. The loads seem to be getting wider and larger and more frequent with all the huge mining plant being shipped to and from Central Qld mines.
I was almost unable to pull up recently travelling north at Collinton, almost running into the bridge as I tried to avoid a large load, with an escort barely 100m in front of it. If I had been in a semi, I or the escort most likely would not be here. The wide load was simply going too fast downhill to be safe.
Most escorts do a fine job, but the loads are just getting too big and fast to be safely controlled, in all circumstances. Cars can pull up safely, but heavy vehicles coming in opposite direction must often have difficulty stopping and getting off the road.
Commenter
Vini Vidi
Location
Queensland
Date and time
December 01, 2010, 4:57PM
Such a tragic loss of a great police officer and all round good bloke. Dan, I’m proud to have called you a colleague and friend. My thoughts and prayers are with your family and friends. You will live on in our hearts.
Commenter
Refidex
Location
Queensland
Date and time
December 01, 2010, 5:22PM
The military and emergency services are two of few workplaces in this country where families and colleagues send their loved ones and mates out to the job with a greater fear that they will not return safely than most of us can understand. You have my profound thanks and my deepest respect.
Commenter
Les Hawken
Location
Melbourne
Date and time
December 01, 2010, 6:36PM
a terrible loss that should have been avoided. why was a motorcycle doing this duty with the poor weather we have been experiencing lately. these wide load escorts are normally two pilot vehicles and three patrol cars. also in this weather the shoulder on most central queensland roads is far too soft to move a semi trailer off the bitumen onto grass where they get stuck as has happened on the beef road recently and had to get towed back onto the road by the prime mover pulling the wide load. not really an acceptable situation. who would have accepted responsibility if the the semi had tipped over in the mud.
Commenter
andrew
Location
brisbane
Date and time
December 01, 2010, 7:47PM
The Police Force has lost another great Officer. Dan, you gave us plenty of laughs and you will be missed. NSW Police Force Class 272 – Delta (PREP of 1997) will always remember you. Our thoughts are with your wife, family, and friends. Rest easy now mate, your shift is done. We’ll take it from here.
Commenter
Rebecca C
Location
Wollongong NSW
Date and time
December 02, 2010, 8:53PM
Rest in Peace my mate Sgt Dan Stiller. You will never ever be forgotten. A great Police Officer. A great Highway Patrol Officer. A true professional in every way. A loving husband that will be truly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with Julie, both families, your QPS mates and your NSWPF mates. I am shattered. Till we meet again.
This has been issued to all media on behalf of Sergeant Dan Stiller’s wife, Julie;
A born and bred Brisbane-boy, Dan Stiller grew up knowing one day he would be able to combine his love of motorbikes with his job. In 2007, after 10 years as a police officer, he did just that when he was promoted to a Sergeant at the Oxley District Traffic branch.
On Wednesday December 1, Sergeant Dan Stiller paid the ultimate sacrifice doing what he loved.
Dan Stiller was born on January 6, 1977 in Brisbane to a large family.
An exceptional swimmer, Dan still holds the swimming record at Nundah Primary School – something he continued to boast about even as an adult – and received a scholarship to Nudgee College because of his swimming talents.
Growing up, Dan knew he wanted to become a police officer, and in 1997 he was accepted by the New South Wales Police Force, where he served for four years before applying and being accepted to the Queensland Police Service.
On graduating into the QPS in 2002, Dan served at the Hendra Police Station before transferring to South Brisbane Traffic. In 2007 Dan was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and transferred to the Oxley District Division Traffic Branch, working out of Mount Ommaney Police Station.
I can still recall the first time we met, which was during orientation at the Hendra Police Station. I saw him across the room and I was immediately attracted to him.
It wasn’t long after that we were sharing our first motorbike together, and we have been inseparable since. We married on August 9 2008. Coming from a large family, Dan was ecstatic on hearing that he was going to be a dad.
No words aptly describe Dan. He was a fun person, extremely loving and caring and had a fabulous sense of humour.
His quirks and comments made me laugh. He was capable of making anyone laugh or feel better on a down day, and I learnt very early in our relationship that he was just as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside.
Queensland Police ServiceOur apologies to those who commented on this previously. We’ve had a technical hitch, and had to repost it, which means your comments were lost.
Gary Anthony HilesAs a member of the Oxley District Traffic Branch, I am very proud to say that I knew Dan and can say that he was an outstanding Police Officer. He was professional, knowledgeable and helpful. He died doing what he loved and has left a hole in our office. You will never be forgotten. Rest in peace mate.
Miche MaraeaI have a large family myself, so I can acutely imagine their loss and how it is to be without one of your own, especially during this festive season! I wish his entire family peace and love!
John MarksI am a Police Officer too and will never forget that feeling when I knew what I was heading out to that morning. My sincerest heartfelt condolences go out to Dan’s family, friends & colleagues. RIP Sgt Dan STILLER.
Jenelle ReghenzaniSo so sad what a fine young man to loose his life at such a young age…….RIP and my sincere condolences to his family. May god look over you and protect you in this sad time! I have so much respect for the QPS they have helped me over the years in some very hard times and I truly appreciate their dedication and hard work!
Barbara Ann JohnstonMy heartfelt sympathy to Dan Stillers family and loved ones and work mates. Carry on and live with the pride and happy memories of life shared with him…. as i am sure he would want you to do. Sometimes a loved one is taken from us way too early, but the love in our hearts and the happy memories, nothing or no one can ever take away. RIP young man…. another QPS HERO
David WicksMy thoughts are with his family. Yet another life lost doing a thankless motorcycle officers job. RIP. To the others still riding – be safe.
Vicki Leethe tears in your eyes can be wiped away but may the love in your hearts always stay…sincerest condolences to all Dan’s family, friends and colleagues, a special heartfelt one to his wife and unborn child. xo
Lisa RichardsHeart breaking for all involved. reading those beautiful words you can feel the love they shared for each other. im sure their child will bring joy and love to sgt stillers wife and their family. Taken way to soon. RIP SGT DAN STILLER
Lisa RosierHeartfelt condolences to Dan’s wife and his family both personal and professional. Dan has crossed over to the other side where he watches over his loved ones and waits to guide them on their journey to the other side.
Cheryl Wkit is always heart breaking when we lose one of our finest.
Julie, you will be able to tell your little one that their daddy was the best. Condolences to you and Sgt Stiller’s family,his friends and colleagues.
Barbara StoneSgt Dan Stiller will always be remembered with pride and love. He was certainly taken too soon. My thoughts and prayers are with the Stiller family, their colleagues and friends at this very sad time.
Carrie DavidsonJulie…words cannot describe how sorry I am for your loss. My thoughts are with you and Dan’s family, friends and collegues. The Police service will not be the same without him.
Elle OzDan – The Man!!!! Remember……..Oh I really couldn’t believe it when I turned on the TV that day, I still can’t believe it. You were always the life of the class with that smile that lighted up any room. I am so proud to have gone through the NSWPOL Academy with you it is yet another tragedy where a great Police Officer was once again taken from us. I will be thinking of you this Thursday as I attend the Remembreance Day Parade here in Townsville I will be thinking of you, Glen and Pete xo
Tim RobThe Dan Stiller Reserve is a fitting monument to this man. If you don’t know where it is, Google it and visit it! If you love bird watching, 105 species have been seen there in the last year or so. No facilities and unfortunately the reserve is over-run by morons on trail bikes during the weekend, but it is one of the special places of Brisbane, wild yet accessible.
Tim RobSome complete moron(s) has/have destroyed the memorial. I dont have words – well polite ones anyway – to describe what I think about these idiots. This is a senseless act of vandalism that demonstrates just how moronic they are. If you destroyed the memorial and are reading this then please know that any reasonable person thinks that you are a complete f-wit.
Jillian OliverI had the honour to work with Dan when he first started. He was a great officer and great person. It was a highlight to be working the truck with him. I valued his friendship and think of him often. My prayers and thoughts are with his family.
Wildlife corridor to be named after fallen policeman Dan Stiller, killed by jack-knife truck on highway
Sarah Vogler and James O’Loan
The Courier-Mail
December 07, 20109:27PM
A FALLEN policeman will have a wildlife corridor in Brisbane’s southwest named after him.
Sergeant Dan Stiller, 33, died on duty last Wednesday while leading a police escort along the Bruce Hwy in central Queensland.
He was killed when a semi-trailer jack-knifed and collided with him, becoming the first officer in over three years to die on the job.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman today bestowed on Stiller the rare honour.
“Sergeant Dan Stiller coordinated combined police and council enforcement operations against illegal trail biking while working at the Oxley Traffic Branch,” Cr Newman said.
“It is therefore fitting that we name the 122 hectares we’ve protected against illegal trail biking the Sergeant Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve.
“It will be a place not just to remember Sergeant Stiller, but other members of the police force who have been killed on duty.”
The reserve lies at Larapinta, near Parkinson, and is bounded by the Logan Mwy, Johnson Rd and Paradise Rd.
Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said Stiller’s wife Julie and the entire police service appreciated the honour.
“The QPS is very appreciative of this recognition by the Brisbane City Council,” Mr Atkinson said.
“It is a fine and fitting tribute to a very professional and dedicated officer and will help in terms of his colleagues dealing with his loss.
“Having discussed this with Dan’s wife Julie, I believe she is also very grateful for this initiative.”
Cr Newman said the bushland would be transformed into a valuable environmental and wildlife corridor and is currently being fenced and marked as bushland reserve.
The land was acquired by council over the past two years, primarily to protect it against illegal trail bikers.
The land grab was part of the Bushland Acquisition Program, which protects vital wildlife corridors in some of Brisbane’s most environmentally sensitive areas from future development.
Council expressed its sympathy to Stiller’s wife Julie, his family and to his colleagues in the police force, particularly the Oxley Traffic Branch.
The funeral for Sgt Stiller will be marked by a motorcade and mounted police this Thursday.
His death sent shockwaves through the Queensland Police Service.
This Thursday’s funeral will be at St Peter Chanel Catholic Church, The Gap, at 10.30am.
“The cortege, including the QPS Pipes and Drums, the Mounted Police Unit and a procession of motorcycle police, will proceed from the church on Chaprowe Road to Settlement Road, and on to a private interment,” police said today.
The interment is for close friends and family only.
Sgt Stiller is survived by his wife Julie, also a police officer, who is pregnant with their first child.
Mr Atkinson has previously described Stiller as ” a dedicated traffic officer, committed to the safety and security of all Queenslanders”.
Dan Stiller was so determined to become a police officer that he didn’t let an initial knock-back extinguish his dreams, mourners in Brisbane have been told.
Hundreds of people, including his pregnant wife Julie, gathered today to farewell Sergeant Stiller, who died when a truck jackknifed and hit him as he escorted a wide load south of Rockhampton last week.
He was the first Queensland police officer killed on the job in more than three years.
Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson told mourners of the 33-year-old’s efforts to join the service.
‘‘His initial knock-back from the police service only hardened his resolve, and extra study saw his future guaranteed,’’ Mr Atkinson said.
‘‘In the words of his wife Julie: ‘As a boy, Dan always wanted to grow up and be a police officer. This, mixed with his ultimate love of motorcycles, made the traffic branch the place he was destined to be’.’’
Sgt Stiller met his future wife, a police detective, during a posting at Hendra police station in Brisbane’s inner north in 2002.
‘‘She remembers well the first motorcycle ride they shared soon after (meeting) and they were inseparable ever since,’’ Mr Atkinson said.
The couple married on August 9, 2008 and only recently announced they were expecting their first child.
Sgt Stiller was overjoyed about becoming a father and wasn’t shy about showing his love for his wife, Mr Atkinson said.
‘‘His love for Julie was complete and total,’’ he told mourners.
Mr Atkinson described Sgt Stiller as a dedicated, competent traffic officer whose work helped lower the road toll.
Sgt Stiller started his career with the NSW police service in 1997.
He moved back to his home state of Queensland in 2001 and joined the service as a recruit.
He was sworn in in early 2002 and two years later was transferred to the south Brisbane traffic branch where he was promoted to senior constable.
‘‘He achieved his destiny when he passed the police motorcycle course and became a full-time police motorcyclist in the traffic branch,’’ Mr Atkinson said.
‘‘His outstanding policing skills and leadership were rewarded in 2007 when he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and transferred to the Oxley District Traffic Branch.’’
REMEMBERED: A monument dedicated to Sergeant Dan Stiller, who died last December, was unveiled at a ceremony attended by his wife Julie Stiller last Wednesday. Sgt Stiller’s family and friends also planted trees as a living memorial.
AN environmental corridor in Pallara has been named in honour of fallen policeman Sergeant Dan Stiller in a moving ceremony held last week.
Sgt Stiller’s wife Julie, along with his family, friends and colleagues gathered for the official naming of the 122 hectare Sergeant Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve on Wednesday afternoon, which also included the unveiling of a memorial.
Sgt Stiller’s brother, John Stiller addressed the crowd and said his family were truly honoured by the mark of respect the memorial offered.
“If you knew Dan you’d know that whatever he put his mind to he committed to it 110 per cent,” he said.
“I am extremely proud of my brother, and this reserve will serve as a lasting tribute.
“It will also serve as a place for friends and family to visit and share quiet thoughts.”
The memorial was unveiled by Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and Parkinson Councillor Angela Owen-Taylor.
The Lord Mayor said Dan had been instrumental in working with council to deal with illegal trail biking while working at the Oxley Traffic Branch.
“Sergeant Dan Stiller co-ordinated combined police and council enforcement operations against illegal trail biking while working at the Oxley Traffic Branch,” he said.
“It is therefore fitting that the 122 hectares we’ve protected against illegal trail biking be named the Sergeant Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve.
“It will now be a place not just to remember Sergeant Stiller, but also other members of the police force who have been killed on duty.”
Cr Owen-Taylor said she had worked closely with Sgt Stiller on road safety and illegal trail biking and she felt this was a fitting tribute.
“The dedication of this bushland to Sergeant Dan Stiller is significant as it is the place where Operation Trailblazer started in July 2008,” she said.
Sgt Stiller was killed on December 1, 2010, by a jack-knifing truck while escorting a wide load on the Bruce Highway near Mount Larcom.
The Police Remembrance Day march and ceremony held at Browns Park in North Ipswich on Thursday.
IPSWICH police paid tribute to fallen detectiveDamian Leeding and Sergeant Daniel Stiller in a moving Police Remembrance Day ceremony yesterday.
A strong contingent of about 100 uniformed, plain-clothed and dog-squad officers gathered at the North Ipswich Reserve from about 9.45am, marching to the beat of the Salvation Army drummers along The Terrace, past Riverlink Shopping Centre, then up Downs St to Browns Park.
Ipswich’s Police Remembrance Day ceremony is held each year at the James Sangster Memorial, which was built in honour of the police officer who died in an attempt to rescue members of the Jackson family from floods in 1893.
There are now 139 names on the Queensland remembrance list – dating back to Laidley Constable Matthew Connolly in 1861 – all of whom died in the line of duty.
However, it was the two most recent additions to that list that drew special mention at the ceremony, led by Southern Region police chaplain Malcolm Twine.
The chaplain began with a prayer for all the men and women who have given their lives while serving the community.
Detective Senior Constable Damian Leeding was shot in the face with a shotgun after responding to an armed robbery at the Gold Coast suburb of Pacific Pines, on May 29 this year.
Family members turned off his life support three days later.
Sergeant Daniel Stiller was killed in a traffic crash while assisting in an oversized-vehicle escort near Rockhampton on December 1, 2010.
The 33-year-old’s wife was pregnant with their first child at the time. Superintendent Garth Pitman said the rain which persisted through the ceremony could not drown police pride.
“We’ll march in the rain if we have to,” he said while delivering the commissioner’s address.
Representatives of Ipswich City Council, the Ipswich RSL, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service and Neighbourhood Watch joined retired police and members of the community in laying wreathes next to the Sangster monument
Policeman Dan Stiller memorial vandalised at Pallara
Kate Kyriacou
The Courier-Mail
August 08, 20121:26PM
Sgt Dan Stiller, tragically killed on duty in a traffic accident, and his wife Julie.
A MEMORIAL commemorating a police officer killed in the line of duty has been vandalised.
Oxley detectives are investigating after the memorial to Sergeant Dan Stiller, located in a reserve on Wadeville Rd, Pallara, was damaged late Tuesday.
Sergeant Stiller, 33, killed in 2010 at Mt Larcom when the wide load truck he was escorting crashed and hit his police motorcycle.
Police said the statue was damaged shortly after 5pm, when a thick glass panel covering a photograph of Sgt Stiller was smashed.
Investigators are now looking to identify three teenaged boys who were seen in the area at the time. Two of the boys were on scooters and the third on a skateboard.
They were last seen walking towards Lillypilly St, Heathwood.
In 2010, the park was renamed Sergeant Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve in tribute to the well-respected traffic officer.
A memorial dedication and bushland reserve naming of 122 hectares bordered by Paradise Road, Johnson Road, Stapylton Road and Wadeville Street occurred on 9 March 2011 in honour of fallen Police Officer, Sergeant Dan Stiller.
A number of Dan’s colleagues turned up in honour of the occasion
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and I unveiled the memorial in Dan’s honour.
Unveiling the Bushland Reserve Sign, named after Sgt Dan Stiller
The bushland reserve dedication and naming was commemorated with a planting
A 17 year old male has been ordered to pay full restitution to restore the Sergeant Dan Stiller Memorial at Heathwood.
The Brisbane City Council memorial in honour of Sergeant Dan Stiller was unveiled in March 2011.
It was an absolutely despicable act by vandals to destroy a public memorial, let alone a memorial dedicated to a Police officer who put his life on the line for our community each day he stepped out in uniform.
I worked closely with Sgt Dan Stiller to tackle illegal trail bike riding in Parkinson Ward and the Oxley Police District, and our community owes him for the service and care he provided us.
Residents have indicated to me they have supported the public appeal to assist Police.
Further to a thorough investigation by Queensland Police, the offender was brought to justice in the Richlands Magistrates Court on Tuesday 28 August, and ordered to pay full restitution.
I conveyed to Police the full cost of the damage and now the offender is being made to face the full consequences under law for his disgraceful behaviour.
I assure residents and Dan’s family, friends and work colleagues, we are working is to ensure restoration of the memorial occurs as quickly as possible and it will be as protected as much as possible.
Brisbane City Council dedicated the 122 hectares of bushland within the reserve in recognition of Sgt Dan Stiller’s commitment to the community in reducing illegal trail bike riding which was impacting severely on residents’ peaceful enjoyment of their own homes.
I met on site with Police Superintendent Maurice Poiner and stonemason Pete Macfarlane ahead of the photo of Sgt Dan Stiller being reinstalled into the memorial.
The Sergeant Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve is bordered by Wadeville Street, Paradise Road, Johnson Road and Stapylton Road.
THE State Coroner has begun investigating a fatal crash involving a police officer escorting a wide load on the Bruce Highway at Mount Larcom.
Coroner Michael Barnes began hearing evidence in Brisbane on Wednesday into the adequacy of police investigations into the collision which killed Dan Arthur Stiller.
Sgt Stiller, who was escorting a wide load carrying a large piece of mining equipment, died when a prime mover jack-knifed about 7am on December 1, 2010, on the highway between Gladstone and Rockhampton.
Mr Barnes will examine the “adequacy and appropriateness” of regulations and guidelines surrounding wide-load transports within Queensland.
He will also investigate whether police motorcycles should be used as wide-load escorts.
John Edward Dodd, the truck driver involved in the crash, was found not guilty of careless driving by a Brisbane magistrate handed last month.
Magistrate Jacqueline Payne found Dodd had reacted as any reasonable and prudent driver would have.
THE State Coroner has recommended a raft of reforms on how wide loads are escorted on busy Queensland roads following two fatal crashes within six months involving oversized escorts.
Queensland Police Sergeant Daniel Stiller was escorting a wide load on the Bruce Hwy at Mount Larcom when a prime mover jack knifed and crashed into his motorbike.
The 33-year-old died at the scene on December 1, 2010.
About six months later on May 17, 2011, Kenneth Roland Owens was travelling on a single lane section of the Bruce Hwy at Glenorchy, near Maryborough, with his wife and two friends.
A prime mover was travelling in the opposite direction and carrying a miner’s hut, which was so wide it protruded into the southbound lane.
Mr Owens hit the corner of the hut and was killed.
Following an inquest into the deaths, State Coroner Michael Barnes handed down his findings on Friday.
He was satisfied in Mr Owen’s case the driver transporting the wide load was safe and the oversized load satisfied guidelines.
Mr Barnes said while it was likely the lights and markers on the wide load could have distracted Mr Owens, there was no evidence to show why he did not avoid the corner of the miner’s hut.
But in Mr Stiller’s death, Mr Barnes found the blame for fatal accident could be partially contributed to how the wide load escort was carried out.
He found radio communications from the lead escort to other trucks approaching the wide load was confusing and trucks were not given clear instructions.
“Those escorting the wide load gave insufficient regard to the need for other vehicles to get completely off the road when the highway was only of two lanes and the difficulty this would pose for heavy vehicles,” Mr Barnes states.
Mr Barnes also found the driver behind the wheel of the truck which crashed into Sergeant Stiller did not slow sufficiently as he approached the wide load.
The State Coroner recommended wide load grants should not be issued if other transport is available, such as shipping to Gladstone and Mackay ports.
He has also recommended a review of placing police on motorcycles for wide escorts because of the increased risk of death or injury.
Mr Barnes also recommended a public awareness campaign about dealing with wide loads and more explicit signage.
A new section has been added to Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve in Parkinson to the south of Brisbane. It is well worth a look as it has good tracks and an interesting lagoon in the north-eastern corner. We recommend a weekend walk as there is quite high road noise from Logan Motorway in places.
“Dan” is a very interesting reserve that we have visited numerous times, and currently 152 bird species have been recorded there. Interested people may like to download our (updated today) birders guide from:
My wife Marg and I will be leading a BQ walk to “Dan” on May 10th, and will be delighted to meet you.
Tim
Quote from BQ website
” This will be the fist BQ visit to Dan Stiller Reserve for 2015. Meet at 7 am at the gate near the end of Axis Place (UBD 239, E6). This section of the reserve is relatively new and until recently had no good tracks. BCC has made a loop track that includes a section with close proximity to a lagoon on a minor tributary of Oxley Creek. It is also possible, time permitting, to see a large ex-sandmining lake that apparently will become part of an expanded reserve in the future. The track is well made and an easy walk. Boots are recommended for safe access to the edge of the lagoon. There are no toilet facilities in this reserve.
We will meet for morning tea at the park on Lincoln Green Drive (UBD 238, H16) where toilets are available.”
28 July 1903, Page 7
* Taking their Lives in their Hands
Long List of Fatalities.
The execution of Digby Grand and Henry Jones in Sydney the other day for the murder of Constable Long at Auburn a few months previously gives a sad interest to the subjoined list of New South Wales policemen who have either been killed or seriously wounded by desperate criminals while endeavouring to preserve the public peace. When bushranging was rife many constables lost their lives in endeavouring to rid the country of its human pest.
Sergeant MaGinnity was shot dead by Morgan at Tumberumba on June 24, 1864;
Senior-sergeant Smyth was shot dead by the same miscreant on September , 1864, near Kyambra;
Sergeant Parry was killed by bushrangers who had stuck up the mail from Gundagai to Yass, on November 15, 1864;
Constable McHale was seriously wounded by Dunn when the bushranger was captured at Marthaguy Creek, on December 14, 1865.
Morgan was himself shot near Wangaratta (Victoria), while Dunn was executed at Sydney on March 19, 1866.
A particularly brave single-handed attack upon its party of bushrangers at Nerringundah on April 9, 1866 by a young constable named Miles O’Grady, led to the policeman being shot dead by Clark and Connell, two of the gang.
Constable Raymond on April 14, 1866 was shot dead by James Crookwell, a prisoner of Berrima Gaol, who with 10 others made a desperate attempt to escape. Crookwell was hanged at Sydney on the following July 2.
At Binnie Creek, a few miles from Cowra, Sergeant Sutherland was shot dead by two armed men on May 1, 1872.
In the Warren district, on September 20, 1878Senior-sergeant Thomas Wallings was shot by Thomas Law, alias “Midnight,” who was himself pursued and shot by Constables Hatton and Gray.
Constable Bowen was shot dead by an armed gang, which stuck up the Wantabadgery Inn on November 16, 1879.
On March 12, 1885, two prisoners named Angel and Thurston, in Coonamble gaol shot Constable John Mitchell, the gaoler, and effected their escape. The offenders stuck up a store Slashers Flat, near Gulong in which Constables McKinlay and Day were awaiting them. They shot Charles Stewart, the storekeeper dead, but were themselves both shot by the police.
On August 13, 1885, Constable William Hird stopped two men at Canterbury, near Sydney early in the morning and interrogated them as to the contents of a parcel they were carrying. One of the men struck Hird with an axe and killed him. One of the pair was sentenced to imprisonment for life and the other to 15 years.
Sergeant Beatty of Penrith was stabbed to death in February, 1890 by a native of India. He also stabbed John Zahnliter who endevoured to apprehend him and save Beatty. The Indian was shot by Constable Mosdey.
On August 6, 1898, Constable McLean of Liverpool, had two men in custody; one of them, George Peisley, fired at the policeman (shooting him) and escaped, but was recaptured after a prolonged hunt in the bush, and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. ( Pursued by Police around Oatley, Mortdale and shooting to avoid apprehension. Eventually arrested at Arncliffe ).
Among the more important of recent cases are those of the late Constable David Sutherland shot by a burglar named James Morrison, in Rockwall Street, Potts Point, early on June 3, 1889;
Constable Slater, shot in the shoulder and thigh by burglar three weeks later;
Constable Pearce, shot in the shoulder while endeavouring to arrest a man in the grounds of Mr Oxbenham’s residence at Randwick on June 7, 1897;
Constable (now Detective) E.G. Ward, shot in the head by a man whose object, was to rescue a prisoner in Oxford Street, city, on October 22, 1900;
and the brutal murder by George Shaw, the coiner, in Shepherd Street Redfern, on July 19, 1902 of Constable Denis Guilfoyle, which occasioned a great sensation, owing to the escape of Shaw and his companion.
Constable Sutherland, who was only 28 years of age, was on duty in Rockwell Street at about 2.30 on the morning of June 3, 1883 ( 1889? ), when he saw Morrison, a noted burglar, slip out of a yard and walk hurriedly away. The constable, as Morrison would not stop, caught hold of him and the two fell to the ground. As they were struggling, the criminal drew a revolver and shot Sutherland in the groin. The dying constable struck him over the eye with his baton, inflicting a serious wound ; but Morrison, after firing another shot escaped, and throwing the weapon into a garden, ran down to Victoria Street where blood-stained and excited, he attracted the attention of Sergeant Hogan (now of Burwood) and Senior-constable Robinson, who arrested him. Constable Sutherland died some hours later in Sydney Hospital and Morrison was subsequently executed at Darlinghurst Gaol.
Mr Justice Stephen was awakened between 1 and 2 a.m. on June 25, 1889, by hearing two shots fired in his garden at Paddington. The judge ran out and discovered Constable Henry A Slater in his garden in the pouring rain, fainting from weakness and shot in two places, the shoulder and the thigh. Slater had seen a man entering the place, and endeavoured to arrest him, when two other men sprang out of the darkness, one of whom struck him on the head with a tomahawk, and the other fired at him. A tomahawk was found with a revolver, of which two chambers had recently been discharged. Slater recovered. Two men were arrested, and twice tried in connection with the affair, but they were not convicted.
The man who shot Constable Pearce was never discovered ;
but the assailant of Constable Ward received a sentence of seven years hard labour for his crime. Ward recovered, the bullet having only grazed his skull. This officer (says the Sydney Evening News) was one of the party that arrested Digby Grand.
About 11 a.m. Sunday 12 October 1902 Constable Johnston was off duty at his home at Elwood. He responded to a complaint that a man had tried to abduct a neighbour’s 8 year old daughter. Johnston immediately set off in pursuit and located the man in Milton Street Elwood. The suspect George Shaw had a lengthy criminal record. Unbeknown to Johnston Shaw was also the prime suspect for the murder of Constable Guilfoyle in Redfern New South Wales some months previously. When Johnston approached him Shaw produced a revolver and fired. Fatally wounded Johnston died within minutes. Shaw committed suicide at the intersection of Chapel Street and Rosamond Street a short time later.
[divider]
About 11am on 12 October, 1902 Constable Richard Johnston was off duty at his home at Elwood (Victoria) when a neighbour informed him that a man had attempted to abduct her eight year-old daughter. The constable quickly set off on his bicycle after the suspect and located him a short distance away. When the suspect saw the approaching policeman the offender drew a revolver and shot Constable Johnston, inflicting fatal wounds. The offender then left the scene, only to commit suicide a short time later when confronted by other police.
It was later found that the man who had murdered Constable Johnson was the same offender (Shaw) who had murdered Constable Guilfoyle at Redfern (NSW) three months earlier.
Constable Guilfoyle was shot by an offender named Shaw at Redfern whilst attempting to arrest him and another man for passing counterfeit coins. Following an incident involving a storekeeper, Constable Guilfoyle had sought the assistance of an off-duty member, Constable Michael Maher, and after checking several shops the offenders had been in they located them in Shepherd Street. As the two constables approached the offenders, one produced a revolver and shot Constable Maher three times. Shaw then also produced a pistol and shot Constable Guilfoyle twice. Constable Maher later recovered, however Constable Guilfoyle’s wounds proved to be fatal. Shaw then made good his escape, making his way to Victoria.
A MURDERED CONSTABLE.
THE JOHNSTON MEMORIAL. “PAMPERED CRIMINALS” AND PENAL REFORM.
At the St. Kilda Cemetery on Sunday afternoon the Chief Commissioner of Police (Mr O’Callaghan) performed the ceremony of unveiling a marble monument erected by members of the police force over the grave of Constable Richard Johnston, who on 12th October last was shot dead by a notorious criminal named Shaw. The mayor of St. Kilda (Cr O’Donnell) presided, and amongst those present were Mr. McCutcheon, M.L.A. ; Inspector Hillard (officer in ohargd of the district), Inspector Crampton, Sergeant Davidson, the widow, with her children and her mother, many members of the force and a large gathering of the public.
Mr O’Callaghan retold the story of Constable Johnston’s death. On Sunday morning, when off duty, he was told that a ruffian had just been tampering with a child. He mounted his bicycle, and rode after the man who, when overtaken, turned and shot him through the heart. Remaining erect on his machine he rode nearly 100 yards, then his muscles relaxed, and he dropped dead. No more tragic occurrence saddened the records of the Victorian police force. Constable Johnston had upheld the best traditions of the force and taught a lesson that every member should lay to his heart. The event gave rise to the question why the State should go on feeding and pampering human tigers like the murderer of Constable Johnston, and letting them free again to prey upon the public. Why had a penal system been tolerated for so many years, under which such brutes, instead of being kept in confinement, were allowed to march at large to the detriment of all respectable people? In 1881 he had arrested the murderer of Constable Johnston. He was then known as a man who would “shoot at sight,” and though taken by surprise, had found time to grasp a pistol. A few years later he was set at large in the community. It was high time the public raised a protest against the liberation of such blood thirsty brutes. Drastic legislation should be introduced, and introduced quickly, to amend our penal system. Through the action of a generous public and a just Government the widow and children have had their material wants provided for.
Mr McCutcheon said he quite agreed with the remarks that had been made as to the manner in which criminals were pampered by the State. It was time some change was made in the law. The Government permitted criminals to multiply, and placed them in comfortable buildings, where they were well fed and well kept, and lacked only the company of their former friends to make them happy. He considered that every member of the force in both town and country should be armed with a revolver.
Inspector Hillard said that as far as he had been able to ascertain not a single instance could be recalled in which a member of the Victorian police force had played the part of a coward.
Several hymns, including one specially written for the occasion, were sung before and after the ceremony. – “Age”
Geelong Advertiser ( Vic. ) Tuesday 24 March 1903 page 4 of 4
August 29th, 1985, Police Officer Lyncon Robert Dix Williams from Holden Hill police was murdered at Blair Athol. First Class Constable Lyncon (Lync.) Williams Aged 30 years, of Holden Hill Patrol Base, died in his patrol car after he responded with his junior partner to reports of gunfire at Ross Avenue Blair Athol. A 17-year-old shot him as he arrived on the scene. He had not even had the chance to step out of his car ahead of the fatal shot.
Police arrested and charged the shooter with murder. He was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment at the Governor’s pleasure. A non-parole period was later fixed at 13-and-a-half years.
Police Association President Peter Alexander reflected on William’s death as he laid a wreath at a Police Remembrance Day memorial service. “I didn’t know Lync Williams personally but, I’ll always remember the circumstances of that murder”, he said.
’I remember the shock of it and the grief for his family and workmates. It was a tragedy that was reflected right across the job.’
Stewart Ian KERLIN
07/12/2015
Stewart Ian KERLIN
Queensland Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Detective Sergeant
Stations: ?
Service: From ? to ?
Awards: National Medal – granted 5 May 2000
Born: ?
Died on: 11 November 2006
Cause: Motor vehicle accident
Event location: Pacific Hwy, Woolgoolga, NSW about 10am
Age: 42
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
[alert_green]STEWART IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
Grave location: ?
Police officer killed on duty
AAP
November 12, 200612:00AM
………….
Const Wilson was the second police officer killed on the state’s ( NSW ) roads yesterday, with a Queensland detective dying after a multi-vehicle crash south of Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid-north coast.
Detective Sergeant Stewart Kerlin, 42, was killed when two cars and a truck collided near Woolgoolga about 10am (AEDT).
Fellow officer 43-year-old Detective Senior Constable Paul Meese, who was in the same car, was injured and a 60-year-old woman passenger in the second car also was hurt.
Both were taken to Coffs Harbour Hospital, where they are in stable condition.
The two police officers were travelling in an unmarked car to a number of locations around NSW as part of a Queensland Police investigation.
[alert_green]WILLIAM IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green ]
Funeral location:
The Capricornian ( Rockhampton, Qld ) Saturday 28 August 1915 page 31 of 52
The funeral of Constable James William Harris, who met his death as the result of an accident on the Scrubby Creek Bridge, took place yesterday afternoon. A large body of officers and men of the Rockhampton police force, as well as others from outside stations, assembled at the police barracks, and, in charge of Senior sergeant M J. Carmody, marched in royal blue uniforms and white helmets to the late residence of the deceased in Arnold street and afterwards followed his remains to the Rockhampton cemetery, three marching on either ride of the hearse and the others immediately in the rear. Among those present at the funeral were the Police Magistrate, Mr. H. L Archdall, and the Clerk of Petty Sessions, Mr. W. G. Moran. The Rev. Father T. Grogan officiated at the graveside.
Morning Bulletin ( Rockhampton, Qld ) Friday 3 September 1915 page 10 of 12
MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY.
A magisterial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Constable William James Harris, at the Rockhampton General Hospital on the night of the 24th of August last, as the result of an accident on the Scrubby Creek Bridge the same night, was held before the Police Magistrate, Mr. H. L. Archdall, yesterday.
Senior-sergeant M. J. Carmody, conducted the examination of witnesses.
Senior-sergeant Carmody deposed that he instructed the deceased on the morning of the 24th of August last to go to Kabra to make some official inquiries and expected his return that night unless something occurred to delay him. About eight o’clock, that night he was advised by telephone from Gracemere that the deceased had met with an accident on the Scrubby Creek Bridge and that the ambulance was taking him to the Hospital.
After stating his course of action immediately before the deceased’s death and subsequently, witness added that the horse ridden by the deceased was quiet. The deceased was twenty-eight years of age and had a wife and a child fifteen months old. He was an excellent horseman and a most reliable and trustworthy constable.
Robert McKim, labourer, living at Gracemere, deposed that when on horseback within 100 yards of Scrubby Creek Bridge, about seven o’clock on the night of the 24th of August last he saw a horseman on the bridge. The horse shied and bounded about 4 ft. into the air. Both horse and rider fell on the off side ( right side ). Witness hurried to the scene as quickly as possible, and as be got on to the bridge the horse came towards him. Having tied up both horses, witness went towards the man, and recognised him as a constable, as he was in police uniform. He could get no reply from the constable as to whether he was hurt. Through the slabs he could see a fire underneath the bridge at a man’s camp, though he did not see a man there until shortly afterwards. The horse was just about over the spot where the fire was when it bounded. Rain had fallen in the afternoon, and, in consequence, the bridge was slippery. If a horse with shoes on slipped on a board, it would fall very heavily. The reflection from the light, he thought, caused the horse to shy and bound. He was satisfied that the horse was only walking on to the bridge when the accident occurred. If the horse had been cantering witness would have heard it. Witness telephoned to the Ambulance Office from the Gracemere railway station, a mile from the bridge.
In reply to the Police Magistrate, witness said that he could not say whether the horse fell on the deceased or whether the deceased struck the slabs independently of the horse.
W. G. Daniel, Superintendentof the Ambulance Brigade, gave evidence to the effect that, when summoned, he went in the ambulance motor car to the Scrubby Creek Bridge, five miles distant from Rockhampton, and on the bridge saw Constable Harris, who was quite unconscious. There was a contused wound, with effusion of blood, on the forehead over the right eye. The deceased, who was in a serious condition, was conveyed in the car to the Hospital.
Alexander MacDonald, butcher, Gracemere, testified that he had known Constable Harris as a steady and reliable and a good horseman, and adding that, after inspecting the bridge with Constable Cullen on the following morning, he had formed the opinion that the horse bounded just after it got on to the bridge, jumped to get over the reflection of the fire, and then fell owing to the bridge being slippery from the rain. The horse was marked on the off shoulder.
The inquiry was then adjourned to a date to be fixed.
Morning Bulletin ( Rockhampton, Qld ) Thursday 9 September 1915 page 6 of 12
THE DEATH OF CONSTABLE HARRIS.
The inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Constable James William Harris, as the result of an accident on the Scrubby Creek Bridge, was continued before the Police Magistrate, Mr. H. L. Archdall, yesterday.
Senior sergeant M. J. Carmody conducted the examination of the witness, Constable Robert Lindsay Cullen, who, in the course of his evidence, stated that his examination showed that the deceased’s horse was going at a walking pace to the bridge and afterwards slipped about 9 ft. on the bridge when attempting to bound, and then skidded about 15 ft. before it started to scramble to get on its feet.
It appeared to him that the horse bounded over the reflection of the fire underneath the bridge.
Judging by marks, the horse fell on the off side ( right ).
The deceased was a good horseman and a very careful man with horses, while he was most sober and reliable.
The bridge was very slippery on the night of the accident, and it was a dangerous bridge at any time. The inquiry was further adjourned.
“possible” relation in “the job”: A.R. WHITTAKER, NSWPF # 8649
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 18588
Joined NSW Police Force via NSW Police Cadet system on 1 February 1977
Cadet # 3334
Rank: NSW Police Cadet – commenced 1 February 1977 ( aged 16 years, 9 months, 16 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed 17 April 1979 ( 19 years, 0 months, 1 day )
Detective – appointed ? ? ? ( YES )
Constable – appointed ? ? ?
Constable 1st class – appointed 16 April 1984
Senior Constable – appointed 16 April 1988
Sergeant 3rd Class – appointed 27 September 1991
Final Rank: Detective Sergeant – Death
Stations: ?, Gosford Drug Unit ( Brisbane Waters LAC ) – Death
Service: From 1 February 1977 to 28 September 1991 = 14 years, 7 months, 27 Service
Time in Retirement: 0
Age at Retirement: n/a
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: Saturday 16 April 1960
Died on: Saturday 28 September 1991 @ Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW
Cause: Cerebral Haemorrhage
Age: 31 years, 5 months, 12 days
Funeral date: ? October 1991
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: CREMATED:
Ashes Interred in the Palmdale Lawn Cemetery & Memorial Park, Palmdale Rd, Palmdale, NSW
Rose Garden, 26A, Site 58
Memorial Plaque: Point Frederick Pioneer Park, 1 Albany St, Pt Frederick, NSW
-33.449594151.341945
Memorial Plaque location: [codepeople-post-map]
RICHARD WHITTAKER
Touch plate for Richard Charles WHITTAKER at the National Police Wall of Remembrance
DICKIS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Memorial plaque: This plaque was laid in memory of RICHARD CHARLES WHITTAKER, a Detective Sgt of Police attached to the Gosford Drug Unit, who died of a work related illness on the 28th of September, 1991, whilst in the service of the people of New South Wales & the Central Coast area. Richard was born in the Point Frederick area and spent many of his childhood days in this park. Dedicated by his family & many friends on the 16. 4. 1992.
Richard Charles WHITTAKER – Memorial Plaque – Pt Frederick, ( Central Coast ), NSW, as of April 2022. Credit: Kevin Banister.
Memorial Plaque – Pt Frederick, ( Central Coast ), NSW, as of April 2022. Credit: Kevin Banister.
Richard Charles WHITTAKER – Grave location. Palmdale Cemetery, Palmdale, NSW
Richard Charles WHITTAKER – Grave location. Palmdale Cemetery, Palmdale, NSW
Before his death Detective Sergeant Whittaker and other Police had been involved in a major drug investigation which had resulted in the arrest of eighteen offenders. Corruption allegations were made by a number of the offenders resulting in a Police Internal Security Unit investigation.
During the protracted internal investigation the Sergeant was under enormous pressure and as a result suffered a cerebral haemorrhage.
He passed away at the Royal North Shore Hospital on 28 September 1991.
He was posthumously cleared of all allegations by Judge Allen at the Sydney District Court on 30 September 1991.
The Sergeant was born in 1960 and joined the New South Wales Police Service, via the NSW Police Cadet system on 1 February 1977 and was Attested, as a Probationary Constable on 17 April 1979.
At the time of his death he was attached to the Gosford Drug Unit.
‘Our boys haven’t been forgotten’: Policemen honoured in Brisbane Water row
September 15, 2015 3:16pm
Geraldine Cardozo Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate
(L-R) Sarah Matthews, Kylie Kerr and Tracey Holt remember their police officer partners at Gosford waterfront. Brisbane Water LAC officers will be taking to the water in honour of the policemen.
When Sarah Matthews returned home after her shift at Gosford Hospital on the evening of April 13, 2002 and spotted a row of waiting police cars she thought the neighbours were having a noisy party.
“It never struck me what was coming next,” remembers the emergency nurse who was told the worst — her fiancée Senior-Constable Chris Thornton had been killed on duty hours earlier.
“It didn’t hit me. Even when I was told. I don’t think that’s something that ever leaves you.”
This week Miss Matthews, Kylie Kerr and Tracey Holt will get together to remember their partners, Sen-Constable Thornton, Sen-Constable Peter Gordon Wilson and Sergeant Richard Whittaker, who all died on duty while with the Brisbane Water Local Area Command.
(L-R) Brisbane Water Inspector Paul Nicholls, Tracey Holt, Brisbane Water Commander Daniel Sullivan, Sarah Matthews and Kylie Kerr at Gosford Waterfront ahead of the NSW Police Legacy row. Picture: Mark Scott
On Thursday officers from Brisbane Water LAC will take part in a paddle to raise money for NSW Police Legacy to support the families of fallen officers.
“You never want to be a part of Legacy but now we are part of this unique group and without Legacy we wouldn’t have each other,” Miss Matthews said.
But for two of the women, the close bond was forged by their shared loss and haunting similarities in how their partners lost their lives.
Sen-Constable Thornton, 35, died in a motor vehicle accident while on patrol in Woy Woy in 2002, while Mrs Kerr’s long-term partner Sen-Constable Wilson, 41, was killed when he was hit by a car while carrying out speed checks on the M1 at Somersby in 2006.
Both men were based at Brisbane Water LAC, both died in car accidents on a Saturday night, and both had the same patrol car number — 202.
Senior Constable Peter Gordon Wilson with fiancée Kylie Kerr.
“This special event means our boys haven’t been forgotten,” Miss Matthews said, adding that the support of Legacy has enabled her to move on. “You have to take that step forward. You can’t be angry, because that just eats away at you.”
Senior Constable Chris Thornton was killed on duty during a high-speed pursuit at Woy Woy in 2002.
“This special event means our boys haven’t been forgotten,” Miss Matthews said, adding that the support of Legacy has enabled her to move on. “You have to take that step forward. You can’t be angry, because that just eats away at you.”
“This special event means our boys haven’t been forgotten,” Miss Matthews said, adding that the support of Legacy has enabled her to move on. “You have to take that step forward. You can’t be angry, because that just eats away at you.”
Mrs Holt, whose husband Sgt Whittaker was stationed at the Gosford drug unit and was involved in drug investigations at the time of his death when he died from a brain haemorrhage in 1991, said the annual paddle is a “beautiful day”. “It is amazing the effort Daniel Sullivan and the team put in to keep the memory going of old work mates and have a good time doing it,” she said.
Sergeant Richard Whittaker who died on duty with Brisbane Water Local Area Command in 1991. Picture: Supplied
SYDNEY: The stress of unfounded corruption allegations killed a policeman who suffered a stroke at the weekend, according to the Police Association.
The association’s president, Tony Day, said yesterday that Gosford-based Detective Senior Constable Richard Whittaker, who was promoted to detective sergeant last Friday, had been implicated in a bribery conspiracy by a drug dealer.
Yesterday, the dealer, an industrial chemist, was sentenced to a minimum of 11 years jail after pleading guilty to manufacturing and supplying amphetamines with a street value of more than $4 million.
Handing down the sentence in Darlinghurst Supreme Court, Justice Allen said John Oldfield, 52, of Winston Hills in Sydney’s west, had stated he had tried to bribe a police officer through a contact known as “M” in November, 1990.
After the alleged bribe attempt had failed, Oldfield had gone to the Police Internal Security division and made a detailed statement, implicating the officer. The judge said he was satisfied the detective knew nothing about the alleged bribe.
Mr. Day said the Police Internal Security division investigation into Oldfield’s allegations had been “dubious”.
“Every crim in NSW knows that if they want their case adjourned they just have to implicate the police, and there will have to be an investigation,” he said.
“Eighty per cent of corruption and bribery charges are disproved.”
Detective Whittaker, 31, was married with two-year-old twin daughters.
Mr Day said the Oldfield affair had played a major role in causing Detective Whittaker stress, resulting in his death.
The Brisbane Water LAC has tragically lost three staff members in the execution of their duty: Sergeant Dick Whittaker and Senior Constables Gordy Wilson and Chris Thornton. The 12 September is the annual sports charity day to remember these officers.
Paddling from Ocean Beach Surf Club to Bluetongue Stadium along the Brisbane Water on the NSW Central Coast (approximately 15km).
SYDNEY: The stress of unfounded corruption allegations killed a policeman who suffered a stroke at the weekend, according to the Police Association.
The association’s president, Tony Day, said yesterday that Gosford-based Detective Senior Constable Richard Whittaker, who was promoted to detective sergeant last Friday, had been implicated in a bribery conspiracy by a drug dealer.
Yesterday, the dealer, an industrial chemist, was sentenced to a minimum of 11 years jail after pleading guilty to manufacturing and supplying amphetamines with a street value of more than $4 million.
Handing down the sentence in Darlinghurst Supreme Court, Justice Allen said John Oldfield, 52, of Winston Hills in Sydney’s west, had stated he had tried to bribe a police officer through a contact known as “M” in November, 1990.
After the alleged bribe attempt had failed, Oldfield had gone to the Police Internal Security division and made a detailed statement, implicating the officer. The judge said he was satisfied the detective knew nothing about the alleged bribe.
Mr. Day said the Police Internal Security division investigation into Oldfield’s allegations had been “dubious”.
“Every crim in NSW knows that if they want their case adjourned they just have to implicate the police, and there will have to be an investigation,” he said.
“Eighty per cent of corruption and bribery charges are disproved.”
Detective Whittaker, 31, was married with two-year-old twin daughters.
Mr Day said the Oldfield affair had played a major role in causing Detective Whittaker stress, resulting in his death.
Valour Award & bar – VA for act performed in February 1999
Born: 20 November1961, Bridgetown, W.A.
Died on: 3 August 2000
Cause: Murdered – shot
Location: Stuart Hwy & Old Bynoe Rd, Livingstone, N.T.
Age: 37
Funeral date: Saturday 7 August 1999
Funeral location: St Mary’s Cathedral, Darwin
Buried at: Cremated. Ashes scattered at Daly River Crossing, N.T.
Memorial Service: Saturday 3 August 2019 ( 20th Anniversary ) 10.30am –
Glen Huitson Memorial, cnr Stuart Hwy & Old Bynoe Rd, Livingstone, N.T.
Brevet Sergeant Glen HUITSON
GLEN IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
Brevet Sergeant Glen Huitson memorial, 3 August 2015
GLEN HUITSON MEMORIAL
TWENTY YEAR REMEMBRANCE SERVICE
Saturday 3rd August 2019 will mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Brevet Sergeant Glen Huitson who was killed in the line of duty in 1999 whilst stationed at Adelaide River.
We will honour Glen with a gathering on Saturday 3rd August 2019 from 10.30am at the Glen Huitson Memorial, located at the corner of the Stuart Highway and Old Bynoe Road, Livingstone, N.T.
All current and former members are invited to join Glen’s family in remembering a husband, father, son, and workmate who was tragically taken from his family 20 years ago.
Glen HUITSON joined the Northern Territory in January 1987. He served in both Southern and Northern districts of the Northern Territory.
During his service in the Northern Territory Police, Glen Huitson received a Commendation from the Commissioner of Police on 17 March 1994 when he attended a disturbance at a Community near Alice Springs. He disarmed a drunken person who was armed with a knife star picket and was threatening another person with a billy of boiling water.
In February of 1999 in Litchfield Park, Glen Huitson disarmed an armed man who was threatening the driver and passengers of a bus. He received a Valour Award over this incident.
On 3 August 1999 Glen Huitson was on duty at a road block on the Stuart Highway, 60 kms south of Darwin, in bushland.
There were on watch for an armed offender who had already shot and wounded two other persons several kilometres away during the previous night.
The armed offender had managed to come through bush on one side of the road block where he opened fire with a .30/30 calibre rifle. He fired the first round into the back of a civilian then a second shot at Huitson which struck him and was fatal.
For this incident he received the Australian Bravery Medal and a bar to his Valour Medal.
This park was named in memory of the late Sgt. Glen Anthony Huitson BM, VA, Service No. 1520 on 3 August 2000.
Sgt. Huitson was the officer in charge of the Adelaide River Police Station. He died on 3rd August 1999 as a result of gun shot wounds received in the execution of his duties whilst manning a roadblock on the corner of the Stuart Highway and Old Bynoe Road.
Twice Decorated as a serving Police Officer, Glen Huitson lived his personal life with the same intensity, and was an integral part of community life in Adelaide River. His untimely death has left a gap in this community which will never be filled. Glen is survived by his Widow Lisa and children Joey & Ruby.
Citizens of the Coomalie Region joined with serving Members of the Northern Territory Police Force at this site on 3rd August 2001 to dedicate this memorial stone on the occasion of the second anniversary of Sgt. Huitson’s death.
We honour the life and the achievements of a remarkable citizen.
“On 3rd August 1999, at about 10:45 am, there was a shooting incident on the Stuart Highway at the corner of Old Bynoe Road in the Darwin rural district. In the course of the incident, two persons were shot dead. One, Glen Anthony Huitson, was a Sergeant of police on duty at the time he was killed.” (Coroner’s Findings)
Glen was performing duties on a roadblock with his partner in Livingstone at the Old Bynoe Road Turn off on the Stuart Highway, 55 Kilometres south of Darwin. They were stopping traffic entering the police cordon following a shooting incident the previous evening when the offender Rodney Ansell ambushed the roadblock shooting Huitson fataly and wounding a civilian in the back with his 30/30 rifle. For this incident he received the Australia Bravery Medal and a bar to his Valour Medal posthumously.
On the night of the 2nd of August 1999 Rodney William Ansell and Cherrie Ann Hewson went to a property on Kentish Road. Ansell fired 6 shots at a caravan occupied by Stephen Robertson and Lee-Anne Musgrave who were minding the property. A neighbour, David Hobden, drove his truck over to see what was happening and Ansell fired through the windscreen blinding him. He ran to his residence and another occupant, Brian Williams, ran over to stop Ansell who was trying to steal Hobden’s truck. Ansell shot Williams in the hand. He lost an index finger and shots were fired at his house. Ansell appeared to be yelling about child abduction which was a delusion that had manifested itself during his amphetamine addiction. He fled into scrubland with a 30/30 rifle and Hobden’s shotgun.
Police responded and set up a forward command post in the area. Roadblocks were set up on the Stuart Highway and other roads. Sergeant Glen Huitson and Senior Constable James O’Brien manned the roadblock on the corner of Old Bynoe Road and the Stuart Highway armed with their Glock Pistols a shotgun and a .308 rifle. It appears that during the night Ansell had escaped the cordon but for some reason chose to sneak up on the roadblock at Old Bynoe Road. Hewson had left the area.
At about 10.45 am on the 3rd of August 1999 the roadblock at Old Bynoe Road was still in place. A local man had approached the road block to talk to the police members and was leaning on the police vehicle when suddenly he was shot in the pelvis from behind a large water pipe in nearby scrub. Huitson used the shotgun from the police car and O’Brien returned fire with his Glock pistol. Huitson was hit by a 30/30 round and fell to the ground. O’Brien reloaded the shotgun and returned fire. He called on Ansell to put his weapons down but he called back “Your all dead”.
In response to the gun battle two Territory Response Group vehicles raced to the scene. Just prior to the roadblock the first vehicle swerved and braked and was struck by the second vehicle causing it to roll over. As police exited both vehicles and began to take up positions Ansell got up on one knee to position himself to fire at the arriving police members. This left him exposed to fire from O’Brien and the shotgun fire finally stopped him. As the Coroner, Mr Wallace, said “There is little doubt his (O’Brien’s) bravery prevented further loss of life”.
It was later determined that there were seven entry wounds on his body from return fire from Huitson and O’Brien and numerous grazes. His covered position behind the water pipe and a small tree had protected Ansell from more serious injury until he was forced to change position.
Background – Glen Huitson
Glen Huitson joined the Northern Territory Police in January 1987, served in both Southern and Northern districts and was stationed at Adelaide River Police Station.
He received a Commendation from the Commissioner of Police on 17 March 1944 when he attended a disturbance at a Community near Alice Springs. He disarmed a drunken person who was armed with a knife star picket and was threatening another person with a billy of boiling water.
In February of 1999 in Litchfield Park Glen Huitson disarmed an armed man who was threatening the driver and passengers of a bus. He received a Valour Award over this incident.
Glen was survived by his wife Lisa and young children Joseph (2) and Ruby (6 months).
Roadside memorial alongside Stuart Highway where Sgt Huitson was killed
Huitson was honoured with a full police funeral in Darwin. About 30 officers formed a guard of honour while six others carried Huitson’s coffin.
Huitsons widow Lisa receiving her husband’s police cap and National Medal Award from the police commissioner
Constable 1st Class Glen Huitson
HUITSON, Glen
This page only contains a eulogy. If you have material that can be added contact the webmaster.
FUNERAL SERVICE FOR SERGEANT GLEN ANTHONY HUITSON
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, DARWIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY SATURDAY 7 AUGUST 1999EULOGY GIVEN BY COMMISSIONER BRIAN BATESSERGEANT GLEN HUITSON WAS A DEVOTED AND LOVING HUSBAND AND FATHER OF LISA, JOSEPH AND RUBY. I CAN ONLY CONVEY THE HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES AND SYMPATHY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE FORCE AND INDEED THE COMMUNITY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY TO GLEN’S WIFE, CHILDREN AND BOTH THEIR FAMILIES. WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP THEM, NOT ONLY THROUGH THIS TIME BUT IN THE TIME TO COME.IN HIS LETTER OF APPLICATION TO JOIN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE FORCE, SERGEANT GLEN HUITSON SAID, AND I QUOTE:“I WAS BORN ON 20 NOVEMBER 1961 IN BRIDGETOWN, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, THE OLDEST SON IN A FAMILY OF THREE. MY PARENTS OWNED AND OPERATED A SMALL TIN MINE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF GREENBUSHES WHERE I LIVED FOR 12 YEARS. GREEN BUSHES WAS A GREAT ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH TO GROW UP AS A CHILD, BEING A SMALL TOWN SURROUNDED BY BUSH. WE SPENT MANY HOURS EXPLORING AND DISCOVERING NATURE.LOOKING BACK ON MY CHILDHOOD I AM GRATEFUL TO MY PARENTS FOR THE STRICT BUT FAIR METHOD OF INSTILLING IN ME A SET OF MORAL STANDARDS AND PRINCIPLES IN KEEPING WITH COMMUNITY IDEALS. THIS GUIDANCE WAS TO BENEFIT ME LATER IN LIFE.”GLEN GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT HIS GROWING UP YEARS AND HIS EARLY EMPLOYMENT, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE FAMILY MOVED IN 1978 TO BUSSLETON WHERE HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE LOCAL FOOTBALL CLUB AS A PLAYER AND AN ADMINISTRATOR, AS A COACH AND UMPIRE AND FOR THREE YEARS AS A FIREMAN IN THE VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE AND WITH THE LOCAL ROSTRUM CLUB. TOWARDS THE END OF THIS LETTER OF APPLICATION GLEN SAYS, AND I AGAIN QUOTE:
“APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS AGO I DECIDED THAT IF AT THE AGE OF 25 I WAS STILL DISAPPOINTED WITH THE WAY MY CAREER WAS HEADING, THIS WOULD BE THE TIME TO MAKE A START IN A POSITION IN LIFE THAT I WOULD ENJOY. THE MOST HONEST WAY I FOUND TO FIND A CAREER I WANTED WAS TO SIT DOWN WITH A PEN AND PAPER AND WRITE DOWN JOBS IN WHICH I WOULD WORK FOR NO FINANCIAL REWARD. MY LIST CONTAINED THE FOLLOWING: FISHERIES INSPECTOR, CUSTOMS OFFICER, AMBULANCE OFFICER, WELFARE WORKER AND A POLICE OFFICER.
SINCE WRITING DOWN THAT LIST I HAVE WORKED TOWARDS EQUIPPING MYSELF FOR ONE OF THOSE POSITIONS. THIS HAS INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: BEING A FIREMAN WITH OUR LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE, ACHIEVING A FIRST AID CERTIFICATE WITH A ST JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGADE, INVOLVING MYSELF HEAVILY IN COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, MAINLY THROUGH SPORT, AND INVOLVING MYSELF IN PUBLIC SPEAKING. AFTER READING ABOUT THE POSITION OF POLICE OFFICER FOR THE NORTHERN TERRITORY I DECIDED THAT THIS WOULD INDEED OFFER ME THE CAREER I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR. AS A POLICE OFFICER IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY I WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION IN MAKING THE NORTHERN TERRITORY A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE IN, THEREBY ACHIEVING MY GOAL OF JOB SATISFACTION.”
ALL OF US WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE AND INDEED THE DEPARTMENT OF POLICE, FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES, ARE EXTREMELY SHOCKED BY THE DEATH OF SERGEANT GLEN HUITSON. HIS LOSS IS A TRAGEDY FOR THE POLICE SERVICE AND THERE ARE SIMPLY NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THAT SENSE OF LOSS, THE WASTE AND THE TRAGEDY THAT THE WHOLE POLICE FAMILY FEELS TODAY.
I WOULD ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRESENCE HERE TODAY OF SERVING POLICE OFFICERS FROM ALL STATES AND TERRITORIES OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND.
IT IS TRITE TO SAY THAT ALL POLICE FAMILIES KNOW THE DANGERS OF POLICE WORK, BUT NOTHING CAN EVER PREPARE US FOR SOMETHING LIKE GLEN’S DEATH.
NO POLICE FORCE COULD BE MORE PROUD THAN TO HAVE IN ITS RANKS AN OFFICER OF THE CALIBRE OF GLEN HUITSON. HE TOUCHED AND AFFECTED SO MANY PEOPLE’S LIVES, NOT ONLY WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE BUT WITHIN THE COMMUNITY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY THAT HE SWORE TO SERVE AND PROTECT.
AND HE DID MORE THAN THAT – BECAUSE ON NO LESS THAN THREE OCCASIONS, THE THIRD TRAGICALLY RESULTING IN HIS DEATH, HE WAS CONFRONTED WITH LIFE-THREATENING SITUATIONS.
GLEN RECEIVED MY COMMENDATION FOR AN INCIDENT ON 17 MARCH 1994 WHEN HE ATTENDED A DISTURBANCE AT A COMMUNITY NEAR ALICE SPRINGS.
HE DISARMED A DRUNKEN PERSON WHO WAS ARMED WITH A KNIFE, STEEL BAR, NULLA NULLA AND A STAR PICKET. THE PERSON WAS THREATENING ANOTHER COMMUNITY MEMBER WITH A BILLY OF BOILING WATER. WITHOUT REGARD FOR HIS OWN SAFETY SERGEANT HUITSON PREVENTED THIS PERSON THROWING THE BOILING WATER BUT IN FACT WAS STRUCK AND COVERED IN BOILING WATER HIMSELF OVER HIS UPPER BACK, RIGHT UPPER ARM AND LEFT FOREARM. HIS QUICK ACTIONS ALLOWED OTHER POLICE OFFICERS TO RESTRAIN THE OFFENDER AND REMOVE HIM AS A THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY. THE BURNS GLEN RECEIVED CAUSED HIM CONSIDERABLE PAIN AND SUFFERING AND HE REQUIRED HOSPITAL TREATMENT.
AND THEN THERE WAS THE INCIDENT IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR WHEN SERGEANT HUITSON DISARMED AN ARMED MAN WHO HAD JUMPED ON THE BULLBAR OF A TOURIST BUS IN LITCHFIELD PARK.
THE MAN WAS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS AND ARMED WITH A LOADED .22 RIFLE AND WAS THREATENING THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS OF THE BUS ON BATCHELOR ROAD.
GLEN KNEW THAT HELP WAS ABOUT 15 MINUTES AWAY AND WAS DEEPLY CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVER, PASSENGERS AND PASSING MOTORISTS. HE SINGLE-HANDEDLY ATTEMPTED TO DIRECT TRAFFIC, ENGAGE THE MAN IN CONVERSATION AND KEEP POLICE COMMUNICATIONS ADVISED OF THE SITUATION. HE THEN APPROACHED THE MAN TO DISTRACT HIS ATTENTION FROM THE BUS AND PASSENGERS, PLACING HIMSELF AT CONSIDERABLE RISK.
GLEN ENGAGED THE MAN IN CONVERSATION FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND EVENTUALLY CONVINCED HIM TO PLACE THE FIREARM ON THE BULLBAR OF THE BUS AND WALK A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY WHERE GLEN TACKLED HIM TO THE GROUND AND WAS THEN HELPED BY OTHER POLICE WHO HAD JUST ARRIVED. THIS WAS WITHOUT DOUBT AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF PERSONAL COURAGE, AND SERGEANT HUITSON WAS IN FACT DUE TO RECEIVE A VALOUR AWARD OVER THAT INCIDENT.
IN SERGEANT GLEN HUITSON THE NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE HAD A TRUE BUSH COPPER AND AN IDEAL ROLE MODEL FOR OTHER POLICE.
HE WAS A TOTAL PROFESSIONAL WHO GOT ALONG WITH COLLEAGUES AND THE PUBLIC ALIKE AND WAS EXTREMELY POPULAR WITH ABORIGINAL PEOPLE HE WORKED WITH, IN THE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE TERRITORY. WHAT A TREMENDOUS LOSS HE IS, NOT ONLY TO THIS POLICE FORCE BUT TO THE TERRITORY.
IN CLOSING THERE IS PERHAPS NO BETTER WAY TO TALK ABOUT THIS OUTSTANDING AND COMPASSIONATE POLICE OFFICER THAN BY TELLING YOU ABOUT A REPORT HE RECENTLY SUBMITTED, AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT I SHARE THIS WITH YOU ALL.
GLEN HAD RESEARCHED THE HISTORY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE SERVICE AND HE FOUND MANY EXAMPLES OF UNRECOGNISED SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY BY FORMER MEMBERS, AND PARTICULARLY POLICE TRACKERS. HE SAID IN HIS MEMO THAT THIS UNRECOGNISED WORK WAS, AT THE TIME, NO DOUBT CONSIDERED TO BE JUST PART OF THE JOB, AND UNLESS YOU HAPPENED TO DIE ON DUTY OR REACHED A HIGH RANK, VERY LITTLE WAS DONE TO PRESERVE THE MEMORY OF THOSE MANY FORMER MEMBERS.
GLEN APPRECIATED THE SERENITY AND BEAUTY OF THE ADELAIDE RIVER WAR CEMETERY WHERE HE ALSO NOTICED SEVERAL PLAQUES DEDICATED TO MILITARY MEMBERS. HE HAD SEVERAL IDEAS TO HONOUR THE MEMORY OF POLICE MEMBERS, INCLUDING PLANTING TREES WITH PLAQUES DEDICATED TO MEMBERS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MEMORIAL AVENUE IN OUR POLICE COMPLEX, THE PETER McAULAY CENTRE. HE SUGGESTED NEW PLAQUES COULD BE DEDICATED ANNUALLY ON A SIGNIFICANT DAY, FOR EXAMPLE, POLICE REMEMBRANCE DAY. THERE TOO, HE EMPHASISED THE WHOLE COMMUNITY SHOULD BE INVITED AND INVOLVED.
IT IS MY INTENTION TO HONOUR GLEN’S SUGGESTIONS IN THAT REPORT, AND ALSO PAY TRIBUTE TO HIM, IN A WAY I FEEL SURE HE AND YOU WOULD APPROVE OF.
FINALLY, IN THE WORDS OF THE 13TH CHAPTER OF CORINTHIANS:
“THERE REMAINS THEN, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, THESE THREE; BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE.”
ABC News: Aboriginal communities to send reps to police officer’s funeral
Trudy and Rod BrayFri, 6 Aug 1999 00:26:27 -0700
Fri, 6 Aug 1999 11:41 AEST
Aboriginal communities to send reps to police officer's
funeral.
The Gurindji Aboriginal people, from two communities south-west of Darwin, are sending
representatives to the funeral of a Northern Territory police officer.
Sergeant Glen Huitson was killed by Rodney William Ansell on Tuesday.
The sergeant's partner, Constable Jamie O'Brien, returned the fire, killing Ansell.
A Gurindji representative, Roslyn Frith, says the sergeant was given the skin name, Japalyi,
because of the community's respect and love for him.
She says he will be missed greatly.
"To the community he wasn't just a policeman, he was just another person who belonged to
the community," Ms Frith said.
"He got involved - like if there were ceremonies he'd go down and make sure everything was
alright.
"With the younger generation, he took them out. Like he was with the emergency services out
here, he went out fishing and hunting with them," she said.
� 1999 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
https://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2@paradigm4.com.au/msg01295.html
NT: Aborigines planning funeral for Ansell in Arnhem Land
AAP General News (Australia) 08-09-1999
NT: Aborigines planning funeral for Ansell in Arnhem Land
By Catharine Munro
DARWIN, Aug 9 AAP – Rod Ansell, the original Crocodile Dundee who shot dead a policeman last week, is expected be given an Aboriginal funeral in Arnhem Land.
Ansell, 44, was killed in a shootout with police after fatally wounding Sergeant Glen Huitson, 37, about 50km south of Darwin last Tuesday.
The violent deaths followed a 12-hour search for Ansell, who had shot at two houses in the area the previous night.
His motives remain a mystery and the case is being investigated by the coroner.
The events shocked Darwin, where Ansell was known as a buffalo hunter and a bushman who had been living on an Aboriginal-owned property in Arnhem Land, about 600km south-east of Darwin.
Ansell’s two sons, Shaun and Callum, are believed to have requested that an Aboriginal community at Mt Catt, near Bulman in central Arnhem Land, allow a funeral to be held on their grounds.
“The two boys said they want to have the funeral at Mt Catt,” said Lorna Martin, who works at the clinic at Bulman.
Ansell spent some time in the area in the 1980s as a buffalo catcher and continued to make frequent visits.
The service will interrupt an important ceremony being held at Mt Catt but arrangements were being made for the proceedings to be halted for one day for the funeral on Thursday, Mrs Martin said.
“Everybody said it’s okay,” she said.
Ansell’s parents, George and Eva, both in their 70s, are understood to have journeyed to the Northern Territory from their home in Murgon, 260km north-west of Brisbane, to say goodbye to their son.
Meanwhile, the widow of the slain policeman, Lisa, said she had just returned from Daly River Crossing, where she had scattered her husband’s ashes.
Mrs Huitson told reporters she had spent three happy years there with Sgt Huitson and they had taken their son, Joseph, two and Ruby, six months, back there to be baptised.
“It was just a special place for us,” Mrs Huitson said.
Sgt Huitson‘s brother Bevan, sister Julie and parents Carole and John attended a press conference to thank the police and the people of the NT for their support.
Rod Ansell – The inspiration behind Crocodile Dundee
The day the real Crocodile Dundee Rod Ansell was shot dead
ELLIE TURNER
Herald Sun
January 05, 201412:00AM
Rod Ansell in the Outback in 1987.
ROD Ansell’s amazing story of Outback survival is one many Australians know – although they’ve probably never heard of his name.
As strong as an ox and as brave as a lion, the blond haired, barefoot bushman survived for more than seven weeks on a small island at the mouth of a crocodile-infested river in the remote Northern Territory, sleeping up a tree with a brown snake at night to avoid the salties lurking below.
His story was the inspiration for the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee. But the film only tells part of the story of Ansell’s wild life.
More than a decade after his tale of survival brought fame and fortune to actor Paul Hogan, the real Crocodile Dundee was shot dead by police after a drug-crazed rampage that saw a police officer killed and three other men wounded.
***
STRONG men in uniform broke down on the side of the Stuart Highway the day Territory police officer Glen Huitson was shot dead in a gun battle with Rod Ansell.
It was like a scene from a cops and robbers movie.
But nobody won.
Sergeant Huitson was gunned down at a roadblock in bushland 60km south of Darwin by Ansell, who had been on the run from police.
Ansell was shot in the chest as Senior Constable James O’Brien returned fire.
“The only verbal communication I had with the gunman was when I was reloading the shotgun for the first time,” the surviving officer, who has never spoken openly about the ordeal, said in a statement almost 15 years ago.
“I called out to him to put his weapons down. He called back, ‘You’re all dead‘.”
Ansell was deranged and wired on speed, more than 20 years after he emerged from the wild, a handsome young hunter armed only with a knife, a gun and a story to tell, his boat having capsized on the remote Victoria River.
His crazed life came to an end on August 3, 1999, but not before he had gunned down a police officer, leaving two young children to grow up without a father.
Northern Territory police say they lost “an all-round good bloke” that day.
Sgt Huitson’s family was robbed of much more.
In 1994, Sgt Huitson had been commended for bravery after arresting a knife-wielding drunk man – who was also armed with a star picket and a billy of boiling water in a bid to harm another person – at a community near Alice Springs.
He received a Valour Award after he talked delusional man Wayne Costan – who had tried to hijack a tourist coach with a sawn-off .22 rifle – into dropping the weapon, before tackling him to the ground at Litchfield Park in February 1999.
Six months later Sgt Huitson was killed, aged 37.
His then-infant daughter, Ruby, and five-year-old son, Joseph, grew up without their dad.
His widow, Lisa, took home her husband’s posthumous Australia Bravery Medal and a broken heart.
Former NT Police assistant commissioner John Daulby was among those who raced out to the double killing.
“Everyone was stunned,” he said. “It was just a tragedy.”
Darwin police officer Glen Huitson was one of two policemen shot by gunman Rod Ansell.
“The grief at the scene is something that sticks with me – grown men in tears.”
Ansell had wounded two men on a shooting spree in Darwin and fled into the bush, raving mad, on the night of August 2, 1999.
He was convinced members of the Freemasons had kidnapped his sons – Callum, then aged 20, and Shawn, 18.
His girlfriend, Cherie Ann Hewson, had told him that as a child she had witnessed the sacrifice of young girls that her family – members of the secret medieval fraternity – “brought out of the woods”. They were bound, raped and slaughtered, she said.
The shared paranoia came to a head when Ms Hewson claimed she spotted three bow hunters, dressed in camouflage with night vision goggles, near their bush camp.
NT Coroner Dick Wallace would later say the “wretched drivel” was at the root of Ansell‘s madness, after the couple visited mates Steven Robinson and his partner, Lee-Anne Musgrave, on a property at Noonamah, about 50km south of Darwin.
Ansell fired six shots at their caravan on Kentish Rd.
Resident David Hobden jumped in his truck, armed with his double-barrel shotty, and went to investigate the shootings. He lost an eye when Ansell put a bullet through the windscreen of his truck.
He ran to alert his neighbour, Brian Williams, who “waxed wrath” at the state of his mate’s face and grabbed a baseball bat.
He charged at Ansell, who was trying to steal Mr Hobden’s truck.
“I smacked him straight down the forehead, and that’s when he blew my hand off,” Mr Williams told police.
“He was going on about stealing his children, and Freemasons, and being a baby killer … oh, just, he was mad, mate.”
Ansell fired shots at the Williams‘ house.
Then he ran away, his rifle in one hand and Mr Hobden‘s shotgun in the other.
Ms Hewson disappeared before the police shootout. Some feared she had committed suicide.
About 11pm, Territory Response Group sent two troop carriers with six cops in each to set up a command post. They manned the north roadblock.
Adelaide River police station boss Sgt Huitson and his second-in-charge, Sen-Const O’Brien, guarded the south cordon – at the corner of Old Bynoe Rd – with a pistol each, a 12-gauge shotgun and standard police issue .308 rifle.
About 10.30am the next day, a removals worker named Jonathan Anthonysz was leaning on the cop car, chatting to the officers when a bullet blew a hole “the size of a baseball” in his pelvis.
He was flung forward, screaming, on to the ground.
Mr Anthonysz’s colleague – David Hobden‘s brother, Anthony – dragged him out of view as Snr-Const. O’Brien covered them.
The shots were coming from light scrub behind a roadside water pipe.
The cunning fugitive had sneaked through the bush and was hidden by dappled tree shadows.
In his statement, Snr-Const O’Brien said: “I heard Glen shout out, ‘Get on the ground’.
I swung round to look over the boot of the car with my Glock drawn …
“I saw my shots hit the ground close to where (Ansell) was,” he said.
Sgt Huitson called TRG for help and grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun.
He fired a shot through the windows of the police car and two shots over the roof.
But a bullet from Ansell‘s .30-30 lever-action rifle ricocheted off the top of the metal door and struck him in the abdomen.
His bulletproof vest hadn’t been properly fastened. The bullet tore through a velcro strap that should have been covered by a Kevlar panel.
Sgt Huitson fell, landing on top of the shotgun.
Snr-Const O’Brien, who wasn’t wearing a vest, dodged a bullet and rolled his bleeding colleague off the shotgun, reloaded it and returned fire.
“I realised unless TRG arrived I could run out of ammunition, in which case I would have to retreat with the others,” he said.
“I loaded two more rounds, looked up and saw the gunman wriggling forward.
“I heard a sound like a match being struck just past the right side of my head.”
Then the TRG troop carriers came hurtling down the highway.
The first driver hit the brakes and swerved as he heard gun fire – the 4WD rolled when the second car crashed into it, unable to stop in time.
Ansell got up on one knee and began lining up the cops, who were crawling out of the vehicle.
Snr-Const O’Brien got a clear shot.
The autopsy showed 33 bullet wounds and grazes to Ansell‘s body.
Two were fatal. One shot had ripped through his aorta.
He fell face down in the dirt.
Sgt Huitson was declared dead after being rushed to Royal Darwin Hospital.
Snr-Const O’Brien was scrutinised and cleared of any wrongdoing after a rigorous police investigation.
His actions were praised as “simply outstanding” when Magistrate Wallace handed down his coronial findings in September 2000.
“If he felt any fear, it seems to have been submerged by his concern for his wounded colleague and others,” he said. “There can be little doubt his bravery prevented further loss of life.”
Ms Hewson handed herself in to Queensland police four days later.
Evidence that Ansell clung to the back of a road train and escaped the roadblocks fuelled a question that would never be answered – why would a skilled bushman give up his ticket to freedom and return to gun down police when he could have slipped away?
IT was no secret the 44-year-old buffalo hunter and grazier was bitter.
Writer Robert Milliken, who spent time with Ansell while working on projects in the NT, said Ansell never saw a penny for the myth surrounding his tangled life, despite being the inspiration for the main character in Crocodile Dundee, which propelled actor Paul Hogan to fame in 1986.
Ansell blamed his troubles on a Federal Government program to wipe out wild buffalo, his livelihood, to eradicate tuberculosis from the cattle industry. He had told reporters he was living on unemployment benefits and “bush tucker”.
Magistrate Wallace heard Ansell believed police and the government were against him.
He had moved to the Territory aged 15 from the small town of Murgon, 270km north of Brisbane, in country Queensland.
The ordeal that brought him fame happened when he took a fishing trip in a motorboat on the Victoria River in May 1977.
When the boat sank, he jumped in a dinghy and salvaged his two eight-week-old bull terriers, a rifle, a knife, some canned food and bedding. The tinny drifted out to sea, washing up on a small island at the mouth of the Fitzmaurice River.
He slept in the fork of a tree, out of reach of crocodiles, at night, but shared the branches with a brown tree snake.
Ansell never counted on being rescued. He roamed for seven weeks before stumbling on two Aboriginal stockmen and their boss.
But he kept the adventure under his hat – fearing his recklessness would upset his mother – until media got hold of the yarn.
Dubbed the “modern day Robinson Crusoe”, Ansell said: “I think if you come through in one piece, then nothing else really matters.
“It’s like going out to shoot a kangaroo.
“You don’t come back and say you missed by half an inch – you either got him or you didn’t.”
Mr Milliken described Ansell as “strikingly handsome with blond hair, blue eyes and bare feet” when he met him in 1988. It was the year Ansell was named Territorian of the Year for his role in putting the Top End on the map.
At the time, he lived with his wife, Joanne van Os, and their two small sons on their buffalo farm at Melaleuca, between Darwin and Kakadu.
“He was charming,” Mr Milliken said.
“He seems never to have worn shoes, even when travelling on aircraft and staying in city hotels at the height of his fame.
“The press went mad over his story and no one seemed to mind if the details grew ever more incredible.
“A hero had been born.”
He said Ansell once told British TV personality Michael Parkinson he preferred to sleep on the floor of his five-star Sydney hotel in his swag rather than in the kingsize bed.
Ansell’s Parkinson interview sparked the interest of Hogan and led to the creation of Mick “Crocodile” Dundee.
But the fame took its toll on Ansell’s personal life. His marriage disintegrated.
In 1992, he was convicted of cattle rustling and assaulting the owner of a cattle station in Arnhem Land.
Police raided Melaleuca. He eventually lost the property.
For more than a year before his death, Ansell had been living with Ms Hewson, a former tour guide, on a billabong at the Aboriginal outstation Urapunga, on the Roper River, about 480km south of Darwin.
He was initiated as a white member of local Aboriginal clan and got on well with the Ngukkur community. But the spiral into a drug-induced psychosis continued as Ansell smoked cannabis and injected amphetamineswith vengeance.
“I didn’t know Ansell really well, but I’d met him a few times,” long-time Territorian and former reporter Chips Mackinolty said.
“He was tough as nails, the sort of person that could do what he said he did, and did do it when he was working as a stockman, as a wrangler and that stuff.
“He was an extraordinary person at that level, but it ended up in tears.”
Mr Mackinolty was heading to Katherine and had been allowed through the roadblock earlier on the day the killing happened.
“It was one of those ‘goose steps on your own grave’ sort of feelings – you were very close to what ended up being a very awful thing.
“It’s always sad when the threat of poverty and frustrated ambition get mixed up and send people off the edge, big time,” Mr Mackinolty said.
“I was completely shocked, as were a lot of people who knew him in the earlier years.”
In his coronial ruling, Magistrate Wallace said the contrast between the “original Crocodile Dundee who appeared on television” and the emaciated drug addict – who weighed just 53kg when he opened fire on police – could hardly be more marked.
“His drug abuse rendered his mind so addled he believed fantasies that a child would dismiss with contempt,” he said.
“His pointless and destructive actions caused immediate agony and suffering to the men he wounded.”
The infamous rampage means Ansell is remembered in Darwin not as a knockabout bushman, but as the man who murdered a heroic cop.
Sergeant Glen Huitson
Posted on
Along the side of the Stuart Highway, heading to Batchelor and points south, there’s a turnoff at Old Bynoe Road. On this corner there’s a simple cross like far too many you see on Australian roads. This one is the same in that it marks the point where a loved one lost his or her life. The ever-present, neatly-arrayed booze bottles testify to the fact that his friends have not forgotten him.
However this site is also different. It doesn’t mark a road fatality, but rather the death of a police officer on duty, Sergeant Glen Anthony Huitson, killed protecting the community from a man who had gone on an overnight shooting spree. The further tragedy is that this death, left a young widow and two little children who will never know their father: the risks that police face daily in doing their duty.
The Policeman from the bush
By all accounts Glen Huitson was a quietly impressive young man and an excellent policeman who was soon to receive the Police Valour medal, given posthumously to his wife, Lisa. Huitson had worked out bush and was well respected by the communities he’d worked in. Stationed at Adelaide River at the time of the shooting, Huitson is also remembered by a memorial there.
Across the new railway track on the Old Bynoe Road, there’s a different kind of memorial from the simple cross with beer bottles. It’s the official memorial in Glen Huitson Park. It has an impressively large stone brought from a distance and plaques to honour the man and the police officer.
Roadside memorial stone
I recognise that another family lost a person they’d loved that day. No doubt as they pass Huitson’s memorial they think of their own loved one. However for me this is about the loss of a man doing his duty. As you go about your routines today, please remember all those police officers who daily risk their lives to protect us.
I leave you with Glen Huitson’s eulogy, testifying to his concern for others and his true community spirit. Rest in Peace, Sergeant Glen Huitson, you did your duty well.
On the Darwin Esplanade, near the Cenotaph, there’s is a memorial to all Northern Territory Police and Emergency Services workers who gave their lives in service to the community.
4 thoughts on “Sergeant Glen Huitson”
What a wonderful tribute …thank you for bringing us this introduction to a man without whom the world is a poorer place.
Thanks Chris. It happened a couple of years after we got here and was a great tragedy. I really feel for his family and the loss of a good man.
I stumbled across this post today… For some reason Glen came to my mind, and I did a search. Maybe this all came about as I saw a photo of his gorgeous sister and his 2 beautiful children.
Glen was a friend and I know his family well. He was a great man and it was an extremely sad day the day he left this life.
hi Vicki, sorry I hadn’t realised I’d omitted to reply. Thanks for sharing…it was indeed a tragic day for all concerned…we have a connection through the other officer that day though we didn’t know him at the time.
IT was 15 years on Sunday since one of NT Police’s darkest days.
On August 3, 1999 Brevet Sergeant Glen Anthony Huitson was manning a roadblock on the Stuart Highway at Livingstone when he was shot and killed by “Crocodile Dundee” Rod Ansell.
Ansell was then hit with fatal return fire by Sgt Huitson’s partner, Senior Constable Jamie O’Brien.
He was the first policeman to be murdered on duty in the Territory for 47 years, and to this date he remains the last.
Sgt Huitson’s wife Lisa said the anniversary was always emotional.
“But he’s always with us and it’s good to see his colleagues and friends return,” she said.
“It’s nice to come back.”
The couple’s children Joe and Ruby were just 2 and 10 months old when their father was killed.
Police Commissioner John McRoberts said the memorial was a sobering reminder of the dangers of policing.
“It’s really good to pay our respects to a man who died doing what he loved and wanted to do – which was serve and protect,” he said.
Sgt Huitson joined the NT Police in January 1987. He served in both Southern and Northern districts.
During his service, he received a Commendation from the Commissioner of Police in March 1994 when he attended a disturbance at a community near Alice Springs. He disarmed a drunk armed with a knife and star picket, and was threatening another person with a billy of boiling water.
Then in February of 1999 in Litchfield Park, he disarmed an armed man who was threatening the driver and passengers of a bus. He received a Valour Award over this incident.
For the incident which cost him his life, he was awarded the Australia Bravery Medal, and a bar to his Valour Medal.
Joined NSW Police Force via NSW Police Cadet system on 2 February 1976
Cadet # 3222
Redfern Police Academy Class 157
Regd. # 17765
Uniform # 1822
Rank: NSW Police Cadet – commence 2 February 1976
Probationary Constable – appointed 5 December 1977
Constable – appointed 4 December 1978
Senior Sergeant – Death
Stations: ?, The Rock – O.I.C., School of Traffic and Mobile Policing ( S.T.A.M.P. ), Police Academy, Goulburn
Service: From 2 February 1976 to 8 June 1995 = 19+ years Service
Awards: National Medal – granted 16 September 1993
Born: Thursday 4 December1958
Died on: Thursday 8 June 1995
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – Police cycle – Rider
Location: Picton Rd near Almond St, Picton
Age: 36
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: NSW Police Academy, Goulburn
Buried at: Bega Cemetery, Princes Hwy ( South )
General Section 6, Row E, Lot 11
Wayne Raymond GEORGE
Hanging at the Police Driver Training School, Goulburn.
Wayne Raymond GEORGE – Grave
Wayne Raymond GEORGE – Grave
Wayne Raymond GEORGE – Grave
Wayne Raymond GEORGE memorial plaque at NSW Police Driver Training ( S.T.AM.P. ), Goulburn
WAYNE IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Touch plate at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
Funeral location: ?
On 8 June, 1995 Senior Sergeant George was riding a police solo motor cycle from Goulburn to Sydney to attend a meeting. Whilst he was riding along Picton Road, near Almond Street, Picton his cycle was struck by a motor vehicle. The sergeant was thrown to the roadway where he was run over by a number of passing vehicles including a semi-trailer. He died as a result of injuries received.
The senior sergeant was born in 1958 and joined the New South Wales Police Force as a cadet in February, 1976. He was sworn in on 5 December, 1977. At the time of his death he was attached to the School of Traffic and Mobile Policing, Police Academy, Goulburn.
Have searched Trove and Google without success for the articles in relation to this man.
Jason Saunders he may be gone but will never be forgotten.
Cheryl Wk it is always heart breaking when we lose one of our finest.
Jillian OliverI had the honour to work with Dan when he first started. He was a great officer and great person. It was a highlight to be working the truck with him. I valued his friendship and think of him often. My prayers and thoughts are with his family.
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Rae Wilson | 17th Oct 2012 2:59 PM
abennymorrison | 16th Mar 2013 2:00 PM
Dan Stiller Reserve, Parkinson Qld
Along the side of the Stuart Highway, heading to Batchelor and points south, there’s a turnoff at Old Bynoe Road. On this corner there’s a simple cross like far too many you see on Australian roads. This one is the same in that it marks the point where a loved one lost his or her life. The ever-present, neatly-arrayed booze bottles testify to the fact that his friends have not forgotten him.
What a wonderful tribute …thank you for bringing us this introduction to a man without whom the world is a poorer place.
Thanks Chris. It happened a couple of years after we got here and was a great tragedy. I really feel for his family and the loss of a good man.
I stumbled across this post today… For some reason Glen came to my mind, and I did a search. Maybe this all came about as I saw a photo of his gorgeous sister and his 2 beautiful children.
Glen was a friend and I know his family well. He was a great man and it was an extremely sad day the day he left this life.
hi Vicki, sorry I hadn’t realised I’d omitted to reply. Thanks for sharing…it was indeed a tragic day for all concerned…we have a connection through the other officer that day though we didn’t know him at the time.