Joined NSW Police Force via NSW Police Cadet system on Monday 2 February 1976
Cadet # 3221
Redfern Police Academy Class 157
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 17762
Rank: NSW Police Cadet – commence 2 February 1976 ( aged 17 years, 2 months, 9 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed 24 November 1977 ( aged 19 years, 0 months, 0 days )
Constable – appointed ? ? ?
Detective – appointed ? ? ? ( YES )
Detective Constable 1st Class – appointed 24 November 1982
Senior Constable – appointed 24 November 1986
Final Rank: ?
Stations: ?, Mossman, Mudgee ( G.D’s then ‘ A ‘ List Detectives), Dubbo – death
Service: From 2 February 1976to? ? ( 1990’s )
Awards: ? National Medal – granted 15 January 1996 ( can’t verify this is the same person )
Born: Monday 24 November 1958
Died on: Saturday 24 May 1997
Cause: Suicide – (1) Attempted – unsuccessful Drug over dose ( 2 ) Committed – Police revolver
Age: 38 years, 6 months, 0 days
Event location: Dubbo – at home
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: plaque in a rose garden at Western Districts Memorial Park, Boothenba Rd, Dubbo, NSW
Memorial at: ?
JOE is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance, nor the Remembrance Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills ( last checked Oct 2022 ) * BUT SHOULD BE
Funeral location: ?
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
Joe GARDEN was at Mudgee Police Station around 1987-88 in uniform. Not sure where he was prior to that.
Joe started in the Detectives office as an ‘A’ lister around that time. He was left high and dry after the designated detectives moved on and he was forced to run the detectives office ‘one out’.
Apparently Joe hit the bottle quite badly and finished up banging up a police vehicle ‘on duty’ whilst intoxicated.
Had some major fights with ‘senior officers’ and was forced onto sick leave.
Joe was ‘Force transferred’ to Dubbo Intelligence Office and worked there for a year or two before he drew his service revolver, went home and shot himself.
It is believed that Joe was aged in his late 20’s or early 30’s, married with young kids at the time.
( 2019 ) Information is that Joe had attempted a drug over dose and had been admitted to Dubbo Base Hospital where, apart from other methods, he was orally administered ‘charcoal’ to absorb the poison.
He was seen, in Hospital, by a Mental Health worker who asked how he was. Joe’s forceful reply was ” I’m FINE !! ” and Joe repeated that statement.
Later, that morning, Joe was discharged home.
Joe attended Dubbo Police Station where he picked up his Police issued revolver and went home where he placed a pillow slip over his head before fatally shooting himself, in the head, whilst on the lawn.
May you forever be at Peace Joe.
Further information is sought about this man, his life and his death.
Internet searches have failed to find anything further as of this date – 1 June 2016 or 5 June 2019 – on this man.
Greg Callander, Murray John GARDEN died on 24 May 1997 (aged 38). He was survived by his wife Debra and children Matthew, Grace and Alexander.
There is a plaque in a rose garden at Western Districts Memorial Park, Dubbo, NSW.
Phillip Martin BUCHARDT
| 21/05/2016
FINANCIAL APPEAL
Phillip Martin BUCHARDT
aka Phil
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Detective Sergeant
Stations: ?, St Marys
Service: From? to?
Awards: National Medal – granted 28 May 1999
National Police Service Medal – granted ?
Illness: Cancer
So close to Christmas it’s heartbreaking to hear that one of our police family’s is doing it tough.
Detective Sergeant Phil Buchardt, a sworn NSW Police Force Officer from St Mary’s Local Area Command was diagnosed earlier this year with an advanced and aggressive throat cancer. An operation attempting to remove some of the cancer caused damage to Phil’s tongue affecting his speech, breathing and ability to eat solid food. Phil’s doctors recently advised that the cancer is persisting and may not be operable.
Phil has been in the force for 33 years and was recently awarded the National Police Service Medal in addition to previous service medals. Phil, his wife Carol, who is also a serving NSW Police Force Officer and their 6 year old daughter Shelby are desperately feeling the strain of Phil’s condition and the financial burden of ongoing medical expenses. But Phil has great mates at St Mary’s LAC. They approached us and wanted to start fundraising to help Phil and his family.
So we’re asking you to help out. All donations will go directlyto Phil, NSW Police Legacy will not take any of the funds raised through this appeal. At this time of year especially, Christmas, when it should be all about spending times with loved ones and rejoicing in our good health and happiness, please send some love to Phil and his family and donate.
Rank: Assistant management accountant – NSW Police Public Service
Stations: MA & R management accounting Corporate, Finance & Business services, Parramatta – H.Q.
Service: From ? ? 1997to 2 October 2015 = 17 years Service to NSW Police
Awards: ?
Born: 28 November 1956
Died on: Friday 2 October 2015
Cause: Shot – Murdered – Terrorist related
Event location: Outside of NSW Police HQ, Parramatta
Age: 58
Funeral date: Saturday 17 October 2015 @ 10am
Funeral location: St Mary’s Cathedral, College St, 2 St Marys Rd, Sydney City – opposite Hyde Park.
Buried at: Cremated
is NOT mentioned on the Wall of Remembrance* BUT SHOULD BE
CURTIS IS mentioned on the Wall of Remembrance as of 2016
Curtis CHENG with wife and adult children.
Funeral location:
Parramatta shooting: gunman a 15-year-old boy
Date Saturday
Eryk Bagshaw and Nick Ralston
NSW Police have confirmed that a 15-year-old boy was the lone gunman who shot dead a police employee outside the state’s headquarters in Sydney’s west.
The teenager shouted religious slogans before firing one shot in the back of the head of a police finance worker as the employee was heading home on Friday afternoon.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione (right) and NSW Premier Mike Baird front the media after shooting at Parramatta. Photo: AAP
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione (right) and NSW Premier Mike Baird front the media after shooting at Parramatta. Photo: AAP
The police employee has been named as Curtis Cheng, a 17-year veteran of the police force. Police say the shooter is of Iraqi-Kurdish background and was born in Iran.
“We believe that his actions were politically motivated and therefore linked to terrorism,” NSW police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione told reporters in Sydney.
Mr Scipione said police had no information to suggest the gunman posed “this type of threat”.
A police employee was shot dead outside the headquarters in Parramatta.
A police employee was shot dead outside the headquarters in Parramatta. Photo: James Brickwood
“We’re a long way from establishing a full picture of this man, his exact motivations still remain a mystery to us,” he said
“We are exploring every avenue with regard to why he did what he did.”
Premier Mike Baird described the events as “chilling”.
Paramedics at the scene of the Parramatta shooting attending to one of the two bodies. Photo: Seven News
“The shock of this event will be felt everywhere,” he told reporters.
Mr Cheng was shot as he left work at the State Crime Command in Parramatta on Friday afternoon.
His killer was shot dead as officers returned fire.
A strike force has been established to investigate.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described the terror-related shooting as a “cold-blooded murder”.
Mr Turnbull has urged Australians to go about their day normally despite the incident in Parramatta on Friday.
“This appears to have been an act of politically motivated violence so at this stage it appears to have been an act of terrorism. It is a shocking crime. It was a cold-blooded murder,” he told reporters in Melbourne.
Published: 17:29 EST, 4 October 2015 | Updated: 02:20 EST, 5 October 2015
The heartbroken family of the accountant gunned down by a ‘radicalised’ Muslim 15-year-old have paid tribute to the ‘kind, gentle, and loving’ father-of-two.
Curtis Cheng, 58, was shot in the back of the head by lone gunman Farhad Jabar Khalil Mohammad after the teenager stormed the police headquarters in Parramatta, Sydney.
His wife Selina and two children Alpha and Zilvia, both in their 20s, said their father was ‘generous of heart’ and ‘always put family first’.
They said: ‘We would like to thank all those who have expressed their well wishes and blessings upon us following the tragic passing of our most loved husband and father, Curtis Cheng.
Father-of-two Curtis Cheng, 58, (far left) was shot dead at point-blank range by a ‘radicalised’ 15-year-old, pictured with his wife Selina (second left) and two children Zilvia and Alpha (right)
Father-of-two Curtis Cheng, 58, (far left) was shot dead at point-blank range by a ‘radicalised’ 15-year-old, pictured with his wife Selina (second left) and two children Zilvia and Alpha (right)
Police are now probing why Farhad Jabar Khalil Mohammad (pictured) targeted the accountant
The two bodies were found just metres apart on the pavement outside the police station and children’s day care centre
Chilling footage has emerged showing the final moments of ‘radicalised’ 15-year-old Farhad Jabar Khalil Mohammad after he stormed a police headquarters, pictured in a shoot-out with police constables
Multiple shots can be heard and the video then shows Farhad lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood surrounded by officers
The gunman was killed after an exchange of gunfire with special constables who guard the entrance of the main station in Parramatta
Witnesses reported seeing two bodies lying on the ground covered in white sheets (pictured)
An ambulance NSW spokeswoman said paramedics were on the scene at Charles St, in the city’s CBD
An investigation is believed to be underway into whether the shooter had been recently charged by a detective from one of the State Crime Command squads
Detectives have not yet established the identity of the deceased, according to a spokesman
witness
bystander
Detectives launched a ‘critical incident investigation’ and confirmed two people were killed after a number of shots were fired
A civilian IT expert working for police was shot dead after a lone gunman opened fire outside a police headquarters in Sydney, pictured officers gather around a white sheet covering a body
The black-clad assailant fired a number of shots at special constables guarding the NSW Police station in Parramatta on Friday before he was gunned down and killed by one of the officers
Officers in body armour were seen patrolling the Parramatta CBD and guarding train stations, pictured is Charles Street
Several roads in Parramatta were blocked after the shooting and helicopters were seen circling overhead, pictured is Charles Street
On Friday night, Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione (pictured) refused to be drawn on whether the double shooting was terror-related and said detectives did not yet know the motive
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the gunman, who was wearing dark trousers and a flowing top, shot the employee on his way home from work
When asked whether police were warned about a possible attack at the station, Commissioner Scipione revealed there had been a number of alerts in 2014 and 2015, pictured officers on the scene
Detectives believe the civilian worker was ‘deliberately targeted’ and said he was shot at almost point-blank range
Dozens of officers were seen searching the area where the double shooting took place
Both bodies (circled in red) were still on the scene at 11pm, draped in white sheets and just metres apart
Dozens of people were seen waiting outside their homes tonight after several buildings near the scene were evacuated
Floral tributes have been left to Mr Cheng outside the police headquarters in Parramatta, Sydney
His family have paid tribute to the ‘kind, gentle, and loving’ father-of-two, saying he was ‘generous of heart’
‘My father was a kind, gentle, and loving person. He was humourous, generous of heart and always put the family first. He has set a tremendous example for us as a family.
‘We are deeply saddened and heartbroken that he has been taken from us, but we are truly grateful for the fruitful and happy life he has shared with us.’
Mr Cheng, who worked in the Finance and Business Services department for 17 years, was shot dead as he was leaving work on Friday afternoon in an ‘act of terrorism’.
The ‘radicalised’ youth, who is reported to be a Sunni Muslim, was then killed in a shoot-out with three special constables guarding the station.
Mr Cheng’s family said they were ‘touched’ by a personal visit from NSW Premier Mike Baird and the Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione.
Police are now probing why Farhad Jabar Khalil Mohammad (pictured) targeted the accountant
‘This was a comforting reminder of the warm regard that was held for him, especially by the New South Wales police community,’ they said.
‘He will be missed by all of us. We will cherish our memory of him forever.’
Police are now probing why Mr Cheng, 58, who had never worn a uniform, was targeted by the lone gunman in a ‘brutal’ and ‘callous murder’ on Friday.
Detectives have described the shooting as a ‘targeted attack’, but they are unsure why Farhad chose the civilian officer ‘who never had a badge’.
Commissioner Scipione said: ‘We are not sure whether he was targeted because he came from a police facility — we may never know. But he was certainly targeted in terms of the shooting.
‘It was a direct shooting. Certainly it wasn’t a ricochet, it was a targeted shot that took his life.’
He confirmed the teenager’s actions were ‘politically motivated and therefore linked to terrorism’.
But he admitted they were still unsure of the schoolboy’s ‘exact motivations’.
‘We’re a long way from establishing a full picture of this man, his exact motivations still remain a mystery to us,’ he said.
‘There is nothing to suggest that he was doing anything but acting alone.’
Floral tributes and messages of support have been left at the site where Mr Cheng was gunned down just metres away from a children’s day care centre.
‘He was a much-loved man, [he had] been with us a long time. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone have a bad word about Curtis and he will be missed,’ Commissioner Scipione said.
‘Curtis was admired and respected by his colleagues. He was a gentle man in every sense.
‘What has occurred is shocking and it is a very sad time for those who worked closely with him and all our employees.’
Farhad visited Parramatta Mosque where he changed into a black robe in the hours before the killing, according to reports.
The ‘radicalised’ youth, who is reported to be a Sunni Muslim, was allegedly able to walk unchallenged into the police headquarters and choose his victim.
The 15-year-old first came across a plain clothes female detective who was not carrying a gun, according to reports.
But he then shot Mr Cheng in the back on the head as the veteran of the police finance department was leaving work.
Witnesses have described seeing the teenagers dancing joyously after shooting the ‘gentle’ public servant while shouting Allah Allah.
Chilling footage has show the teenager running down the street brandishing his gun in the air just seconds after killing the father-of-two Curtis Cheng, 58.
He could be heard screaming at officers before having a shoot-out with three special constables guarding the station.
The 15-year-old continued to fire his handgun outside the police building until he was killed.
Police said the teenager was not on their radar, but revealed that his relative was known to law enforcement or intelligence agencies.
‘[The relative] was a bit of a problem, he did come to the attention of police and counter-terrorism [authorities],’ a source told ABC .
It has also emerged that his sister Shadi may have been attempting to reach Iraq or Syria the day before the shooting as she flew out of Australia on a flight bound for Istanbul on Thursday.
She reportedly took all her belongings with her, according to the ABC.
Farhad, who is of Iraqi-Kurdish background, is understood to have been living with his family in an apartment block in North Parramatta.
Officers searched the teenager’s North Parramatta family home on Friday and took his computer equipment.
But they revealed they had not yet discovered any messages, religious writings or notes left by Farhad.
Police are also looking into whether Farhad may have been on the fringe of an extremist group that had already come to the notice of police.
Farhad was previously active on social media, voicing his support for Team Ricky on reality singing contest The Voice in April 2013.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the Australian Muslim community would be appalled and shocked by the attack.
‘We must not vilify or blame the entire Muslim community with the actions of what is in truth a very small percentage of violent extremist individuals.
‘The Muslim community are our absolutely necessary partners in combating this type of violent extremism.’
He said the issue of radicalisation – particularly in young people – was complex and it was hard to understand the speed at which it was occurring.
NSW premiere Mike Baird said it was an ‘unthinkable act’ that ended his life.
‘I want the family of Curtis and the members of his Police community to know that you don’t face this loss alone. We mourn with you and we are here for you.’
A strike force, Fellows, has been set up to investigate and police are working with Islamic communities, who have offered their support.
NSW Police Association president Pat Gooley said he has spoken to Commissioner Scipione directly about increasing security at stations since Friday’s shooting.
‘Our message is we’ll keep Police Association members safe and the police commissioner is helping us do that,’ Mr Gooley said.
‘What changed on Friday night is that this is the first time in NSW that the NSW Police have been directly targeted as part of a terror incident.’
The commissioner revealed a number of warnings had been sent round to police in the past two years reminding them to be ‘vigilant’ about attacks, but assured that the people of NSW were ‘safe’.
‘I have viewed a number of pieces of footage, I can tell you that this was a brutal crime. It was a terrible crime.
‘We’re attempting to identify a man who was seen to approach the victim and discharge one single shot. Subsequently the assailant remained in the street here in Charles Street before he fired several further shots at a special constable.
‘A number of special constables came out of the building and as they’ve emerged they’ve come under fire.
‘In the exchange that followed the gunman was shot and killed. An employee of the NSW police force has been callously murdered here today. This is a very sobering time for us.’
Commissioner Scipione said it was likely the gunman waited around after the murder in order to ‘commit suicide by cop’.
It was previously reported that there had been increased ‘chatter’ in the past week about a possible attack on the Parramatta headquarters.
Sources said the building had been ‘cased’ and that every officer had been ordered to wear their guns on them at all times this week, even while at their desks.
When questioned about whether police were aware on a possible attack at the station, Commissioner Scipione revealed there had been a number of alerts in 2014 and 2015.
‘There has been activity around a number of locations in NSW, they’re the things we communicate to our officers,’ Commissioner Scipione said.
‘We have drawn officers back to the special warnings which are contained within alert 2015.
‘We’ve refreshed that alert and yet again highlighted the importance of remaining vigilant and being ready to respond should they have to at any location but particularly around police stations. I want to ensure that we don’t jump to conclusions, as I’ve said.
‘I’ve indicated that but we’re keeping an open mind. At this stage we’ve got nothing to link this event to any terrorist-related activity but we could not say that that wasn’t the case. So clearly you would understand we have officers from within the counter-terrorism command.’
The NSW Police Force building is home to the State Crime Command, which includes the homicide, drug, Middle Eastern organised crime and gangs squads.
An investigation was believed to be underway into whether the shooter had been recently charged by a detective from one of the State Crime Command squads.
He was also quizzed about whether staff had allegedly been sent a number of emails warning about men who had been taking photographs of the building’s entrance.
This man was simply leaving work this afternoon and he was gunned down. He was murdered on this street, this very street,’ he said.
Detectives launched a level one critical incident, the highest order they can give, after the attack.
Witnesses reported seeing two bodies lying on the ground covered in white sheets just metres apart.
Dozens of police officers were seen combing the area where the shooting took place from around 10pm on Friday, searching for clues.
Investigators also aimed huge spotlights at neighbouring apartments during the operation.
Residents were evacuated from their homes in buildings nearby the police station and most were allowed to return just after 11pm.
Real estate agent Edwin Almeida said he saw a man with a gun screaming and pacing up and down outside the building on Charles Street.
He said he then saw the man lying on the ground with a police officer pointing a gun at him.
‘We looked out the window, saw security guards and what appeared to be a plain clothes police officer with gun drawn pointing at the person that was now lying on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood,’ he said.
He wrote on his Facebook page: ‘Four five shots fired by man outside our office and in front of NSW police head quarters. Man shot down by guards and detectives.’
A man called Nathan told 2GB Radio that he saw a man lying on the street surrounded by blood.
‘I saw the guy dressed in black on the pavement with blood everywhere,’ he said.
Shopkeeper Sammy Shak told The Daily Telegraph he saw two bodies on the ground after hearing ‘six shots at least’.
‘WE’RE KEEPING AN OPEN MIND’: COMMISSIONER’S COMMENTS ON MOTIVE
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione refused to be drawn on whether the double shooting was terror-related and said detectives do not yet know the motive.
In his media briefing on Friday night, he said: ‘We don’t know the motive and we don’t yet know who the gunman is but he has committed an appalling act of brutality.
‘I want to ensure that we don’t jump to conclusions, as I’ve said, we’re keeping an open mind but there is an investigation that’s on foot.
‘At this stage we’ve got nothing to link this event to any terrorist-related activity but we could not say that that wasn’t the case.
‘So clearly you would understand we have officers from within the counter-terrorism command working alongside homicide but this is a homicide investigation led by homicide.’
‘My message to the people of NSW is that they are safe. There is no threat that we’re dealing with that at this stage we haven’t resolved here.
‘We will get to the bottom of this matter, the investigation will be conducted, it will be very thorough and we’ll do that as soon as we possibly can.’
‘When I went out there was two bodies on the floor and there was cops everywhere all around the area and they told me to go inside the shop straight away,’ he said.
Channel Seven helicopter pilot Andrew Millett said two bodies were visible about 200m from the police station.
Finance worker Rizwan Shaikh, who lives opposite the police headquarters, said he heard the shooting.
‘I finished work and was in the shower and I heard the gunshots,’ Mr Shaikh told The Daily Telegraph.
‘I heard six or seven gunshots and it was pretty loud. In two to three minutes there were cops everywhere.’
Miffy Hong, 33, said her mother called her just after 5pm to tell her she could see a body covered by a sheer near police headquarters.
‘She told me come back I don’t know what’s happening, she doesn’t speak English,’ she said.
The attack occurred outside a daycare centre used by police force families and the children were locked inside for four hours after the shooting with a dead body at their doorstep.
Parents of the children locked inside Goodstart Early Learning voiced fears about their welfare.
Dennis Entriken, whose three-year-old daughter was not allowed to leave for four hours, told Daily Mail Australia: ‘It’s very frustrating. One of the dead bodies is right out of the front of the chilcare centre.
‘What did they see, what did they hear? Is she scared? Is she OK?
‘They’ve told us she’s safe which is good… it’s the unknown which is the issue.
‘If she saw nothing and she’s blissfully unaware then that’s good,’ he said.
In his press conference on Friday night, Commissioner Scipione confirmed that all the children were safe.
‘Everyone’s safe, that’s the good news. There was certainly no suggestion of anyone being injured there. That’s certainly very pleasing to us.
NSW Police reveal shooter was a 15-year-old boy of an Iraqi-Kurdish background, urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Vision courtesy ABC News.
The man shot by a 15-year-old gunman outside NSW police headquarters, accountant Curtis Cheng, was simply on his way home for the weekend when he died, NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione says.
Mr Cheng, 58, worked for the NSW Police finance and business services division and had been employed by the force for 17 years. He was married with two adult children.
Curtis Cheng, left, and his family.
“He was a much loved man, been with us a long time,” Mr Scipione said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone have a bad word about Curtis.”
Mr Scipione was to meet Mr Cheng’s family on Saturday. He said the entire NSW Police Force family was in mourning.
“Curtis was admired and respected by his colleagues. He was a gentle man in every sense,” he said. “What has occurred is shocking and it is a very sad time for those who worked closely with him and all our employees.”
NSW Premier Mike Baird paid tribute to Mr Cheng and gave his condolences to his family.
“He sounds a wonderful man, very much loved by family and friends and indeed the police community,” Mr Baird said.
“We can’t forget that the police community are deeply impacted by this.
“A colleague and friend – it is going to hurt and hurt very deeply.”
The boy then continued to fire his handgun before he was shot dead by one of three special constables who responded to the shooting.
Mr Scipione said that police had no warning of the attack and that the 15-year-old, of Iraqi-Kurdish background and born in Iran, had not been on the police radar, nor had he any criminal history.
TERROR experts are worried the recent fatal shooting in Sydney’s Parramatta that a civilian police force employee dead, may not be the last.
Investigations are continuing into what motivated 15-year-old Farhad Jabar Khali Mohammad to shoot police force veteran Curtis Cheng at close range outside the Parramatta police headquarters on Friday.
Police believe was politically motivated and linked to terrorism.
His grieving family, including wife Selina and children Zilvia and Alpha, said they were heartbroken by the loss of the loving, generous and gentle father who always put the family first.
“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken that he has been taken from us, but we are truly grateful for the fruitful and happy life he has shared with us,” they said in a statement.
“My father was a kind, gentle, and loving person. He was humorous, generous of heart and always put the family first. He has set a tremendous example for us as a family.
“To the many people who have offered their condolences and kind words about him, we are extremely moved by your thoughts and sympathies.,” they added.
Streets surrounding Parramatta headquarters were placed into lock-down after Mohammad fired shots into the building before he was killed by special constables.
Police have no information to tie the boy to a specific group.
The federal government, police and agencies are working with the Muslim community to combat extremism and prevent young people from being radicalised.
Beloved husband of Selina.
The love in my heart is everlasting.
Loving father of Alpha and Zilvia.
Relatives, friends of the family, colleagues and members of the community are warmly invited to attend the funeral service for Mr CURTIS CHENG, to be held in St Mary’s Cathedral, College Street Sydney, on Saturday, October 17, 2015 commencing at 10.00am.
Private cremation.
In lieu of floral tributes, we ask that you consider a donation to NSW Police Legacy Appeal.
Saturday, 10 October 2015
We will never forget you.
~
Gail Abbott
Saturday, 10 October 2015
Our deepest condolences and prayers for your comfort in your time of unspeakable loss. The whole of decentAustralia sends you love and support at this difficult time. May your love and strength as a family help you to regain your hapipiness and harmony.
UPDATE: POLICE have confirmed that they have arrested a second man in relation to the death of New South Wales police employee Curtis Cheng.
Police are in the process of charging an 18-year-old, believed to be the one responsible for obtaining the firearm from a Middle Eastern crime gang and passing it on to 15-year-old Farhad Jabar.
A 22-year-old man has now also been arrested.
EARLIER: A MAN taken into custody in last week’s counter terrorism raids in Sydney, is expected to be charged in relation to the death of police employee Curtis Cheng.
Reports suggest the 18-year-old was the one responsible for obtaining the firearm from a Middle Eastern crime gang and passing it on to 15-year-old Farhad Jabar.
Jabar shot dead Mr Cheng outside Parramatta police headquarters on October 2.
The man is expected to be charged this afternoon and will appear in court tomorrow.
VALEDICTORY
Mr Curtis Shu Kei Cheng (28 November 1956 to 2 October 2015)
A member of the New South Wales Police Force from 11 November 1997 to 2 October 2015
The 2nd of October 2015 was the Friday before a long weekend. Many people were getting away early, extending the time that they would have to spend with family and friends. And on most Fridays, Curtis Cheng would have done the same.
However, there had been the demands of preparing the current year’s budget, an enormous task, the last of it completed just a few weeks ago. And there was more to do for the Annual Report. So Curtis stayed back a little longer than usual.
Eventually satisfied he had done all that he could, Curtis left. In his customary, friendly way he said goodbye to his colleagues, wishing them well, and made his way towards the lifts to head home.
Improbable and unjust things happen. We read about them in newspapers and see them on television. We are shocked, often outraged, when they do. But when they happen, they invariably happen to someone else, somewhere else.
But Curtis was one of our own, one of our friends. His circumstances are our circumstances. And the pain and disorientation we feel at Curtis’s death is all the more acute as a result.
Curtis Shu Kei Cheng commenced with the NSW Police Force on the 11th of November 1997, Remembrance Day. And we will always remember Curtis.
His resume was impressive. A lecturer of Accounting at the Hang Seng School of Commerce in Hong Kong. And thereafter at the Open University of Hong Kong. A Management Accountant at the Bank of Bermuda. And later an Administration and Finance Consultant in Hong Kong private enterprise.
He studied in Hong Kong and his postgraduate qualifications, including a Master of Science in Business Administration, were mostly completed in England. He amassed an impressive list of research and publications in accounting, management and education, and on arriving in Australia put his education and skills to good effect in running his own business facilitating trade for companies in China.
Curtis worked in our Financial and Business Services Directorate and his earliest work was introducing business planning to the Force. Systematically measuring what worked well, and what worked less well, to ensure we achieved the best results for the people of New South Wales. At that time this type of work was new, but is now acknowledged as being vitally important to operational policing.
In that first role and in the promotions that deservedly followed Curtis took great pride in his performance, developing a reputation for producing work that could be trusted. In an accountant’s world he was gold.
Curtis continued to work in Financial and Business Services: in Corporate Performance, Finance Budget and Planning, Management Accounting, and as a Systems Accountant.
In recognition of his service with the NSW Police Force, Curtis received NSW Police Medallions recognising the milestones of 10 and 15 years service, the Commissioner’s Long Service Award for 15 years service, as well as the Commissioner’s Olympic and Sesquicentenary Citations.
And in between times, in 1998, the Australian Government recognised Curtis with Australian citizenship, an event he proudly announced to work mates.
Curtis was admired and respected by his colleagues, a gentle man in every sense. Hard working, measured, but unfailingly positive. As you would expect there has been a lot of reflecting over these past couple of weeks. Members of his team recounted Curtis’s familiar greeting, his hand on your shoulder as he asked you how your were. Genuinely interested in the answer.
He valued relationships and nurtured them over a coffee, or a shared meal. And if the topic turned to his beloved football, or his family, you knew you were in for a long chat.
One of his closest co-workers said:
“You know, we all get angry at things from time to time. There must have been things that made Curtis angry. But if there were, I never saw them. Not once. Not in all the years I knew him – he was nothing but positive.”
This year the NSW Police Force has been celebrating the centenary of women in policing. Just last month I attended a gala dinner – a highlight of those celebrations – close to a thousand people in attendance. And Curtis was there, showing his support. Resplendent in black tie, his NSW Police Force citations proudly pinned to his lapels. So proud to be part of the Force. So proud to help recognise a century of outstanding achievements by the women of the Force. It was a wonderful evening.
And more than a few of us were surprised, and we smiled, when Curtis hit the dance floor. This quiet, unassuming man from Finance, this man of numbers and spread-sheets, well he certainly knew how to move. He was a revelation. And he was soon surrounded by many others, up, relaxing, enjoying themselves. It was a night of celebration, a night to be positive, and Curtis led the way.
It is never easy to say goodbye to someone who meant so much to so many. The NSW Police Force has lost a respected and much loved member of its family, Selina, a devoted husband, Alpha and Zilvia, a loving and devoted father.
I can’t describe the devastation inside Police Headquarters and right across the NSW Police Force. The gentlest of friends lost to an act of terror. A man, the manner of whose death, stands in the starkest contrast to the gentle, honourable way he led his life.
But in the aftermath of this tragedy, my officers and I have been struck by the strength and unity of the Cheng family. Not an ounce of hate despite this senseless crime. At a time when they deserved our shoulders for support, they have shown a strength and grace of their own, an example to the rest of us, showing the way.
There cannot be any one of us, least of all Selina, Zilvia and Alpha, for whom Curtis’s death is not painful and incomprehensible. We meet it with grief and tears, shock and despair, hurt and anger. It makes no sense. Perhaps time will provide some answers. Perhaps it will dull the pain. But what cannot be allowed to be dulled is the contribution Curtis made.
I was leafing through Curtis’s Personnel File late one evening last week, reflecting on the man and his contribution. His most recent successful application for a promotion was there, and a couple of statements in particular struck me.
Discussing his data and information technology skills he said:
“One of my hobbies is to create forms and templates to make things organized no matter at work or at home”. And I smiled at the thought of Alpha, Zilvia, and Selina being gently organised on weekends or some other routine task by way of an Excel spread-sheet.
But Curtis also said this:
“Over the past years, I have enjoyed every minute working in the NSW Police Force. And if I am given the honour of becoming a system accountant, I have the confidence to maintain and enhance a harmonious and constructive team spirit.”
That was Curtis.
A man who loved his family, relished his work and held dear the opportunities and pleasures life in Australia afforded him. A man who didn’t take his good fortune for granted or keep it to himself, but who shared it with others through his positive spirit and generosity. At least while it lasted.
Curtis’s fate reminds us that life is fragile. It also reminds us that we are together responsible for the type of community we create. If a positive is to be taken from recent events, it is our collective realisation that our way of life, the freedoms and protections we enjoy, are not unassailable. They need to built, maintained and defended.
We owe it to Curtis to do that.
It is my honour today to posthumously confer a Commissioner’s Commendation for Service on Mr Curtis Cheng. In part the commendation reads:
For outstanding and meritorious performance of duty as a member of the New South Wales Police Force between 1997 and 2015.
Mr Cheng was a long serving member of Financial and Business Services, where he served with diligence and distinction, providing exemplary financial services to the New South Wales Police Force.
Mr Cheng was killed in a callous act of violence outside Police Headquarters in Parramatta on Friday 2 October 2015.
Mr Cheng displayed integrity, loyalty, commitment, professionalism and devotion to duty as a member of the New South Wales Police Force, and thus is highly commended for his service.
– – –
I am deeply honoured and, indeed, privileged to be able to represent every member of the New South Wales Police Force here today to farewell Curtis Cheng.
A man who served the people of New South Wales with honour, and with a caring and gentle heart.
A loving husband and father.
A cherished colleague.
Our friend.
We are grateful to have known you Curtis and to have worked alongside you.
Our prayers travel with you. May your loved ones be comforted. May you rest in peace.
A P Scipione APM
Commissioner of Police
17 October 2015
James Alfred MORGAN
| 21/05/2016
James Alfred MORGAN
aka Jim
( late of Glenfield, NSW )
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 7698
Rank: Sergeant 1st Class
Stations: Penrith Police College, Liverpool ( 22 Division ) General Duties, Public Safety Bureau ( P.S.B. ) – Solo Cyclist, Liverpool on PSB, Campbelltown PSB, Liverpool, No 3 Division – General Duties, Traffic Branch – Supervisor, 3 Division – Traffic Sgt, 22 Division ( Liverpool ) – Traffic Sgt, Liverpool – General Duties, Green Valley ( 22 Division ) O.I.C.
Service: From 4 January 1954 to ?
Promotions: Trainee – 4 January 1954 – Penrith Police College
Probationary Constable – 25 January 1954
Constable – 4 January 1955
Constable 1st Class – 4 January 1960
Senior Constable – 4 January 1965
Sergeant 3rd Class – 7 March 1969
Sergeant 2nd Class – 26 March 1977
Sergeant 1st Class – 1 December 1979
Awards: 23 February 1960 – For duty performed in search for escapees Simmonds & Newcombe
24 January 1964 – for observations & good Policemanship in effecting the arrest of armed escapee Pat John HYNES
9 September 1965 – commended for actions during disasterous bush fire – Country Cumberland in 1965 – Appin Rd
Born: 27 March 1934
Died on: 7 September 2015
Cause: ?
Age: 81
Funeral date: Tuesday 15 September 2015 @ 11am
Funeral location: North Chapel of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Camden Valley Way, Leppington
Buried at: ?
Sgt 1st Class James MORGAN
[alert_yellow]JAMES is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_yellow] *NEED MORE INFO
James Alfred MORGAN Death Notice
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Married Beryl on 26 March 1954.
Lived in Glenfield all his life except for a short period in 1953 when he lived at Cabramatta.
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William Keith WILLIAMSON
| 21/05/2016
William Keith WILLIAMSON
aka Bill & Blinky Bill
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 7243
Rank: Inspector
Stations: ?, Fairfield O.I.C. 34 Division ( in 1970’s )
Service: From ? to ?
Awards: ?
Born: ?
Died on: 15 November 2003
Cause: ?
Age: 78
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
[alert_yellow]BILL is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_yellow] *NEED MORE INFO
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Funeral location: ?
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FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ON THIS MEMBER
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Bill Williamson was the OIC of Fairfield when Stephen Moore was the Inspectors Clerk there in 1979. Bill was replaced by Phil Child in late 1979. From memory Bill was an Olympic sculler in the same crew as former Commissioner Merv Wood. 1948 or 1952 Olympics. At the same time we had Frank Murphy at Fairfield as assistant Inspector and he was an Olympic Diver.
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Ronald Allan KILPATRICK
| 21/05/2016
Ronald Allan KILPATRICK
aka ” Horse “
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # ?
Rank: Senior Constable
Stations: Burwood ( about 1981 ), Wilcannia,Nelsons Bay formerly of Sutherland
Funeral location: Port Stephens Uniting Church, Salamander Bay, NSW
Buried at: ?
Ronald Allan KILPATRICK
[alert_blue] RONALD is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_blue] * NOT JOB RELATED
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Ronald Allan Kilpatrick – Blood appeal
Ronald Allan Kilpatrick – Blood appeal
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From a daughter to the Commissioner – why !
| 21/05/2016
When depression and ” the job ” is obvious to the family.
A letter from a daughter to the Commissioner of Police.
8 years on and still ‘ no response ‘
Monday 21st August 2006
ATTN: Ken Maroney
Commissioner of Police
Sydney Police Centre
GPO Box 45
Sydney NSW 2000
Dear Ken,
It is with regret that I write this letter to you. A letter of this nature should not ever need to be written and the events that led to the writing of this letter should not have taken place.
I am writing to tell you about my father, James Breeze. My father is a Bravery Award winning Vietnam Veteran who joined the Police Force 25 years ago. Since joining dad has spent the full 25 years on the front line. During those 25 years he has added value to the NSW Police Force not just in his front line duties, but also as a Protocol Officer, a Gay Liaison Officer, an Aboriginal Liaison officer, a Leading Senior Const., training other officers and has also been a proactive and positive member of the NSW Police Force.
Dad is a leader among his pears, in the last 25 years I have been fortunate enough to meet some of dad’s peers and work mates and I am always so proud of my dad. Work mates and colleagues have so much respect for my dad and the contributions he has made but most importantly the support he has given them. His accolades include; a Good Conduct Medal, Long Service and the St John’s Life Saving Award (presented by you in 1994).
Also over the last 25 years, I have been less fortunate to see the effect my fathers chosen vocation has had on him as an individual. 25 years as a front line Police Officer has really taken its toll on my father. Growing up I began to be able to tell a good day from a ‘bad’ day. When I say bad; visiting an accident, witnessing family violence, violence on children, jumping in a car to hold someone’s body together, literally, while you wait for help to come, pulling the deceased from the wreck of car. Worst of all, pulling your deceased mate from a car wreck. For 5 years my dad ran a one man station at Barellan. Country life and people were fantastic, everyone knew everyone. No one preempted hard it would be to pull your dead mate from a car. I have heard my dad cry, I have seen his eyes when he comes home from a ‘bad’ day. I know there are things so horrible, that they are far beyond description. At times I have asked dad to share his load, and he has just looked at me and cried, he has said that there are people and things in this life worth not knowing.
The most recent of these ‘bad’ days, was in February when a young girl walked into Bowral Police Station and attempted suicide by Police. She held a gun up to my father and after time so did he. This was the event that changed my fathers life. My father is a broken man. Due to this recent event, my father has taken sick leave from work. His family and friends have grouped around him, each day is a challenge, and each day is hard. You see, the Police Force defines who my dad is, he loves his job, he lives and breathes the police force and now, he feels as though they have forgotten all the good he did, all the sacrifices he made.
Two days ago, a GSO (administration officer) called my father and told him that on his behalf, they have a medical discharge for him to sign! After 25 years of devoting your life to an organization regardless of whether they service the Australian community or not, you deserve more than a phone call telling you are no longer needed and that your condition is not being recognized. No one calling to sympathies, no superior calling to see ‘how you are’, no one calling to see what assistance they can lend you, what help they can give you after all the years of giving yourself to them. Talk about putting a nail in the coffin! What is the NSW Police Force trying to do to my father? Can you please tell whoever is making these decisions that I would like my dad at my wedding in November, and I would like him there for Xmas, and I would like him one day to meet his grand kids, but most of all, tell them I need him here, and I need him in my life. If you don’t help him and give him the assistance and respect he deserves, you will push him over the edge. I am outraged that my father has been treated like this, not only by an individual, but by the NSW Police Force.
If dad had of fallen pregnant, the Police Force would have issued him another shirt and given him all the necessary assistance and a new position.
Please give my father his dignity.
Ken, I would like to meet with you to discuss this further. I am really hoping with every bone in body that you are not aware of this treatment and that you can help me and my father.
Petitioning NSW Police Commissioner Commissioner Andrew Scipione and delivered to:
NSW Police Commissioner
Commissioner Andrew Scipione
NSW Police Minister
STUART AYRES MP
National Police Memorial Canberra
Board of Directors
NSW Premier
Mike Baird MP
Honour Our Police – past and present who suicide on the National Police Memorial- One Wall For All.
Funeral Service of Sergeant Ashley BRYANT, NSWPF
Jeff Garland
Australia
On 16 December 2014, it will be a year since Retired Detective Sergeant Ashley Bryant called ‘000’, asking for more support for officers with PTSD and their families, before he took his own life….
Ashley Bryant is one of AT LEAST 40 NSW Police officers, and AT LEAST 70 Australian Police officers, who have suicided in the last 20 years – who will not be honoured on the National Police Memorial because of the way they died.
Despite the sacrifices they made, the courageously selfless way they executed their duties to keep us safe and the reality that the ‘job’ caused them to have PTSD and attributed to their suicide – they are deemed to be not worthy of recognition or remembrance – and even though there are already four officers named on the National Police Memorial between 1987-93 whose death was ‘self inflicted occasioned by duties’. See: 1/ Peter McGrath 2/ Andrew DIXON3/ Grant Eastes4/ Peter TICKLE
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a serious and debilitating medical condition that continues to destroy the personal and professional lives of our brave emergency service personnel, especially Police Officers. Without the proper education and support, coupled with mistreatment and being forgotten, some Officers can’t cope and end up taking their own life…
Since December 2012 there have been more than 5 times as many police officers who have taken their own life than were killed in the execution of their duties in NSW….
Between July 1st 2000 and December 31st 2012 at least 58 past/present serving Police Officers have taken their own life – 25 are just from NSW and there have been at least another 8 in the last two years – and due to the current Death & Disability scheme and lack of support services available to Police officers, that number will only continue to grow…
Despite years of selfless commitment and sacrifice to protecting their community as a Police Officer, these brave men and women are ineligible to be honoured on the Police Wall of Remembrance because they took their own life – even though the manner in which they died was as a result of what they experienced and were confronted with ‘in the execution of their duties as a Police Officer’…
Police Officers, all over Australia, should be remembered for how they served and not how they suffered, how they lived and not how they died and for the sacrifices they made for the job and not for the job that sacrificed them.
Regardless of the manner in which our Police Officers die, it is the job that takes their lives.
Their memory and sacrifice to the job deserves to be honoured and respected – One Wall For All….
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[alert_custom]CLICK on the link above and Sign the petition if you support it[/alert_custom]
Albert Edmund MOORE
| 21/05/2016
Albert Edmund MOORE
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 250
Rank: ?
[blockquote]
Police Gazette dated 14 February 1917 –
Probationary Constable: MOORE, Albert E., No 250, September 19, 1916.
[/blockquote]
[blockquote]
Police Gazette dated 31 October 1917 –
Ordinary Constable: MOORE, Albert E., No. 250, September, 19, 1917.
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Police Gazette dated 2 July 1924 –
Qualifying Examinations for Higher Rank – MOORE, A. E., No 250, Bellingen
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Police Gazette dated 30 December 1925 –
Constables to be Constables 1st Class
MOORE, A. E., No. 250; date of promotion, 1st January, 1926,
date of last promotion, 19th September, 1917.
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[blockquote]
Police Gazette dated 2 May 1928 –
Regd. # 250, MOORE, A. E. Constable 1st Class
Date of Birth 13-4-88
Date of Appointment 19-9-16
Date of Appointment to Present Rank 1-1-26
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[blockquote]
Police Gazette dated 21 May 1930
Qualifying Examination for Higher Rank.
MOORE, A. E., No. 250, North Coast.
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Stations: Bellingen, Kempsey ( 1924 ) ?
Awards: ?
Service: From pre February 1917 To ?
Born: 13 April 1888
Died: ? 1960
Age: ?
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Grave location: ?
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FURTHER INFORMATION IS REQUIRED RE THIS MEMBER.
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[alert_red]Albert is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_red]
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Policeman Honored
BELLINGEN, Saturday. — Constable Albert E. Moore, who has been stationed here for several years, was presented to-night by Mr. S. J. Piggott, ex-Shire President, with a gold watch and chain on behalf of the business people of the town prior to his departure for Kempsey, where he has been promoted. Constable Moore was congratulated on the splendid work he did during the recent big fires in the town.
Sunday Times ( Sydney ) Sunday 17 August 1924 page 2 of 24
About two months ago several members of the police force of the Macleay sub-district sat for an examination, conducted by Sergeant Jones of the Police Instruction Department. The results disclose that First Class Constables Moore and Griffiths ( Kempsey ) and Berry ( Urunga ) passed the necessary qualification test for Third Class Sergeants. Constables Bodman ( Bowraville ) and Peate ( Port Macquarie ) have qualified as First Class Constables.
The Port Macquarie News & Hastings River Advocate ( NSW )
An article in the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miner’s Advocate ( NSW ) dated Friday 25 January 1907, page 6 of 8, mentions “Maitland Distrist ……. The following transfers of police officials in the north-eastern police distrist have been approved….. “Senior-constable Moore, Jerry’s Plains to Gladstone”
Whether the Moore mentioned in 1907 is related to Moore born in 1888 is unknown.
Stations: Burwood, Fingerprints Unit ( post 2000 ), Document Examiners Unit
Awards: ?
Born: ?
Died: 2001 ?
Suicide – Hanging ( apparently left a note saying “Like father, like son” )
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Grave location: ?
[alert_blue]Neil is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_blue]
Neil AINSWORTH was from the Fingerprints Section & hung himself around 2001. He was at Fingerprint Section but was transferred to Document Examiners, just prior to his suicide.
This member would have been in his 30’s at the time.
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS UNKNOWN MEMBER.
Curtis Cheng, left, and his family.
