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Elle UNDERHILL

Elle UNDERHILL –  4 y.o. daughter to Sgt Steve UNDERHILL

New South Wales Police Force

Regd. # ?

Rank?

Stations?, Casino

ServiceFrom  to  ?

Born?

Died on:  Friday  18 December 2015

Cause:  Passenger – Motor vehicle collision

Age:  4

Funeral date?TBA

Funeral location?TBA

Buried at?

 Memorial at?

Elle Underhill
Elle Underhill

 

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 Funeral location ?TBA

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FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

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$11,000 raised in 21 hours for crash victims family

AN online fundraising campaign for the Underhill family, who lost their four-year-old daughter in an horrific crash on the Bruxner Highway, has raised more than $11,000 in less than a day.

About 1.20pm on Friday a red Mazda 323 was travelling west on the Bruxner Highway, about 10km east of Casino, when it collided with a white Subaru Liberty.

As a result of the collision the Mazda was torn in half.

Sergeant Steve Underhill’s four-year-old daughter in the back seat received fatal injuries and died at the scene.

Sgt Underhill’s other daughter, aged two, who was also in the back seat received serious injuries and was taken to Lismore Hospital before being transferred to Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital where she has since regained consciousness and is speaking to her parents.

News of the crash sent shock waves around the Northern Rivers and across Australia when it was revealed Sgt Underhill attended the scene of the incident.

To help the family deal with their grief and ease any financial burdens, Tammie Valle launched a GoFundMe webpage for people to donate to.

“The Underhill family suffered a major tragedy and as a community we all felt helpless in what we could do and many were asking where they could donate to ease the burdens,” she wrote.

The 18-year-old female driver of the Mazda was taken to Lismore Hospital with a laceration to her arm.

The seven-year-old female front seat passenger was also taken to Lismore Hospital suffering shock.

The driver and front seat passenger were unrelated to the back seat passengers.

The 81-year-old male driver of the Subaru, who was the sole occupant, was taken to Lismore Hospital with sternum injuries.

Police are appealing for any witnesses of the crash to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/11000-raised-in-21-hours-for-crash-victims-family/2879423/

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Policeman called to crash site finds girl who died is his daughter

 

A four-year-old girl, the daughter of a policeman, died in the two-car crash. Picture: Channel 7
A four-year-old girl, the daughter of a policeman, died in the two-car crash. Picture: Channel 7

IT’S the phone call every parent dreads.

But when Casino police called the father of a toddler killed in a horror road smash on Friday, they were calling one of their own.

Richmond police sergeant Steve Underhill rushed to the scene of the two-car crash on the Bruxner Highway in NSW to find his two young daughters in the wreckage.

Carnage... A girl, 4, died and her two-year-old sister was critically injured.
Carnage… A girl, 4, died and her two-year-old sister was critically injured.

The car they were travelling in had been ripped in half.

Sgt Underhill’s four-year-old girl died at the scene, while his two-year-old was rushed to Brisbane’s Lady Cilento Hospital in a critical condition.

In a ray of light for a town gripped in grief, the girl later emerged from a coma.

 

 

Sgt Underhill is a local officer who has responded to accidents on the very stretch of road where his daughter died.

The young sisters and another eight-year-old girl were passengers in a car driven by their babysitter, Courteney Matthews, an 18-year-old ballerina who had just finished high school at a respected private school.

Courteney Matthews, 18, was driving the car with the young girls inside when the tragic accident occurred.
Courteney Matthews, 18, was driving the car with the young girls inside when the tragic accident occurred.

The dedicated community worker, who raised money to help people in Third World countries, escaped with minor arm injuries in the crash.

At the scene, local woman Tazman Currie rushed to help the girls tangled in the wreckage.

 

We were driving and heard a big bang and smoke, so we got out of the car to see what had happened. One half of the car was on the right side of the road and the other half on the other side,” she said.

“The little girl kept saying her back hurt so I got her to sit down and tried to settle her down.”

Tragic... Toddler’s car set in the road.
Tragic… Toddler’s car set in the road.

 

High impact... The scene following the collision.
High impact… The scene following the collision.

 

A mother herself, Ms Currie described the moments when Sgt Underhill arrived.

“He was speechless, he was so shocked and upset. He wanted to know what had happened,” she said.

She said he tried desperately to help but was suffering from shock.

Ms Currie said the girls’ mother also soon arrived and was devastated to see her family torn apart.

She said the teenage driver was also devastated.

“She didn’t really care about herself, she wanted the little girls to be OK,” she said.

The scene of the fatal crash near Casino. Picture: Adam Head
The scene of the fatal crash near Casino. Picture: Adam Head

 

Flowers have been left at the scene of the fatal crash. Picture: Adam Head
Flowers have been left at the scene of the fatal crash. Picture: Adam Head

Ms Currie said the community, a tight-knit town of 10,000 people, was shocked and upset about the incident.

The driver of the second vehicle, an 81-year-old retired pharmacist, was taken to Lismore Base Hospital suffering internal bleeding and sternum injuries. The man’s son yesterday told The Sunday Mail his father was shaken by the accident but recovering.

The NSW Police Association sent officers from Sydney to help Sgt Underhill, his family, and his colleagues through the ordeal.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

The girl’s death is the first since police launched Operation Arrive Alive on Thursday.

 

May God give the family strength to overcome this terrible tragedy.   Our prayers go out to you and we are thinking of you all.  The little girl is safe in the arms of God now.  God Bless You All.

it is a proven fact that more people have died on the road in the last 12 months ( texting ) then driving under the influence….?

% 95 of Accidents are Caused through someones Mistakes…..

lets just hope that no-one was texting or otherwise distracted in this tragedy.

rip little one

The shock, & horror Sgt Underhill has had to go through, is beyond imagination.

He will need every ounce of support that’s possible, from all, for a long time.

My deepest condolences on such a sorrowful situation.

RIP, little one……

Ann

Ann

Shocking. No one can imagine how this father and mother feel. I’m a nana and it breaks my heart when I hear or read about a little one like this. So so very sorry for your loss. There’s a new star in the sky shining down.

Steve

Steve

What can anyone say about this story except why? Why do bad things happen to good people and the innocent while murderers, child molesters and those that prey on the weak live healthy, selfish and care free lives contributing nothing while taking whatever they can.

I’m an ex-cop and someone who believes in a merciful God but these things, and I’ve seen them happen time and time again, test my faith every time. This accident has pushed it to the limit once again.

ROCHELLE

ROCHELLE

I hope this will make people take more care on the roads this holiday season. It can happen to anyone, RIP little one, may your family recover from this terrible loss.

steve

steve

I hope you’re okay Steve.  My sincerest condolences to you and your family.  Hopefully the Police family will help to look after you.  All the best.

Peter J

Peter J

The pain and heartache is beyond words. Sadly, the policeman and his family will suffer this for a lifetime. Praying for speedy recovery for the injured.

Paula

Paula

I could not imagine anything worse than attending something like this and finding out it’s your family…….sincere condolences to the officer and his wife at this sad time……..

HEREWEGOAGAIN

HEREWEGOAGAIN

A sad day for the township, but even a sadder time for the Sergeant Underwood and his family.  I could not imagine the grief all these people are feeling at this time.

Heather

Heather

Tears in Heaven RIP darling. Praying the 2 yr old will fully recover and others involved can go on.

S

S

How tragic such an awful thing to happen at anytime but right on Christmas.

The poor policemen that responded my heart breaks for you and your family

Colin

Colin

OMG. Please support this guy and his family. The stuff of nightmares. God love

Mae

Mae

One of those articles we wish we didn’t have to read. So dreadfully sad, my heartfelt sympathy to the Police officer and his family. Nothing will change the circumstances, but please know you have the support and thoughts of thousands.

It is refreshing to see below, that at this time all comments are of sympathy and support, nobody opining their speculative solutions.

troy

troy

I could not imagine anything worst, as this must be the  nightmare every emergency worker thinks of before attending an accident. My heart goes out to the officer and the family involved. R.I.P. little one

Brenden

Brenden

Police have to attend all sorts of grisly events, but to arrive at the scene of a car accident only to discover your young daughter was a fatal victim is way off the scale.

My heartfelt sympathies to the officer and his family. There will be no Christmas for them this year.

Martyn

Martyn

Sympathy to the Family, Friends & the people of the region. Hats off to our Emergency Service’s

Paul

Paul

Deepest sympathies to all involved just horrific so close to Christmas.

Michelle

Michelle

Deepest sympathies to the families involved especially the police officer so very sad.

Jacqueline

Jacqueline

Another Angel in heaven. Another family who’s Christmas will never be the same. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

Greg

Greg

I hope the Police, the community and everyone that can give this policeman and his family all the support they can in this awful tragedy

James

James

My condolences to that police officer and his family….working in the emergency services can deal up some pretty hard calls at times…but a call like this officer faced is a call that know one in emergency service wants to face….one can only imagine what’s going threw that police officers mind ATM.

Hang in there…

barry

barry

There will be a time and a place for answers Bruce but at the moment it is the time to be supporting the families involved. I have no doubts the police will be putting the utmost efforts in determining what happened. Such tragedies deserve respect to the families. It looks like the reporters are showing their respect to the families and police by allowing them to investigate the scene whilst not interfering or nagging police during such distressing times .

Empathy is what should be our focus at the moment. In time Bruce there will be answers.

Wendy

Wendy

My heart goes out to the Officer that would be one of the worst things that anyone would have to face. Bad enough going to these accidents but to find your little child would be beyond pain. I am sure his mates would of taken care of him. God Bless to all of them and I hope the others in the car make a full recovery. Rest in peace little girl and hugs to your family..

ian Oz

ian Oz

This is so sad and tragic and especially this time of the year. My families condolences to this poor family, I can’t even begin to imagine their pain.

Sharon

Sharon

This is a tragic event ,Our thoughts are with them and I pray that the media leave him and his family alone to grieve in peace

Laurie

Laurie

It must be every country coppers nightmare when attending accidents, to come across a loved one or family friend…

Ros

Ros

They see such awful scenes in all parts of their work – but this is the worst of them.

Really feel for them.

Jason

Jason

My sympathy to the officer and their family after suffering such a tragic acident.Country police always get called to those that they know and love. God bless.

Jim

Jim

Our prayers go out to the policeman who lost his daughter in the horrific car accident.What a tragic thing to happen , going to the scene of an accident and finding one of your family members deceased RIP

 

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/policeman-called-to-crash-site-finds-girl-who-died-is-his-daughter/story-fni0cx4q-1227670867572

 

 

 

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Policeman’s Christmas heartbreak: Off-duty officer arrived at crash scene to find his daughter, 4, dead inside and his youngest girl, 2, in critical condition… as police chief begs drivers to slow down

  • Police Sergeant Steve Underhill arrived at car crash near Casino, NSW
  • His two daughters were still trapped inside the vehicle at the time
  • His four-year-old daughter Elle died at the scene on Friday, 1.20pm
  • Car was being driven by their 18-year-old babysitter Courteney Matthews
  • Three other people across Australia died in road accidents on Wednesday
  • Police increasing safety operations over Christmas with double demerits

A grieving police officer who was called to the crash site where his four-year-old daughter perished and his two-year-old daughter suffered critical injuries will be offered more than $50,000 in donations.

Police Sergeant Steve Underhill arrived at the scene at Bruxner Highway near Casino in northern NSW on Friday while his two daughters were still trapped inside the Red Mazda 323 which split in half in the two-car collision, Daily Telegraph reports.

Sgt Underhill was off-duty at the time, local police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia, and had to be restrained after his colleagues called him to the horrifying scene, Nine News reports.

His four-year-old daughter Elle died at the scene, and his two-year-old daughter was airlifted to Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in South Brisbane in a critical condition.

She had emerged from a coma the following day in a remarkable recovery, NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia.

She will reportedly remain in hospital for a week as a precaution.

The car was being driven by the girls’ babysitter, 18-year-old Courteney Matthews. She suffered lacerations to her arm in the accident.

The little girl’s death just a week before Christmas comes as three others died on Australian roads on the first day of the holiday season on Wednesday.

A passenger died in a two-car crash on the Bruce Highway, about 20km north of Gin Gin in central Queensland, about 12.45pm on Wednesday.

A motorcyclist aged in his 20s was killed hours later after he collided with a taxi in Albert Park, in Melbourne’s inner south.

Police believe the taxi was doing a U-turn when the man crashed into it just before 5pm.

Another man later died in Tasmania after his car collided with a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction south of Somerset.

Speed and alcohol may have contributed to the crash, Tasmania police believe.

Police around Australia are increasing safety operations over the Christmas period, including stepping up drug and alcohol testing.

Double demerits will also be in place from Thursday, December 24 to Sunday, January 3.

They will target speeding, illegal use of mobile phones, not wearing a seatbelt and riding without a helmet.

Tasmanian Police say there’s an eight-hour period on Christmas Eve when motorists are most likely to have a road accident after examining crash statistics from the past five years.

‘The most likely time for a crash to occur during the Christmas and New Year period is on Christmas Eve between midday and 8pm,’ assistant commissioner Donna Adams said.

It comes as heartfelt tributes rolled in for ‘beautiful girl’ Elle on the GoFundMe page set up for her family.

‘Such a beautiful girl and friend to our daughter, you will be greatly missed,’ one person wrote.

‘Our hearts go out to you for your loss of beautiful Elle and our prayers will be sent for her sister. We have only just been touched by tragedy ourselves and wish to pay forward some of the beautiful kindness we have also received,’ another said. ‘Stay strong for each other.’

‘Constantly in our hearts,’ another person who donated wrote.

The staff at Tweed Byron Police donated $1,000 to the family on Wednesday.

Altogether, more than $50,000 for the family in just three days, after family friend Tammie Valle launched the fundraiser.

The Casino local wrote that the community ‘felt helpless in what we could do’ to help the Underhill family following the tragedy.

‘The funds raised will go towards helping this family with assisting with the funeral, memorial, and help with accommodation, medical expenses and travel costs,’ the page reads.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the force was grieving with the family.

‘We care and we hurt,’ he told Nine News.

Three others were hospitalised when the two cars collided around 1.20pm on Friday.

A seven-year-old girl in the passenger seat of the same car was taken to Lismore Base Hospital suffering shock.

The 18-year-old woman driving, a babysitter, was taken to the same hospital, two hours south of Brisbane, with a laceration to her arm.

Neither the driver nor the seven-year-old girl are related to the two and four-year-old girls, who were sitting in the back seat of the car.

An 81-year-old man, the driver and sole occupant of the second vehicle, a white Subaru Liberty, was taken to hospital with sternum injuries and is understood to have been released from hospital on Saturday.

That day, a NSW Police spokesman said there was ‘good news’ for the two-year-old girl amongst the tragedy.

‘She’s out of the coma and breathing on her own now and talking to her parents.’

A toddler’s car seat, children’s toys and clothing could reportedly be seen in the wreckage near Irvington Wharf Road, about 10km east of Casino.

‘It’s an absolute tragedy that someone so long has been lost,’ NSW Police Traffic and Highway Commander Acting Assistant Commissioner Hartley said on Friday.

‘Let this time be one of celebration, an occasion where all the seats at the Christmas table are filled.’

Diversions were put in place away from the crash site for around seven hours on Friday.

The Crash Investigation Unit is investigating the crash with the assistance of local police.

They are appealing for any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police to come forward.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

You can donate to the family at the GoFundMe page.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tammie Valle.

Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3371635/Police-officer-four-year-old-daughter-died-two-year-old-suffered-critical-injuries-receive-50-000-donation.html

 

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https://www.gofundme.com/snf8fzwk

 

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Elle Underhill: Family asks police to watch over her body as they hope and pray for their injured younger daughter

THE heartbroken family of car crash victim Elle Underhill have asked police to ensure their daughter’s body is not left alone as they keep vigil at the hospital bedside of their younger­ daughter.

Police Commissioner And­rew Scipione said Sergeant Steve Underhill and his wife Michelle had asked him to ensure Elle was “not by herself” while they were with their two-year-old daughter in Brisbane.

Mr Scipione also revealed the heartbreaking moments when Sgt Underhill arrived at the crash scene and had to be held back by colleagues as he realised four-year-old Elle and her sister were involved.

The two girls were in the back seat of a red Mazda 323 when it and a white Subaru Liberty collided about 1.20pm last Friday 10km east of Casino on the north coast.

Their babysitter Courteney Matthews, 18, and a seven-year-old girl, sitting in the front seats, suffered minor ­injuries and shock.

Elle’s sister was flown to the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital where she was “on the mend”, Mr Scipione said.

Mr Scipione, who spent time with the Underhill family this week, said it was a “tragedy from start to finish”.

“It’s so horrific it’s difficult to even talk about,” he said.

“We deal with these matters every day but when it’s one of your own and when it’s so graphic, it’s difficult to tell other people. “In their conversations with me, it’s clear that they were mourning the loss of their angel. They were mourning the loss of their little girl, they didn’t want her to be alone.

“They were saying ‘Commissioner, will you please make sure she’s not by herself’.”

The drivers involved are receiving counselling and friends are rallying behind Ms Matthews. Retired analytical chemist John White, 81, suffered a fractured sternum and internal bleeding in the crash but is expected to be released soon from hospital.

Mr Scipione said police were investigating the cause of the accident.

“We have to get to the bottom of that,” he said.

THE tragic death of Elle Underhill has “cut deep to the bone” for the north coast and police communities who are now praying for her sister / Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied
THE tragic death of Elle Underhill has “cut deep to the bone” for the north coast and police communities who are now praying for her sister / Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

Tributes left at the crash scene in Casino / Picture: Supplied
Tributes left at the crash scene in Casino / Picture: Supplied

http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/elle-underhill-family-asks-police-to-watch-over-her-body-as-they-hope-and-pray-for-their-injured-younger-daughter/news-story/066c2802bb125b87d3ff30bf578bf6c8?sv=8ec421be2f26b506327a5e7663502d9d

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Russell David SHEEHAN

 Russell David SHEEHAN

Queensland Police Force

Regd. # ?

 

Rank:  Detective Senior Constable

 

Stations?, Bundaberg, Maroochydore, Theodore, Childers,  Sunshine Coast C.I.B. – to death

 

ServiceFrom  to  ? December 2015 = 33+ years Service

 

Awards?

 

Born:  Wednesday 28 February 1962

 

Died on:  Wednesday  23 December 2015

Cause:  Suicide – ( Method ? )

Age:  53 years, 9 months, 25 days

 

Funeral date:  Thursday  31 December 2015 @ 1pm

Funeral location:  Gregson & Weight Funeral Directors,  5 Gregson Pce, Caloundra, Qld

Buried at:  Cremated

 Memorial at?

Russell SHEEHAN - QPOL - Suicided December 2015

 

RUSSELL is NOT mentioned on the National Police Wall of Remembrance ( last checked 3 Jan 2022 )  *NEED MORE INFO

 


 Funeral location



FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal


Russell SHEEHAN, Russ SHEEHANA Fuss about Russ ‘September 2018

In memory of Russell Sheehan – a truly amazing man.

To honour and celebrate the gift of friendship, family and community.

Kathy Poole 2016


Daughter speaks out to honour suicide police officers

LATE Coast detective Russell Sheehan had a deep respect for the officers whose names adorned the National Police Memorial.

LATE Coast detective Russell Sheehan had a deep respect for the officers whose names adorned the National Police Memorial.

He visited the Canberra monument while on a family trip away in 2014, a year before he tragically took his own life.

His daughter Kaitlyn Pobar believes her dad and all other officers who died like him deserve to be up there.

Russell SHEEHAN
Late Sunshine Coast police officer Detective Senior Constable Russell Sheehan visits the National Police Memorial in Canberra in 2014. Picture: Contributed

Mrs Pobar has added her voice to those Coast residents who have spoken out for the names of officers lost to suicide to be added to state and national memorials.

“It is important to recognise mental illness is an injury,” Mrs Pobar said.

“I think it needs to be recognised just like any other physical injury.”

She said she supported a national campaign driven by North Queensland man Steven Isles for the names of suicide officers to be added to memorials.

A coroners inquest into the 2009 disappearance of Mr Isles’ police officer father, Senior Sergeant Mick Isles, found he had likely committed suicide.

“I know how much dad honoured the people on the wall,” Mrs Pobar said.”I just know his general view was it meant a lot for him to go and be there (national memorial).”

Mrs Pobar said she recognised her father’s dedication to his career whether or not his name was added to the memorial.

She said the value of it would come in breaking down stigmas around mental illness as well as being a huge honour for his family.

“I think anyone who puts the (police) uniform on deserves that honour.”

Mr Isles has been busy since October last year advocating for the cause.

“We are here to achieve change,” Mr Isles said.

Sunshine Coast police district officer Superintendent Darryl Johnson said Commissioner Ian Stewart was considering a number of options in regards to the addition of those officers’ names to the state memorial.

“It is important that we as an organisation remember our colleagues who pass away while serving members,” Supt Johnson said.

He said a decision on the issue would be made “in due course”.

Daughter speaks out to honour suicide police officers | The Courier Mail


Suicide of career cop leaves pain

AMY Williams will gather with her sisters at their mum’s Sunshine Coast home today to celebrate what would have been her dad’s 54th birthday.

Russell and Kathy celebrate a friend’s wedding in Theodore last year.
Russell and Kathy celebrate a friend’s wedding in Theodore last year.

They will share a beach-themed cake she is sure her police officer father, Detective Senior Constable Russell Sheehan, would have loved.

She hopes they will be able to joke about the countless good times they had with their dad but knows the treasured sound of his raucous laugh will be sadly missing.

Det Snr Const Sheehan’s suicide on December 23 last year shocked his family, colleagues and the wider community.

He had been based on the Coast for the past 12 years of his 33-year police career, predominantly with the Maroochydore Child Protection Investigation Unit and the Criminal Investigation Branch.

Mrs Williams, the eldest of Det Snr Const Sheehan and his wife Kathy’s four daughters, said her family was still trying to adjust without their “rock”.

“We never thought he would see that as his only option,” Mrs Williams said.

“I THINK he got very good at the end at hiding exactly how he felt.”

They knew he had been struggling in the past year and that he had sought help for depression through the Queensland Police Service and a psychologist.

Mrs Williams said she had frequently been asked whether her dad’s experiences, such as being a first responder to the tragic Childers backpacker fire in 2000, had contributed to his mental health difficulties.

But she did not know.

“I know that Dad could not pinpoint one particular incident,” she said.

“There were a lot of things that were distressing about the work and cases he did.”

She described her dad as a very proud person.

 SEVERAL POSTINGS: Det Snr Const Russell Sheehan during his time at Childers between 1998 and 2000. Contributed
SEVERAL POSTINGS: Det Snr Const Russell Sheehan during his time at Childers between 1998 and 2000. Contributed

“To admit he was struggling and not performing how he would like to be was hard for him,” she said.

“He was trying so hard to be his old self but it wasn’t happening as quickly as he wanted.”

Mrs Williams said her father had always been happy at home during her childhood.

“His job was a stressful job, but he never brought it home,” she said.

“But last year it became evident that was getting harder for him to do.”

His career took his family to postings in Theodore, Childers and the Coast.

Mrs Williams said her dad was known for having a raucous laugh that would instantly make other people laugh.

She said some people would go to the old cinema in Theodore just to hear his laugh when he was there watching a movie.

“We really miss that.”

She recalled how her dad had been able to find the humour in being bitten on the backside by an over-excited police dog during an arrest.

“Dad would always find the funny side of anything,” she said.

“He had a very good wit and a very quick wit.”

Police support since Det Snr Const Sheehan’s death

has been “tremendous”.

Mrs Williams said an assistant commissioner flew from Rockhampton on Christmas Eve to be with her family.

There has been a steady flow of support since then.

She has welcomed a charity bike ride being organised by her dad’s former colleagues to raise money for Blue Hope, a police-run organisation dedicated to helping other police.

Ride for Russ, a 300km journey from Woodgate to Maroochydore, will be held on May 21.

“It’s a wonderful way to honour Dad while raising awareness of suicide and depression in police officers,” Mrs Williams said.

“I think it shows how much Dad’s work colleagues loved and respected him, to go to those lengths.”

More immediately, Mrs Williams said today’s birthday celebrations were important to her family.

“We just don’t ever want to stop remembering him. He is in our thoughts every day.

“As sad as these milestones are, they are bringing us together as a family.”

Anyone with issues arising from this story can phone Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

https://www.news-mail.com.au/news/suicide-of-career-cop-leaves-pain-lef


Queensland Police: Family call for more psychologists after detective took his own life

Posted

 

The grieving family of a Queensland policeman who took his life say the police psychologist did not have time to treat him.

Detective Senior Constable Russell Sheehan ended his life two months ago after 33 years as a policeman.

His daughter Amy Williams said he was widely seen as a happy, optimistic person.

“He was such a genuinely wonderful person, a gentle soul, a caring soul.

“I used to tell people I don’t know how he was a police officer because he just wasn’t this tough, rough person, he was so gentle and caring but I think that is what people admired about him in his line of work.”

Constable Sheehan was also admired for his role in investigating the gruesome Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel fire that claimed 15 lives in 2000.

But Ms Williams, the eldest of Constable Sheehan’s four daughters, said that was not the only trauma he experienced.

“As tragic as that was, there were other things that Dad saw in his line of work that I know stuck with him perhaps more so than that one particular event.”

Constable Sheehan had suffered anxiety over a long period.

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Suicides within the general population are about 12 per 100,000. In the police, it’s north of 18 per 100,000.

Bruce Graydon, Blue Hope.

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“Some days it would be difficult for him to even leave the house, but he did,” Ms Williams said.

“He was battling it very privately, he didn’t want people to know that he was suffering.

“He felt I guess like he was a bit of a failure, that he couldn’t cope with it, so he just wanted to try to maintain a normal life.”

Last May the anxiety became so bad that the 53-year-old found himself unable to get out of his car to go to work at Maroochydore.

He went on stress leave and contacted the police psychologist for the Sunshine Coast.

“She was wonderful, Dad felt an instant connection with her,” Ms Williams said.

“However she sort of made it clear early on that she was very very busy, her books were quite full, she wasn’t going to be able to take Dad on as another client.”

So Constable Sheehan was referred to a private psychologist.

Russell Sheehan and family
Russell Sheehan and family

“But he always felt that the QPS psychologist really understood what he was going through a bit more so than the private psychologist he was seeing.

“I’m not laying any blame on the QPS for what happened to Dad, because in the end we don’t know whether having that consultation with the Queensland Police psychologist would have changed the outcome for him.

“He may still have gone down this path.

“However, we want to make sure that for future and current serving police that there are adequate resources in place to help them when they need help.”

Ms Williams has written to the Queensland Police Commissioner, Police Minister and Opposition Police spokesman expressing concern about the lack of resources.

The Commissioner Ian Stewart is yet to respond to the ABC’s interview request.

Police suicide rate higher than general population

Former Queensland Police Detective Inspector Bruce Graydon said at least a dozen of his close colleagues had taken their lives over his 30-year career.

Inspector Graydon co-founded a support service called Blue Hope.

“Suicides within the general population are about 12 per 100,000,” he said.

“In the police, it’s north of 18 per 100,000.”

The real number is expected to be far worse.

“The moment that they leave the police or they’re retired medically unfit, their death isn’t recorded by the Coroner as a police-related suicide.”

Inspector Graydon said police need help to retrain and find new jobs, rather than feel cast aside.

The not-for-profit group Blue Hope has made links with education and recruitment organisations to assist officers that seek its help.

And he agrees with Ms Williams more support is needed earlier.

“We’re all for internal supports, we’re for any support, but some police officers just will not turn to internal supports so there needs to be additional options.

“There is a perception, be it true or untrue, that there’s no confidentiality.”

Blue Hope has case managed more than 130 people since it formed two years ago, and assisted hundreds of others around the country.

Meanwhile, in Victoria, police suicides have prompted the Commissioner Graham Ashton to order a mental health review which he hopes will lead to greater support for officers.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-24/calls-for-more-police-psychologists-after-suicide/7196926

 

 


 

Demand for mental health support for police officers is on the rise

Posted

 

An organisation providing mental health first aid for police officers says the demand for its services is on the rise.

If you or someone you know needs help, call:

Detective Sergeant Andrew Ayers, the co-founder of Blue Hope, said the organisation had just helped its 177th client.

“[Suicide] is a massive problem. It’s endemic to police everywhere,” Mr Ayers said.

“We identified a shortfall in support services available, and that is that each law enforcement agency around the country has their own internal strategy in terms of dealing with mental health and stress in general amongst police officers.

“[But] there is a bit of a reluctance for members to use those services.”

The organisation is a relatively new service that was formed in 2014 to support police officers and their families to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide and other mental health issues.

Blue Hope basically caters for those people who aren’t for any reason, or don’t for any reason, utilise internal support strategies. We provide mental health first aid for them on a national basis,” Detective Sergeant Ayers said.

The organisation’s aim is to raise awareness of police suicide and to provide a 24 hour hotline service for officers, both current and former.

Raising awareness of police suicide in the Wide Bay ( Qld )

Detective Sergeant Ayers recently visited Bundaberg to attend and support a fundraiser organised to celebrate the life of Detective Senior Constable Russell Sheehan, who took his life in December.

[blockquote]

The more people we can get talking about suicide the more likely it is that we can prevent it

Detective Sergeant Andrew Ayers

[/blockquote]

In 2000 the senior constable was the first on the scene of the Palace Backpackers Hostel fire in Childers where 15 people lost their lives.

Detective Sergeant Ayers said it was clear Detective Senior Constable Sheehan had had a positive influence on the Bundaberg, Childers and Woodgate areas.

“We’ve had some extensive dealings with his family in the wake of his tragic death,” he said.

“The focus really was to have people talking about the fact that such a highly regarded police officer felt that his only option was to take his own life, and that’s the real sad aspect of it.

“The more people we can get talking about [suicide], the more likely it is that we can prevent it.”

He said the tragedy of Detective Senior Constable Sheehan’s death highlighted the need to support all emergency service workers, who were usually the first on the scene of traumatic incidents.

Big toll on first responders

Figures released last year revealed it was estimated one emergency service worker took their own life every six weeks.

The figure, based on coronial cases, has support organisations concerned that the figure could actually be higher.

In response, Beyond Blue is preparing to undertake a national mental health study on first responders to investigate the prevalence of mental health conditions, suicide and stigma in Australia.

The findings of the study will be released at the end of 2017.

Beyond Blue’s spotlight on mental health issues facing emergency service workers is also set to intensify next month, as the first national conference on the mental health of Australian first responders is held in Sydney.

A personal response

While organisations such as Blue Hope and Beyond Blue are raising awareness, so too are individuals.

[blockquote]

If I can stress anything out there to the people, to anyone with post-traumatic stress, or even if they are feeling a little bit off — talk to people, communicate.

Graham Forlonge

[/blockquote]

Singer songwriter Brendan Smoother, from Lismore in NSW, was horrified by the number of paramedics taking their own lives.

This prompted him to write and release an EP entitled Paramedic Suicide.

Mr Smoother, a paramedic himself for 21 years, won an award at this year’s Tamworth Country Music Festival for the EP.

Mr Smoother said he had been inspired to write the songs when he read about the alarming statistics of paramedics committing suicide, and realised he himself had known a number of paramedics who had taken their own lives.

“Personally I’ve never really had an issue with post-traumatic stress disorder, but I have certainly seen it in other people, ” he said.

The importance of seeking help

Former police officer, surf lifesaver and search and rescue diver Graham Forlonge, from Baffle Creek in Queensland, is one of many emergency services personnel whose life has been negatively impacted by PTSD.

Mr Forlonge said he struggled to get the right help for years, due to the number and type of traumatic incidents he had experienced.

“The best thing I could say to the people out there suffering from post-traumatic stress, and there are thousands of thempolice, ambulance, fire brigade, rescue squad, military — is if you’re having issues, keep looking. There are people out there who do understand PTSD,” Mr Forlonge said.

He said talking to people and telling his stories had helped him, and he urged others to do the same.

“You’ve got to find someone to talk to,” he said.

If I can stress anything out there to the people, to anyone with post-traumatic stress, or even if they are feeling a little bit off — talk to people, communicate,” he said.

 


 

SHEEHAN, Russell David
28.02.1962 – 23.12.2015
Beloved husband of Katharyn. The protector, mentor and adored father to Amy, Kaitlyn, Lara and Eden. Cherished eldest Son of Brian and Pamela Sheehan. Admired and selfless brother to Anthony, Angela, Gabrielle and Chris. Adored grandfather and uncle.
Never forgotten as he is forever in the hearts of those who loved him and met him.
Obituaries
Published in Gold Coast Bulletin on 31/12/2015

http://tributes.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/notice/235452051

 


 

SHEEHAN, Detective Senior Constable Russell David
Of the Sunshine Coast Criminal Investigation Branch and formerly stationed at Bundaberg, Maroochydore, Theodore and Childers.
A well respected Police Officer and Friend to many.
Dearly loved Husband of Katharyn.
Much loved Father of Amy, Kaitlyn, Lara, Eden and their Families.
Family, Friends and Colleagues are invited to attend a Funeral Service for Russell, which will commence at 1.00 p. m. , Thursday, 31st December, 2015, at Gregson and Weight Chapel, 5 Gregson Place, Caloundra.
Private Cortege.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Queensland Police Legacy and/or Blue Hope Services Ltd would be appreciated.
Funerals
Published in The Courier-Mail on 29/12/2015

http://tributes.dailytelegraph.com.au/notice/235132146/view?random=1452521072011#sthash.0E6P3nhL.dpuf

 

 

 


 

Vale Detective Senior Constable Russell Sheehan.

Russell was the much loved soul mate and husband to his wife Katharyn. The protector, mentor and adored father to Amy, Kaitlyn, Lara and Eden. Cherished eldest son of Brian and Pamela Sheehan. Admired and selfless brother to Anthony, Angela, Gabrielle and Chris.

He was also a much loved son in law to Kevin & Doreen Brewer and brother in law to Pete, Sue and Amanda and uncle to their children. So devastated and heartbroken

Russell was also an exceptional detective with three decades of service. Our thoughts are with the Sunshine Coast police community, especially his colleagues at the Criminal Investigation Branch.

The broader policing community also mourn the death of an exceptional man who will be missed by all who knew him.

Rest easy Detective, your work here is done.

Please Note: You can help Russell’s family celebrate his life.

The Sheehan family would love to hear any stories QPS members might have of Russell. You can share your memories or messages by emailing the family at: sheehan_memorybox@outlook.com

Funeral details will be posted in due course.


 

Deb Bryant I’m so very saddened to hear of the tragic death of your precious husband, father, son, brother, friend, colleague. I hope in the days & months ahead that you gain comfort from the loving words and precious stories that you will receive about him & how his life & work touched so many. May these new memories sustain you as you learn to live with his loss.

Craig BellchambersAgreed, and hope your doing ok One step at a time Deb.

Kimberley Galvin Heartbreaking.We send our love from one lost family to another.xx

Troy Cavell One of the nicest sincere people, police or civilian, that you would meet. There are very few of Russ’s quality left in the QPS and he will be surely missed by many colleagues. Such a loss.

Kathy Kucks I would second those comments. A shock to see this on FB this morning.

Stevie Jay James The Final Inspection

The policeman stood and faced his God,See More

Joey Angel Crying tears of pain for officers carrying their pain from jobs gone by .

Angela Farley This is a beautiful poem. Thank you

Michele Peverill It is an awsome poem beautiful words thoughts with you all at this time

Leonie Brewer Russ was the epidemy of how a policeman conducts himself, he treated people with respect and in turn was respected, he was incredibly kind, selfless, and loved and adored his family.
He was also a much loved son in law to Kevin & Doreen Brewer and brother in law to Pete, Sue and Amanda and uncle to their children. So devastated and heartbroken
Darryl Rule My sincere deepest condolences to the Sheehan family and friends for your loss of Russell and to all members of the thin blue line.
I lost my best friend 5 months ago to suicide who was a Detective Sergeant in the WA Police.
It is without a doubt the hSee More

Joey Angel Darryl i pray your best mate found peace ox im truly sorry for your loss . Here if you need a chat.

Christine Troy RIP Russ. You will be truely missed mate. Top bloke, a true gentleman, never too busy to stop and say hello. My heart breaks for your family. Deepest condolences to you all.

Julie Buckley Thoughts and prayers go out to the Sheehan family through this time. Russ touched so many people in so many ways in his role as a father and police officer. A true gentleman who will be sadly missed. RIP Russ

Kath Frahm Such a loss. My love and condolences to Kath and the family. I knew both Russell and Kathy from school and they were both amazing people. Life on the force seems to take such a toll. Such a loss. RIP Russell. Thank you for your service. ?

Em Jay We’ve lost the most genuine, beautiful person. I still can’t believe you’re not here with us. Rest in peace Russ.

Pennie Martin Strength to you and your colleagues Em. Thinking of you xx

Carl Christensen RIP brother, a beautiful man who now sits on the right hand of God watching over his family and friends.

Karina Richards Uncle Russ – what a legend! You always made me feel soo welcome & loved when I could make it up for a visit. Little words like Chum or kiddo I will always remember as words from you. I loved listening to that distinctive loud belly laugh too!! Soo many fond memories. Thoughts and prayers at this sad time. RIP Xx

Tammie Walter I am so sorry to see this tonight, my love, prayers and condolences to you Kath and to all the family. Yes Russell is a true gentleman, may the many memories and years you have shared together sustain you and give you strength as you journey through this sad time, RIP Russell. Tammy (McKenzie)

Neale Stephens Squad 108 (Retreads) salute you mate. You were the Queenslander glue that held the rest of us together for those three months at Oxley. You’ll never be forgotten…

Krystal Ralph Our deepest condolences to the beautiful Sheehan family. Have lots of fond memories from when they lived in Childers and our pony club days. Russell is a lovely man who will be missed by so many. Love and hugs to the family from Josh and Krystal Ralph xox

Amanda Finlay RIP Russell. Nearly 14 years ago I met you as a first year on rotation. The conversation centred mainly around the love you had of all your girls..wife and daughters. Such a sweet sincere knowledgable helpful gentleman in the coming years on every occaSee More

Melissa Craig Our sincere and deepest sympathy to Kathy, Amy, Kaitlin, Lara & Eden at this very difficult time. You are all in our thoughts. Russell was one of a kind, such a great bloke. Our thoughts are also with his other family, the Queensland Police Service. He will never be forgotten.

Kevin Ongheen My sincerest condolences to Kathy and kids; Russell was without doubt the most decent and sincere of police officers whom I’ve had the pleasure to work with. I will always remember him from Theodore as an absolute gentleman.

Daniel Gaskin RIP Russ. You were a family friend, great loving dad to the 4 girls and a great genuine bloke people like you and the positive impacts you had on others lifes will never be forgotten.

Dan Collins No words can express the sadness and loss for a true gentleman. It was an honor to know you Russ. Rest in peace mate.

Megan Clark Rest easy Russ, not only my colleague but my family in blue. Words cannot express the loss we all feel. You were an amazing man, always smiling and willing to stop for a chat in the hallway. Sadly missed but never forgotten mate. RIP

Janelle Anderson Rest easy mate. You may be gone from our site…but you will never be gone from our hearts. You have touched more lives than you will ever know I am sure and you will be missed by many. And to Kath and her lovely family our hearts and thoughts are with you all.

Tanya Luise Absolutely one of the nicest guys always had time for every member of the QPS…whether generals or plain clothes did not matter….and he always smiled will be sadly missed

Garrick Stupples Really hard to believe, What a good looking young fellow & an exceptional man in so many ways. Goodbye mate, Rest in peace

PM Carlo We love you Russ. Your kind heart, peaceful manner and ability to treat people with respect with a voice of ease and reason. A true gentleman from childhood and man who loved his family beyond this earth…..Rest easy xxx

Mel Campbell Rest now Russell. My love to his family and friends from a sister in blue

Stephen Pata Deepest sympathies to Russ’ family and Sunshine Coast CIB.

Siobhan Mitchell Very shocked to hear this. RIP Russell. Deepest sympathy and all our prayers go out to the whole family.

Law Zee RIP Russ…. A genuine gentleman and outstanding officer. Gone, but will never be forgotten!

Suzanne Warner Deepest condolences to all who knew and loved Russell.

Milinda Marshall
RIP Detective Sheehan. Thank you for your service to our country. Thoughts go to your friends, family and colleagues. Thankyou

Kirrily Henders My thoughts go to Kathy and her family, big hugs xxx

Ian Hargrave This is so sad. I knew Russell when he worked at Childers. Such a nice guy. My sympathy to his wife and family. RIP Russell.

Sue Uebergang I knew Russell from school, one of the loveliest guys out there. So very sad xx

Janelle Andrews Rest in Peace – you served well and your shift is over. Thoughts to all Russell’s family, friends, colleagues, community…such a loss…

Evets Kram Strength and compassion to both his family and workmates.

Sheree Mitchell The saddest news imaginable, I can’t believe it. Just the loveliest family man. My thoughts are with you Kath, Amy, Kaitlin, Lara & Eden. I cannot imagine the pain you are all in, words can’t express how sorry I am for your loss. Sending all my strength to you at this time. Russ, I pray you have found peace. Xx

Helen Welfare Love and Prayers to his family friends and colleagues ?

Martin Lambert Our sincerest condolences and heartfelt thoughts to the Sheehan family, friends, and colleagues. RIP Russell

Jock Gardner Much love to Russell Family we have fond memories from the Childers days .Stay strong we are all thinking of you xx

Craig Bellchambers RIP brother in blue. You have done the hard yards and can now rest easy. Thoughts and condolences to family in this difficult time.

Rusty JH Rest in peace brother. A true gentleman who will be sorely missed.

Mark Stephen Phteven RIP… Words can not express the loss. Our Thoughts and condolences to ur wonderful family and ur
brothers and sisters in blue.

Jen Louise Rest in Peace Russell. You were one of the world’s true gentlemen. What a sad loss.

Beth Joy Our thoughts go out to Kath and the Sheehan family.

Shaz LG Thoughts are with the family and also the QPS family.

Michelle Fowler One of the kindest, respectful police officer I have had the pleasure of working with. RIP Rus. My love and condolences to your family and QPS family

Annie Rose Vale Russell. So much love being sent to your family right now.

Ian Wells Still cant believe it Rusty. You were one of life’s true gentleman. At phase you always laughed at my jokes no matter how pathetic they were. Vale.

Elaine Paterson Our thoughts and prayers to Kath and the girls.

Micheal Jeffs RIP Russell our deepest condolences to the Sheehan Families .

Dean Anderson Our sincere and heartfelt thoughts go out to the Sheehan families, and friends, and colleagues. Such devastating news. RIP Russell x

Glenda Brassington Our condolences to Kath & family. Our thoughts are with you. The Brassington from Childers

Iris May Vanden Berg So very sad.
Sincere condolences to all who knew and loved him. He will be sorely missed..RIP

Brooke Stirton RIP Russ; I will miss walking into the office, seeing your smile and hearing you say “hey kiddo”

Leonie Brewer Russ will always be remembered for calling people kiddo!!

Peter Hill So sorry to hear this sad news. Russell was a lovely man and freind

Brett Carter My thoughts and prayers are with Russell’s family and friends.

Sue Uebergang It’s devastating hey? Brett Carter

Leah Johnston Thoughts are with all your families may he rest in peace

Julie-Anne Pashley Russell’s family are in my thoughts and prayers. RIP Russell.

Kylie Thorpe Thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and colleagues. Very sad.

Dean James RIP Thoughts with all his family and friends.

Diane Whatley Krause Rest in Peace, thoughts and prayers with your family

Debbie Wharton Our thoughts and prayers go to this exceptional officers family, friends and colleagues .

Jim OBrien Words escape me but prayers won’t. May the Lord keep you, bless you and hold you in the palm of His hand.

Dianne Hart RIP blue brother. Prayers to your family.

Joseph Maloney Shocked, and feeling fortunate to have had the pleasure of catching up with this exceptional man again recently.

CJ Mac One of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet. Rest easy Russ.

Julianne Fitzsimon Very sad to hear this news. Thank you for everything you have done for the public. I wish we could have done more for you.

Jody Tovey Rest easy blue brother. From your brothers and sisters in the west.

Bernadette McLoughlin Very sad news. Thoughts and prayers with Russell’s family. RIP Russell

Bill Lovini RIP officer thank you for your services and endeavor

Karen Tovey Rest in peace friend, your work on earth is done.

Robbi Turk RIP Officer Russell.. I am just a member of our Qld Community saden by an officer passing. Thank you.

Diana French Sleep peacefully our cherished friend xo

Sean McCarron RIP… You done your duty now let your Angels look after you.. smile emoticon

Geoff Stokes RIP shared in the usa today stay safe all vest up

Melissa Messenger How very sad. My thoughts are with his family.

Sarah Mavis Oh wow that poem is neat. My heart breaks cry emoticon Rest in the safety of the lord. Xo

Reyna Michelle Pacini So very sad condolences to his family RIP

Kris Zwart Thinking of you Kath & family.
(Kristine Slatter)

Sue Cannon Deepest sympathy for a wonderful family.

Danny Hughes So so sorry to see this, he was just a really nice bloke RIP

Eloise Jane A beautiful man. Kind to everyone regardless of age, gender, rank, uniform/plain clothes. If only we had realised the extent of his struggle.

Joey Angel I just pray he found peace & that his family find comfort in those cherished memories ox

William Drabditz Doesn’t matter where you are in this world,we are all blue,we grieve wherever you are

Bec Bailey Thoughts and prayers to the Officers family, friends and work colleagues. May his spirit fly free and peace be with him ?

Yvonne Horne RIP Detective Senior Constable Russell Sheehan

Russell Garrard The officers I wish they introduced me to while I was on the coast…

Elizabeth Jenarah Anne , words just don’t cut at times like this. Thank you fir your service to humanity and your love for your beautiful family .

Robert Murphy Totally agree with previous comments. Just a good guy who never had a bad word about any person. Russell you will be missed. RIP mate.

Lee Crowl He will be missed…

Marvin Smith RIP Russ gone to soon mate ..

Kerri Butler R.I.P. Russell. Thoughts are with the family.

Corey Allen Rest in peace Russell

Peta Yarbie RIP Detective. Hope you have found peace.

Michelle Mason Rest in peace my brother

Karen Levine Rest in Peace Russ .

Garry Law He was part of a noble profession. R.I.P.

Barbara Buckman So sad to read this.

Rebecca McDonald RIP. Terrible end to Christmas.

Antonio Lobo R.I.P brother in blue.

Gio Tantalo RIP God bless mate

Ken Bridges RIP fellow brother

Tricia Goody Lean Vale Russell

Scott Coggy RIP Brother

Dan Thomas Blandford God speed brother

Mary-Anne Ridgway RIP blue brother

Maryanne PJ PA Respect

Jay Dee Vale.

David McArthur RIP Russ.

Julie Jules RIP Russell

Leigh Finzel So very sad.

Jamie Maynard RIP mate.

Shane Gee RIP brother

Marty Kruger RIP Russell

Marc Spengler R.I.P. Russel.

Tracey Thomson Rest peacefully Russell…

Con Cout RIP Russell …

Krusty Evans May you find comfort from friends and family surrounding you. I am terribly sorry for the loss of this man. We are working hard to recognize officers’ deaths and the circumstances they may find themselves in through www.Code9Project.org
In faith and service, your family is in our prayers from Canada.
Kirsti Haaka

Jenny Ralph Our condolences to The Beautiful Sheehan Family. The Ralphs from Childers

Millie Dower RIP Blue brother…God speed and God bless to your family & friends. xo

Rachael Wright Holly Perry I think this is what your mum might have been looking for.

HashTag Chipper RIP Blue Brother

Alison Jackson Tragic!!!

 

 


Hunt for man ends at hotel

A TWO-week police hunt for a 30-year-old man ended when he was found enjoying a beer in Maroochydore.

The Maroochydore man has been charged with 37 offences, including 10 counts of stealing, six counts of break and enter and three counts of resisting arrest.

Police found him drinking a beer at a hotel yesterday.

Police allege the man committed offences which date back to November.

The 30-year-old man has also been charged with fraud, evading police and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

Police say the alleged offender stole a black Nissan utility and drove it around various locations on the Sunshine Coast where he committed offences.

Sunshine Coast property crime squad Detective Senior Constable Russell Sheehan said the arrest ended a two-week police hunt.

Snr Const Sheehan urged residents to contact police if they witness any suspicious activity.

The accused man was held in custody.

He will appear in Maroochydore Magistrates Court today.

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/maroochydore-man-hunt-police-criminal-offences/723637/


 

 

Thief stole fishing gear, tools




Keith Robert SKENE

Keith Robert SKENE 

( late of Spinnakers Leisure Park, Belmont, NSW )

New South Wales Police Force

Penrith Police College – Class # “possibly” 017 or 018

Regd. # 6654

Rank:  Commenced Training at the Penrith Police College on ? ? ?

Probationary Constable – appointed 27 March 1950 ( aged 22 years & 7 days )

Sergeant 3rd Class – appointed 13 May 1976

Sergeant 1st Class – appointed 25 January 1977

Inspector 3rd Class – appointed ? ? ?

 

Final Rank:  Inspector

 

Stations?, Police HQ – retirement

ServiceFrom  pre 27 March 1950 to  21 March 1983 = 32 years Service

Awards:  Police Overseas Service Medal – Clasp CYPRUS – granted 8 July 1992

Born:  Monday  20 March 1928

Died on:  Monday  14 December 2015

Cause:  Heart attack

Age:  87 years, 8 months & 24 days

Funeral date:  Thursday  17 December 2015 @ MD

Funeral location:  Chapel, Lake Macquarie Memorial Park, Cessnock Road, Ryhope, NSW

Buried at:  Lake Macquarie Memorial Park, Cessnock Road, Ryhope, NSW

GPS:     -32.99407350786819   151.52182575338134

Keith Robert SKENE

 

 Memorial at?

 

 

KEITH is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * NOT JOB RELATED


 Funeral location



FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal


May you forever Rest In Peace Keith.


 

SKENE Keith Robert

Late of Spinnakers Leisure Park, Belmont

Passed away suddenly14th December, 2015

Aged 87 Years

Dearly loved Husband of The Late BETTY SKENE.

Much loved Father, Father-in-law, Grandfather & Brother to His family.

The Relatives & Friends of KEITH are warmly invited to…

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/keith-skene-obituary?pid=176897818&affiliateid=3099


 




Lance Ian FERRIS

 Lance Ian FERRIS

aka  The Pelican Man

( late of Ballina )

New South Wales Police Force

Regd. # 11835

Rank:  Commenced Training at Redfern Police Academy on Monday 21 February 1966 ( aged19 years, 2 months, 9 days )

Probationary Constable – appointed 4 April 1966 ( aged19 years, 3 months, 10 days )

Constable – appointed 4 April 1967

Constable 1st Class – appointed ? ? ?

Senior Constable – appointed 4 April 1975

( Appears in the 1975 Stud Book but not the 1979 issue )

 

Final Rank:  Senior Constable?

 

Stations?, Casino

 

ServiceFrom 21 February 1966  to  ?1982?

 

Awards:  National Medal – granted 18 November 1982 ( SenCon )

 

Born:  Thursday 12 December 1946

 

Event date:  Suffered Stroke on Saturday 13 October 2007

Died on:  Sunday  14 October 2007

Cause:  Stroke

Death location: Lismore Base Hospital, NSW

Age:  60 years, 10 months, 2 days

 

Funeral date?

Funeral location?

 

Buried at:  Cremated Lismore.  Seabird Rescue Centre

 Memorial at:  Lance Ferris Wharf, Fawcett Park, Ballina, NSW

 

 

LANCE is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * NOT JOB RELATED


 Funeral location ?

Richmond River Historical Society – Index to Obituary / Death Notices

LH  370

http://www.richhistory.org.au/RRHS%20Index%20D-G.pdf


FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal


15 October, 2007 10:47AM AEDT

If pelicans could cry – the passing of the pelican man


 


 


 


 

 

A Bird in the Hand

PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT: Monday, 23 June , 2003

REX HUNT: Hello. I’m Rex Hunt. Tonight’s Australian Story is about a man who has dedicated his life to solving the problems sometimes unwittingly created by us anglers. He is Lance Ferris – known as ‘The Pelican Man’ for his incredible work in saving these magnificent birds from terrible injuries. And his efforts are changing attitudes on the water. This is Lance’s story.

EVAN KOSACK – VET:Lance and the fishermen in the area started out being at loggerheads a little bit.

LANCE FERRIS: I don’t think they believed that the problem was as bad as it was. Pelicans torn to pieces, basically, by fishing tackle.

EVAN KOSACK – VET: Lance was telling people, basically, that their beloved hobby was causing a lot of damage and that they were acting irresponsibly. Lance is not the norm.

ANTHONY MUYT: He’s very independent, he’s very focused, he thinks outside of the square. He’s a bit of a mad scientist. He was just some joker who rolled up and was jumping off boats into pelicans. They thought he was nuts at first – thought he was a madman. He is extremely professional. He likes perfection. He’ll work at something until he has it.

DEBBI DEVINE – SAM’S MUM :I look at him sometimes and I think, “Wow. This grown man – the way he is with these animals.” It’s amazing. It’s like they’re his children.

LANCE FERRIS: We were on an excursion with the children from the special school. I noticed a pelican in a park that had a hook buried in its leg. So, I grabbed some fish from a bait shop and the bird came up to me and I grabbed it, held it and looked down at it, and I thought, “The hook’s in the left leg. “I’m sure the bird that I saw “before I got the bait had a hook in the right leg.” I was absolutely positive of it. I made up some posters to hang in shop windows – “Wanted, a pelican with a hook in its leg.” I thought, “There’s another bird out there. I know there’s another one.”

MARNY BONNER: There are many, many people that would go, “Oh, gee. “Gee, fancy seeing two pelicans in one day, you know, “both with hook injuries,” and continue about their business. But the interesting thing is that it engaged Lance’s curiosity such that he went out and searched to see if there was an even bigger problem.

LANCE FERRIS: That led us into going out on the island to see if there were other pelicans out there. 108 birds on the island, there were, with 37 tangled up in fishing line on our first visit.

MARNY BONNER: For Lance, standing there with binoculars in hand observing bird after bird after bird coming into his vision with crippling, cruel injuries would be very overwhelming.

LANCE FERRIS: I was in shock and horror. I couldn’t believe how bad the situation was. I went back to the boat and cried for half an hour. I just couldn’t believe… I’m no bronze Anzac hero. I might have been in the police force, but that doesn’t mean to say you don’t get cut up when you see so much damage. There were some with amputated wings and gangrene in their legs. It was a horrible thing. Being a wildlife carer for some years, at that stage, I was just amazed that I wasn’t aware of it and nor had it been brought to our attention by any member of the public or any other wildlife people.

ROCHELLE FERRIS: He was so devastated by that, but he was also looking at the bigger picture, and he sat back and thought, “You know, how many estuaries are there in Australia “that are so populated by humans? “And I’m only looking at this one.” And the problem just blew out in his head.

LANCE FERRIS: I knew we had a major problem on our hands. I had caught a couple and I’d caught them, I suppose, relatively easily, but when I saw so many I just got back to the boat and thought, “How do I cope with so many injured? “How can I catch that many? “They’re everywhere.”

MARNY BONNER: Lance fell asleep that night surrounded by crippled and injured birds and woke up and he was still surrounded by crippled and injured birds, and was compelled to do something – to start action right there and then.

LANCE FERRIS: It was three months and I had that 37, but as I was getting that 37, more became entangled as I went.

ROCHELLE FERRIS: The focus on getting out there and attending to all these sick pelicans really did take over his life.

MARNY BONNER: That was the dawning of the obsession and the birth of Australian Seabird Rescue.

LANCE FERRIS: I didn’t really think about it changing my life at that time.

MARNY: In the early days, some of these injuries were quite old. They had had longstanding chronic injuries and they did require a lot of treatment. And to his amazement, the local vets were extremely interested and extremely supportive.

LANCE FERRIS: I had to look closely at the pelicans to see a line trailing under a wing, or a hook somewhere.

MARNY BONNER: Because it’s difficult to see injuries on pelicans, people don’t notice. I believe pelicans don’t look sick when they are injured. Pelicans can’t cry.

LANCE FERRIS: Everybody believed that the hook would rust away in two or three days. We’ve done some tests on all different sorts of hooks and it’s at least six months before the hooks rusted away. So there were lots of things that make people not sort of bother.

ROCHELLE FERRIS: He was so concerned and frustrated by the lack of interest from the community that these birds were just all being tangled and no-one seemed to care.

LANCE FERRIS: But it’s not all bad out there. There are some people who really have the right concept. If the bird’s quiet and fairly well under control, we give everyone that opportunity to, say, pat a pelican or to have a close contact with it.

MARNY BONNER: Lance experienced quite a lot of loneliness in his childhood. He didn’t have a lot of affection in it. He is essentially a shy person and a bit of a loner.

LANCE FERRIS: I can remember vividly as a boy, after I’d found a little frog with a broken leg, I think we taped it up with a matchstick, and for the life of me I can’t remember whether it survived or not.

MARNY BONNER: That’s what I saw in Lance when I first met him, was this uncanny ability to really spend a lot of time thinking about how he could improve life generally for a particularly severely disabled child. Lance had his fairly demanding job of teacher’s aide with disabled children. The realisation of the enormity of the problem on Pelican Island did change Lance’s life, but I don’t think he was conscious of that at that time. He was merely solving the problem on the day.

LANCE FERRIS: But then there were cutbacks with the school and then came the word that said, There’s no more work. I’m sorry, we have to put you off. There’s no more funding. We don’t have enough children. And I had to drive away from the place. And I…I won’t forget that day.

I wept all the way home. I was at a little cattle dairy, a converted place. The very next day the landlord drove down the paddock and I went up and I said, “About the rent…” He said, Oh, yeah. He said, I was gonna tell you about that. He said, I really like what you’re doing with the pelicans and things. That’s fantastic, that’s a really good thing. And he said, And you’ve rescued my cattle out of the bogs here from time to time, “and I’ve decided not to charge rent anymore. Oh. You know, sort of looking around waiting for lightning to strike and pinching myself to see if I was awake. I was just ecstatic.

MARNY BONNER: Days rolled into weeks, and weeks rolled into months, and he was spending more and more time doing everything he possibly could to catch all the birds. And so it just became increasingly consuming of his time and his resources – all his resources. So it became a situation for Lance where if there was a choice of providing food for himself or getting fish to catch an injured pelican, the fish for catching the injured pelican always came first.

LANCE FERRIS: And I thought, “Oh, no, what am I doing?” And I thought, This is absolutely crazy. No-one would ever believe this, for starters, and this is just madness. I looked at the pelicans in the cage and they were eating, you know, the best fish at 10 a box and I just thought, I don’t think I can do this anymore. But then I took my shoes off and plodded round in the grass under the tree and found a bowl of bush nuts, macadamia nuts. I pigged out till I just couldn’t eat another macadamia and I’m sitting there going, Yes. Yes, I’m right. I looked at the pelicans. It’s alright, fellas. Everything’s under control.

MARNY BONNER: When I first met Lance he was living very, very frugally. And if he was unable to pay his electricity bill or his gas bill he would simply accept that and go scrummage around the tip or something and come out with some ingenious way of getting hot water for himself. Or he would just not eat cooked food.

LANCE FERRIS: And I thought, Well, I’ve got no power. And the answering machine – it was the biggest problem, because it was the mainstay of Seabird Rescue when I wasn’t there. I had some electronic knowledge and I had a little solar panel. And I had an old battery. It worked like a dream. Nobody knew my predicament. Nobody knew how we were running the show. It still looked OK on the surface. You know, if we sort of still had some credibility – I had an answering service – Oh, well, they must be alright. You know, so it gave me a feeling of, I suppose, wellbeing.

That first one, as I held it in my arms, I was awe-struck by the majesty of it. I think the immense size of the bird, no-one would realise that a pelican is as gentle as it is.

MARNY BONNER: A beautiful, benign creature that doesn’t deserve the treatment that it gets. If pelicans could cry, there would be a wailing across the nation that could not be ignored. We could open a tackle shop on the hooks and line and sinkers and traces and lures that we have extracted from the pelicans we’ve caught to date, easily.

LANCE FERRIS: Everyone loves Percy Pelican, and they don’t want to see anything injured irrespective of what species it is.

ROCHELLE FERRIS: And pelicans were dying and, you know, no-one really counted and knew how vast the problem was. The people from one estuary don’t really communicate with the people from the next estuary what they’ve seen.

In a small percentage of cases, there are people who deliberately hook pelicans. But again, it’s never an approach of accusing or retribution – always a case of education. And for him to do something about that, he needed money to do it. You know, it’s not… He was broke as it was. So he needed to get that information out there to make them aware.

MARNY BONNER: Lance’s move from the dairy to the house on the same property was quite timely in a way because Seabird Rescue really required a bit more space to accommodate volunteers. But clearly there’s no point continuing to rescue birds if you don’t do something about the cause of it. How do you start re-educating millions of fisherfolk and hundreds and hundreds of waterside residents in such a way that they stay on your side, that they will work with you and not be offended? There is no room for blame or guilt or anything else.

LANCE FERRIS: I had to get volunteers and I had to get public support to address the whole of the coastline, and I knew that media was the way to go. So I hammered every media outlet – television, newspaper – everything that I could get my hands into. A lot of it was rejected. Then one of the local papers said, Would you like to do a column? So I got the column going and things just took off from there. Quite often we were getting phone calls from the TV stations locally, and saying, Can we do a story on this?

ROCHELLE FERRIS: After Dad’s first media exposure and the call backs he got from that, and people recognising him in the street and patting him on the back and saying, Good job, he twigged. He said, I’m onto something here, and this is going to make the difference. From that day on, every time there was a really badly injured pelican, he would be on the phone to them so quick. So this media coverage that went to all those communities was priceless in being part of the solution and making them open their eyes and, yeah, pick up their tackle.

LANCE FERRIS: I could see that educating the children was really important.

MARNY BONNER: Kids these days are growing up with the environmental message. Getting to the kids and educating the kids is one of the most important activities that we do. They’re the ones that will carry that message. On many an occasion we see them run off and tug on Dad’s shirt or Mum’s shirt and say, You mustn’t drop that, Mum. Mustn’t drop that, Dad. Have to pick this up now. And….the parents are kind of shamed into being more environmentally responsible than they might otherwise have been.

ROCHELLE FERRIS: I guess when Dad started to realise that the problem was so national, he knew he needed volunteers. He couldn’t pay them – he can’t pay himself. Once word got out, it definitely made a difference. There was some real dedicated people.

LANCE FERRIS: The volunteers come from all walks of life. They all have their own areas of expertise, if you like. We’ve got Jenny, who’s just absolutely marvellous. She’s got a lovely, lovely rapport with the birds.

MARNY BONNER: Young Sam in particular was a fairly troubled child when Lance first met him – so much so that Lance thought that he was even beyond his ability to rescue him, if you like.

SAM DEVINE: I was just playing up in class, then he just started doing talks at the school about Seabird Rescue. I could talk to him and he would help me with my work… ..when I was having trouble.

MARNY BONNER: He’s turned around from a child who did not want to cooperate or be involved in school work or achieve anything.

SAM DEVINE: If it wasn’t for Lance I probably would be in a behavioural class.

LANCE FERRIS: Anthony was a person that came up here to study science with a background of being a member of the police SWAT team.

MARNY BONNER: He was a very quick learner, but more importantly, he was most definitely an action man. He’s almost a younger, more energetic Lance, if you like.

It’s very important to have volunteers that won’t be too offended if we’re not always as socially adept as we ought to be. We both suffer from burnout, from exhaustion, and in so doing, Lance in particular might sometimes forget to pay attention to his manners or be as thoughtful of that person or as considerate of that person as he…as he might be.

He is consumed by this calling. The unfortunate consequence of that kind of dedication is that Lance can neglect important relationships in his life.

ROCHELLE FERRIS: Having Marny in Dad’s life has been his Rock of Gibraltar. And, you know, they’ve had their quarrels, and people do. If Marny wasn’t in his life – God, I would have so much on my hands.

MARNY BONNER: It’s been very difficult for everyone that’s close to Lance. Even acquaintances frequently become offended, um, by his lack of presence.

ROCHELLE FERRIS: I wanted to throw a tantrum and get so angry because he’d missed my birthday or he’d forgotten Mother’s Day or, you know, just everything else in his life seemed to fade out.

MARNY BONNER: Those of us that are close to Lance can really joke that, you know, maybe if we pierced our ears and hung a jag hook in one and a lure in the other, he might look at us intensely and say, How are you?

LANCE FERRIS: We started recording all the problems that happened to the pelicans. It was very difficult for us to convince National Parks or Fisheries or anyone in the first few years that there was a problem.

ROCHELLE FERRIS: He gathered so much information over time about pelican behaviour, but he needed that notoriety from the scientific community to understand what he was talking about and for him to be able to approach them on their terms, academically.

LANCE FERRIS: Marny’s got the letters after her name, so too has my daughter, being a marine biologist, and that was a blessing to me. I had the information. They basically put it together and shaped it.

ROCHELLE FERRIS: It was really good for our relationship, writing that paper together, to get a bit of recognition from him from what I’d studied and learnt. And I wasn’t this little girl anymore who was wide-eyed and looking at everything he did, and I…I had something to give him.

LANCE FERRIS: When the report on the impact of fishing was accepted, or when they called for more copies at NSW Fisheries, I was just overjoyed. I thought, Finally! We’re gonna have to start working fairly quickly. As fast as we catch ’em, they’re getting entangled now. RecFish Australia included some of our concepts in their code of conduct for fishermen, and NSW Fisheries handed us one of their ex-service boats. Petrol companies offered fuel for the vehicle. A telephone company offered us a mobile phone. The council offered us free ferry journey. And the Coastcare, under the Natural Heritage Trust, gave us two grants so far of 26,000, which has enabled me to get to the schools and teach the children. I look back at the road we’ve travelled and people are taking more care. Well, I mean, some fishermen who used to say, Shoot the bastards… ..come up to me in the pub and say, You owe me a beer, mate. I caught one of your bloody pelicans. And don’t tell anybody about it either. I gave him a fish too after I took the hook out.

MARNY BONNER: People began to call us when they noticed other things on the beach. Well done. And so the turtles were added to the repertoire of pelicans, seabirds.

LANCE FERRIS: To see trained personnel at strategic locations all around the coast of Australia – that would be the ultimate goal. In July we have to vacate the premises we’re in at the moment. We were in big trouble. It was very, very heart-warming to realise the strength of the support we got from the council. The council has offered us some land for free and also a second-hand house. It’s been a fairly hard road. I guess Marny and I will have to start really getting on really, really well together, and not fighting on occasions.

MARNY BONNER: I do have grave concerns about his emotional and physical health because there is so little balance in his life. He does not take the time to rescue himself, I suppose. But I can’t live that life for him. The best thing that I can do is be his best friend.

LANCE FERRIS: I couldn’t have done this without her – there’s no doubt about that – irrespective of the rocky road that we’ve been along.

MARNY BONNER: He’s extremely important to me. He sets a fine example constantly of what can be achieved with patience, sheer determination, a great deal of tolerance and, above all, extraordinary compassion for creatures that can do nothing to alleviate their own suffering.

CAPTION: Lance and SeaBird Rescue are currently homeless while they wait for clearance of the council owned land and rebuilding. The latest injured pelican tally is 595.

http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2003/s923592.htm


 

 

 

 

 




Phillip Martin BUCHARDT

FINANCIAL APPEAL

Phillip Martin BUCHARDT

aka  Phil

New South Wales Police Force

Regd. # ?

Rank:  Detective Sergeant

Stations?, St Marys

ServiceFrom  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 directly to 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.

http://philbuchardtappeal.gofundraise.com.au/

 

 




Kenneth Norman Marcus HAUSER

 Kenneth Norman Marcus HAUSER

New South Wales Police Force

[alert_yellow]Regd. #  5811[/alert_yellow]

Rank:  Probationary Constable – appointed on 15 September 1947

Sergeant 2nd Class – appointed on 28 February 1973

Stations?, Darlinghurst about 1947 ( Constable ), Canowindra about 1950 ( with 2 sons then had a daughter ), Marrickville, Petersham about 1955. 

1969 – 12 months Peace Keeping duty in Cyprus. UNFICYP

Cootamundra ( over 10 years ), Maroubra Junction – sick report ( loses a kidney ) – retirement

ServiceFrom  pre 15 September 1947 to  ? ? 1984 = 40 years Service

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World War II

Royal Australian Air Force

Regiment:  1 Personnel Depot ( Staff )

Enlisted:  on 23 November 1942 at Sydney, NSW

Living at:     Maroubra, NSW

Service #  73106

Rank:  Private

Embarkation?

Next of kin:  Norman HAUSER

Religion?

Single / Married?

Returned to Australia ?

Date of Discharge:   3 June 1946

http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=4604114&isAv=N

http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=918777

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Awards:  National Medal – granted 29 March 1985

Police Overseas Service Medal – Clasp CYPRUS – granted 8 July 1992

Born:  15 October 1924 in Kew, Victoria

Died on:  20 June 2011

Cause:  Dementia

Age:  86

Funeral date?

Funeral location?

Buried at?

 Memorial at?

EMPATHY: Myrle and Ken Hauser, of Mannering Park, who will feature in a television documentary on dementia.
EMPATHY: Myrle and Ken Hauser, of Mannering Park, who will feature in a television documentary on dementia.


[alert_yellow]KEN 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 ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

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May you forever Rest In Peace Ken.

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Dementia story shared




Donald BRATTAN

 Donald BRATTAN

AKA  Don

Late of:

NSW Police Academy, Redfern Class # ‘possibly’ 059

New South Wales Police Force

Regd. # 9228

Rank:  Probationary Constable – appointed on 2 March 1959

Constable 1st Class – appointed 2 March 1965

Senior Constable – appointed 2 March 1969

Sergeant 3/C – appointed on 3 April 1974

Senior Sergeant – appointed 4 September 1984

Final Rank:  Senior Sergeant

Stations?, Western District, Euabalong ( approx 1968/ 70 ), Raymond Terrace, Ashford, Narrabri, Broken Hill – Tactician – retirement around 1989

Retired to Tenterfield, NSW

ServiceFrom probably 19 January 1959  to  18 December 1989 = 30+ years Service

Awards:  3 Commendations

National Medal – granted 15 September 1980 ( Sgt 3/c )

1st Clasp to National Medal – granted 15 May 1986 ( Sgt 1/c )

Born:  Tuesday  11 October 1932

Died on:  Tuesday  8 December 2015

Cause:  Stroke

Age:  83yrs  1mth  27days

Funeral date:  Friday  11 December 2015 @ 10am

Funeral location:  Ashford Cemetery, Ashford Cemetery Road., ASHFORD

Buried at: Ashford Cemetery, Ashford Cemetery Road., ASHFORD, NSW

 Memorial at?

Don BRATTAN
Don BRATTAN

 

DON is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * NOT JOB RELATED


 Funeral location



FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal


May you forever Rest In Peace Don.


Location – Broken Hill, Mitch Hardaker, John Hardakers son, was told that this was taken whilst Mad Max 3 was being filmed out there. You can see the old bus on the left of the picture. This picture is of John Hardaker and other officers.  Most probably Don BRATTAN with his back to camera and the large Crown ( Sgt 1/c ) on the left sleeve.

 

Grave of Donald BRATTAN

 


 




Killed just for doing their jobs

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

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
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.

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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
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
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.

 

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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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2773110/Killed-duty-National-Police-Remembrance-Day-honour-officers-murders-doing-everyday-job-shocked-nation.html

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Robert William Frederick FREDEWELL

 Robert William Frederick FREDEWELL

New South Wales Police Force

Regd. # 8266

Rank:  Probationary Constable – appointed on 7 November 1955

Sergeant 2/Class – appointed on 21 December 1978

Stations?, Ryde – retirement

ServiceFrom  ?pre 7 November 1955  to  17 May 1982 = 27+ years Service

Awards?

Born:  11 February 1927

Died on:  Monday  30 November 2015

Cause?

Age:  88

Funeral date:  Friday  11 December 2015 @ MD

Funeral location:  Greenway Chapel & Memorial Gardens, 460 Avoca Drive, GREEN POINT

Buried at?

 Memorial at?

 


[alert_yellow]ROBERT 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 ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

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Ralph Cavanagh PETERS

Ralph Cavanagh PETERS 

New South Wales Police Force

[alert_yellow]Regd. # 6906[/alert_yellow]

Rank Appointed Probationary Constable on 22 January 1951

Appointed Sergeant 1st Class on 15 July 1978 – retirement

Stations?, Sutherland STP ( 24 Division ), Disaster & Rescue Branch – retirement

ServiceFrom  ?pre 22 January 1951  to  20 February 1987 = 36+ years Service

Awards? – no find on It’s an Honour

Born:  26 July 1931

Died on:  Monday  30 November 2015

Cause?

Age: 84

Funeral date:  Tuesday  8 December 2015 @ 3pm

Funeral location: Worrigee Crematorium, Worrigee Road, WORRIGEE via NOWRA

Buried at:  Cremation

 Memorial at?

 


[alert_yellow]RALPH 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 ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

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