With regret I advise the death of Barry Robert DUFFY, 61 old, former Regd. No. 14958, a non-member of the RPA of Tuncurry.
Barry passed away on 17/06/2014 and his funeral is proposed to be held at 11am on Wednesday 25th Instant at Manning Great Lakes Memorial Gardens Chapel, 183 Pampoolah Road, TAREE.
Barry Robert DUFFY
29.10.1952 – 17.06.2014
Aged 61 years.
Late of Tuncurry, previously of Bathurst and Orange.
Loving partner of Robyn Van Gemert.
Dearly loved father of Keristi Price, Jodie Walters, Robbie Duffy and Clint Duffy and grandfather of his 17 grandchildren.
Bazza will be dearly missed by his extended family.
Forever in our hearts.
For service details
Tranquility Funerals
Forster NSW
6555 3500
Barry Robert Duffy 17th June 2014 Deep in our hearts your memory is kept To love and to cherish and never forget. Remembered always, Robyn and families
Stations: ?, Darling Downs, Brisbane, Brisbane Traffic Branch, Brisbane Traffic Tail bike Squad, , South Brisbane District Training Office, Brisbane Traffic Camera Officer, Metropolitan South Regional Traffic Adjudication Office
Service: Frompre 27 May 1977 to 5 April 2001 = 24 years Service
Funeral location: Great Southern Memorial Park, Carbrook, Qld
Buried at: Cremated. Ashes were scattered at Hope Banks in Moreton Bay, Qld.
Memorials: Waterford West State School unveiled a plaque dedicated to his memory in their garden of conciliation and reflection.
Gold Coast ( Qld ) Water Police rescue vessel ” D A Shean ” named in honour of David.
David Andrew SHEAN – QPol – MVA – 5 April 2001
DAVID IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Senior Constable David Andrew Shean
On 5 April 2001, Senior Constable Dave Shean’s life was tragically cut short when he was killed in a traffic accident while responding to a crime in progress.
It came as no surprise to those who knew Senior Constable Shean to discover he was among the first to respond to a call for assistance. This is a mark of his character and of the professionalism he consistently displayed in serving the people of Queensland.
Senior Constable’s Shean’s service commenced in 1977. He performed duty in both the Darling Downs area and Brisbane before realising an ambition to serve in the Brisbane Traffic Branch. His versatility and knowledge was exemplified in the various roles he performed while serving in the South Brisbane District Training Office, the Brisbane Traffic Camera Office and the Metropolitan South Regional Traffic Adjudication Office.
His commitment to the community was further showcased by his active involvement with Radio Lollipop and with many police displays at the RNA and Brisbane Motor Shows. His contribution since 1988 to the Adopt-a-Cop program was highlighted earlier this year when the Waterford West State School unveiled a plaque dedicated to his memory in their garden of conciliation and reflection.
The contribution of Senior Constable Shean to policing in Queensland is reflected in the words of Assistant Commissioner Freestone who said, “In representing the Service and the community he so faithfully served, David has made the ultimate sacrifice in the execution of his duty.”
The positive contribution to policing made by Senior Constable Shean stands as a testament to him. He too, will be sadly missed by his family, friends and colleagues and the community he so ably served.
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David was a “sparkie” ( electrician ) pre Queensland Police employment.
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Named in honour of David Andrew Shean
Senior Constable Shean was sworn into the Queensland Police Force in 1977. He performed duty in both the Darling Downs area and Brisbane before joining the Brisbane Traffic Branch.Senior Constable Shean served in a number of positions including the South Brisbane District Training Office, Brisbane Traffic Camera Office and the Metropolitan South Regional Traffic Adjudication Office before joining the South Brisbane Traffic Branch.
In 1988 Senior Constable Shean volunteered for the ‘Adopt a Cop’ program with the Waterford West State School. Following his death the staff and students of the School unveiled a plaque dedicated to his memory in their garden of conciliation and reflection.
On the 5 April 2001, while a member of the South Brisbane Traffic Branch, Senior Constable Shean responding on urgent duty to a crime in progress was killed when his police motorcycle collided with a truck at Eight Mile Plains in Brisbane.
Qld Police Vessel “D.A.SHEAN” – Gold Coast
“D.A.SHEAN”
The “D.A.SHEAN” launched 9th December 2005.The Honourable Judy Spence MP, Minister for Police and Corrective Services and the Commissioner for Police Mr Robert Atkinson APM, officiated at the commissioning and launching of the D. A. SHEAN at the Southport Yacht Club, Macarthur Parade, Main Beach.
Senior Constable Shean’s wife Paula and children Katie, Kimberley, Christopher and Matthew attended the launch.
The “D.A.SHEAN” is a 10 metre aluminium vessel constructed by Yamba Welding and Engineering Pty Ltd. The vessel is powered by twin 420hp (8.2 litre) M.P.I. fuel injected V8 inboard Mercruiser petrol engines with Mercruiser Bravo 3 stern drives fitted with dual propellers.
The “D.A.SHEAN” has a cruising speed of 22 knots and a top speed of 44 knots (80 km/hr) and is fitted with a dual fuel system with a total capacity of 1200 litres of unleaded petrol. The vessel is equipped with the latest electronic equipment for navigation and communication purposes and is registered in 2C commercial survey (50 nautical miles to sea) for 2 crew and 16 passengers.
Ashie DaveWe at the Gold Coast Water Police are proud to have the Water Police Vessel named in his Honour. The Police Vessel D A Shean is our rescue vessel and has saved many lives. In Memory of Dave. I’m proud to say I have been its Master on many rescues.
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Glen Anthony CONNOR
| 23/06/2014
Glen Anthony CONNOR
aka CHUCK
NSW Police Academy Class 205
New South Wales Police Force
[alert_yellow]Regd. # 21608[/alert_yellow]
Rank: Probationary Constable – appointed 26 October 1984
Constable – appointed 26 October 1985
Acting Sergeant – Death
Stations: Wollongong G.D’s, Wollongong Rescue Squad, Sutherland, South Region Dog Squad, South Region Prosecutors
Service: From? ? pre October 1984?to 24 September 2000 = 16 years Service
Memorial: the “Chuck Connor” trophy for “reteam on Course Dux”
Glenn Connor
24 September 2000
Acting Sgt Glen “Chuck” Connor, 38 old, who lived at Otford, died about 11am in a hang gliding collision at Stanwell Tops.
He had a female passenger from Albion Park Rail and collided with another paraglider, being piloted by Vitali Kouznetsov from Hurstville as the second glider took off from Bald Hill they became entangled. The woman and Vitali survived the crash.
Glen was also the owner / operator of “Skybound Hang Gliding School” and had been a qualified hang gliding instructor since 21 July 1983 with approximately 1850 hours hang gliding experience.
Glen’s wife, Sue and brother Adrian were on the hill and witnessed the accident.
Glen used to work at Wollongong G.D’s, South Region Dog Squad around 1992 & his dogs name was ‘Jet’ and, from memory, Wollongong Prosecutors.
At the time of his death he was stationed at Sutherland Prosecutors.
May Glen forever Rest In Peace.
Accident location
Illawarra Mercury Page 11 Wednesday 21 March 2001
Armed hold up at service station. Illawarra Mercury page 9 Monday 10 February 1992 with police dog Jet
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Hang-gliders hurt in Stanwell Park crash landing
BRETT COX
Two hang-gliders had to be rescued by helicopter from a rock at the bottom of a cliff after they were injured during a tandem flight at Stanwell Park.
The delicate rescue operation occurred under a darkening sky after an unexpected change of wind forced the emergency landing about 4.30pm yesterday.Hang-glider operator Tony Armstrong, 55, of the Stanwell Park Hang-gliding and Paragliding School, was initially knocked unconscious while landing on the rock.
He was later taken by helicopter to St George Hospital with head injuries and is in a stable condition.
The other man, an Irishman in his 30s visiting Australia on a working holiday visa, received cuts to his leg and was driven by ambulance to Wollongong Hospital.
Mark Mitsos, secretary of the school, told the Mercury northern suburbs man Mr Armstrong had more than 25 years’ hang-gliding experience and had spent thousands of hours in the air off Bald Hill.
“There was a very sudden change in wind direction and he effectively had to make an emergency landing down at the bottom – and there’s not too many options down there,” Mr Mitsos said.
Local hang-glider Matt Radzyner said sudden wind changes at Bald Hill were almost impossible to predict. He praised Mr Armstrong.
“He would have been in control the whole time and he obviously put his passenger first because his passenger had much lesser injuries.
“He took the brunt of the crash.
“The injured Irishman used his mobile phone to call five friends waiting on Bald Hill, who walked 40 minutes down a steep track to the men’s aid.
Ambulance officers began the trek just after 5pm, but the rescue helicopter reached the injured men first and winched them back to the top of the cliff.
The friends were transported to a nearby beach.
The most high-profile hang-gliding accident in recent times at Bald Hill occurred in September 2000 and left two dead.
Police officer Sergeant Glenn Connor, of Otford, was flying tandem with an Albion Park Rail woman when their gilder became tangled in the lines of a paraglider being flown by Hurstville man Vitali Kouznetsov.
On 4 April, 2005 Constable Lees was driving along the Federal Highway, just south of Goulburn, on his way to Queanbeyan Police Station to commence duty. As his vehicle was negotiating a series of bends at Yarra, the vehicle left the roadway and collided with a tree, fatally injuring the constable.
The constable was born in 1967 and was sworn in as a probationary constable on 20 December, 2002. At the time of his death he was stationed at Queanbeyan.
How lucky we were and very proud too, to have such a wonderful son as you.
This day is remembered and quietly kept, for the memories of you Graeme, we will never forget.
So deeply loved, so sadly missed Mum & Dad
Published in Goulburn Post on Apr. 3, 2019
His light will always shine
6/04/2005 10:39:38 AM
ONE of the city’s shining lights and a mentor within the police community has lost his life in a single-vehicle accident on the Federal Highway on Monday morning.
Constable Graeme John Lees‘ death has shocked and saddened the Goulburn community who knew him as a loyal and caring person, an accomplished cricketer and hockey player, a tall man with a big heart and an easy going nature.
The 37-year-old was travelling from his Eastgrove home to work at Queanbeyan police station on Monday when his car left a straight section of the southbound lane of the Federal Highway, 1km north of Rowes Lagoon, at about 5am.
His light-coloured Commodore sedan careered down a slight embankment and crashed into a tree in a paddock on the western side of the road. Police said he was killed instantly.
A motorist discovered the accident and contacted emergency services shortly after 6am.
A full investigation by the Dapto crash investigation unit is underway for the NSW coroner.
Goulburn born and bred, Mr Lees was the only son of John and Diana Lees of Kelso St, sister to Michelle and a loving father. He attended Goulburn South Primary and Goulburn High schools and worked in several jobs before training as a psychiatric nurse.
He was a giant in the local sporting community, having played through the local and representative hockey and cricket ranks, forming enduring friendships along the way.
Graeme LEES passed away in Goulburn, New South Wales. The obituary was featured in Goulburn Post on April 1, 2019.
There’s not a day goes by that I don’t think of you!
You would so proud of the boys.
What an AMAZING guy you were & the lessons you taught me along the way!
And although our marriage didn’t work I was so very lucky that we ended up with a beautiful friendship that makes me smile when I get to sad!
I miss you!
Love Always
A police officer has died in an car accident in southern New South Wales early this morning.
Constable Graeme John Lees, 37, died when the car he was driving crashed into a tree off the Federal Highway, south-west of Goulburn.
Constable Lees was on his way to work at Queanbeyan police station.
He leaves behind a partner and two children.
Inspector Ian Davey from Queanbeyan police says Constable Less was a valued member of the force.
“He surely will be missed, he’s the type of person that we certainly do like to see in the police force and he was very well respected by his colleagues,” he said.
“He’s certainly a great and valued member of the police who will be lost and thought of dearly.”
Constable Lees’ colleagues are being counselled.
Police officer to be farewelled today
A police officer who died in a car accident in the NSW Southern Tablelands will be farewelled today.
Constable Graeme John Lees, 37, died on his way to work on Monday when his car left the Federal Highway and hit a tree near Collector.
Constable Lees’ colleagues have paid tribute to him, remembering a dedicated officer who had a promising career.
A police funeral will be held this afternoon at the Anglican St Saviours Cathedral in Goulburn.
Four people, including a police officer, were killed in separate crashes on NSW roads over a 24-hour period.
One woman died when her car ran off the road and hit a tree south-west of Sydney.
The NSW Ambulance Service said the woman, whose age was not known, died instantly when her vehicle crashed on Mount Hercules Road at Razorback, near Picton, about 5.50pm (AEST).
Passers-by pulled the woman from her wrecked car before it burst into flames, but she was already dead, an ambulance spokesman said.
The woman was the vehicle’s only occupant.
Earlier, a 59-year-old female British tourist was killed when the car in which she was travelling collided with a truck in southern NSW about 11.45am (AEST).
The vehicle veered onto the wrong side of the Monaro Highway at Bredbo and into the path of the truck, a police spokeswoman said.
The driver of the car, a 67-year-old man from the United Kingdom, was being treated in Canberra Hospital after suffering serious fractures in the crash.
A NSW police officer died in a single-vehicle crash in the state’s south.
Constable Graeme John Lees was believed to have been on his way to work at Queanbeyan police station when the crash occurred about 6am (AEST) today, a police spokesman said.
It appeared the sedan he was driving left the Federal Highway at Rowes Lagoon and crashed into a tree, the spokesman said.
A motorist found the crashed vehicle and called emergency services.
Monaro local area commander Gary Worboys said the news of the 37-year-old officer’s death had devastated police.
“Constable Lees was an outstanding police officer who was well liked by his colleagues and he will be sadly missed,” Superintendent Worboys said in a statement today.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends.”
Support systems were in place to help grieving officers and family members, Supt Worboys said.
Constable Lees, who lived in the Goulburn area with his family, started work with the Monaro local area command in December 2002.
He worked previously at the Goulburn Base Hospital.
And police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal single vehicle collision at Bellevue Hill at about 1.30am this morning.
A maroon 1994 Hyundai Hatchback travelling north on Old South Head Road hit a power pole near the intersection of Banksia Street.
The 57-year-old male driver from Vaucluse was taken to St Vincents Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Anyone with information about the incident, or the events leading up to the fatal collision, is asked to contact Rose Bay Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
That this House expresses its deep sympathy to the family, friends and work colleagues of Police Constable Graeme John Lees who died in a single vehicle accident on the Federal Highway on 4 April 2005 while driving to Queanbeyan Police Station.
Barry and Freada Thornton with their son Chris at his graduation in 1987
Touch plate for Chris Thornton at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
About 6.10pm on 13 April, 2002 the senior constable was driving a Highway Patrol vehicle in Hillview Street, Woy Woy. When the vehicle reached the intersection of Nambucca Drive, it collided with another vehicle before leaving the roadway and hitting a power pole. Senior Constable Thornton sustained extensive injuries and died at the scene of the accident.
The constable was born in 1966 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 7 August, 1987. At the time of his death he was attached to the Brisbane Water Highway Patrol.
Christopher IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Location of collision:
The cross we made for you and put in still looks as beautiful today as when we first placed it. I will always miss you my brother from another mother. I will miss sharing our birthdays together and miss your stupid sense of humor, love you always “Plod”. Miss you forever! X Sim McCarthy – NSW Fallen Police FB Group. 19 April 2017
In April 2002, Senior Constable Chris Thornton was involved in a pursuit of a speeding motorist when his vehicle was struck by another vehicle that failed to stop. Thornton died as a result of the injuries received when his vehicle collided with a pole. The offending vehicle was located and the driver arrested and charged.
Lean on me … grieving colleagues comfort each other. Photo: Liam Driver
Police officers were again united in grief yesterday in mourning one of their own for the second time in less than two weeks.
Newcastle’s Christ Church Cathedral was a sea of blue as hundreds of officers remembered Senior Constable Chris Thornton, 35, killed when his patrol car crashed into a power pole in Woy Woy last Saturday.
After the service, police lined both sides of the road to form a guard of honour as hundreds more, including acting Commissioner Ken Moroney, marched to the sombre beat of a drum.
A 56-year-old man has been charged in relation to the incident, which has rocked the force just weeks after Constable Glenn McEnallay was shot dead in a car chase in Sydney.
Many officers at yesterday’s service had donned their dress uniforms on April 9 for Constable McEnallay‘s funeral.
The Police Minister, Michael Costa, was at yesterday’s service, slipping quietly in and out of the cathedral, almost unnoticed among the crowd of more than 1000.
Mr Moroney used the occasion to call for public support.
“While nothing can make up for his passing, the heartfelt reaction of the communities Chris grew up in, then later served, will mean his death was not in vain,” Mr Moroney said.
“It has also made people realise the extraordinary work our police do in creating a safer society.”
His words were echoed by the Anglican Dean of Newcastle, the Very Rev Graeme Lawrence, who called on society to renew its respect for members of the police.
“In some ways that word is an old-fashioned concept, but one we would do well to revive,” he said.
“As a person and a police officer, Chris earned that respect, admiration and affection.”
Senior Constable Thornton‘s partner of six years, Sarah Matthews, stood alongside Dean Lawrence in the street as the hearse moved slowly away to the beat of the drum.
Earlier she had wept as close friend John Kinney told the gathering how “Thorno” had paid the ultimate price of police service.
“He swerved to miss another vehicle and chose to risk himself for another person, paying the ultimate price for his courage and honour,” Mr Kinney said.
“To me that is Christopher John Thornton, my mate, a man anyone would be proud to say they knew.”
North metropolitan region police commander, assistant commissioner Bob Waites, has described the death of senior constable Chris Thornton on April 13 as “devastating”.
“His death has had a dramatic effect on his colleagues, more so, because he was one of the first people to offer help to workmates after hours, and also at work,” assistant commissioner Waites said.
“I had the pleasure and honour of knowing Chris personally.
“He was a person who loved to have a good time, while also having a lot of common sense,” he said.
Senior Constable Thornton, who lived with his partner of six years, Sarah, attended the Police College at Goulburn in 1987.
Since his graduation that same year, Senior Constable Thornton had worked within the Brisbane Water Command, initially as a general duties officer, before joining highway patrol in 1989.
Ten of his 15 years as a policeman were spent working as a highway patrol officer.
Senior Constable Thornton was travelling north along Hillview St in Woy Woy about 6.10pm on Saturday, April 13, when the marked vehicle he was driving crashed into a power pole.
The 35-year-old police officer died at the scene as a result of his injuries.
A 56-year-old man, Leonard Allan Rowley, has been charged with several driving offences in connection with the accident.
Commissioner Peter Ryan and Deputy Commissioner Operations Dave Madden attended the scene on the night of the accident.
The pole on Hillview St where Senior Constable Thornton was killed.
The New South Wales Opposition has called on the Attorney-General to override the Director of Public Prosecutions and launch an appeal against a sentence given to the driver of a car that hit and killed a highway patrol officer.
Leonard Allan Rowley walked free after receiving a two-year suspended sentence for an incident that claimed the life of Senior Constable Chris Thornton in his highway patrol car on Hillview Street in Woy Woy.
Opposition leader John Brogden says, given that Rowley had been drinking, was unlicensed and fled the scene, it is unacceptable that the DPP will not lodge an appeal.
The patrol officer’s widow Sarah Matthews says it is an insult and urges the Attorney-General to step in.
“It astounds me,” Ms Matthews said.
“This is a legal system that Chris believed in, he stood behind and he enforced every day and now it’s let him down.”
Alone in his patrol car, Chris Thornton had the police siren flashing as he chased a white sedan through Woy Woy.
Thornton, 35, a highway patrolman, had been in the force for 15 years. He was, his mother says, “the best driver I have ever seen”.
The reason for the chase that night in April 2002 is unknown. Both cars were seen travelling at high speed. Thornton was about 50 metres behind.
Meanwhile, Leonard Rowley, 56, an unlicensed driver, was driving to his local KFC to pick up dinner. He saw the first car flash past and judged – wrongly – that he had time to turn out in front of the patrol car. Thornton tried to avoid Rowley’s car but clipped the back, veered onto the wrong side of the road and hit a power pole.
Thornton died on the spot, which is marked by a permanent stainless-steel cross. Rowley later received a suspended two-year sentence.
“His life from the age of 12 was about helping people,” says Thornton’s mother, Freada Thornton. “He was in the surf club and he was there to rescue people and then he went into the force and he was doing the same thing.” His father, Barry Thornton, says: “He loved life. He had been in Gosford for 15 years and was so popular with the community there.”
Police pursuits are, says Barry, a necessary evil: “If they don’t catch the criminals there will be more deaths on the roads. The ones that they’re in pursuit of are the idiots that have done the wrong thing to start with.”
But pursuits have come at a cost to the NSW Police Department. Fifteen officers have died as a result of high-speed chases, beginning with the death of Constable George Boore in 1937.
Details provided by the NSW Police Association show a steady stream of fatalities involving cars and motorcycles. The full list of casualties is as follows:
FREADA and Barry Thornton’s hearts skipped a beat when they heard about the death of young detective Will Crews.
It may be nearly nine years since their son Chris Thornton was killed on duty, but the Blackalls Park couple said it still felt like yesterday.
“You learn to try and get on with your life, you have to,” Mrs Thornton said yesterday.
“But it is a shock.
“Another one, another young life. So, so young.”
Mrs Thornton said her heart went out to Senior Constable Crews’s family as they attempt to deal with the loss.
“We know what it is like and we know it took us four or five years before we could get ourselves going again,” she said.
“We just couldn’t do anything for years, it gutted us.”
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Senior Constable Thornton was in pursuit at Woy Woy on April 13, 2002, when his vehicle hit a power pole, killing him.
The Thorntons will attend another police remembrance day at the end of this month, like they have done every year since that day. The honour roll read out at the Christ Church Cathedral service will contain another name this year.
‘Our boys haven’t been forgotten’: Policemen honoured in Brisbane Water row
September 15, 2015 3:16pm
Geraldine Cardozo Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate
(L-R) Sarah Matthews, Kylie Kerr and Tracey Holt remember their police officer partners at Gosford waterfront. Brisbane Water LAC officers will be taking to the water in honour of the policemen.
When Sarah Matthews returned home after her shift at Gosford Hospital on the evening of April 13, 2002 and spotted a row of waiting police cars she thought the neighbours were having a noisy party.
“It never struck me what was coming next,” remembers the emergency nurse who was told the worst — her fiancé Senior-Constable Chris Thornton had been killed on duty hours earlier.
“It didn’t hit me. Even when I was told. I don’t think that’s something that ever leaves you.”
This week Miss Matthews, Kylie Kerr and Tracey Holt will get together to remember their partners, Sen-Constable Thornton, Sen-Constable Peter Gordon Wilson and Sergeant Richard Whittaker, who all died on duty while with the Brisbane Water Local Area Command.
(L-R) Brisbane Water Inspector Paul Nicholls, Tracey Holt, Brisbane Water Commander Daniel Sullivan, Sarah Matthews and Kylie Kerr at Gosford Waterfront ahead of the NSW Police Legacy row. Picture: Mark Scott
On Thursday officers from Brisbane Water LAC will take part in a paddle to raise money for NSW Police Legacy to support the families of fallen officers.
“You never want to be a part of Legacy but now we are part of this unique group and without Legacy we wouldn’t have each other,” Miss Matthews said.
But for two of the women, the close bond was forged by their shared loss and haunting similarities in how their partners lost their lives.
Sen-Constable Thornton, 35, died in a motor vehicle accident while on patrol in Woy Woy in 2002, while Mrs Kerr’s long-term partner Sen-Constable Wilson, 41, was killed when he was hit by a car while carrying out speed checks on the M1 at Somersby in 2006.
Both men were based at Brisbane Water LAC, both died in car accidents on a Saturday night, and both had the same patrol car number — 202.
Senior Constable Peter Gordon Wilson with fiancé Kylie Kerr.
“This special event means our boys haven’t been forgotten,” Miss Matthews said, adding that the support of Legacy has enabled her to move on. “You have to take that step forward. You can’t be angry, because that just eats away at you.”
Senior Constable Chris Thornton was killed on duty during a high-speed pursuit at Woy Woy in 2002.
“This special event means our boys haven’t been forgotten,” Miss Matthews said, adding that the support of Legacy has enabled her to move on. “You have to take that step forward. You can’t be angry, because that just eats away at you.”
“This special event means our boys haven’t been forgotten,” Miss Matthews said, adding that the support of Legacy has enabled her to move on. “You have to take that step forward. You can’t be angry, because that just eats away at you.”
Mrs Holt, whose husband Sgt Whittaker was stationed at the Gosford drug unit and was involved in drug investigations at the time of his death when he died from a brain haemorrhage in 1991, said the annual paddle is a “beautiful day”. “It is amazing the effort Daniel Sullivan and the team put in to keep the memory going of old work mates and have a good time doing it,” she said.
Sergeant Richard Whittaker who died on duty with Brisbane Water Local Area Command in 1991. Picture: Supplied
Celeste Thornton March 12, 2020: Would like to get message to any colleges of Snr Const Chris Thornton who was killed on duty in 2002. Would like to let them know my parents and I are burying his older brother Leslie on Mon 16th March 2020 at Lake Macquarie memorial park 10am.
Glenn Edward McENALLAY
| 23/06/2014
Glenn Edward McENALLAY VA
aka Glenn McENALLAY
New South Wales Police Force
Goulburn Police Academy Class # 270
Regd. # 31940
Rank: Commenced Training at Goulburn Police Academy on Monday 19 May 1997 with Class # 270 ( aged 21 years, 2 months, 9 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed Friday 14 November 1997 ( aged 21 years, 8 months, 4 days )
Constable – appointed ? ? ?
Constable 1st Class – appointed ? ? ?
Final Rank: Constable 1st Class
Stations: Manning / Great Lakes ( ProCst ), Mascot ( GDs ), City East Transits, City East Highway Patrol – Mascot – Death
Service: From 14 November 1997 to 3 April 2002 = 4 years, 10 months, 15 days Service
Age: 26 years, 0 months, 24 days
Time in Retirement: 0
Awards: posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Valour
Memorial 1: Sparks Reserve, Sparks St, Mascot, NSW
Memorial 2: Mascot Police Station, 965 Botany Rd, Mascot, NSW
Glenn Edward McENALLAY
Senior Constable Glenn McEnallay on right taken about 2 weeks before his death. Photo courtesy of Noel Kessel.
HWP vehicle 211 with the personalised memorial number plates for Glenn Edward McEnallay. GEM211
About 5.30pm on 27 March, 2002 the constable was driving an unmarked Highway Patrol vehicle when he began to follow a stolen vehicle. In Denison Street, Hillsdale the vehicle sped off and Constable McEnallay informed VKG of the pursuit. The stolen vehicle turned into Grace Campbell Crescent and stopped. As the police vehicle came to a halt near the stolen vehicle four offenders alighted from it and fired a number of shots at the constable from a distance of about three metres. Constable McEnallay was hit in the right side of the head and right shoulder. Other police arrived at the scene and two offenders were arrested. Constable McEnallay died of his wounds on 3 April, 2002. He was posthumously awarded the Commissioner’s Valour Award.
The constable was born in 1976 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 14 November, 1997. At the time of his death was attached to the City East Highway Patrol.
Today ( 3 April 2022 ) …friends, family, colleagues past and present, current and former Senior offices, The Mayor for Bayside Council as well as community members came together to remember Senior Constable Glenn McEnallay who was murdered in the line of duty 20 years ago.
I didn’t know this young man, but I walk past his memorial in Sparks Reserve each day and see his memorial at Mascot Police Station when I walk into work each morning
The story of Glenn is in the below link – RIP
Memorial dedication – Twenty Years on – 2022
Daily Telegraph Online wrote:
Parole hearing for cop killer Motekiai Taufahema
A MAN involved in the murder of Sydney policeman Glenn McEnallay was today refused parole.
Motekiai Taufahema, 35, is serving 11 years jail after being found guilty of Senior Constable McEnally’s manslaughter.
His bid for freedom was today rejected by the State Parole Authority.
He was one of four men convicted for the shooting murder of Constable McEnallay ten years ago.
The State Parole Authority said today they believed Taufahema has not addressed his offending behaviour and his release is not supported by the Serious Offenders Review Council (SORC).
His seven year non-parole period ended last month.
“The offender needs to be reduced in classification before progress and judgment … It is not appropriate for SPA to consider the offender for release on parole.”
Commissioner Ron Woodham opposed Taufahema’s release, saying it was not in the public interest and he had not addressed his offending behaviour.
Taufahema, found not guilty of the murder of Senior Constable McEnallay but guilty of manslaughter, was sentenced to 11 years prison.
Motekiai’s brother, John, also found not guilty of the murder of Senior Constable McEnallay but guilty of manslaughter, was last month refused parole and will not be eligible again until 2014. His full sentence is also 11 years with a non-parole period of seven years.
The Authority last month also refused parole for co-offender Meli Lagi at a private meeting. He will not be eligible for parole again until next year.
Lagi, 32, who was found not guilty of the murder of Senior Constable McEnallay but guilty of firearms offences, was sentenced to almost 13 years prison with a non-parole period of almost nine years, which expired on 2 April 2011.
The fourth co-offender, 32-year-old Sione Penisini, is serving a total sentence of 36 years and won’t be eligible for parole until 2029.
Court allows police killer to stay for daughter’s sake
ONE of the men jailed for manslaughter over the death of Senior Constable Glenn McEnallay has escaped deportation to Tonga even though he has spent more than half of his 21 years in Australia in prison.
The best interests of Motekiai Taufahema’s seven-year-old daughter, born after he was jailed, tipped the balance in his favour when he appealed against the cancellation of his visa. But his childless brother, Sione, 31, also convicted of McEnallay‘s manslaughter, will be sent back to the country he left aged nine.
A victims’ group says the decisions perversely reward criminals who become parents, while refugee advocates say they show the unfairness of the Migration Act’s ”character test”.
Although Motekiai Taufahema, 33, had spent 12 of 21 years here behind bars, the deputy president of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Robin Handley, found his daughter ”loves her father and misses him” and would be devastated if he were deported.
Combined with evidence of his rehabilitation, including a non-violent response to being stabbed 10 times by a fellow prisoner, it earned him ”one last chance”.
Mr Handley rejected Sione Taufahema’s appeal on the same day, saying the high risk of him re-offending outweighed other factors. Noting that he has spent almost 10 of his 21 years here in prison, Mr Handley accepted the Federal Government’s argument that the community would expect to be protected against his violent criminal behaviour.
Asked about Sione Taufahema’s imminent arrival, a Tongan Government spokesman said in an email, ”No comment.”
The Taufahema brothers were both on parole for a brutal bashing when stopped with four stolen guns in Hillsdale in 2002. Their accomplice, Sione Penisini, shot McEnallay four times.
Both brothers were sentenced to 11 years jail after pleading guilty to manslaughter – a result McEnallay‘s father, Bob, called a ”bloody disgrace”.
Sione Taufahema‘s deportation adds to a turbulent few years for the Taufahema family. Two of his siblings, Honora and Filisione, are also in jail. Another, 18-year-old Tavita, was shot dead by police in September during an armed hold-up at the Canley Heights Hotel. Last year 16-year-old Chris Emmerson was shot dead by a visitor at the family’s Yennora home.
The father, Maunaloa Taufahema, said he was happy for Motekiai’s daughter but disappointed for Sione, whom he considered Australian, not Tongan.
”He has spent a lot of his life in Australia, and to me his behaviour was based on the Australian environment,” he said.
Both brothers have spent only a week or two in Tonga since they left as children and their close families have since moved to Australia and New Zealand.
Robyn Cotterell-Jones, from the Victims of Crime Assistance League, said both brothers should be deported as a deterrent. ”I imagine victims would feel it’s wrong that if you’re arrested for murder but you get somebody pregnant you will be able to stay here rather than be deported.”
Dr Michael Grewcock, an expert on the character test from the University of NSW, said it seemed bizarre to deport one brother and not another: ”There’s just a general lack of consistency, which is built into the process.”
Rank: Junior Trainee from about April 1970 ( ” 6 Week Wonder ” )
Probationary Constable – appointed 22 June 1970
Constable 1st Class – appointed 22 June 1975
Sergeant 3rd Class – appointed 20 November 1985
Senior Sergeant – appointed 1990 – death
Stations: ?, Rockdale – Clearway Cyclist, Goulburn for 18 years to become Sgt, Maitland District HWP Supervisor ( SenSgt ), Traffic Co-ordinator Northern Suburbs District Hornsby – 3 years, Parramatta – Traffic Support Group Operations Manager – death
Service: Frompre June 1970 to 13 July 1998 = 28+ years Service
1st Clasp to National Medal – granted 2 December 1995
Born: 2 August 1950
Died on: 13 July 1998
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – Police motor cycle – Non Urgent
Event location: F3 Freeway, Calga
Age: 47 Single, unmarried with no children
Funeral date: Friday 17 July 1998
Funeral location:
Buried at: Cremated Woronora Cemetery
Memorial location: Police Memorial Wall – Woronora Cemetery, Sutherland
Plot: Centenary Court, Rose Garden 2, #01
Raymond Keith SMITH
[alert_green]RAYMOND IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
On the morning of 13 July, 1998 Senior Sergeant Smith was riding a police motor cycle to work along the F3 Freeway near Calga when a piece of wood fell from a truck, hitting him and causing the cycle to collide with a rock wall. It is thought that the sergeant was killed instantly.
The sergeant was born in 1950 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 22 June, 1970. At the time of his death he was attached to the Traffic Support Group, Parramatta.
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Woronora Cemetery Police Memorial Wall
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Police pay tribute to Sen Sgt Ray Smith 20 years on
Richard Noone,
Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate
The motorcycle of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith after he was killed when a piece of firewood fell from a truck hitting him in the head forcing him into a concrete wall on the F3 near Mt White.
TWENTY years ago today we lost one of the state’s most experienced police motorcyclists and the public face of road safety.
Senior Sergeant Ray Smith was riding to work along the F3 Freeway (now M1)3km south of the Calga interchange, near Mount White, at 6.10am on July 13, 1998, when a 30cm by 40cm piece of wood fell off the back of a truck in front.
The wood bounced off the road and into the 47-year-old’s helmet as he travelled 100km/h.
The impact sent his bike into a concrete wall, killing him instantly.
Police inspect the scene where Senior Sergeant Ray Smith was killed.
Today, two decades later and the state’s top traffic cop Chief Inspector Phil Brooks said the dangers to motorcyclists and other vulnerable road users was as real now as it was then.
“Primarily it certainly highlights the risks police face every day of the week,” Chief Insp Brooks said.
“Police leave home and their families expect them to come home after their duties.”
Traffic & Highway Patrol Command held a tribute to mark the 20th anniversary of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith’s death this morning.
Chief Insp Brooks was a relatively junior officer when Sen Sgt Smith was killed but remembers well the profound sense of loss which swept through the entire NSW Police Force.
At the time Sen Sgt Smith was one of 26 police motorcyclists patrolling NSW roads.
Today Chief Insp Phil Brooks said of the fleet of 680 Traffic and Highway Patrol vehicles, 100 were motorcycles.
The front page of The Daily Telegraph on July 14, 1998
He said they remained an important asset to enforcing road safety and minimising congestion in the event of crashes and other road issues.
He said there were 6.19 million licence holders in NSW driving 6.5 million registered vehicles and the M1 — which has seen vehicle movements increase dramatically in the past 20 years — continued to be a big focus for police.
Senior police officers salute as the coffin of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith is carried during procession at his funeral service.
“Our road safety programs are such that cars and Highway Patrol vehicles are tasked to that road every day of the week,” he said.
“While there are significant road works along the M1 the crash risk is minimised by a very visible police presence.”
At 10am today Traffic & Highway Patrol Command staff at Huntingwood came together to recognise the service of Senior Sgt Smith.
Police bikes have changed but the job remains the same.
Staff were welcomed at today’s memorial by Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, who noted the significant service that police motorcyclists give to the community every day.
Meanwhile police on the Central Coast observed a minute’s silence this morning.
Only yesterday Brisbane Water police found the body and the wreckage of a man who had gone for a ride the previous day along the Old Pacific Highway at Bar Point.
The 34-year-old had left his Ryde home about 2pm on Wednesday.
When he had not arrived home at 11pm his worried partner contacted police.
Senior Sergeant Ray Smith uses a radar gun on Parramatta Road, part of the Operation Slow-down campaign in 1997.
Officers scoured the Old Road where they eventually found his body at 3.30am.
The man had lost control, gone down an embankment and collided with a tree.
Meanwhile the Coronial Inquest into the death of Senior Sgt Smith found the truck driver — who continued on oblivious to the carnage behind him — “had done everything right” in securing his load.
At the time of his death Sen Sgt Smith was a member of the Traffic Support Group and the focal point of the previous year’s road safety campaign Operation Slowdown.
But 27 years’ riding experience and a life dedicated to road safety were unable to save him from the freak accident.
The motorcycle of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith after he was killed when a piece of firewood fell from a truck hitting him in the head forcing him into a concrete wall on the F3 near Mt White.
“There was no way of escaping,” Sen Sgt Smith’s colleague of seven years, Sergeant Graeme Priest said at the time.
Sen Sgt Smith lived at Maitland and was travelling to work at Parramatta when the accident occurred.
He never married and had no children. Fellow officers said his life was dedicated to serving in the police force and he had a love of motorcycles, of which he had a collection.
At 10am today Traffic & Highway Patrol Command staff, Huntingwood, came together to recognise the service of Senior Sergeant Smith, who tragically lost his life at 6:10am on the 13 July, 1998, 20 years ago today.
Staff were welcomed at today’s memorial by Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy, who noted the significant service that police motorcyclists give to the community every day, keeping road users safe, as Senior Sergeant Smith proudly did during his career. A/Inspector Clint Williams acknowledged Senior Sergeant Smith‘s career history, and Police Chaplain, Father Paul O’Donoghue told those present that ‘…those who served alongside Ray were his family..’, and noted the sad loss that Ray‘s sister must have suffered after this sad event. Father O’Donoghue then offered a prayer where those present observed a minutes silence in memory.
Featured in these photographs is ‘HWP-200‘ (Call sign Traffic 200) which we struck in memory of the life & career of Senior Sergeant Ray Smith.
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Article from Goulburn Post, Wednesday 22 July 1998
Probationary Constable – appointed 17 January 1986
Constable – appointed 17 January 1987
Final Rank: Constable
Service: From28 October 1985to29 April 1989 = 3+ years Service
Stations: ? ,Balmain ( 8 Division ) – death
Awards: ? nil find on It’s An Honour
Born: Monday 25 April 1960
Event date: Thursday 27 April 1989
Event location: Booth St & Jonston St, Annandale, NSW
Event type: Motor Vehicle Accident – Driver – Caged vehicle – Urgent Duty ( Passenger: Cst Andrew Mortimer )
Died: Saturday 29 April 1989
Age: 29 yrs 4 days ( 4 days into his 29th year )
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: Woronora Cemetery, Sutherland
Buried at: Cremated;
Ashes – Wall of Memories, Panel 30, GG, 0256
John Irving BURGESS
Constable John Irving BURGESS – Touch plate at National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
JOHN IS mentioned on the National Police Wall of Remembrance but the DATE is INCORRECT
Should read 29 April 1989
About 2.25am on 27 April, 1989 Constable Burgess was driving a caged police vehicle in Booth Street, Annandale. Constable Andrew Mortimer was observer in the vehicle and they were responding to an urgent call for assistance from Gaming Squad police. At the intersection of Johnston Street, the police vehicle collided with a semi trailer and deflected onto a power pole. As a result of the accident Constable Andrew Mortimer suffered fractures to his ribs and jaw, and Constable Burgess suffered severe head and internal injuries. Constable Burgess died two days later ( on the 29 April ) at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital when life support systems were turned off.
The constable was born in 1960 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 28 October, 1985. At the time of his death he was stationed at Balmain.
The Canberra Times
Monday 1 May 1989 page 3 of 36
Policeman dies
SYDNEY: A policeman who received severe injuries in a collision involving a police paddy wagon last Thursday died late on Saturday.
Constable John Burgess, 29, received head and chest injuries in the accident between the paddy wagon and a refrigeration truck at Annandale in Sydney’s inner-west, shortly before 2am.
Yesterday I attended Balmain Town Hall for the 30-year memorial service of the tragic death of Constable John Burgess on the 27 April 1989 whom died whilst on duty responding to an urgent call for assistance from Gaming Squad Police.
At the intersection of Johnston Street, Annandale the police vehicle he was driving collided with a semi-trailer and deflected onto a power pole. As a result of the accident Constable Andrew Mortimer suffered fractures to his ribs and jaw, and Constable Burgess suffered severe head and internal injuries. Constable Burgess died about twelve hours later at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
John was one of life’s true gentlemen and one of the nicest blokes I ever had the privilege of knowing. He was an excellent Police Officer, compassionate, empathetic and always willing to help. I’m proud to have called him a mate.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen my old 8 Division buddies and whilst under sad circumstances it was great to see Paul Winfield, Don Stuart, Sean Hampstead and Ron Page and share a few laughs about our time working together in the late ‘80’s.
It was also great to see Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson, a friend who gave a very moving and emotional speech about his friendship with John and how missed he is. It was refreshing to hear such a senior officer in the NSW Police share such personal reflections about a fellow officer.
It was a tragic time for Policing back then as a week earlier we also lost Constable Alan McQueen fatally shot whilst on duty. We have lost many other Officers before and after that time confirming how dangerous a job it is.
Whilst I was only in the Police from ‘85-‘90 I still feel a part of the thin blue line brotherhood and yesterday confirmed how friendships forged 30 years ago endure the test of time.
RIP John Burgess. ❤️
Risto Vic BALTOSKI
| 23/06/2014
Risto Vic BALTOSKI
AKA Risco BALTOSKI
Late of ?
New South Wales Police Force
NSW Redfern Police Academy Class # 148
Regd. # 17072
Rank: Commenced Training at Redfern Police Academy on Tuesday 17 June 1975 ( aged 20 years, 2 months, 19 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed Monday 25 August 1975 ( aged 20 years, 4 months, 27 days )
Constable – appointed 25 August 1976
Detective – appointed ? ? ? ( YES )
Senior Constable – appointed 25 August 1984
Final Rank = Detective Senior Constable
Stations: ?, 21 Division, 13 Division, Homicide Squad, Secondment to NCA – Adelaide South Aust. – Death
Service: From 17 June 1975 to 2 January 1989 = 13 years, 6 months, 16 days Service
Time in Retirement: 0
Age at Retirement: 33 years, 9 months, 4 days
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: Tuesday 29 March 1955
Died on: Monday 2 January 1989
Age: 33 years, 9 months, 4 days
Cause: MVA – Driver – crossed to wrong side of road ( possibly fatigue )
Event location: Sturt Highway, about 68 kilometres, west of Hay, NSW
Event date: Monday 2 January 1989 about 2pm ( CAT )
Funeral date: ? ? 1989
Funeral location: ?
Wake location: ?
Funeral Parlour: ?
Buried at: Pinegrove Memorial Park, Kington St, Minchinbury, NSW
Garden of Memories 1 / 43 ( M1 – 565 J )
GPS: Lat: – 33.79090 Long: 150.84749
Memorial located at: Memorial Wall plaque – Deniliquin Police Station – 2018
RISTOIS mentioned on the National Police Wall of Remembrance – Canberra
RISTO IS mentioned on the NSW Police Wall of Remembrance – Sydney
Grave location:
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
On 2 January, 1989 Detective Baltoski was travelling to the National Crime Authority Offices in Adelaide in company of Mick KEELTY who was later to become the Australian Federal Police Commissioner.
About 2pm as he was driving along the Sturt Highway about 68 kilometres west of Hay when the vehicle crossed to the incorrect side of the roadway and collided head-on with another vehicle.
The exact cause of the accident was not determined.
As a result of the collision Detective Baltoski sustained severe head and internal injuries and died before he reached the Hay District Hospital.
The senior constable was born in 1955 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 17 June, 1975.
At the time of his death he was on secondment to the National Crime Authority. Prior to that, he had been attached to the Homicide Squad.
The Memorial Wall commemorates former local police officers and a former police chaplain who lost their lives in the line of duty. An additional plaque is to be added to the memorial in memory of Amy Christian who was the station’s cleaner for 26 years.
Seven former local police officers and one former police chaplain were remembered as part of a reunion in Deniliquin at the weekend. They were the first to be added to a police memorial wall installed at the front of the new Deniliquin Police Station in Charlotte St.
The wall was officially dedicated on Saturday morning in front of a crowd of about 100 people, blessed by Police Chaplain Reverend Wayne Sheean, whose predecessor Rev David Bond was remembered as part of the ceremony.
Officers honoured on the wall include Booligal’s Constable Charles Chapman (died March 1866), Moama’s Senior Const J Morrison (January 1898), Euston’s Senior Const Thomas Smith (April 1910), Deniliquin’s Superintendent Henry Grugeon (January 1911), Berrigan’s Sergeant 3rd Class George Thomas Whitely (March 1931), Detective Senior Const Risto Vic Baltoski from the National Crime Authority (January 1989) and Moama’s Senior Const Jennifer Louise Edgerton (August 2015).
Also officiating at the dedication ceremony were Deniliquin Local Area Commander Superintendent Paul Condon and Edward River Council Mayor Norm Brennan.
In attendance were many former Deniliquin-based police officers and their partners, who were in Deniliquin for the reunion dinner at the Deniliquin Golf Club on Saturday evening.
Family members of some of the officers memorialised also attended, including the daughter-in-law and grandchildren of Sgt Whitely, who died from injuries during a fire at Berrigan’s Momalong Hotel on March 25, 1931.
He and another officer were helping to control onlookers outside the hotel when a gas cylinder exploded and he was struck in the face by shrapnel.
Supt Condon said the idea of the memorial wall was to highlight the connection between police and community. ‘‘The purpose is to join the local community’s history with the local police history as our police are part of the community,’’ Supt Condon said. ‘‘I encourage the local community to visit the memorial, which has now been fitted with lights to highlight the memorial at night.
‘‘It is a credit to the local community and police, as well as Brunker Fabrication who have done a great job constructing the memorial.’’
Reunion co-organiser Roger Smith, a retired inspector, said reunion participants agreed on a ninth plaque for the memorial wall during the weekend — Amy Christian — who he said was the station’s cleaner for 26 years.
Supt Condon said the memorial dedication was followed by a tour of the new Deniliquin Police Station, which replaced the station which was constructed from 1961 and officially opened in 1965. Denilquin Pastoral Times, 20 February 2018.
Location: 405 Charlotte St, Deniliquin Police Station, NSW
IT SAYS something of Mick Keelty’s humble origins and his modest ambitions as a young man that when his uncle – a NSW copper – urged him to join the police force, he chose the constabulary of the sleepy national capital.
The son of a butcher who grew up in a large Irish-Catholic family in a two-bedroom fibro home in Parramatta, Keelty says “going to Canberra as one of six kids and being the first one to leave home … it was almost like an adventure for a 19-year-old”.
Keelty was a diligent student, by all accounts, and settled well. But a long five years in the ACT Accidents Squad was no portent of things to come, nor a posting soon after to lecture at Goulburn’s police academy.
The rise of the Australian Federal Police Commissioner, who this month begins a second five-year term overseeing a law enforcement empire of global reach, can be traced to the 1980s when the fresh detective cracked one of the seminal cases of that halcyon era of corrupt cops, colourful racing identities and underworld kingpins.
Keelty had been seconded to the National Crime Authority, which was still grappling with the fallout from the death of the anti-drugs campaigner Donald Mackay, the Italian Mafia and its extensive cannabis production.
Barry Moyes was the high-profile head of South Australia’s drug squad. A long investigation led Keelty down an intriguing path – his sources were saying a large dope operation was flourishing under the protection of Moyes. It was stunning information.
“He was involved in a crop at the time and distributing drugs from the drug safe,” Keelty says.
“Nobody believed that South Australia had a problem. You heard about police corruption in NSW and Victoria but no one had heard of it existing in South Australia.”
After exhaustive police surveillance of Moyes, a magistrate approved a warrant and Keelty searched the drug tsar’s office while Moyes looked on. Seized drugs that were supposed to have been destroyed were found in Moyes’s personal safe.
Moyes protested his innocence and invented a novel alibi – he was consorting with known Mafia figures because he was, secretly, infiltrating organised crime and couldn’t tell his possibly corrupt colleagues.
The alibi flew, at least until Keelty visited a heroin addict on Bondi Road who turned informant during a quiet negotiation in a room splattered with vomit.
Moyes confessed all at trial and Keelty’s star rose, an ascent confirmed soon after when he led the team that put the underworld kingpin Lenny McPherson behind bars.
Keelty says he always loved the “thrill of the hunt” and his partner during those days, NSW policeman Mike Edgtton, says Keelty “worked with anyone from everywhere. He drew the best out of everyone.”
“The Italian Mafia case was a big one. It was a triumph but there was also tragedy.”
Keelty’s partner, Risto Baltoski, was killed after a head-on collision on the baking Hay plain after one of many long-haul trips the two men made to South Australia.
The young detective cradled his partner in 40-degree heat during the long wait for the ambulance.
“Mick thought [Baltoski] was OK but when he headed back to town he heard on his police radio that Risto had died. It was terrible. He was one of his best mates,” Edgtton says.
A few big nights on the drink was the traditional remedy and Keelty still won’t talk about the incident but, as Commissioner, he has ploughed resources into trauma counselling. The AFP has won awards for its family-friendly polices, and Keelty’s close personal protection officer is a woman.
The first commissioner to emerge from within its ranks, Keelty is immensely popular within the AFP and has an unprecedented public profile.
During his tenure, the force’s annual budget has grown from $385 million in 2001 to $1.1 billion, while staffing levels have doubled to 5200. Along the way, the force has taken over jobs that used to be the domain of the National Crime Authority, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and, arguably, the military.
His fame, of course, was cemented in 2004 by the “Keelty affair”, his frank remark to the journalist Laurie Oakes that the Iraq war would have motivated the Madrid terrorist bombings.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, was mortified and Keelty considered his future as he was condemned as an al-Qaeda propagandist by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, and misinformed by the chief of the Defence Force, General Peter Cosgrove.
Cosgrove remains a mate, but the saga is instructive. It betrays Keelty’s abiding interest in the social and economic factors that underpin crimes of all descriptions and his recognition of the limits of law enforcement.
“I’ve always thought about what puts a person in the position they are in,” Keelty says. “If you understand the reasons why they have committed the crime, you have a better chance of solving the crime.”
In the context of terrorism, that means combating the “radicalisation” of young Muslims.
Note it is Keelty who is advocating what he calls the “deprogramming” of Islamic extremists if they are placed under house arrest under controversial new powers.
For drugs, it’s about social support, harm minimisation and going offshore to attack suppliers at source. Pedophilia – the subject of large AFP investigations – abhors and intrigues him.
“Pedophilia is really to me an enigmatic crime,” he says. “[Pedophiles are often] people who are otherwise intellectually very capable. They are not from the lower socioeconomic group.”
As the AFP launched its wide investigation into internet child porn, Keelty took the extraordinary step of counselling his officers that they could be excused from the job if they found the material involved offensive, or tempting.
“Nothing can guarantee me that the people I would put into the investigation of that crime may or may not have those tendencies,” he recalls.
“One of the things I announced to the organisation was that anybody that was unhappy or anyone who was not certain whether they could investigate that sort of crime ought to be encouraged to say it up front.”
One former officer who has worked with Keelty says his casual, almost guileless manner often masks the depth and intelligence of the Commissioner.
But the officer questioned Keelty’s uncommon focus on “socioeconomic causes of crime”.
“It can erode the effect of policing, and it can complicate things,” the former staffer says.
With more than 30 postings around the world, including the first and only permanent Western policing presence in China and Vietnam, the internationalisation of the AFP has been perhaps the defining feature of Keelty’s reign.
As well as extensive co-operation with overseas police forces on transnational crime, including terrorism, the AFP has sent large contingents as peacekeepers to East Timor, the Solomon Islands and, briefly, Papua New Guinea.
Keelty has been the consummate diplomat, helped by his fascination for different cultures and his drive to tackle crime globally and bring down the big players in illegal and illicit activity.
His deference to Jakarta during the East Timor crisis – he always visited the Indonesian capital before heading on to Dili – laid the groundwork for the quick co-operation in the wake of the Bali bombings.
It didn’t hurt that Keelty had studied with Indonesia’s General I Made Pastika in Canberra, and helped him with his homework, during the mid-1990s.
“There have been a lot of on-the-ground operational, and public perception, problems that have come out of working with overseas forces,” says one former AFP staffer.
“The Bali nine is a classic example. So is Schapelle Corby.”
There is little doubt that in the court of public opinion, the AFP’s reputation took a beating in these drug mule cases.
The AFP had been tipped off about some of the young men and women who were part of the Bali nine but Keelty says they had eight names, of whom just five travelled.
He could not have tipped off the youngsters – as many have argued the AFP should have – because the whole investigation would have collapsed, he says.
The Indonesians had every right to arrest the Australian couriers. “It was their sovereign land,” Keelty says.
As for the fuss surrounding Corby, Keelty is blunt and unsympathetic.
“If Schapelle Corby wasn’t a very attractive young lady, the reaction might have been quite different.”
Consider it from the Indonesian side, he adds. Protesting that the cannabis in Corby’s bodyboard bag had been planted was the “universal excuse” of drug traffickers and would open the floodgates if accepted with no hard evidence.
Even so, Keelty remains popular. He is probably the only prominent security figure regarded highly by both the Prime Minister and Australia’s Muslim community.
Ali Roude, the vice-president of the Islamic Council of NSW, credits Keelty for a “great relationship” between the AFP and the Muslim community.
“He has a good grasp of issues. He is the first federal police commissioner to have taken a leadership role in initiating contact with Australian Muslim community,” Roude says.
Certainly, Keelty won’t join the conga line of politicians decrying multiculturalism and uttering dark warnings about the imposition of sharia law.
Noting the Protestant versus Catholic schism of his childhood, not to mention the Italians he and his mates branded “wogs”, Keelty says of the tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims that they are worrying but not necessarily new.
“We have been down this road before, if we think it through,” he says.
“I think there is great credit in trying to develop a very tolerant society and a very understanding society. It can be our competitive difference over the rest of the world.”
YES, COMMISSIONER
On Schapelle Corby “Every courier, whether they are coming into Australia or whether they are going into Vietnam, going into Thailand, will say the drugs are not mine. It’s the universal excuse … If Schapelle Corby wasn’t a very attractive young lady, the reaction might have been quite different.”
On the AFP abroad “The justice systems are very different to ours. There are issues of corruption, nepotism and wantok [tribal allegiance]. You have to work with and around those systems [in a way] that preserves your integrity.”
On policing “You can get yourself into a routine where you are locking up the same people over and over again and you really don’t believe you are making a difference.”
On multiculturalism “I was brought up in the western suburbs of Sydney in the days when we used to call the local Italian snack bar the wog shop. But all immigrants have given us a rich culture … and what a strength that is.”
On terrorism “We have got to deal with this radicalisation process somewhere along the line. If we don’t, I think we risk having the problem for a lot longer than we might otherwise have it.”
Touch Plate at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra
GREG IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
About 4.20pm on 29 August, 1988 Constable Ashworth and Probationary Constable Currie left the Hornsby Police Station to attend an armed holdup at the West Pennant Hills branch of the National Bank. Whilst travelling along Pennant Hills RoadConstable Ashworth swerved to avoid a stationary semi-trailer at the intersection of Stuart Avenue and collided with a median strip, causing the police vehicle to overturn onto the incorrect side of the roadway and hit an oncoming vehicle. As a result Constable Ashworth sustained severe head and internal injuries and although quickly attended to by Constable Currie, he died a short time later.
The constable was born in 1966 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 29 September, 1986. At the time of his death he was stationed at Pennant Hills.
Event location:
The Holdup alarm, mentioned above, was a ‘false alarm‘.
Greg was aspiring to join the Pennant Hills Police Rescue Squad and, had he not died so early in his career, he was on his way to being nicknames ‘Bluey’ – no doubt a reference to him having red hair.
The accident happened on an uphill left hand curve near the Thornleigh tip.
As was the custom of the day, the vehicle was returned to the police station and was placed outside of the Meal Room at Hornsby Police Station where it was visible through the meal room window – awaiting Mechanical examination, and was visibly stained with blood.
Death Notice was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 31 August 1988.
Senior Constable Shean was sworn into the Queensland Police Force in 1977. He performed duty in both the Darling Downs area and Brisbane before joining the Brisbane Traffic Branch.Senior Constable Shean served in a number of positions including the South Brisbane District Training Office, Brisbane Traffic Camera Office and the Metropolitan South Regional Traffic Adjudication Office before joining the South Brisbane Traffic Branch.
