Stations: ?, Liverpool,Cabramatta, Lismore, West Wyalong
Service: From ? to ?
Awards: ?
Born: ?
Died on: Sunday 24 May 2015 during the p.m.
Cause: Breast Cancer
Age: ?
Funeral date: Monday 1st June 2015
Funeral location: St Pauls Catholic Church, John Street, Camden @ 2.30pm
Buried at: Camden General Cemetery, Cawdor Road, CAMDEN
Bev MORONEY
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On behalf of Former Director of NSW Police Legacy Ken Moroney;
“Dear Friends,
On behalf of Michael and Kim, Peter and Ruth and Andrew and Melissa and our seven grandchildren, may I take this opportunity to thank each of you for your kind and thoughtful comments regarding our dearly loved wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, Beverley. I have been asked over recent days what my best memories are of Bev and the words grace, dignity, and an inner peace immediately come to mind. We will miss that spontaneous laughter, that genuine ability to care for all around her and that dogged determined mind that any task that had to be completed, had to be completed well.
Over the recent years, months and weeks we have watched the great struggle she faced always with cheer and more concern about the welfare of the medical and nursing staff who were caring for her. That was Bev.
Bev had three loves in her life; her family, the NSW Police and her much loved Ronald McDonald House where she felt humbled at being able to do something, anything to help kids and their families who were suffering from illnesses. The boys and I are indebted to many serving and retired colleagues for their kindness towards Bev.
Whilst we are the poorer for her passing, we are the richer for having known her”.
Ken Moroney
A mass service will be held at St Pauls Catholic Church, John Street, Camden on Monday 1st June 2015 at 2:30pm. A Committal service will be held at 4pm at Camden General Cemetery, Cawdor Road, CAMDEN.
At Beverley’s own request, please wear a splash of colour.
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Tara McLAUGHLIN ( TOBIN )
| 25/05/2015
Tara McLAUGHLIN ( TOBIN )
New South Wales Police Force
[alert_yellow]Regd. # 33782[/alert_yellow]
Rank: Senior Constable – posthumously promoted to Sergeant 3rd Class
Stations: ?, Brisbane Water Local Area Command
Service: From? ? 1999to 21 May 2015 = 16+ years Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: ?
Died on: Thursday 21 May 2015 at Royal North Shore Hospital
Cause: Lung Cancer
Age: 39
Funeral date: Thursday 28 May 2015
Funeral location: Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Terrigal
Buried at: ?
Memorial: NSW Police force Service Memorial Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, A7 ( right wall )
Tara McLAUGHLIN
[alert_yellow]TARA is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_yellow] *NEED MORE INFO
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VALE SERGEANT TARA MCLAUGHLIN (TOBIN)
It was with heavy hearts we said farewell to our friend and colleague Sergeant Tara McLaughlin (Tobin).
It has been said that a candle can light a thousand more and not lose any of its brightness. Tara lit our hearts with the brightness of her spirit and made a difference to her community, as a police officer and Director of NSW Police Legacy.
Today ( 25 May 2015 ) we said farewell to Tara but she will not be forgotten. Not here on the Central Coast… not in the rest of the state … and not by generations to come.
Go gently from this place Tara, and know that the light you lit in our hearts will burn forever and your legacy will live on.
A loving wife and mother, a daughter and sister.
A prized friend and colleague.
A member of the New South Wales Police Force.
Our prayers are with you Tara. May you rest in peace
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Senior Constable Tara McLaughlin died from lung cancer in hospital, prompting tributes from comrades
21 May 2015
The Daily Telegraph
THE NSW police community is mourning the death of a senior constable who has succumbed to lung cancer, leaving a husband and two young boys.
Snr Const Tara McLaughlin died this morning at Royal North Shore Hospital and is survived by husband Sean and sons Harry and Flynn.
She was also a former director of the NSW Police Legacy charity, which supports past and present police and families in time of tragedy and need.
A post announcing her death on the NSW Police Legacy Facebook page garnered thousands of comments paying tribute to her life and her service.
Superintendent Commander Daniel Lewis of the Brisbane Water command area paid tribute on his Facebook page, describing Snr Const McLaughlin as a “huge influence” on the organisation and the Police Legacy movement.
“Sean and Tara’s two sons Harry and Flynn will directly benefit from the amazing work done by Tara and as they grow older will come to know just how incredible their mother was as they benefit from the work NSW Police Legacy,” he said.
Snr Const McLaughlin began her career with NSW Police in 1999.
Hi friends – Please read Tara’s story then make a generous donation. Thanks Darren
TARA’S STORY: My name is Tara Tobin and I am very blessed to be married and have two healthy and gorgeous boys. As most parents would attest, a three and four year old, keep us very busy and exhausted most days. So this was one of my symptoms in late 2012, but being a mum and working, I just thought being constantly tired and regularly short of breath was normal.
Life for us changed on the 10th of January 2013, when I was hospitalised with a collapsed lung that had filled with fluid. Life for us changed forever on the 17th January 2013 when I was diagnosed with stage four non small cell Lung Cancer.
Hard to hear the “C” word, but hard to comprehend that it was Lung Cancer as I have never smoked.
So after 18 months of chemotherapy, the cancer HAD metastitised and moved to my liver.
After testing my tissue three times, it was identified that I have the Alk gene which can be treated via oral chemotherapy. This medication is called Crizotinib and is manufactured by Pfizer. Unfortunately at the time my result finally came back positive, the only option available to our family was to self fund this treatment as the drug has not been approved on the PBS. Currently this cost is $8000 inc gst per month.
Currently I have been on this medication for approximately 7 weeks and the scans have shown much improvement. The improvement has flowed on to my life, and my renewed ability to be part of my families life – and put a load of washing on!
Tributes flow for ‘courageous’ lung cancer victim Sergeant Tara McLaughlin
Flynn Tobin farewells his mum, Sergeant Tara McLaughlin (Tobin), during her funeral held at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Terrigal. Picture:Peter Clark
Geraldine Cardozo, Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate
Central Coast police officer Tara McLaughlin, who died of lung cancer last week, was farewelled by hundreds at a moving funeral on Thursday.
The mother-of-two, who helped countless police families through the loss of a loved one, was remembered for her own lasting legacy.
Members of the police community joined family and friends in Terrigal to farewell the 39-year-old who died from lung cancer leaving a husband and two boys.
The much-loved officer, who has been posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant, was attached to Brisbane Water LAC and was also a former director of the NSW Police Legacy charity, which supports past and present police and families in time of tragedy and need.
Proudly donning his mother’s police hat, three-year-old Flynn Tobin watched as hundreds of mourners, including more than 100 police, attended the police funeral with full honours in Terrigal.
Sergeant Tara McLaughlin with her sons Harry and Flynn. Picture: Facebook
Police pallbearers carry the casket of Senior Constable Tara Tobin, during the funeral held at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Terrigal. Picture:Peter Clark
Flanked by a sea of blue uniforms at Our Lady Star of the Sea Chapel at Terrigal Police Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell gave the valedictory for his “caring, compassionate and courageous” friend and colleague.
“Tara was blessed with beautiful personality and had the ability to be admired by many,” he told the packed chapel.
He praised Sergeant McLaughlin’s “determined and honest” nature describing her as someone “who would listen to any problem and had a wonderful sense of humour”.
Hundreds attended the service for Sergeant Tara McLaughlin (Tobin). Picture:Peter Clark
Police legatees who met Sgt McLaughlin through her work with NSW Police Legacy after losing members of their own family when they were young, paid tribute to “a wonderful role model” with a “gorgeous smile and open generous heart”.
“Tara was not simply a police officer but a person who inspired me,” said one. “It is with irony that today we welcome you into our police legatee family.”
Family members farewell Sergeant Tara McLaughlin (Tobin), during her funeral held at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Terrigal. Picture:Peter Clark
Brisbane Water Commander Detective Superintendent Daniel Sullivan, who attended the funeral, said his colleague was a huge influence on the command would be forever remembered.
“Today we said farewell to Tara but she will not be forgotten. Not here on the Central Coast, not in the rest of the state, and not by generations to come,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
“Tara will leave behind a legacy that reaches far beyond the Brisbane Water LAC and into the Police Legacy family. Sean and Tara’s two sons Harry and Flynn will directly benefit from the amazing work done by Tara and as they grow older will come to know just how incredible their mother was as they benefit from the work of NSW Police Legacy.”
A friend speaking on behalf of Sgt McLaughlin’s husband Sean Tobin said she was his “best friend forever” while sister Melanie McLaughlin thanked everyone for the “amazing turnout”.
Sgt McLaughlin joined the NSW Police in 1999 and came to Brisbane Water command 10 years ago.
NSW Police officers march at the Terrigal service. Picture:Peter Clark
Published: 17:20 +11:00, 19 February 2016 | Updated: 20:00 +11:00, 19 February 2016
Channel 10 journalist Mel McLaughlin has revealed that the controversy that raged after her memorable interview with cricketer Chris Gayle was nothing compared to the personal tragedy she has had to cope with.
The Herald Sun reports that the reporter had more serious issues on her mind at the time, as she was still coming to terms with the death of her older sister Tara, 39, to a rare lung cancer in May last year, despite the fact she was not a smoker. Tara was a senior constable with the New South Wales Police.
‘I find it very hard to talk about,’ McLaughlin said. ‘The cancer she had has such a disgusting rate of death.’
She admitted though that it put the whole debate about her interview with Gayle in perspective.
In a live post-match interview with Gayle in January, the cricketer faced a widespread backlash for his ‘inappropriate’ remarks to McLaughlin, telling her she had beautiful eyes and famously quipping ‘don’t blush, baby’.
‘It was just an interview. I can handle myself, I’m fine. Everyone seemed to have an opinion so I just went the other way,’ she said.
‘I know I’m on TV but I’m not about that at all. I’m not in it to be famous and the extra attention horrified me. I love what I do and I’m passionate about it and that’s what’s important. I’ll come across (Gayle) again. It’s work. There’s no problem.’
The Channel 10 reporter was still coming to terms with her sister’s death when the Chris Gayle controversy erupted in January
In January, Gayle (right) faced a widespread backlash for his ‘inappropriate’ remarks to McLaughlin (left), telling her she had beautiful eyes and famously quipping ‘don’t blush, baby’
Gayle later apologised for his remarks and was fined $10,000 by his Big Bash League club, the Melbourne Renegades, for ‘inappropriate conduct’.
However, the story didn’t end there. In the aftermath the sports journalist was thrust into the spotlight once again after offering to buy a former cricketer a drink after she got his name wrong on live TV.
During a post-match segment after the Big Bash clash between the Melbourne Renegades and the Adelaide Strikers last month McLaughlin slipped up and called Mark Waugh by Damien Fleming’s name.
The Channel 10 reporter, Waugh, and fellow panel guest Kevin Pietersen all dissolved into laughter with McLaughlin apologising and joking: ‘I’ll buy you a drink’.
Social media was quick to respond to McLaughlin’s comments, drawing parallels between her remarks and Gayle’s ‘don’t blush baby’, gaffe.
Funeral location: St Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church, 326 High Street, PENRITH
Buried at: ?
Police Officers Wife
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HOPKINS, Marie Janette
Passed away 10th May, 2015.
Late of Penrith.
Beloved wife of Phil. Cherished sister of Brian and a special friend to many.
In God’s Hands MARIE’S family and friends are invited to attend her Requiem Mass to be celebrated at St Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church, High Street, Penrith on Friday, 15th May, 2015 at 10:15am.
Goulburn Evening Penny Post Tuesday 29 January 1884 page 4 of 4
ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING. IN our last issue we reported the accidental shooting of Mrs. Dorman, wife of Constable Dorman, of Bungonia.
News was brought into town on Friday evening that the unfortunate young woman had died early that morning. The following is a report of the inquest held by Mr. Betts at Constable Dorman’s residence, Bungonia, on Saturday, touching the death of the late Mrs. Dorman, the finding of which was “that the said Christina Dorman died from injuries caused by a shot from a revolver fired by Walter Dorman, and that such firing was purely accidental.”
Walter Dorman deposed; The body just viewed by the coroner and jury is that of my wife, Christina Dorman ; I am a mounted constable stationed at Bungonia ; I have been in the force about two years, and I have been living at Bungonia about three months ; deceased was 23 years of age last February ; we had been married about nine months ; the day before yesterday, the 24th instant, about half.past 11 am, I went out with a man of Mr. Styles’ to inquire as to a fire which had occurred at Mr. Chas. Styles’ place ; from there I went to Woods, and then came home ; I found deceased at home and two of the Miss Broadheads’ were with her ; I came inside ; after having my dinner I came into the sitting room and sat down at the table ; I took a pair of handcuffs from my pocket and laid them on the table ; the oldest Miss Broadhead said “you have not much use for them here;” my wife said ” no, this is a very quiet station ;” each of them took the hand cuffs and put them on their wrists and tried to get them on and off while locked ; my wife then said “show the Miss Broadheads your other instruments, Walter – your sword and revolver;” I said “all right;” I went into the bedroom and got the revolver ; I came to the table ; there were six cartridges in the revolver, that is one in each chamber ; I emptied four chambers and then went on talking ; I was in the act of preparing to take the fifth cartridge out when deceased said ” Oh, don’t you remember you have only four in it ?” : I said “Oh yes, you’re right;” ; I then closed the stem and closed the cap and reversed the revolver ; I then held the revolver pointing towards the floor and looked through to see if it was empty ; I could see nothing and thought it was empty : I then raised it and said ” Now, I have got you all;” I pointed the revolver first at the wall and then at one of the Miss Broadheads and passed it round, pulling the trigger ; after I pointed it at the second Miss Broadhead my wife said, “Oh, don’t point it at anybody ;” just as she said this I was in the act of pointing it at her ; the revolver went off and I saw my wife sinking back in her chair ; the next instant I saw blood coming from the side of her neck, and I said “Oh, good God, I have shot my wife ; ” I ran to her assistance ; I felt her neck where the blood was spurting from it ; I could feel the bullet under the skin ; the Miss Broadheads ran out crying, and I called to them to bring in Mr Armstrong ; I worked the bullet out with my thumb from where the wound was and I now produce it ; the bullet is considerably out of shape and appears to .have come in contact with some hard substance ; I afterwards saw a hole in my wife’s dress below the elbow ; I pulled up her sleeve and found there was a wound as if the bullet had passed through the flesh of the arm ; the wound on the neck was on the right side about two inches below the ear ; at the time I pointed the revolver at deceased she put up her arm, and it was just at that instant the revolver went off ; I was sitting on a chair at the time I fired, and the other three was sitting also ; I stopped the bleeding as well as I could until Mr. James Armstrong came in ; I told him I had shot my wife, and asked him to send for a doctor ; Joseph Armstrong was at once sent to Goulburn for a doctor, and I told them the horse was fit to travel, and not to spare him ; I remained with my wife, supporting her on an easy chair, until the doctor arrived – in about three hours and three quarters afterwards ; my wife appeared to be insensible for about a quarter of an hour after receiving the shot ; she then called and spoke to me ; Dr. McKillop remained about an hour, and then came again in about another hour and stayed until about eleven o’clock, when he returned to Goulburn; he gave me directions what to do ; he told me it was a very dangerous case, and that there was paralysis of the lower parts, but that with great care deceased might pull through ; I asked him if he need come out again, but he said not unless we noticed any change, and that I could send in to him and report ; I attended to deceased all night ; at about midnight Sub-inspector Fenton arrived, and he remained with me some time ; he took a statement from my wife ; she was quite sensible and conscious at the time, and knew perfectly well what she was saying ; about 3 am deceased said she felt a curious sensation in her throat ; I gave her some essence of lemon in some water, which seemed to relieve her a little, and after this she became feverish ; she complained again several times about her throat ; about half past nine deceased’s father and mother and sister arrived ; I took them in to see deceased; she recognised them all ; deceased’s mother was very excited, and made a great noise ; deceased asked me what the noise was, and said she felt so frightened ; she then sank back upon her pillow and never rallied ; she died at ten minutes past eleven on Friday morning : about a fortnight since I loaded the six chambers of the revolver, and the same day I fired two shots at a native bear ; after I came home I put the revolver in the bedroom, and my wife must have seen that there, were only four cartridges in it, or I may have told her that I had fired two shots at the bear ; I usually had the six chambers loaded ; a day or two after shooting at the bear, I came across two loose cartridges in my box, and put them in the revolver, but I had forgotten that I did so, and when my wife said ” Don’t you know there are only four cartridges in it,” and l believed that it was so ; when I pointed the revolver at the Misses Broadhead and my wife I fully believed it was empty ; my wife and I lived very happily, and had no quarrel ; I was perfectly sober, and had not tasted anything in the way of drink that day ; the paralysis of deceased’s body extended all below the breast, and it continued up to the time of her death ; my wife saying there were only four cartridges in it put me off my guard, and if she had not said so I should have examined the revolver more carefully.
Ellen Broadhead deposed: I am the daughter of William Broadhead, and live at Brisbane Meadow; on Thursday last about four o’clock I and my sister Sarah came to see Mrs. Dorman ; in a quarter of an hour afterwards her husband came home, and we were sitting in the room ; after Dorman had his dinner he came and sat in the same room with us ; he put a pair of handcuffs on the table, and after we had looked at them Dorman went out of the room ; he returned with a revolver in his hand; he handed it to me ; I saw it was loaded, and told him to take it back ; he said, ” I’ll unload it for you, then, and you can have a lok.at it;” he then kept hammering it on the table, and took some cartridges out ; I asked him if it was a six chambered revolver, and just then the fourth cartridge dropped out ; Mrs. Dorman then interrupted him, and she said, “o, don’t you remember there were only four in ti ; ” Dorman said, ” O, yes, you are right ” Dorman gave the revolver two or three raps more on the table, and seemed to he looking through it ; he then said, ” I’ll show you now that’s there’s none in it, ” and he pointed into the corner of the room, and snapped the trigger ; he then pointed the revolver at my sister, and snapped the trigger again ; then the same with me ; and then he did the same at the deceased ; the revolver went off add immediately afterwards Dorman said, “O, she is shot;” just as the revolver went off deceased put up her arm and said, ” O, don’t ;” I saw blood coming from deceased’s neck she sank bab in her chair; and did not speak; Dorman said, ” O, run for Mr. Armstrong, ” and my sister and both ran out. Acting Sub-Inspector Fenton deposed: On Thursday night last I came to Bungonia, and arrived at the Police station at about half-past 11 pm ; I previously saw Dr. McKillop at Garard’s public house ‘ from what he told me I concluded he had but little hopes of deceased recovering ; I then came to Constable Dorman’s residence at the Police station ; I saw him and he showed me into the room where his wife was lying in bed ; she seemed very weak, but was able to speak and was conscious ; she made some statement to me in the presence of her husband as to how she received the injury ; I asked her if it would distress her to make a statement to me which I could take down in writing, and she said ” No;” she then, in her husband’s presence, made a statement which I reduced to writing and now produce; I read it over to her after taking it; she replied it was right; Dorman was present the whole time, and I invited him to sign it, which he did. and I also signed it; deceased was not fit to sign it and I knew that her arms were paralysed (statement read to the jury): Constable Dorman made no remark after the statement was read, but he subsequently told me he was glad it had been taken. James Armstrong, of Bungonia, was also examined. ‘The following is the statement of Christlina Dorman as given in Acting Sud. lnspector Fenton’s evidence -” I am very ill, but I hope I shall get better; I have been married to my present husband, Constable Walter Dorman, about nine months, and during that time we have lived happily together; about noon yesterday, the 24th day of January, 1884, my husband went away on duty and returned soon after 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon, and on his return the two Miss Broadheads were with me ; my husband’s dinner was ready for him, and after having his dinner he joined the Miss Broadheads and myself in the parlour ; he then took his handcuffs out of his pocket and placed them on the table; I do not know the Miss Broadhead’s christian names, but one of them remarked that he had not much use for them here (meaning Bungonia) ; we all tried the handcuffs on; I then told my husband to bring his sword and other instruments, and he brought his revolver from the bedroom, and unloaded four chambers of it ; I then said I thought that was all that was loaded ; he then looked into the revolver and said he believed that was, and then laughingly’ said, “Now I have got you all,” and pointed the revolver at one of the Miss Broadheads and then at the other, and each time snapped the revolver, and the third time he snapped it at me, and as be was pointing it I said don’t point that at anybody, and at the same time I held up my arm (my right arm) ; I then heard the discharge of the revolver but felt nothing and immediately after I saw I was bleeding from the neck, I then heard my husband say, ‘Oh, my God, I have shot my wife,’ and he asked the Miss Broadheads to go for Mr. Armstrong and began to cry, and he extracted the bullet from the right aide ol my neck and was trying to stop the bleeding and I became faint and was unable to speak for some time ; my husband was soon afterwards assisted by Mr. James Armstrong and others who remained with me off and on till Dr. McKillop arrived ; ‘I never knew my husband to present his revolver at anyone before yesterday ; he was then perfectly sober, as he is now, and I am satisfied the wounding of me was purely an accident, and that he believed, as I did, that there were only 4 chambers of his revolver loaded, in fact I saw a few days ago that there were only four of the chambers loaded, and that was why I remarked when he took the four bullets out of the revolver that was all there was in it ; I am perfectly sensible, but I have no feeling in my arms or lower part of my body.” .
Goulburn Evening Penny Post Thursday 31 January 1884 page 4 of 4
BUNGONIA. THE peacefullness of our little township has been greatly disturbed by a series of melancholy events which have taken place during the last week.
On Tuesday last, a son of Mr. James Armstrong’s tripped while running, and falling on one arm broke it at the elbow. The little fellow was immediately taken to Goulburn, where the limb was set by Dr. Morton, and I am pleased to say the patient is progressing favourably.
The fatal gun accident which happened to Mrs. Dorman, an accurate account of which was given in your edition of Saturday last, continues fresh in the minds of the people here, and everyone sympathises with Mr. Dorman in his sad bereavement. On Sunday morning about 11 o’clock an infant daughter of Mr. James Armstrong, died. The poor child was six weeks of age and had been ailing almost since her birth. Owing to the continued dry weather and scarcity of good water, many persons here are suffering from diarrhoe ; colds also ale prevalent in consequence of the sudden change which took place in the atmosphere.
Commenced Training at Goulburn Police Academy on Monday 2 May 2005? with Class # ???
Rank: Probationary Constable – appointed ? ? ?
Constable – appointed ? ? ?
Stations: Wollongong – Death
Service: From ? 2005 to 20 April 2008 = 3 years Service
Awards: ?
Born: Wednesday 26 May 1976
Died on: Sunday 20 April 2008
Cause: Injuries received in a motor vehicle accident – Off Duty
Event location: Picton Rd, Cataract Dam
Age: 31 years, 10 months, 25 days
Funeral date: Tuesday 29 April 2008
Funeral location: St Agatha’s Church, Pennant Hills, at 11am on Tuesday
Buried at: North Rocks Cemetery, North Rocks Rd, North Rocks, NSW ( with her Mother – Ann )
Grave location: Sect. B, Row 8, Grave 2
GPS -33.768712, 151.040709
Engaged just two days … Elise Krejci.
ELISE is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance * NOT JOB RELATED
Grave location:
Herald Sun 22 April 2008
Elise couldn’t wait to tell her news to police mates
WITH a new engagement ring worn proudly on her finger, Elise Krejci could not wait to return to work to share the news with her police colleagues.
After accepting a romantic Gold Coast proposal from boyfriend and workmate Brett Wright on Saturday, the 31-year-old Wollongong constable was rostered back on duty at 6.30am yesterday.
But Constable Krejci did not make it back to work to share her happy news as she was killed in a road crash on Sunday.
And the popular officer’s engagement ring was locked in a safe at Wollongong police station, removed from her finger by a numbed colleague.
Constable Krejci was returning home from a week-long holiday with Senior-Constable Wright and his three children – aged seven, 10, and 13 – when the Holden Commodore she was driving slammed head-on into a Ford Fiesta at Cataract in Sydney’s southwestern outskirts, killing her instantly.
As Sen-Constable Wright, 36, remained in a serious condition with spinal injuries at Wollongong Hospital, family and colleagues yesterday spoke of the cruel twist of fate that robbed of a life together. Stephen Krejci told The Daily Telegraph how his younger sister had phoned home overjoyed at her engagement after Sen-Constable Wright’s proposal on Saturday.
The couple had been together for about a year and Constable Krejci was excited about becoming a stepmother.
“She was so happy about it (the engagement). Everyone was very happy,” Mr Krejci, 38, said.
“They were planning on building a house in Wollongong. They had bought the land and had it all planned out. They had everything to look forward to.
“It’s just a tragedy. She was such a warm, friendly person. We’re all a bit numb.”
Mr Krejci said his sister, who would have turned 32 on June 3, joined the police about four years ago. She was following in the footsteps of her younger sister Anna, who worked at Wollongong police as a school liaison officer.
She was working in the same 20-officer general duties team as Sen-Constable Wright and cherished being close to her sister – two girls in a family of five brothers.
“She transferred to Wollongong only a few years ago to be close to her family and friends,” Mr Krejci said.
“That’s where she met Brett. They’d been together about a year. I just hope that he can recover.”
Colleagues, including officers who attended the crash site on Picton Rd, near Cataract dam, remained in shock with a chaplain and psychologist offering counselling.
Wollongong crime manager Inspector Mark Lavers said Constable Krejci “was such a lovely girl. We have 240 people here and a lot of them will be upset.”
Police believe that the crash occurred after Constable Krejci’s Holden Commodore hit a patch of water and aquaplaned into the Ford Fiesta in heavy weather.
Sen-Constable Wright’s three children escaped the crash unhurt.
The driver of the Ford, a 23-year-old Lurnea man, was flown to Liverpool Hospital with hip, leg and facial injuries.
A female passenger in that car was taken to St George Hospital in a stable condition.
The crash yesterday, and right, Elise Krejci. Photo: David Tease and Syliva Liber
Daniel Emerson
April 21, 2008 – 9:34AM
A policewoman who yesterday died in a traffic crash that seriously injured her partner, a fellow officer, became engaged to be married two days ago, their commanding officer has revealed.
Constable Elise Krejci, 31, and Senior-Constable Brett Wright, both attached to Wollongong local area command, were travelling along Picton Road at Cataract at about 1pm yesterday when their Holden Commodore collided with a Ford Fiesta.
Constable Wright’s three children were in the back of the car and suffered minor injuries.
Constable Wright remains in a serious but stable condition in Liverpool Hospital with a fractured hip and spine and internal bleeding.
“I just found out they were engaged two days ago,” he said.
Inspector Lavers said Wollongong highway patrol officers who did not work with the pair were first on the scene.
Command of the crash scene was transferred to Illawarra police and crash investigation officers as soon as possible to reduce the trauma for officers who had worked with the police couple.
Wollongong officers have received counselling.
“We have had psychologists and police chaplains at the station,” Inspector Lavers said.
He said the deceased officer, from Shellharbour, was very popular.
“She’s a lovely girl and a good officer,” Inspector Lavers said. “We never had to chase her up for her work. She was well respected by her peers and senior management.”
Constable Krejci was first stationed at Wollongong in December 2005,
Police said the 23-year-old driver of the other car, a Ford Fiesta with L-plates, suffered hip, leg and facial injuries, and was taken to Liverpool Hospital in a stable condition. His female passenger was taken to St George Hospital.
The Illawarra Mercury today quoted the officers’ team leader, Inspector Brian Wyver, saying each of the five teams at Wollongong Police were made up of 20 officers and camaraderie in the teams was strong.
“She has been in the police for about two years and she was well-liked and it was a close team,” he said. “Brett was her fiancé and he is on that team as well . . . it’s just a sad day.
“Morale is always good and this is where they really get behind each other.
“It’s a sad day and they are dealing with it in their own way.”
Inspector Wyver said Constable Krejci enjoyed bush walking with Constable Wright and others in the team.
He said they both had family in the Wollongong area and that Constable Krejci’s sister, Anna, was a school liaison officer with Wollongong Police.
We had that perfect love, says killed cop’s fiancé; Elise Krejci
Fond memories … Brett Wright and Elise Krejci with Brett’s three children.
HE calls her his soulmate and just 10 days ago Brett Wright was ecstatic when a smitten Elise Krejci agreed to become his wife.
The Wollongong policeman was yesterday lying in hospital with a broken back and his “perfect” woman’s engagement ring hanging from his neck as he bravely prepared a eulogy for the love he cruelly lost in a road crash.
Six days after Constable Krejci was killed as the couple returned from a family holiday, Senior-Constable Wright spoke for the first time about the “wife” he planned to spend his life with.
“We had that absolute perfect, beautiful, wonderful, true love. We were true soulmates,” the 36-year-old told The Daily Telegraph from his Wollongong hospital bed.
“Elise was the perfect partner in every way. She lived to please me and I lived to please her and that’s what made us happiest. We spent virtually every moment together from the time we got together until Sunday.
“Every day was perfect. I’m so fortunate to have had my time with her.”
The couple met when Constable Krejci moved to Wollongong two years ago. They had a fairytale romance, moving in together two days after their first kiss during a holiday with colleagues last September.
When Sen-Constable Wright gave his 31-year-old love a commitment ring a month later, she immediately placed it on her wedding finger and began calling him her husband.
That destiny was to be fulfilled, with the couple already booking their church and reception, before Sen-Constable Wright proposed 10 days ago.
Yesterday, the grieving officer spoke of memories of their final days and plans for children, before their car slammed head-on into another vehicle, driven by a learner driver at Cataract, just 20 minutes from their Wollongong home.
Choking back tears, Sen-Constable Wright said he was feeding his fiancee a mandarin when the car hit water on Picton Rd and collided with oncoming traffic.
He passed out for several minutes before waking to find Constable Krejci dead and his children, Sarah, 13, Renee, 10, and Matthew, 7, crying in shock.
“I just remember the car started to aquaplane and I could see us sliding towards the other car and thinking ‘this is not good’, then I think I passed out and the next thing I woke up and the car was on its side,” he said.
“It happened so fast, one minute we were laughing and sharing a mandarin and then . . .”
The policeman, who will deliver a eulogy from a stretcher at Constable Krejci’s funeral on Tuesday, broke down as he showed photographs of their engagement and final holiday together.
The couple had driven to the Gold Coast with Sen-Constable Wright’s children, spending a day at Movie World and soaking up the sun, before going to Port Douglas on April 15, where the wedding proposal occurred.
“It was just the most perfect day. I’m just glad we were given that last holiday with the family,” he said.
“We were brought safely all the way back to Wollongong and when we were back she was taken.
“But I believe she was taken because there’s another purpose for her. She’s got other things to do now and I believe I was left behind because I’ve still got the kids to look after.
“When my time is finished I know that she’ll be up there waiting for me. She’ll probably say something along the lines of: ‘What took you so long?’
“That’s what I believe. To believe anything else would be too painful.”
Sen-Constable Wright said, although his back and hip were broken, his spinal cord was not damaged and he was determined to return to work at Wollongong, where a plaque will be erected to commemorate Constable Krejci. He also vowed to build their dream home on the block of land in Wollongong’s south.
“I’ll do everything the way we planned, I know she’ll be looking down.”
A Requiem Mass will be held for Constable Krejci at St Agatha’s Church, Pennant Hills, at 11am on Tuesday, followed by a burial service at The North Rocks Cemetery.
The Daily Telegraph 30 April 2008
On stretcher Brett Wright lays true love Elise to rest
True love … Policeman Brett Wright and his fiancee Elise Krejci.
True love … police officer Brett Wright on stretcher at the funeral of his fiancee Elise Krejci. Picture: Channel 9
True love … a photograph of policewoman Elise Krejci adorns her coffin. Picture: Channel 9
WHAT began as the hardest journey Brett Wright would ever make ended, fittingly, in an emotional send-off for Elise Krejci, his “perfect, beautiful, wonderful, true love”.
The Wollongong policeman and father-of-three travelled by ambulance from Wollongong Hospital to St Agatha’s Catholic Church in Pennant Hills yesterday, where he joined family and friends at his fiancee’s funeral.
Speaking from a hospital bed and supported by emergency services personnel, Senior Constable Wright spoke for almost 20 minutes about his love for Constable Krejci, his “soulmate”.
He is still recovering from injuries to his spine, lung and ribs, which he sustained in the accident that killed Constable Krejci, 31, on April 20.
The couple was returning from a family holiday on the Gold Coast with his three children when the Holden Commodore she was driving collided with a Ford Fiesta on a wet and slippery Picton Rd.
She had accepted his proposal of marriage a day earlier and couldn’t wait to return to work to share the news with colleagues and friends.
Yesterday, the 200-strong crowd also heard a series of other tributes from a number of Constable Krejci’s friends and relatives, including her sister Anna, brother Paul and 13-year-old step-daughter Sarah.
Her duty officer, Detective Inspector Brian Wyver, said she had become an integral and essential part of his team, despite having being stationed in Wollongong for only a relatively short time.
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, who attended the funeral, said Constable Krejci’s family had supported each other through the death of her mother Elaine, who succumbed to ovarian cancer in 1999.
Their “strength and stoicism” was again evident yesterday, he said.
“All in all, it was one of the tearier and more emotional funerals I’ve been to but when you lose one of your own, it becomes doubly sad,” he said.
“Elise was a beautiful girl – very stunning in appearance, well-travelled, well-educated and very respected. She was a teacher and a nurse, and then she joined us.”
Mr Scipione said he had been struck by the courage of Constable Krejci’s father Ernie. “The tragedy, when you reflect upon what’s happened here is that no parent should ever have to bury one of their children – the time is not right,” he said.
“She has left this Earth far too early, at 31, and certainly we’re much poorer, as an organisation, for having lost her but at least we knew her and in terms of policing, she was an important part of the landscape wherever she worked.”
Funeral location: White Lady Funerals, 270 Kelvin Grove Road, Kelvin Grove, Qld
Buried at: ?
MEMORIAL SERVICE:
Being held, Friday 24 April 2015 at the Cammeray Golf Club, Park Ave, Cammeray, NSW, from 11.30am – 2pm
Memorial Gathering location:
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[alert_blue]SANDRA is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_blue] * NOT JOB RELATED
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Funeral location: ?
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KOVAC, Sandra Robyn
(nee Rowland).
Sadly passed away on 12.04.2015
Aged 73 Years
Beloved wife of Steve. Cherished mother and mother-in-law of Steven and Jane, and Michael and Kate. Adored Nan of Lucinda, Angus, Lachlan, Indigo, Ruby and Ede.
Will be sadly missed by all her family and friends.
A Memorial Service for SANDRA will be held on the 24th of April from 11.30am to 2.30pm at Cammeray Golf Club, Park Avenue, Cammeray.
Kelvin Grove 3356 1784
An Australian Company
Published in The Sydney Morning Herald on Apr. 15, 2015
XVI.- KING’S POLICE MEDAL AND IMPERIAL SERVICE MEDAL.
His Excellency the State Governor presented the King’s Police Medal and Imperial Service Medal to several Police Officers and retired members of the Force on the 3rd June, 1937. The presentation ceremony was carried out on the lawn in the precincts of Government House grounds. The medals were distributed as indicated hereunder: –
King’s Police Medal.
…..
…..
Imperial Service Medal
For long Service marked by merit.-
…..
…..
….. and Ex-Matron Mary Dunne, to whom the Imperial Service Medal was awarded, were unable to attend at Government House on this occasion, and other arrangements were made to hand their medals over to them.
…….
Your faithfully,
W. J. MACKAY,
Commissioner of Police.
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In 1962, the NSW Police Force comprised of 6139 members – 5336 Policemen, 58 Policewomen, 175 Police Cadets, 5 Police Trackers, 4 Police Matrons, 109 Special Parking Police, 30 Special Constables and 422 Administrative Officers.
Prince Henry Hospital had close relationships with Long Bay Gaol, with the prisoners growing various vegetables and making the bread for the patients and nursing staff. It also was the hospital for Long Bay Gaol prisoners.
Ironically, it was the designated police hospital used by many of the NSW police members who at times of limited bed capacity and 99per cent patient occupancy, found themselves sharing bathroom space with prisoners.
