Awards: National Medal – granted on 22 August 1980
1st Clasp to the National Medal – granted on 3 September 1985
Born: 27 March 1937
Died 2 December 2014
Age: 77
Funeral date: 5 December 2014 @ 10am
Funeral location:
St Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church, Cnr. Higgins Lane and High Street, PENRITH.
Grave location: ?
With regret I advise the death of Brian Bernard RASSMUSSEN, 77 old, former Regd. No. 9115, not an RPA member of South Penrith.
Brian passed away on 02/12/2014 and his funeral is proposed to be held at 1000Hrs Friday 5th Instant at St Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church, Cnr. Higgins Lane and High Street, Penrith.
Location of Church Service:
Kristine WOODS
| 03/12/2014
Kristine WOODS nee BUTT
( late of Cherrybrook & Ryde )
New South Wales Police Force
Original Regd. # 25??? ( joined around 1988 )
Rejoinee Regd. # 33682 ( rejoined in 1998 )
Rank: Senior Constable
Stations: Eastwood
Service: ( 1 ) From ???to ??? = ? years Service
( 2 ) Rejoinee – From? ? 1998 to 21 March 2002 = ? years Service
Awards: ? – Nil on It’s an Honour
Born: 29 January 1969
Died: 21 March 2002
Age: 33
Cause: Suicide – Service pistol to chest – inside Eastwood Police Station
Funeral date: Tuesday 26 March 2002 @ 1pm
Funeral location: St Charles Catholic Church, 582 Victoria Rd, Ryde
Grave location: ?
Kristine is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
]
List of the fallen should include all the victims
Date
LETTERS
Lest we forget … Police Remembrance Day. Photo: Robert Pearce
Another week, another death of a citizen at the hands of the NSW Police (”High noon at Castle Hill”, September 30). It’s a week which saw the inquest into the police shooting of Adam Salter inside his own home; a week which saw a teenage victim of robbery shot in the stomach by another cop. And now we are led to believe that a man who apparently travelled to a police station needed to be pumped full of bullets in order to be subdued. Who goes towards a police station to make trouble?
All this in the same week that Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione led his officers in another Remembrance Day for his fallen comrades, the list of which is displayed on the NSW Police website as an honour roll. The list omits the name of Senior Constable Kristine Woods, who died by her own hand on duty at Eastwood Police Station. In fact, almost the only Google reference to Ms Woods is a Hansard entry.
The NSW Police don’t list the names of innocent citizens its own members have killed. When yet another member of the public is gunned down by a blue shirt, we hear that “the officer is receiving counselling and support”. No mention is ever made of any counselling offered to the family or friends of the real victim. The bitter juxtaposition of all these events seems to have also missed the media.
A decade after the police royal commission revealed systemic corruption, the NSW Police Force is now more powerful, more numerous and less accountable than ever.
v. KRISTINE WOODS Constable Woods was stationed at Eastwood. In November 2001 Woods and her husband divorced and shared joint custody rights over their two children. In March 2002 Woods committed suicide at work.
Mr TINK (Epping) [3.38 p.m.]: I draw the attention of the House to the Epping Youth Development Group, otherwise known as the Shack. Following the compilation of a youth-at-risk study reflecting the needs of local Epping youth the Shack was found in 1992 by a group of concerned local residents, churches and businessmen. They have been operating from a disused scout hall that was converted into a counselling and recreation facility at that time. The Shack has to be seen to be believed—it is just that. There are exciting plans for a new building. The management committee, which meets monthly, comprises 10 members from the local community who voluntarily support the administration of the Shack.The Shack provides free and confidential service, home visits, counselling, family support, court support, resumé assistance, job board, youth and school liaison, health education, Centrelink assistance and referrals. The Manager of the Shack, Darlene Keenan, is an inspiration and is assisted by one other person. In the last 12 months the Shack has provided more than 800 hours of counselling for 385 people, 111 hours of court support to 44 people, 422 hours of home visits involving 127 people and many other sundry services. To try to move away from the statistics and into what the program is really about, I will read from what Darlene had to say in the annual report:
Family breakdown, separation from parents, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, sexual assault, suicide, teenage pregnancy, neglect, lack of education, unemployment and homelessness, and cultural beliefs are common issues affecting our young people in life altering ways. Behaviour is also very changeable and very real whilst any of these factors are alive.
High expectations in regard to education has seen many clients showing signs of stress where counselling has been necessary to keep self-esteem tuned. Young people suspended have further problems if they link with idle peers.
Intervention for our young showing suicidal tendencies has seen much progress in positive ways this year. Teenagers are scared, fragile and limited to rise above these very real emotions. Having positive referrals for extra support has proven to be a healing ingredient whilst temptations are being tested. Those wanting to resolve their fears and pain through suicide are just so entrenched with pain and overloaded with many challenges.
This lady and her supporters really work miracles. They are working at the very hard business end of youth at risk, so much so that their program is being copied elsewhere. The Rotary Club of Lindfield is setting up another Shack under the same program and principles. This is policing at its absolute best. I pay tribute to the links between Eastwood police and this operation. Constable Tim Drury, the Youth Liaison Officer from Eastwood police, has made a fantastic effort. Senior Constable Kristine Woods, who unfortunately took her own life at Eastwood police station, was an outstanding supporter of the Shack and did great work at all times with youth in the area. Senior Constable Rowena Thompson, Sergeant Jacky Lilley and Sergeant Bob Porter—who I understand is about to retire from the New South Wales Police Service—do magnificent work. It is an example of how our police and community workers can work together to make a difference for kids who are at high risk of ending up on the wrong side of the law.
It is important to note that the Shack would not be celebrating 10 years of effort in the community without the support of St Albans Church and Reverend John Cornish, and the tremendous support previously given by the former chairman, Mr Alan Gurman and Cathy Sanderson. The present chairman, Mr Ray Miles, from Associated Planners, provides unstinting support. The support through the church and its work in the area and a diverse range of clubs—the Rotary Club of Thornleigh, the Epping RSL and community club and all the voluntary groups and church groups throughout the area—for the operation must be seen to be believed. The Shack is presenting final plans to St Albans Church for approval for a rebuild. Preliminary approval for the plans has already been given to the initial sketches provided by the church. I wish the Shack well. I am delighted to be associated with it and with a program that really supports the kids at risk and, in doing so, takes some risks itself. It is to be commended for its work. [Time expired.]
Mr FACE (Charlestown—Minister for Gaming and Racing, and Minister Assisting the Premier on Hunter Development) [3.43 p.m.]: I thank the honourable member for Epping for bringing this matter to the notice of the House. It reinforces what I said a few moments ago about volunteers, Charity Awareness Week, and people who put so much effort and time into serving other people within our community. Although I am not directly aware of the group’s activities, because it started towards the end of the time that I was the chairman of police youth clubs in this State, I know that it was one of the more diverse organisations that was helping kids, particularly recedivist kids and youth at risk that a lot of other organisations were not prepared to help. That was at a time when the police youth club movement was moving away, to some degree, from completely structured organisations and what the original youth clubs were set up for, which has been of considerable benefit.
This is another great effort of a community accepting its responsibility to ensure that it is able to contend with people who, in many cases, are less fortunate than others. They are not always people from lower socioeconomic circumstances. It can be a result of communication breakdowns regardless of where they sit in the social strata. During my time as chairman of the police youth clubs I became aware that many kids were lonely and in need of someone to put a hand out to them—some of them were from the so-called better areas of my electorate and other parts of this State. The Shack is doing a great deal of good work. The community is to be congratulated on its efforts.
[10.20 p.m.]: Tonight I speak on the dereliction of policing services in the Ryde area. While the Commissioner of Police, Peter Ryan, was seeing the sights of Athens, the people in the Ryde area were suffering from an ill-equipped police force and falling police numbers. The Minister for Police said that all police, including the commissioner, would be involved in regular street patrols, but while Commissioner Ryan takes time out to see the sights of Salt Lake City or to pay a visit to the Parthenon, the people of Ryde are being neglected with a diminishing police presence.
On 6 March the
Northern District Times
reported that police would be having a three-day operation in the West Ryde area, getting to know the people and letting them know that they are out and about. For three days people in the West Ryde area got to know who some of the officers that served and protected them were, but a month later the question is: Where are they now? For three days in March the citizens of West Ryde got to see some police patrolling their streets but now they have been taken away, back to their desks perhaps or to other poorly equipped areas. Maybe the police were merely there for the show, to appease the community’s justified concerns about the level of crime. However, having a three-day operation does not show that the police are serious about maintaining a real presence on the streets.
Late last month a 16-year-old boy walking through Boronia Park in Ryde was assaulted and had his mobile phone and wallet stolen by two men, one of whom punched him in the back of the head. On 28 March a security guard was badly beaten during a ram-raid at the Fujitsu warehouse in North Ryde. Perhaps Commissioner Ryan should spend less time on his passion of Olympic security consulting in Athens and visit the streets of West Ryde, where there is still a marked lack of police. Perhaps he will be sent there around the time of the next election for a day trip, but there needs to be a genuine lift in the level of service for the people of the Ryde area long before then.
Police are desperately needed by the community, and after the tragic murder of Constable Glenn McEnallay and the suicide of Senior Constable Kristine Woods at Eastwood police station on 21 March, it is time for Commissioner Ryan to show some leadership and to help the police force get back to the basics of serving the community. Police are needed on the streets to fight crime, not for three-day operations that merely serve as a political stunt, similar to the stunt that was viewed by all in the Auburn by-election last year.
On 12 December 2001, the West Ryde Chamber of Commerce wrote to the honourable member for Ryde regarding police numbers, the lack of patrols in the area and the physical remoteness of West Ryde from Gladesville police station—Gladesville being the station that serves the people of West Ryde. What was the result? Merely the three-day operation I have referred to that took place early in March, not a real commitment to increasing police numbers and improving the quality of service. The police Minister likes to make an announcement almost daily about his finesse in fighting crime, but when it comes down to it, when we see where the promises are allegedly being acted upon, the result is disappointment—like the disappointment for the people of the Ryde area.
Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis, who was appointed commander of Gladesville police station in January this year, is the sixth commander of the station in the past four years. Police in Gladesville must find it difficult to do an effective job with so many different commanders, no doubt all of whom have a different way of performing their job, different ideas and different ways of running the station. The residents of Ryde are being punished because of the commissioner’s inability to appoint a commander who will serve the community for a long period. Superintendent Katsogiannis has been appointed only until 31 December this year. Why has he not been given a longer contract? Clearly, Commissioner Ryan has very little faith in his local area commanders. This must be a terrible thing for police morale, prohibiting them from getting on with the job.
The people of the Ryde area need some stability and a serious police commitment on the streets so that levels of crime are reduced. People are still unsafe on the streets of Ryde. This clearly demonstrates that policing must be taken more seriously and that greater police numbers should be on the streets. There needs to be a genuine and substantial police presence in the Ryde area, not merely a passing show in the hope of buying a few votes for next year’s election.
Funeral: Friday 5 December 2014 at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church,
Day St, Wentworth Falls.
With regret I advise the death of Charles John ‘Charlie’ STARR, 75 old, former Regd. No. 10157, a member of the Penrith Blue Mountains Branch of the RPA.
Charlie passed away 0n 29/11/2014 and his funeral is proposed to be held at 11.30am on Friday 6 December at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Day Street, WENTWORTH FALLS.
[alert_blue]Charlie is not mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_blue]
Location of Church Service:
Mark HUNT
| 03/12/2014
Mark HUNT
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. #
Detective ?
Resigned in 1999
Stations: Albury
Awards: ?
Served: From ? To ?
Born: 19 January 1965
Died 22 November 2014
Age: 49
Cause: Illness – suicide
Funeral: 28 November 2014 @ 11.45am.
St. Catherines Laboure, Gymea, Sydney
[alert_yellow]Mark is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_yellow]
Mark HUNT, former Detective from Albury Police Station, who resigned in 1999, passed away this past weekend.
Rest In Peace ” Hunter “.
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Location of Church Service:
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Craig Richard HUGHES
| 03/12/2014
Craig Richard HUGHES
aka ‘ The Ghost Buster ‘ & ‘ Hughsie ‘
Goulburn Police Academy Class 227
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 23935
Rank: Probationary Constable – appointed 26 June 1987
Constable – appointed 26 June 1988
Senior Constable
Discharged in 2000
Stations: Blacktown, Merrylands, Parramatta HWP, possibly attached to K District HWP
Service: From? ? pre June 1987 to 15 July 2001 = 14+ years Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: 1 August 1959
Died: 15 July 2001
Cause: Suicide – carbon monoxide ( car fumes ) at Lower Portland Cemetery
( left a suicide note about how ” the job ” took him. )
Age: 41
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Memorial location 1: Lower Portland General Cemetery, Lower Portland, NSW ( location of death )
Other Denominations section, Row 1, Plot 2
Grave location 1:
Pinegrove Memorial Park
Location:Peace Rose Gardens
Section:Rose Garden
Lot:Right 23 ( Pinegrove Memorial Pk have Lot: Right 37 )
Lat/Lng: -33.78903, 150.84660
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ON THIS MEMBER.
Craig is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance* BUT SHOULD BE
Memorial marker as the place of death of Craigh HUGHES, Lower Portland General Cemetery, Lower Portland, NSW Other Denominations section Row 1 plot Craig HUGHES 21.8.59 – 15.7.01
Memorial marker as the place of death of Craigh HUGHES, Lower Portland General Cemetery, Lower Portland, NSW
Photo taken on 19 February 2015 by Jo Barnes
Craig Hughes 1.8.59 – 15.7.01
Photo taken on 19 February 2015 by Jo Barnes
Craig HUGHES 1.8.59 – 15.7.01
*** NOTE ***
Craig HUGHES, pertaining to the simple white cross ( above ) which is located in the Lower Portland General Cemetery, is the same as:
Craig Richard Hughes
“Hughsie”
1.8.1959 – 15.7.2001
Beloved husband of Leanne
Much loved father of Amie & Aaron
Dearly loved. Sadly missed
xoxoxo
His physical grave is located at Pinegrove Cemetery, Minchinberry, NSW
Pinegrove Memorial Park
Location:Peace Rose Gardens
Section:Rose Garden
Lot:Right 23
Lat/Lng: -33.78903, 150.84660
Craig Richard Hughes “Hughsie” 1.8.1959 – 15.7.2001 Beloved husband of Leanne Much loved father of Amie & Aaron Dearly loved. Sadly missed xoxoxo Pinegrove Cemetery, Minchinberry, NSW
Having been contacted by the family, Aaron & Leanne HUGHES, in July 2017 – the cross located at Lower Portland Cemetery is the location at which Craig took his life.
Craig is actually buried at the Pinegrove Cemetery location.
May he forever be Resting In Peace
Lance Joseph MELINE
| 03/12/2014
Lance Joseph MELINE
AKA Lance MELINE
* Nickname: Trader Dan
Late of Helensburgh, NSW
Relations in ‘the job’: ?
“possible” relation in ‘the job‘: ?
Army Private – 2790918
1 ARU ( Australian Reinforcement Unit ) from 24 June 1969 – 16 July 1969
9 RAR ( Ninth Battalion Royal Australian Regiment ) from 17 July 1969 – 12 December 1969
New South Wales Police Force
Regd. # 14645
Redfern Police Academy Class # 127
Rank: Commenced Training at Redfern Police Academy on Monday 17 May 1971 ( aged 22 years, 11 months, 0 days )
Probationary Constable – appointed 28 June 1971 ( aged 23 years, 0 months, 11 days )
Ashes: Sydney War Cemetery, Memorial Ave, Rookwood
Memorial located at:
Lance is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of RemembranceBUT SHOULD BE
37 years later ( 2019 ) and this man is still not recognised by the NSWPF – but WE – the people who Served in NSWPF, still Remember and Honour our Fallen
A Senior Constable Lance Meline committed self harm with a police revolver at Helensburgh Police Station on the 8 April 1982. He was apparently having trouble with hoodlums in the Helensburgh area too.
48 minute documentary Written by Michael Daley, Produced by Bruce Buchanan and Production company is ABC.
SYNOPSIS:
Anzac Day, 1983, from dawn to dusk. The coverage includes the Women Against Rape demonstration, and personalities involved are Sir James Rowland, Governor of NSW; the men of the Australian Army’s 8th Division; Gallipoli survivor Charles Bingham; Paul Smith, RSL Chief Marshall of the march; a Legacy family; and Roy de Coque of the NSW Police Academy, with his horse, Dandy.
Roy liked Triumph motorcycle and he also enjoyed Blues Music.
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Scott Allan GRAY
| 03/12/2014
Scott Allan GRAY
( late of Wangi – formerly of West Wallsend )
New South Wales Police Force
[alert_yellow]Regd. # 30399[/alert_yellow]
Rank: Leading Senior Constable
Stations: Burwood ( 9 Division ), Gosford ( 30 Division ), Lake Macquarie, Toronto
Awards: NSW Police medal for Diligent & Ethical Service – granted on 13 February 2007
Service: From 16 February 1996 to 6 September 2007 = 11+ years Service
Born: 2 November 1970
Died: 6 September 2007
Age: 36
Cause of Death: PTSD leading to suicide – hanging
Funeral date: 12 September 2007
Funeral location: Lake Macquarie Memorial Park, Ryhope
Cremated: with his ashes laid to rest on Mount Sugar Loaf, Newcastle
Memorial: NSW Police force Service Memorial Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, D8 ( right wall )
[alert_red]Scott is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_red]
Scott Allan GRAY
Scott GRAY and his two children. Taken in July 2007 a couple of months before he died.
FURTHER INFORMATION IS REQUIRED RE THIS MEMBER.
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Funeral details were first published in the Newcastle Herald on 10 September 2007
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NSW Fallen Police facebook page:
Hey Scottie
Thinking about you today mate can’t believe it’s been 7 years since the unbearable became too much. Always wish some miracle intervention had happened but alas, it did not & your decision to leave was made.
Mate so many fun shifts together over the years along with the bad ones & the complete shit fights. You always had my back at a job. Somehow we always managed a laugh irrespective of how bad the job was. Seeing you off was a tough day.
Always remembered Senior Constable
You take care now
I’m sure our paths will cross again one day.
Cheers to you!
Peter GouldA fine epitaph for a fallen brother. RIP Scott Gray. Well done Dave Wilkinson.
Like · Reply · 4 · Yesterday at 2:18pm
Dave WilkinsonThanks Peter
Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 2:27pm
Clare HeissThis is just beautiful to see you honour Scott with these words. As the sister of a police officer who also took his life on duty, I can imagine the family would feel so comforted to see this post also. RIP Scott, you are in good company xx
Like · Reply · 5 · Yesterday at 2:33pm
Janet HillRIP Scot!
Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 2:33pm
Junelle DohertyWhat wonderful words. Well said. Amen !
Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 2:34pm
Dave WilkinsonThank you Clare for saying so just find it hard that it really still is a taboo topic. Especially when you here management talk it up for the media but in reality they don’t give a damn
Like · Reply · 5 · Yesterday at 2:36pm
Clare HeissExactly Dave, that’s why our family and others will continue to speak out for those that cannot – until they are honoured as they should be on the Wall, and so the Police Force acknowledge their deaths as well as their lives. #onewallforall
Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 2:40pm
Mac McGillicuddyBeautiful words Dave Wilkinson. Vale S/Con Scott Gray.
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 2:40pm
Michelle MadirazzaRIP Scott Gray!
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 3:11pm
Keith BrennanRIP brother
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 3:31pm · Edited
Kimberley GalvinA beautiful post and so lovely to see that Scott is close at heart even though some years have passed. As a Police widow to suicide this shows me love and comfort. What a great mate you are.x
Like · Reply · 4 · Yesterday at 4:01pm
Dave WilkinsonThank you for your kind words Kimberley
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 7:48pm
M-ark W-aspeeWell said mate… RIP brother in blue…
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 4:03pm
Frank SkinnerWell done
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 4:18pm
Sharon Johnson NicholsRIP Scott
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 4:26pm
Paul GlockRIP.
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 5:14pm
Mark KitchenerI never knew you Scott but I hope you Rest in Peace and thank you for your service.
Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 5:23pm
Andy Peverillwell said brother I am sure no one will speak of me like that. Rest in Peace Scott
Like · Reply · 3 · Yesterday at 5:35pm
Dave WilkinsonYour getting stronger everyday Andy & not going anywhere so nobody will need to speak about you wink emoticon
Like · Reply · 3 · 13 hrs
Kel NightingaleWell said Dave. The ‘real’ Police family will always remember the other forgotten heroes. Rest in peace brother in blue
Like · Reply · 3 · Yesterday at 7:44pm
Stuart NorrisRip Scott
Like · Reply · 1 · 22 hrs
Val TurnerR.I.P.
Like · Reply · 1 · 15 hrs
Amanda StevensonRIP Scott
Like · Reply · 1 · 15 hrs
Karole Westmay you be resting in peace and the golden rays in heaven shine on you
Like · Reply · 1 · 6 hrs
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Geoffrey William VICKERS
| 03/12/2014
Geoffrey William VICKERS
aka ‘ Whippet ‘
New South Wales Police Force
Joined NSWPF via Police Cadets on 22 February 1971
Cadet # 2686
[alert_yellow]Regd. # 15921[/alert_yellow]
Rank: NSW Police Cadet – commenced 22 February 1971
Probationary Constable – appointed 3 August 1973
Constable 1st Class – appointed 3 August 1978
Sergeant 3rd Class – appointed 30 November 1988 – Retirement
Stations: ?, Marrickville
Service: From 22 February 1971 to 28 July 1999 = 28+ years Service
Service: From 1 April 1987 to 3 August 2004 = 17 years, 4 months & 2 days Service
Awards: No Find on Australian Honours
Born: Friday 9 November 1956
Died: Tuesday 3 August 2004
Cause: Illness – possibly cancer???
Age: 47 years, 8 months, 25 days
Funeral date: ?
Buried at: Walgett in the R.C. section of Walgett Cemetery. plot 117K
Memorial: Annual ‘E A’ Dennis Memorial cricket match
………Another police officer also was mourned today – Senior Constable Ian Ross Dennis, based in Walgett, north-west NSW, who died in hospital after a short battle with an illness, aged 47.
Mr Moroney paid tribute to both officers, saying they had been outstanding servants of the police force.
“It’s important on these occasions that we honour and acknowledge that service and that commitment,” he said.
“It’s a very sad day for the organisation to lose officers of this calibre who have selflessly served the people of this state to the very best of their skill and ability.
NSW Fallen Police FaceBook GROUP: 25 November 2014
Ian BorlandIan started out as a probationary constable at Bathurst where he worked for several years before he transferred. Prior to entering the Police he worked for the now defunct Evans Shire Council as s Grader driver. He was brought to Bathurst from Walgett to play rugby league for Bathurst St Patrick’s Club. He was also an accomplished boxer. He fought for the Australian attire at Exhibition Hall, Brisbane where he was beaten on points and collapsed after the bout. It was discovered he had glandular fever and blood poisoning yet he fought the full twelve rounds. After the bout he was not offered a rematch. He and his wife Anne were tireless workers within the aboriginal community here in Bathurst.
Castlereagh’s Cricketing Comrades celebrate ten years of restoring community spirit
– ‘EA’ Dennis Memorial Shield –
Castlereagh LAC Police and the Walgett Community took to the field on 26 October 2014 to commemorate the 10th Annual ‘E A’ Dennis Memorial cricket match.
The celebrated event was initiated in 2004 to honour the memory of the late Senior Constable Ian Dennis, an Aboriginal police officer formerly based at Walgett and Lightning Ridge.
As the temperature soared to 39.2 degrees, players from both sides demonstrated enthusiastic cricketing skills and a strong sense of community spirit. “The match is all about building better relationships between our police and our community. We all want the best for our community, and if we work together we have a better chance of reducing crime and re-offending”, said annual match organiser and Castlereagh LAC Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer (ACLO) Graham Ruttley.In a close-fought battle reminiscent of Ashes tests from yesteryear, the 20/20 match resulted in a hotly contested draw.
The much-admired Senior Constable Dennis died in 2004. He is survived by his wife Ann Dennis, and their three children. Ann Dennis said Ian would be proud of the comradeship and encouragement displayed on the pitch.
“I can’t believe it is ten (10) years since Ian had died. Ian had overcome many obstacles and challenging adversity to fulfil his dream of becoming a Police Officer with the NSW Police Force. This cricket match provides the only opportunity in our community for Aboriginal people to engage in a different more positive way with local police officers,” said Ann Dennis.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Castlereagh LAC for their continued support. It is through the hard work, persistence and dedication of the Police ACLO Graham Ruttley, that this is an overwhelming success. Castlereagh LAC Superintendent James Stewart believes that Ian’s legacy recognises the importance of Police being seen as part of their community. “Ian is often remembered by townspeople and police as being community minded, dedicated to his family and a good Police Officer. The EA Dennis Memorial Shield is a fitting way to recognise his contribution to the community of Walgett, and for Police to be seen as part of the community.”
The event is integral to improving communication and understanding between Castlereagh LAC police and the Walgett Aboriginal Community. It aligns with the Aboriginal Strategic Direction (ASD) 2012-2017, through the promotion of Aboriginal community ownership and involvement. It addresses all four of the priority areas as outlined in the ASD 2012-2017 document; particularly Priority 2 (Improve Communication and Understanding between police and Aboriginal People), by fostering the belief that police are an essential part of the community, and offering positive role models and connections for troubled youth and families.
The match is supported by an ASD Crime Prevention Grant as a key initiative to address the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system.
The match is strongly tied to Goals 16 and 17 of the NSW 2021 (State Plan), through its focus on preventing and reducing crime, and decreasing juvenile and adult re-offending. “Sport is an essential part of our community. Through sport we can cross cultural and societal gaps, and encourage participation and integration. Events like the ‘EA’ Dennis cricket match can lead to better understanding, cooperation and partnerships within our local community,” said Castlereagh LAC Crime Coordinator, Sergeant Lisa Jones.
A respected and admired policeman described as “a role model for the Aboriginal community” has died in hospital.
Senior Constable Ian Ross Dennis was admitted to Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital on Monday but died from a viral infection yesterday morning .
The 47-year-old father of three was born and raised in Walgett, and after joining the force he served in country communities including Dubbo and Lightning Ridge.
Mr Dennis started off his career as a panel beater in Walgett before he went to work in Bathurst as a plant operator for Evans Shire Council.
He stayed there for 13 years, until at the age of 30 he decided to become a police officer.
Mr Dennis proudly graduated from the NSW Police College in Goulburn in 1987.
“To lose an officer not only of Senior Constable Dennis’ calibre, but a man of his integrity, is a terrible loss,” NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney said.
Castlereagh Local Area Commander Superintendent Stan Single also paid tribute to a colleague and good mate.
“He was a wonderful character and was always happy, always there with a joke,” Superintendent Single said.
“Senior Constable Dennis was an excellent role model for the Aboriginal community.
When he first joined the force Mr Dennis was a general duties officer at Bathurst until December 1992.
In July 1997 Mr Dennis moved to Dubbo and was among our local ranks for three years until early 2000.
He then moved to Lightning Ridge for two years and eventually returned to Walgett police station, where he was serving until his death.
Mr Dennis is survived by his wife Anne, their sons Damian and Timothy, a daughter Geraldine and two grandchildren.
Tributes are being paid to a Walgett-based policeman who died in hospital in Sydney yesterday after a viral infection.
Senior Constable Ian Ross Dennis, 47, had been admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital in July.
Senior Constable Dennis worked as a panel beater and plant operator in Bathurst before joining the police force where he served in Tamworth, Lightning Ridge, Dubbo and Walgett.
Castlereagh local area commander Superintendent Stan Single says Senior Constable Dennis was an excellent role model for the Aboriginal community.
He participated in the Walgett community, spending a lot of time with the town’s young people.
Senior Constable Dennis was married with three children.
Lest we forget … Police Remembrance Day. Photo: Robert Pearce
