*  ARTICLE  ONLY  *

CRONULLA RIOTS

11 December 2005

Martin Lehmann – 13 December 2005

The left-wing, politically correct mainstream media had a field day blackening Australia’s reputation following the Cronulla riots.

All Arabs unite as one, we will never back down, the Aussies will feel the full force of the Arabs. Destroy everything, gather at Cronulla December 18 at midday – spread the word. Together exterminate the enemy at Cronulla. Send this to every lion of Lebanon. – Text message circulating amongst Lebanese gang members

Tension had been building for months as gangs of Lebanese swarmed on to Sydney’s Cronulla beach, jostling elderly patrons, abusing Australian families and threatening to “rape Aussie sluts” for wearing bikinis. They did not come to enjoy the beach in the Australian tradition. They came to flout their disrespect for Australian culture and for Australian law and order.

Matters came to a head the previous weekend when two young Australian lifesavers were bashed by a Lebanese gang.

Following a series of text messages, 5,000 Australians turned up on Sunday December 11, 2005 at Cronulla determined to “reclaim the beach”.

Unfortunately, the combination of alcohol, hot sun and a group of neo-nazi infiltrators turned the demonstration into a raging mob. There were disturbing scenes of mob violence and attacks on police and ambulance officers. 

Meanwhile the Lebs were planning a speedy retaliation. After dark, more than 40 carloads of Lebanese thugs descended on nearby Maroubra and indulged in an orgy of smashing car windscreens, jumping on car roofs, smashing shop windows and beating up anyone of Anglo appearance.

One man was stabbed in the back in a cowardly attack.

That evening around 100 locals of Punchbowl, New South Wales (a suburb 20 km to Cronulla’s north–west) gathered together at the local Punchbowl Park. Additional groups, armed with baseball bats, also gathered at The Promenade and Arncliffe Park.

The groups formed a convoy of “more than 40 cars” and drove down to the beaches “to get revenge” with many of the cars ending up in Maroubra.

At 22:45 the cowardly police command ordered police  “not to approach convoys of men of Middle Eastern appearance” however car details and registration details were to be recorded.

Police subdue some of the Lions of Lebanon

A local of Maroubra reported that each of the cars that arrived was “full, you know had four passengers.” The convoy was reportedly armed with bars and bats, knives, machetes and guns. The group assaulted several people, knocking one unconscious and threatening another with rape, and damaged between 60 and 100 cars, setting at least one on fire.

Police in riot gear moved to contain the violence and the crowds responded by throwing bricks and glass. Residents reported that in some streets “every car” had had their windows smashed, with glass covering the streets. Police also confiscated 40 iron bars and arrested 14 people.

A 26-year–old mechanic dubbed “Dan” was stabbed in the back three times and twice in the thigh with a 9.8 centimetre blade. The incident occurred outside Woolooware golf club when two cars carrying a group of males “described as being of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance” approached the man and his friends. Dan and his friends attempted to flee from the group who were shouting “Get the Aussie dogs … get the Aussie sluts”, Dan was knocked to the ground and was repeatedly kicked in the head. The attack ended when the 9.8 centimetre knife snapped off in the victim’s back.He was taken to hospital in a serious condition as the blade had narrowly missed his spine and lungs.

Jake Schofield was attacked by a group of four men of “Middle Eastern appearance”, the men beat Schofield repeatedly, stabbing him twice and hitting him with a piece of concrete before stealing his wallet and keys. The attack left him with a fractured eye socket and fractured nose.

How did the print media portray it? All the emphasis was on the “racist” attacks by Australians. Very little

Lebanese gang leader, Jeffrey Ismail was sentenced to 12 months jail for helping to organise the revenge attacks.

mention of the Lebanese thuggery.

I trawled through the websites of the mainstream media next day, including The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun. There were dozens of pictures of the Cronulla riots but not one picture of any of the dozens of car and shopfronts trashed by the Lebanese gangs. There were no pictures of the Leb gang members, not even a picture of the man who was rushed off to hospital with a Leb knife protruding from his back.

The mainstream media, particularly the print media, are an absolute disgrace.

The journalists portrayed the Cronulla riots as “racist” attacks but the lebs orgy of destructions is dubbed a “retaliation” attack, totally ignoring the clearly racist insults, text messages (above) and threats by the Muslims.

The Leb problem has been simmering for years, but the journos have applied a Maxwell Smart cone of silence. People like ex-NSW detective Tim Priest have been warning of the dangers of Lebanese criminal gangs for years.

The night after the riots the detestable Ellen Fanning interviewed Prime Minister John Howard on Nine’s A Current Affair. In an incredibly biased piece of journalism Fanning desperately tried to get Howard to say that the Cronulla riots were racist and indicative of racism in Australia. Howard, to his credit was having none of it.

Even the electronic media refer to Cronulla as “race riots” and the Lebs violence as “ethnic violence”.

If the media had done their job they would have exposed the looming problem with Lebanese lack of respect for law and order months or even years ago and perhaps avoided Sunday’s confrontation.

It is no wonder that journalists are so despised.

Some time later, journalist Miranda Devine, gave a more balanced account of the incident, although she couldn’t avoid the racist slur, when she wrote on December  22, 2005 While the NSW police lock down entire beachfront suburbs, instruct stores to stop selling baseball bats, and apply the full force of the law to pasty-faced nerds with a taste for Nazi literature, they continue to cower from the real hardmen, the Lebanese-Australian criminal gangs of Sydney’s south-west who have ruled the roost in this city for at least a decade and now number in their thousands.

So when parents and children attending Christmas carols on Monday night, December 12, at St Joseph the Worker Primary School in South Auburn were abused and spat on by “young men of Middle Eastern appearance”, there were no police to protect them. Not even when the sounds of gunshots echoed inside the church, and parked cars were pumped full of bullets. “Police were called by a number of parents and the principal, but they were unable to attend because they were needed elsewhere,” said Cardinal George Pell in a statement.

The police were busy that night – Sydney’s mini Kristallnacht “night of the broken glass” – as carloads of men drove east from Lakemba and Punchbowl to systematically attack whole streets of parked cars with bats and machetes. Identified by police as being of the proverbial Middle-Eastern appearance – code for Lebanese Muslim, despite the fact many are second-generation Australians – they also stabbed a man, smashed a woman’s head with a bat, attacked another woman in a pizza shop and a man who was putting out his rubbish.

They were extracting revenge for the riot the day before on Cronulla beach when a protest against continuing intimidation of beachgoers by thugs described as Lebanese turned ugly and drunken racists attacked passers-by suspected of being “Lebs”.

http://australian-news.net/articles/view.php?id=118

8 July 2007

COMPASS: CRONULLA TO KOKODA

Summary

At the height of the Cronulla race riots a 16-year old Muslim boy climbed the local RSL club’s flagpole and threw the Australian flag down to his mates. They spat and urinated on it before setting it ablaze. The boy, Ali Ammar, was charged and penalised for his actions, and later apologised. His remorse was real and so touched RSL State President Don Rowe he invited him to carry a flag at the ANZAC Day march. All hell broke loose for a second time. RSL members were outraged. The shock-jocks had a field day. The offer was withdrawn, but another remarkable plan was hatched to allow the boy to say sorry publicly and to experience first-hand why the Australian flag is so important for so many: Ali Ammar would walk across the legendary Kokoda track. Compass had exclusive access to follow Ali’s redemptive journey. This timely story touches on themes of national identity, religion and history.

Story producer: ABC

Story

Thanks for joining me. Tonight we conclude our two-part examination of Australian patriotism with a remarkable story you won’t easily forget. We follow a young man who accepts a pretty tough challenge to atone for his actions during the Cronulla riots and we watch a gradual build towards his moment of truth. Along the way we find out why he did what he did and a lot more, questions that strike at the heart of what we Australians aspire to, at our core.

(ABC News Footage)
Reporter
A week of simmering racial tensions boiled over into mob violence today in the beachside suburb of Cronulla.
Man 1
“It’s our beach. Aussies’ beach. They can go.”

Narr
December 2005. Racial tensions flare up in Sydney’s southern suburbs. There were so many provocative acts, but one incident in particular would focus the anger of the media. A teenage boy tore down an Australian flag from the roof of the Brighton RSL, threw it to his mates, and burnt it.

Don Rowe- State President of the New South Wales RSL
Why would you go and pick on the symbol of your nation to do something that despicable to it? It’s a symbol of us as a people.

Ali Ammar
Thinking about it now it wasn’t a good idea. But, at the time, we just wanted to show how angry we were.

(ABC news Footage)
News Reader
A Sydney teenager who burnt an Australian flag will now carry one in next year’s Anzac Day parade.

Narr
But this offer of reconciliation soon became a catastrophe.

(Talk back Radio)
Caller 1
I don’t want that person anywhere near my flag.
Caller 2
Instead of peeing on the flag they should pee on him.

Ali Ammar
I felt like, did I hurt this much people? What I’d done? Like something so small but so effective.

Narr
Ali spent several months in juvenile detention for his crimes but, far from destroying his life, it set him on a new path, a path that’s helping him reassess his life, his flag, and his country. And now it’s about to lead him to the greatest challenge of his life, walking the legendary Kokoda Track.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Why are you here? Because I guarantee over the next ten days you’re going to hit the wall. Physically you’re going to get to a point where you’ll wonder if you can go on. If you know the reason you’re here, you’ll keep going.

Tim – age 17
I’m here because I want to know about Kokoda. I am really patriotic about Australia and this is where Australia fought off the Japanese invasion.

Aaron – age 19
The main reason I came over is to just challenge myself, learn about the people who fought for us. Just figure out what it was like for them.

Courtney – age 19
Don’t ask me why I decided to do it. I’m a bit crazy and thought it would be a fun idea.

Jennifer – age 20
I often represent Australia.

Narr
This group is about to set off on an incredible journey. They’ve all been sponsored by Australian RSL clubs who believe the experience could change their lives. Some are high achievers. Others have had a more chequered past.

Brady – age 19
The reason why I came on this challenge was I got voted in by the Wagga RSL Club. Yes, I was a hectic kid.

Tim – age 17
I want to see what happens when I hit the wall, If I can go through it. And if when everyone else hits the wall, if I can pull them through it.

Ali Ammar
Hi, my name’s Ali.

Narr
Ali is here as a bold gesture by the RSL, an attempt to mend some of the damage caused by the Cronulla riots.

Ali Ammar
I think I’m here to learn about Australian qualities and Australian history basically.

Narr
But none of his new friends know who he is or what he’s done.

Ali Ammar
And I heard that by the time this trek finishes it should make me a better man.

Narr
Over the next ten days the trekkers will experience a real test of physical endurance, Heat, humidity, primitive conditions and no days off. A team of local carriers will look after the camping and cooking, but the trekkers will be expected to carry their own packs. It’s well organised, but no holiday. The Track runs from Kokoda to Owers Corner, near Port Moresby. It’s only about a hundred kilometres, but they’ll be hiking through some of the most inaccessible and punishing terrain on earth. The trekkers are expecting it to be tough. But what may not realise is just how emotional this journey will be. Because they’ll be following in the footsteps of an earlier group of young Australians, who found themselves here 65 years ago.

Narr
It’s 1942, and a Japanese invasion force has landed in New Guinea. Their aim, to take Port Moresby and be in striking distance of Australia. All that stands between is a small band of largely irregular soldiers. The militia. Ill equipped, and poorly trained, they’ve slogged for days over the mountains to meet the enemy at Kokoda. Over three months they’ll resist the Japanese. Their stories of determination, of courage, and mateship will burn into the Australian psyche to rival Gallipoli.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
This quiet, beautiful place 65 years ago was just a slaughterhouse. And yeah some men that the country doubted stepped forward, the militia, the chocos, they stepped up. And somehow, I believe, that these young guys we’ve got on the track, when they’re asked to, they’ll step up. And that’s all they need is belief, opportunity and belief. And that’s I believe what we can give them, both of those on the track.

(John talking to the group)
This is the Kokoda plateau, this is where the Kokoda campaign started and finished. Now, we’re going to follow the battle from this end as the Australians retreated up through Isurava.

Narr
Team leader John Nalder has walked Kokoda many times. He’s become an expert on the people and places that give the Track meaning.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
The purpose of this is to bring the history to you, create and interest, and most importantly expose you to the opportunity to learn some lessons about your life.

It’s going to hit them from so many degrees. One, the physical challenge of it strips away the veneer of their day to day life. The people, the carriers, will touch them enormously, and that’ll touch them emotionally. And then the history. So it’s really three-fold. It becomes almost a spiritual experience when you combine those.

Narr
It’s a long way from what Ali’s used to – the suburbs of Sydney and a Lebanese Muslim upbringing.

Ali Ammar
When I was a kid growing up in Australia it was sort of weird, because I used to have different lunch to everyone else. And they’d have birthday parties and things like that, or just places they’d go different to us.

Hassain Ammar – Ali’s Uncle
He was a brilliant boy. He was a very polite, very active, brave little kid you know. He always jumped in front of you doing things. Top soccer player. When he moved to high school he started mixing with the wrong crowd, I think. Smoking, girls, and alcohol.

Ali Ammar
Always go out on the weekends. Go and have fun with my friends. Spend my money. Just to have a good time mainly. Because as a kid I was hardly allowed out and things like that. But, I dunno, sort of my dad’s upbringing was no friends, no going out, things like that. Like, when I was sort of caged in for that long I just burst.

Narr
It’s the second day, and the first big challenge, the hill that leads up to the new Australian Memorial at Isurava. Many of the trekkers are already feeling the heat. Teneil is the youngest in the group. She’s only sixteen and it’s her first big trip away from home. Brady, a tough, knock-about farm boy from Wagga. He’s seen a fair bit of life already.

Brady – age 19
It’s where my ex girlfriend stabbed me. With a butter knife. Oh just where me and a bloke had a puncher in there. He sliced me with a bottle. I got heaps, not good.

Narr
And then there’s Aaron, nineteen years old. And from a family of battlers. He’s never done anything like this before. And he’s really doing it tough.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Little steps, mate, little steps. Big steps take a lot out of you. Get into a rhythm. Nice and slow, gentle rhythm. And your breathing, breath deep. Nice deep breaths into your diaphragm. Are you with me? Let’s do it, nice and slow.

Narr
Like Ali, Aaron’s also had a troubled past having had a few run-ins with the police in his early teens. Now he’s a youth worker himself, wanting to pass on lessons learned on the track.

Aaron – age 19
Oh it’s killing me now, it’s unreal, but it’s good. Pretty much want to get right through it and just encourage kids when I get back, just to go through life one step at a time. Pretty much, for sure. Mainly just for leadership with a lot of the kids that I work with and stuff. Just so you can sort of let them know that life isn’t as easy as they think it is.

Narr
But John’s starting to get nervous about Aaron.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Yes, he’s battling physically. Mentally he’s still strong which is a good thing; he’s determined to get there. But as the physical deteriorates then the challenge is how his mental holds up, because at the moment, physically, he’s shot. Normally, I’d look at someone in that condition and say, no, not going to make it.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
My feeling, and obviously you’re a part of it, but we’ll make this decision together. I don’t think you’re going to make it up to the top, much as I’d love to see you at the Memorial. And the pain was just getting sharper and sharper over that last bit, wasn’t it? Tell me what you think.

Aaron – age 19
It’s not that I don’t want to go there but I just don’t want to injure myself.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
I know. It’s not a question that you want to be here. But it’s just physically we’re not going to, I’m not prepared to see you do long term permanent damage to yourself over what’s a goal that can be set again. Do you want to come with me and we’ll go over and let the group know?

Aaron – age 19
Yep.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Aaron’s knees have gone on him. We’ve made a decision. He’s going back. It doesn’t mean one iota less for Aaron. I’ve made the decision in conjunction with him and to go on is just going to cause too much damage to him. We’ve also made the goal to each other. He’s going to go back, do the work, get ready, and he’s going to come back and do it again. Now, we’ve had some really good people who have failed first time and they’ve come back and done it again. And in life, as here, no matter how many times you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up again.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
You’re now at a site that I’ll say is second only to Gallipoli. So really take in the words on those pillars, courage, endurance, mateship, sacrifice.

Narr
At the end of the day’s climb is the Isurava memorial, dedicated to those men who fought a desperate and ferocious battle here early in the campaign with the loss of many mates.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
No matter how many times I’ve been here, I still choke up. Every time I come here this place chokes me up.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
I just want to share a poem with you. It’s called “What do you say to a dying man?”
“What do you say to a dying man
D’you call him Bob, or digger or mate?
As you look at the face you knew so well,
The look in his eyes says it’s late.
And you know if you happen to survive this onslaught,
They will surely ask you of his life’s end.
Just three minutes ago he was so full of life,
Firing his Bren from the hip.
The platoon attacking as it had so many times before.
When all of a sudden he’s hit.
And my best mate falls at my feet.
‘Tell them I tried’, he said.
My words of goodbye froze on my lips.”
Would you make him proud of that sacrifice?

Brady – age 19
I’d be fighting pretty hectic. I’d give it a go. Because I’d also be fighting for my mates as well as my country. Like, I have to say one thing. Hats off to them all. They’re soldiers. They’re good.

Jennifer, age 20
When I went up to the memorial and I was looking at the four stones I think “Sacrifice” is the one that jumped out at me. Not because it’s something we have to do but it’s our inheritance. It’s the boots that we have to fill. And I think that’s a big thing for us.

Ali Ammar
You’ve got to have courage, and not just that, if you’re going to see your mates dying around you because the courage isn’t there, it’s going to go back to mates. Like you’re caring that they’re falling out on the battlefields and things like that. And you want to show them that you can stand up to a force even if it’s that big.

(News footage of riots)
Crowd
“Fuck off Lebs, fuck off Lebs …”

Narr
Back in 2005, in the thick of the Cronulla riots, Ali’s own mateship and allegiances were to be put to the test.

Ali Ammar
And my mate came back with stitches from his eyebrow down to his cheek. That’s what made us really shitty. We just felt like we had to do something about it. We just wanted to show how angry we were.

Narr
On the following night Ali and some of his mates met in the car park at Brighton le Sands. Trouble was in the air.

Ali Ammar
When you are around so many people and that many ideas and that many thoughts going through your head and you’re in a situation like mine you’re not really thinking.

Narr
They found themselves outside the RSL. Ali’s mates pointed to the flag fluttering defiantly above the crowd.

Ali Ammar
Well someone boosted me up on the telegraph pole and from there I climbed up. And before I knew it I brought down the flag. As I came on to the edge people were screaming out throw it to me, throw it to me, things like that and then I just threw it down. That flag looked like the people that … represented the people that were rioting in Cronulla and going against us and things like that. We felt unwanted, we felt hated,

(Back on the Kakoda Track)
Trekker 1
“Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest we forget.”

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Some of these kids have never been out of the city. They’ve never experienced bush let alone jungle. They’ve never been in a tent. It’s just so far out of their comfort zone. So I guess I slowly expand that.

Narr
Day three, and out of Isurava is a series of steep and slippery hills, where going up is exhausting, and coming down even worse.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
This is the wartime village of Eora Creek. This is where the wounded were staged. There’s photos taken here during the war and it was just a scene of utter confusion. And one thing that was very common throughout the withdrawal was that, people refused help. There was always, a very common one was, no, I don’t need to be carried, look after them. They’re worse. So there were people with horrific wounds who walked, people with shot-up arms combining with someone with a shot-up leg and together they provided the propulsion to get up and down this terrain.

Narr
And it’s not long before the trekkers have to cope another casualty of their own.

Brady, age 19
I dislocated my knee, yes. I was walking across a bridge and my boots were wet. And these aren’t real good for rocks and stuff. And I just moved the wrong way and it popped out. And luckily I pulled my knee back in the right way when I got back up and it popped itself back in. Straight across there, swollen, very sore.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
The boys are going to bring the stretcher down in a moment.

Narr
Which makes Brady an ideal volunteer for John’s next demonstration.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
The most critical part of carrying a stretcher is the lift. You’ve got a wounded guy in there so you’re not going to put any packs on top of him. In this case we’ll have Brady with his pack and that’s it.
So the person is in there head first here and feet down there.

Narr
It’s an exercise in how wounded soldiers were evacuated down the track.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Now lie in there and I know that’s going to be hard for you, you’ve got to shut up. Ok, Ali, there’s your casualty. Organise your people, let’s get ready to go.

Ali Ammar
I need two people on either end and.

Narr
For Ali, who’s been content to stay somewhat in the background so far, it’s a chance to pull his head up and make an impression.

Ali Ammar
So whoever’s the same height I want them next to each other please. Two at the back, two at the front. You two at the back and, hold on. Tim, you and Tim and Adam on the front. Let’s go.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
The track touches them and you see a lot of them, there’s really only “I” in their life. And that’s it. And as the track affects them they start to look sideways. They start to help other trekkers, people they’re with and a bit of the selfishness starts to disappear. Because I work on the philosophy they’ll forget what I said, they’ll forget what I did, but they’ll probably never forget how I made them feel.

Narr
Back in 1942 the diggers absolutely relied on native stretcher bearers, the “fuzzy-wuzzy angels”. In impossible conditions, and at great personal risk, they saved hundreds of injured soldiers. John hopes that the example of those wartime angels will rub off on the trekkers.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
In doing the stretcher carry brings them together and starts to promote the teamwork side of it. And what I’ve done now is turned them loose and said basically go for home. So now I‘m watching to see who’s helping. And some of the faster ones I see have stopped to go with Brady which is good. Some of the others they’re not really caring what’s behind them and they’re really just going for home.

Narr
But unfortunately for Brady, what was a simple demonstration just this morning is now only too real. The tough terrain has finally felled him. The descendants of those wartime angels must carry him out. Brady’s trek is over, and John has got a few hard lessons for everyone else.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Interesting day. Since lunchtime I’ve seen some real true Kokoda spirit and I’ve seen some bloody selfish behaviour. Where people are locked on themselves and not even looking sideways. I’m not going to specify anyone, but as a group get your act together. Look sideways. It’s not just about you. Some of you were on one course on that last stretch. To get here as fast as you could. And there wasn’t a bloody consideration for a few others. I saw one person virtually knock someone off the track passing them, and not even a word, because they were in a hurry.

Ali Ammar
Every corner you take you think we’re getting there, but it just keeps going and going and going. And then I’ve hit stages where I just want to get there and I don’t worry about anyone else. And I know that was wrong.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Some of you displayed real true Kokoda spirit. Let’s get it right through the group. Come on guys, you’ve got the potential. You’re there.

I’d like to introduce you to a very special man. This man was a carrier for the Australian Troops in the Second World War here in Papua New Guinea. This man was wounded during the war, shots fired, he lost fingers. He spotted a Japanese ambush and he saved the lives of Australians by diving off the track. So he’s a very special man.

“Many mother in Australia
When the busy day is done
Sends a prayer to the Almighty
For the keeping of her son.
Asking that an angel guide him
And safely bring him back
Now we see those prayers are answered
On the Owen Stanley Track
Slow and careful in bad places
on that awful mountain track
And the look upon those faces
makes us think that Christ was black.”

He does this to me all the time. This is a very special man and for each of you this is a very special moment.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
One more thing, if you look at these medals on his chest, there’s not one from the Australian Government. They’ve all been donated by trekkers. There’s police medals from policemen that I’ve brought over. One policeman from Western Australia actually gave his bravery medal for me to bring back for this man. There’s not one medal there from the Australian government.

Ali Ammar
The way the carriers I think feel is that the Australian Government, not the Australian people, there’s nothing wrong with the Australian people, but the Australian Government have been short on a lot of things. Mainly just recognising. Recognising does a lot. Like it can change a whole country, just if you recognise them.

Narr
Two days later and the trekkers are more than half way. They’re heading towards the highest point of the track more than 2000 metres above sea level. The air has become cool and thin.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
The high spirits of Aduri are starting to fade on the steep climb and it’s pretty quiet after a very noisy descent. They’ve gone silent. I think they’re more concerned about oxygen at the moment.

Narr
Ali has lately drifted towards the back of the pack.

Trekker 1
Someone just shoot me now … We’re the KT Boys, the Kokoda Track boys.

Trekker 2
Our paths crossed. Now we’re at the back of the pack, because we’re slow

Trekker 1
You know, when I get home I’m going to give my mum and my dad the biggest hug.

Ali Ammar
There’s nothing like family. Situations like this that’s when it actually hits you in the head. You know what you’ve really got and you’ve taken it for granted, taken advantage of it.

Narr
Ali’s family was shattered by his act of vandalism during the Cronulla Riots. They felt angry, shamed by his insult to their adopted country.

Hassain Ammar – Ali’s Uncle
Australia treated us very well. We were lucky to be here. We never are the type of people that you sort of eat from somebody’s plate and you spit on it as we say in a phrase.

(ABC news footage)
News Reader
A teenager who burned an Australian flag in retaliation for the riots will spend the next fortnight in custody.

Narr
When Ali was arrested he was already on a good behaviour bond for previous offences. He ended up spending seven months in juvenile detention, and it scared the life out of him.

Hassain Ammar – Ali’s Uncle
Nothing was getting into him till this happened, when he got locked up. He says that he started thinking things over and he sort of like, what am I doing? Why did I do this?

Ali Ammar
Well my burning the flag, I hurt many people. Basically families and that grew up under this flag. And war veterans and things like that. It’s not their fault the Cronulla riots happened. And me doing that, burning the flag, just cut em even more, like put em in the position where I was showing them hate. And as much hate as was shown towards us, why should I show it to anyone else?

Don Rowe
I think I was pleased to hear that somebody had been apprehended for it.

Narr
Don Rowe, State President of the New South Wales RSL, first met Ali at a Reconciliation Conference after he came out of detention.

Don Rowe
It became pretty obvious to us that he was remorseful in what he had done and was very sorry what had happened. And his attitude and the sincerity in his voice convinced us that he was fair dinkum. And he was a young fellow in the wrong place at the wrong time, and had done something really stupid.

(ABC news footage)
News Reader
A Sydney teenager who burnt a flag will now carry one in next year’s Anzac Day parade. The RSL says it’s an attempt to create something good out of last year’s violence around Cronulla.

Narr
So the RSL in a bold gesture of forgiveness, hatched a plan for Ali to march on ANZAC Day.
When the news broke that the flag burner would be become the flag bearer, talk back radio went wild.

(Talk back Radio)
Caller 1
We don’t want him to be a hero, we just want him to go away.

Caller 2
He doesn’t deserve to go anywhere near that flag. And to be quite frank with you, he and his parents and everyone else can go back to where they came from.

Caller 3
That young fella should realise he’s living in the best country in the world. Instead of peeing on the flag they should pee on him.

Don Rowe
There’s lots of people said they were going to spit on him and abuse him and throw eggs at him and kick his arse every time they saw him. That’s just not on.

Ali Ammar
I felt like, did I hurt this much people? What I’d done. Like something so small but so effective.

Don Rowe
It doesn’t help the cause, it doesn’t help any young person who respects and relies on the values of what Australia is about.

Narr
And so Ali came to Kokoda instead. Except this time it was all kept very secret. No-one except John knows about Ali’s past. But the thought of telling his new friends is starting to weigh heavily on him.

Ali Ammar
I think if I do there’s going to be a big difference on my trip here. Like people are going to be looking at me a lot differently. And maybe if they do find out, maybe one time when I put my hand out to help them up a ledge or something, I don’t think they’re going to take my hand.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
He’s got these barriers up because he doesn’t want to get hurt. And yes he’s going to risk hurt, but he’s never going to be able to really advance and build relationships until he takes that step.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
I want to pose a question to all of you. It’s a question that’s also a challenge. Maybe ask yourself in life, when the going gets a bit tough, do you immediately stop? Or would you push through it? Because what I’m seeing at the moment, is a group of guys, you’ve done some hard yards, but this morning for some reason, you’re stopping all the time. And what you’re doing is that you’re training yourself to stop, every time it gets a little bit hard. Now, nothing’s easy in life and it’s not easy on the Track but you’re not gaining anything by continually stopping. You’re actually making it harder for yourself.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
The lessons are touching him. The Track works on you whether you like it or not. And, yes, he is being touched. What I can’t judge at this stage is the depth of how far it’s gone.

Narr
By day six, the lessons are coming thick and fast. They’re now on their way to Brigade Hill, and the scene of one of the most devastating battles in the campaign. Here, a small group of diggers, against impossible odds, held out to protect their mates, knowing full well that they would die.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Sit there for a couple of moments with your own thoughts and think about what those young men, how they felt. How would you feel, and I ask myself this question, and I can’t answer it. How would you feel taking off your identity disc and handing my pay packet, knowing that I was going to my death?

Look over this area here. You’ll see a lot of indentations. That’s the remains of 62 Australian soldiers who died here at Brigade Hill. Are we living up to the ideals that would honour their sacrifice? In all of you I see such enormous potential. And the only thing standing between you and your potential is your thinking. We owe it to these men to achieve our full potential.

(Trek Group sings Advance Australia Fair)

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Thanks guys, I’d say you’re the first group who’ve had the courage to do it up here. Well done. I’m really proud of everyone of you. Well done.

Narr
Emotionally and physically battered the trekkers are sensing that the end is within sight. But the track hasn’t finished with them yet

Trekker 1
That rain’s definitely coming closer.

Trekker 2
What will your mum say about this, Ali?

Ali Ammar
Oh, Mate, she’ll sack whoever sent me. What can I do about it? I can’t tell it to stop raining.

Narr
At first the rain seems a novelty…but a few hours later, for sixteen year old Teneil, it’s no fun at all.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
It’s just an emotional, everything comes to the front, it’s just an emotional thing and the best thing for her now is not sympathy, but to push on.

Teneil
I want to carry something

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Now, guys, it’s wet, so what? We can’t control it. Enjoy it. Go with it. Let’s put it into perspective. This weather is what almost that entire campaign was fought in, day and night. No-one’s being shot at. So let’s keep it in perspective. Go with it. Find the positive in it.

That’s actually really good. They’re starting to encourage each other and work together.. And they’ve got to. The misery meter’s going to be right up with the rain. There’s a few of them suffering emotionally, they’ll need some support from those around them, but it’s good.

Ali Ammar
It’s up to the knees, soldier on. My leg’s stuck, give me a hand.

Narr
Day eight, and the trekkers are on the long climb up to Imita Ridge. Here, 65 years ago the Australians’ fortunes finally changed. They dug in, stopped the Japanese advance, and began to slowly push them back along the track. It was to be an Australian victory, and the diggers’ dogged determination and resilience would become part of our folklore.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
This is coming towards the top of Imita Ridge, towards the end of a very tough climb. You’re asking a lot of them both physically and emotionally here.

Come on John-o, push it through. You’re nearly at the top there. Good man, breath deep. Some of them probably don’t realise but they’re doing things now that, eight or nine days ago, they would have been bawling heaps on the ground. Here comes one classic case, Teneil. She’s just going so well. She’s pushing through barriers, which is fantastic. All she’s got to do is get back into life and keep doing it. Just your pace, your goal, you’re nearly there. Finish it off, great going.

Teneil
Thanks, John.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
I’m going to do something that’s been done by myself very rarely. This is coming off me. This is my father’s dog tag. He was over here. Only about four people have ever worn this.
(John gives it to Teneil).

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Today’s been a real breakthrough for quite a few of them. Ali at the front. And I said you stay here. He said, I’m proud. I said I’m proud of you for being here. He’s totally broken away from this comfort circle at the back and he’s come up the front and he came up there and actually pushed himself through a bit of pain which he’s generally been a bit reluctant to do. So it’s good.

And now I want them to, I guess we’re working towards the end of the trek. I want them to come out with a few things that they’re going to change. Because it’s only another couple of days and they leave me, they leave the track.

(John talking to group)
I’m going to ask you to think about something you’re going to leave on the track. Something you’re going to change. Something you’ve done in your life and think, no, that’s it. It’s finished. It’s on the Track, I left it. I’ll give you an example. I’ll expose myself here. While I’m looking at each of you. I’ve got no trouble doing it. The respect that’s grown for each one of you over the last eight days. Now, I’ve a great son, a great daughter, but sometimes I’m a real hard prick. And I have a bit of trouble telling them I love them. That stays on the Track. When I get back, I’m not going to be a trek leader, I’m going to be a father. I’m going to tell them I love them. No mistakes, no regrets. It’s on the Track.

Jennifer, age 20
I think when we first turned up at the airport and I saw everybody and it was, oh, no, I’m going to be stuck in the jungle with this load of people for ten days and I really don’t want to do it. And I think I was judging you guys without really knowing you. And that’s something I’m going to try and leave behind.

Martin
I’ve got the strength to say, I don’t need to look back, it’s over. I’m a changed person because I can do this track. Thanks.

Narr
For most of these kids the Track has weaved its magic. But for Ali, his fears are still holding him back

Ali Ammar
I’m just trying to feel the right time. Something I’ve done, but it will probably change their, I dunno if it will, but hopefully it won’t. Seems the way they’re going and that it won’t change their actions or anything towards me, but I dunno.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Ali, can I tell you something from my heart? Would you judge yourself harder than other people are going to do? No-one’s going to change the perception of you. They’ve shared an experience with you. I’ve seen you grow. They’ve seen you grow. Pull down the walls. These people are accepting you really good, but you’ve got fences up.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
It’s something in his life that he has to deal with. It’s an issue that’s boiling there and under the surface of Ali’s, his personality, of who he is. It’s almost, I’d describe it as a boil there under the skin and he’s going to have to break it and deal with it.

Narr
Later that afternoon Ali finally bites the bullet.

Ali Ammar
I dunno, just a couple of things I want to let out and maybe some of you would want to know. There’s things I’ve done in the past. When the Cronulla riots were on, I was part of the burning of the Australian flag, and that’s why I’m here today. I’m not here because this is my consequence or anything like that. I’m here because I want to be here. I’m here because I hope that people that see me going through what I went through and the mistakes I’ve been through, and me admitting and owning up to my mistakes will change them.

A lot of things and a lot of people have done stupid things at that time, and, I dunno, I’m just owning up to it. And I’m trying, I’ve been trying hard, actually, ever since I got out of juvenile, I’ve been trying hard to make everyone understand and to make myself understand and to keep myself out of trouble. Don’t get me wrong I’m not perfect, but I’m trying. And the reason why I didn’t tell you earlier was because I didn’t want you to get a different picture about me. I wanted you to know who I really was first.

And coming here, coming here I was wishing I get a better understanding, a better understanding of how you guys feel about things like this and what is Australia and things like that. Different races, different things, everyone’s got a different opinion about each other. Don’t get me wrong, there’s bad people in each community and there’s good people in each community. But, I dunno, I think we should just socialise more and things like that. It’s just not going to work if we keep hating each other.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
Pretty big of Ali to come out and say that. And I’ll stand beside him, so mate to mate, good to share it with you.

Narr
Ten days, a hundred kilometres of pain, and they’ve finally made it, together.

John Nalder – Trek Leader
You are less accepting of yourself than what these people are. You need to go out now and be a leader in your community. Help bridge the gap between our two communities. You can be a leader.

http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s1973902.htm

‘If I wasn’t on that train we wouldn’t have proof of Australia’s shameful violence’

December 10, 2015 1:56pm

• Cronulla riots 10 years on: Much has changed but many things remain the same
• Fight to hold anniversary Cronulla riot rally
• ‘Sydney is fun: Cronulla is a riot’ T-shirts on sale ahead of anniversary
• What are your memories of that awful day? Comment below

WHEN photographer Craig Greenhill boarded a Cronulla train 10 years ago, he risked his life to capture the brutal bashing that shamed Australia. Here he tells Yoni Bashan about the story behind his iconic photographs.

“IT WAS a normal Sunday morning 10am shift. Nothing was happening.

The picture desk turned to me and said ‘why don’t you go down to Cronulla, have a bit of a stroll and see what’s happening’. I drove down and got there just after lunch.

To be honest, I was a little naive to what was going on. I didn’t know what I was walking into but as soon as I arrived it was apparent straight away this was a volatile situation.

It was literally thousands of people on the beach front, flying flags, driving their cars, pushing shopping trolleys with beer stocked in them. It seemed undermanned by the police. It was out of control.

When there was a flare-up, it turned into a bushfire and took over.

It seemed calm until some people with a bit of colour walked on the beach front and that was when the crowd turned and chased them down.

It was violent — bottles being thrown. The police had to rush in and protect the three innocent people on the beach and they were being chased. They eventually got past a wall of police to safety. That’s where the crowd turned. They got the smell of blood and the tension ramped up.

One person I remember most from the Cronulla riots, from all the faces and people that I photographed that day, is Sergeant Craig Campbell.

I’m pretty sure Sergeant Campbell saved my life on the train that day.

It was the middle of the day and the crowd was raging, a mob mentality had taken over and there was an atmosphere of pandemonium: people were climbing trees and walking around with their chests puffed out, chanting racist slogans; some guy had written “Wogs out of Nulla” on his body in black texta; fights were breaking out between girls out the front of the Northies Hotel; and the police had no control over what was happening.

A rumour had made its way through the crowd, something about a “pack of Lebanese” coming into the area; suddenly everyone started running to the train station, even the people who hadn’t heard the rumour. They were just following the crowd. As a photographer, I did the same.

The station was only about a kilometre away and when us photographers got there we saw everyone looking for this “pack” of men who’d supposedly come in to Cronulla for a fight. Instead, there were just two lone Middle Eastern guys sitting in the upper deck of a carriage trying to keep a low profile. I think they were actually trying to leave the area and waiting for the train to disembark. They weren’t doing anything wrong.

I remember seeing people jumping over fences and the turnstiles at the station to get close to the action. I saw a few people hop on the train, hesitate, and then come back onto the platform.

A few moments later the situation escalated when these two guys ran onto the train and made their way to the upper level of the carriage. I followed them and started taking photos, trying to get as far into the corner as possible to capture the scene. There wasn’t any time to change lenses or anything. Within seconds carriage was full of people throwing punches and bottles at these two guys.

In my mind I wanted to record what was happening so I kept the camera trained on it all, but after a few seconds I put the camera down and yelled out, screaming almost.

“Get the f**k off ‘em! You’re going to kill ‘em,” I yelled.

It became clear if I didn’t do something these guys would be in serious trouble. These guys were being pulled apart in front of me by a pack of dogs attacking their prey.

A few of the guys kind of stopped and looked at me. They sized me up and when they realised I was by myself and not a threat they just kept going, laying into those two guys.

That’s when Sergeant Campbell arrived, coming in old school.

The situation was just totally out of control and he responded in kind; his baton was out and he just charged forward, smashing everyone in front of him. I was lucky not to get hit.

Sergeant Campbell saved those guys and I felt like he saved me. I was the one left holding the evidence. Once the victims were incapacitated, I would have been their next target.

[blockquote]“Could I have done more on that day to step in and help these guys out? That’s a question I often ask myself”[/blockquote]

Much later I gave evidence in court against one of the main characters who hopped on the train that day. A few of the photographers there that day were asked by police to hand over their images to assist the ongoing investigation.

My pictures from the carriage were used against one guy in particular, Brent Lohman, and he ended up getting a conviction. The same photo, which I called Train Bashing, ended up winning a Walkley Award for news photography.

It’s kind of ironic because, today, the Cronulla riots is used as an example of what photographers should not do in a riot situation.

Instinct took me onto the train, but, looking back, there was no escape route in that carriage and the circumstances were extremely dangerous.

Of course, if I did that, we wouldn’t have a visual record of what happened that day.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/if-i-wasnt-on-that-train-we-wouldnt-have-proof-of-australias-shameful-violence/news-story/43500de94f4f49ed72856ceaf74c8b31

The price of bravery

Updated 11 Dec 2015, 7:59pm

In 2005 police sergeant Craig Campbell fought off a pack of Cronulla rioters while defending the lives of two young men who had been cornered on a train. It cost him everything.

Source The Drum | Duration 3min 18sec

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-11/the-price-of-bravery/7022696

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Generation Cronulla: How the riots shaped who I am

Opinion

Updated 11 Dec 2015, 2:39pm

Ten years after the Cronulla riots there are still ramifications. I am no longer the frightened 14-year-old worried an “Aussie” is looking to fight me, but those events did affect my outlook, feelings and sense of belonging for a long time, writes Mohamed Taha.

I was shocked, disgusted, angry and confused as I walked into my school the day after the Cronulla riots. I was 14 years old.

Granville Boys High School was a great place. The students were predominantly Lebanese Muslims, followed by Polynesian and Turkish students. I was a warm, bubbly student – a “cool” geek that was just awarded the Dux of Year 9 weeks earlier. The staff were strong-willed and many students were a little rough around the edges. There was a ghetto-like subculture among some students.

On that Monday, tensions were really high at the school. The riots were the talk of the playground. A lot of students were venting about the media reports they witnessed a day earlier: images of violence, drunkenness, vandalism, offensive slogans and racism. Particularly the images of Australian flags draped over the shoulders of Caucasian men who were targeting anyone who looked remotely Middle Eastern in appearance.

It all felt incredibly personal for a lot of the Lebanese students, including me. In class, I recall hearing some students saying how their parents were “packing their bags” or how they would “bash an Aussie” if they saw one. My friend referred to the racist catchcry, “We grew here, you flew here”. One student joked, “Don’t worry boys, just tell them, ‘You came in chains, we came in planes’.”

The funny thing is we were all born and raised in Australia. It didn’t matter though, as many of us were angry and some wanted revenge.

The “us and them” mentality had overpowered rational thought with fear and anger. At recess, I saw three Lebanese boys pushing another student against the wall. When I got closer, I realised they were about to punch one of the fair-skinned Italian students.

“Are you an Aussie dog or not?” one yelled as he grabbed the student’s shirt collar with his other fist clenched. The student pleaded he wasn’t “Aussie”. I intervened and told them to leave him alone. I said he’s Italian, not Aussie and that he was against the riots.

They stormed off. He was visibly shaken. I remember helping him stand and reminded him to tell people that day he was Italian, not “Aussie”. In retrospect that was wrong, but at the time it seemed like the only way to quell the anger.

By lunchtime, a text message had circulated among students that a bunch of white Aussie boys from the Shire were coming down to “punch on” with us after school. Apparently they were meeting us at Granville train station. I was shocked and a little frightened. I remember asking my older brother what we should do. He said we should do nothing but if anything happens, we will defend ourselves.

We lived in Lidcombe, which meant we had to travel east to get home, while the other boys travelled west to Granville, Guildford and Merrylands. This put my brother and me at risk of confronting the Caucasian group alone.

While I was worried about my own safety, others in the playground were turning to thoughts of battle.

“If they want war, we’ll give them war,” one yelled.

So almost 100 students, predominantly Lebanese, Arab and Turkish, gathered and went to the woodwork department. Many took pieces of wood as weapons. In the heat of the moment, I put a piece of wood in my bag. It was the first time I had ever given in to peer pressure, because I was genuinely scared I could be attacked. Upon reflection, I had given in to the “herd mentality”.

At the end of the day, like an army mobilising numbers on a battlefield, groups of students patrolled various parts of Granville train station and its platforms. It was very tense. Any person who looked remotely “Aussie” (fair-skinned and in school uniform) received a barrage of questions from hot-headed students. No such group came. The students went home. As my brother and I walked home from Lidcombe train station, I stopped at a local park and buried the piece of wood under mulch.

When we got home, we had a long conversation with my parents. My parents called for calm and restraint. My mum was concerned about our welfare and told us to be careful in public. Weeks after the riots, we were only allowed to go to and from school.

Ten years on, the riots still have ramifications. I am 24 now, but as I grew up the riots affected my outlook, feelings and sense of belonging. It’s difficult enough to navigate your way through life as a teenager with all the standard teen woes and problems. Add the complexities of racism, politics, media coverage and figuring out my identity and it can be very overwhelming.

I found my way by being comfortable in my own skin and I’m grateful for that. The moment I found peace of mind was the moment I embraced my mixed identity: I’m Australian by nationality, Muslim by faith and Lebanese by cultural heritage. I’m richer for it. It was incredibly difficult to figure out whilst learning what it is to be a “man” and how to be a “man”.

UK Islamic scholar Aftab Malik from the UN Alliance of Civilisations describes young Arabs and Muslims in the West as the “post 9/11 generation”. For us in Australia, I would add to that the Cronulla riots. One of the ugliest episodes in recent Australian history didn’t happen in a vacuum. It was a culmination of a bubbling undercurrent of racial tensions and clashes between young Caucasian and Middle Eastern men.

The then prime minister, John Howard, seemed averse to suggesting that racism was involved when he said: “I do not accept that there is underlying racism in this country.”

Tell that to 14-year-old me who was petrified of going home. The lack of honesty and stench of hypocrisy suffocated me. It engulfed my lungs. I wanted our leaders to call out the terrible behaviour and criminality from BOTH sides. Then right-wing commentators and media personalities added fuel to the fire by shifting blame on the “Lebanese community”, labelling them “Middle Eastern grubs”. The divisive language and slogans from both camps created a dangerous mix of unrest, anger, hysteria, paranoia and anxiety.

Australia’s undercurrent of racism reared its ugly head that day. And despite it being 10 years ago, many are still affected today. The majority of my Year 12 cohort went on to attend university, college and TAFE. Some entered the workforce. Many went through an identity crisis. Some changed their name to make it more “Anglo-friendly” for work purposes. Some internalised racism. Others adopted a victim mentality and blamed the system for everything that went wrong in their life. While others developed an inferiority complex. Sadly, some still carry these demons with them today.

Until recently I thought we’d improved race relations in Australia. The Adam Goodes saga tells us otherwise. If our elite athletes get racially abused, what hope does the average Khaled, Ahmed or Maryam have of a fair go in society?

We need a shift in attitude from all parts of society. For starters, let’s be open and honest about our history as a nation. Those in positions of leadership need to be measured in times of crisis. We have a civic duty to proactively work towards holistic change and aspire to higher values of justice, equality and fairness.

When I walk past the park in Lidcombe, I sometimes think of the piece of wood. Like our demons, it is buried deep down inside and lies dormant. It serves as a reminder of what a 14-year-old Australian Muslim of Lebanese descent felt he had to resort to in this country at a time when our social fabric was at breaking point.

Mohamed Taha is a reporter and producer for ABC News, based in the western Sydney bureau in Parramatta. Follow him on Twitter @Mo_Taha1.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-11/taha-how-the-riots-shaped-who-i-am-today/7019998

Hero cop Craig Campbell left behind by the Cronulla riots

He was front and centre at the Cronulla riots, furiously swinging his police baton to stop a mob of youths from bashing a Middle Eastern couple to death on a train.

But Craig Campbell is now down and out, living in a caravan outside his parents’ home on the NSW South Coast after leaving the force due to a breakdown from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The 56-year-old is not left with much.

He lives on $440-a-week workers’ compensation, his marriage disintegrated and he has been unable to hold down a job since.
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Even the bravery award that he won for the train incident was later taken away when the police hierarchy deemed he used “excessive force”.

But, a few weeks ago, there was an unusual bout of good news.

Two members of the Australian Muslim community had remembered seeing the burly sergeant on TV 10 years ago, instinctively protecting the men on the train regardless of their skin colour.

Adam Bowden and Beylal Racheha heard Campbell had not been recognised for his efforts after 10 years so they tracked him down and called on their community to pitch in.

They drove down to North Wollongong, took him out for a Lebanese lunch and gave him $1000 in new clothing and cash.

“We just wanted to say thank you to him for the work he’s done, it was sad no one had acknowledged it,” said Beylal Racheha, a car wash operator and charity organiser.

“When I watched it happen 10 years ago, I was proud of that policeman. It showed that the police weren’t racist. It made me feel like we weren’t being purposely targeted.”

Campbell, who is still locked in a bitter struggle for injury payments, said he was taken aback when he met the pair.

“I really teared up because, you know, I’ve helped so many people out in my personal life in and around here in Dapto and when I wanted a bit of a hand, trying to get my car on the road and things like that, no one could be seen for dust.”

“I just thought of these two blokes, out of the goodness of their heart doing this, it really got to me actually.”

Campbell said a video of him swinging his baton on the train and the platform at Cronulla has been used as a training video at the academy.

In the days after, people shook his hand in the street. One of the men being attacked on the train thanked him for saving his life. His boss, former commander Robert Redfern, gave him a letter from his two daughters who said they were proud their dad worked with such a hero.

“To say it was excessive force is just rubbish,” he said.

It is an incident he will never forget, forever bitter about the way it was derided and etched in his mind along with dozens of other horrific jobs that led to his eventual breakdown in 2007.

“These days I just potter around and grow veggies and that and try to stay calm,” he said. “I never thought about PTSD, I thought it was all rubbish. But I still see the faces when I close my eyes. You try to push it out of your head, but you can’t.”

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/hero-cop-craig-campbell-left-behind-by-the-cronulla-riots-20160117-gm7j5r.html

Muslims back ex-Cronulla riot cop Craig Campbell

April 17, 2016 11:37am

The teams will be captained by prominent Muslims including boxer Billy Dib, former NRL star Hazem El Masri and cleric Sheik Nabil Suckarie.

Teams of local high school students and media organisations will also take part.

“Craig Campbell is a hero who has saved lives, and this soccer tournament will help highlight his heroic actions during the riots,” Dr Rifi said. “This is also about connecting the Australia Muslim community and the mainstream media.”

Event patron, former premier Morris Iemma, said: “For a fellow who did really good work keeping the streets safe and the role he played in the Cronulla riots, a lot of people are quite sympathetic to his plight. A lot of people are quite upset that for a man who is seen as one of the good guys, that incident in Cronulla has cost him his family and career.”

All money raised will go ­towards helping the father of three get back on his feet, while a donation will also be made to the Luke Batty Foundation.

Mr Campbell, 56, said he was “humbled” by the fundraiser, and said he was simply doing his job on the day of the riots when he saved a young man being attacked by an angry mob on board a train.

“The best part for me was the fact that I managed to save two young blokes’ lives.”

The event will be held on Sunday, May 15.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/muslims-back-excronulla-riot-cop-craig-campbell/news-story/8209896a1fec85e72187c81811308bc7

The Craig Campbell Cohesion Cup

under patronage of former NSW premier the Hon.Morris Iemma.

Date: Sunday 15/05/2016.

Time: from 9 AM to 4PM.

Venue: Australian National Sports Club. 571-577 Punchbowl Road. Lakemba, NSW.

Official Ceremony:   Starting at 2:00pm.

Fields & Officials: Professional Referees will be supervising the tournament on two indoor Courts.

Participants: 16 teams will be participating.

Team: 6 players on the field including Goalie and two reserves optional (Interchange).
The proceeds from tournament and sponsorship will be donated to Craig Campbell himself and to Luke Batty  Foundation

Confirmed Team so far:

1- Billy Dib

2-Hazem Elmagic

3- Sheikh Ahmad   Abdo

4- Sheikh Nabil Suckarie

5- Muslim Women Association

6- iShare Media

7- Al Wasat Media

8- Sydney morning herald

9-the Guardian newspaper

10-ABC team

Angela Rose TAYLOR

Victoria Police Force

[blockquote]The FIRST female Police Officer, in Australia, to be killed ‘ On Duty ‘[/blockquote]

Regd. #  24274

Rank:  Constable

Stations:  ?, Melbourne City Watch-House

Service:  From  ?  to  20 April 1986

Awards:  National Police Service medal – granted 2016 & handed to her parents on the 30th anniversary of the Event date ( 27 March 2016 )

Born:  ? ? 1964

Died on:  20 April 1986

Cause:  Car bomb explosion – Murdered

Event date:  Thursday  27 March 1986

Event Location:  Outside of 336 Russell Street, Police Station, Melbourne.  Known as the

‘ Russell Street Bombing ‘

Age:  21

Funeral date:  ?

Funeral location:  Springvale Botanical Cemetery

Buried at:  Cremated

 Memorial at:  1/  Royal Melbourne Hospital – Angie Rose Taylor Ward – dedicated to Angie

2/   Angela Taylor Memorial Foundation – presented to the Dux of each Police Academy Squad

3/   Angela Taylor Fun Run

ANGELA IS mentioned on the National Police Wall of Remembrance

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

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

May you forever Rest In Peace.

On March 27 1986, shortly before midday, Constable Taylor left the Russell Street Police Complex to collect lunches for her colleagues. As she stepped on to Russell Street, she passed within 1 metre of a car packed with gelignite. At this time, the gelignite was detonated and the car exploded, showering the area with shrapnel. Angela suffered severe burns to 70% of her body and was hospitalised as a result. However, she died on 20 April 1986.

Stanley Taylor and Craig Minogue were convicted and imprisoned over the bombing which was motivated by an intense hatred of police.

Victoria Police Association Journal   March 2006  p 10 & 11

It is 20 years since a car bomb exploded outside the Russell Street Police Complex – two decades since Constable Angela Taylor was mortally wounded as she crossed over Russell Street from the City Watchhouse.  The Police Association Journal editor Shirley Hardy-Rix spoke to Angela’s parents, Marilyn and Arthur Taylor to mark the anniversary of Angela’s death.

“It can seem like yesterday or it can seem like 20 years. But missing Angie is still as strong today as it was then; it’s just not accompanied with the pain.”

These are the words of a mother talking about a loved daughter 20 years after the criminal act that shocked the country and changed the Taylor family forever. Marilyn and Arthur Taylor admit that not a day goes by when they don’t think of their only daughter “not in a morbid way but in a joyful way”.

“That made me very proud.  Her graduation day was the part in my life when I was at the pinnacle, the top of the mountain. I’ve never been right up there since. I was so proud that she had helped others in her squad get through. She didn’t just do it for herself,” says Marilyn. She and Arthur were the proud parents on graduation day and happy participants in the celebrations that marked the beginning of what should have been a long and successful career.

In March 1986, Angela Taylor had just finished her probation and was working at the City Watchhouse. On March 27 – Easter Thursday – just on one o’clock, an explosion rocked Russell Street. A car bomb was detonated by a team of criminals. Angela was walking across Russell Street at that instant. Her injuries were horrendous and she would never recover. On April 20, after a long and courageous battle, Angela Taylor died.

“It is almost like we lost Angie twice. From the time of the bombing she never spoke to us again. Each of those dates is intermixed,” says Marilyn.

That day Marilyn Taylor was working at a small shop in South Melbourne. She heard on the radio that a bomb had exploded and a woman had been injured.

“I thought, ‘thank God it’s not my Ange’. I didn’t think of her as a woman, just as my Ange, my girl.”

When Marilyn Taylor walked down to the bank she saw a police car and just knew. It might have been a mother’s intuition. Marilyn wasn’t surprised to see the two police who came to tell her the news.

Arthur was also working that day and was later than usual getting home because he’d stopped to get some hot cross buns on the way. He was listening to the radio and heard the news that a policewoman was injured. He thought his daughter was safe because she was in the watchhouse.

“There was a car in the driveway and a couple of senior police. The penny dropped. I’m not a talkative person but I couldn’t shut up. I didn’t want to hear what they had to say so I just kept on talking. My worst fear was that she was dead – that’s what I didn’t want to hear.”

What followed was a rollercoaster. Marilyn and Arthur say they were carried on by events. They had no control. Their whole motivation was to be at the hospital. Each day they would get up and drive to the hospital. At the end of the day they would drive home and collapse into bed.

In 1986 Marilyn and Arthur weren’t offered any counselling to help cope with their grief.  “I thought if I saw a counsellor they would make it better – make me better but that is not what it does.”

Since Angela’s death many of those who knew their daughter have drifted out of their lives. “It is such a painful thing for so many people. Even the ones who loved Angie sometimes find it difficult to talk to Arthur and me.  And it is not that they don’t care about us, it is just too painful.”

The Police family haven’t forgotten Angela Taylor and this is a great comfort to her family. The Angela Taylor Memorial Foundation was established and the dux of every graduating squad receives the Angela Taylor Award.

These initiatives have all been part of the healing process.

Every year there is the Angela Taylor Fun Run. Marilyn and Arthur are always there to welcome the winners over the finish line and present trophies. It is an important day for them.  Marilyn admits in the early years she only went along because she had to but now she wouldn’t miss it.

“At first I did it because I had to – now I do it because I want to and I don’t know when that page turned.  Everyone who comes along – they are all special.  It gives us a lot of pleasure.”

Marilyn and Arthur receive great comfort out of the services held on National Police Remembrance Day. It is a special day in their calendar. In recent years they have become close to the Senior Police Chaplain, Jim Pilmer.

“We love Jim. He’s a special man. He is one of God’s chosen. He is a genuine man who gives great comfort to those people in the greatest pain. I love his services and we love going along to the Remembrance Day evening service. I like to hear the list of names read out and pray with the families and then go to the little chapel for private prayer. It is a closure for the day.”

Today Marilyn and Arthur are doting grandparents and spend time with their five grand-daughters. Four of these girls bear Angela’s name – Brooke Angela, Laura Angela, Alyssa Rose and Alex Jasmine Rose.

“They give another dimension, but nothing fills the hole of Angie,” says Marilyn.

In their garden are three Angela Taylor roses. They would love to see the rose named in honour of their daughter at the Police Academy and in each police station garden across the state.

The men responsible for the Russell Street Bombing were brought to justice. Marilyn and Arthur did attend the final day of the committal hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court across the road from the scene of the bombing.

Marilyn refused to look at the faces of the men who killed her daughter. Arthur attended the sentencing at the conclusion of the Supreme Court trial. Marilyn couldn’t face it.

“That’s how we keep a positive attitude. We don’t want these people to have any other part of my life. They’ve taken away more than is almost possible to cope with. They are not going to get in because I am not going to hate them because that would be soul destroying for me and those I love,” says Marilyn.

“We’ve avoided getting angry. Sometimes it is very hard to avoid getting angry and hating. It is such a negative emotion it would take over our lives and that wasn’t going to happen,” adds Arthur.

Marilyn and Arthur Taylor are wonderful people. They are filled with love when they could be torn apart by hate. They look at all that has been done in their daughter’s memory and are filled with pride.

“We are very proud and very humbled by the legacy of having the unit at the Royal Melbourne Hospital dedicated to Angie and all the other memorials they have put up in her name. I know there are a lot of people who do a lot of work and put in a lot of time and effort into not letting Victorians forget these wonderful people who get up in the morning and put on the blue uniform because they love to do it.”

http://www.tpav.org.au/_documents/Journals/2006/March/2811e12e-ba48-45cd-b211-65339f4f374b/Jnl_2006_Mar_P10_11.pdf

The Angela Taylor rose

Release date: Fri 31 March 2006

http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=4619

Shortly after 1.00 pm Thursday, 27 March 1986, a massive explosion occurred near the southern entrance to the Russell Street Police Complex when a car bomb was detonated. As a result of this act three people were injured, damage was caused to the façade of the police building and the central business district was thrown into confusion for hours as emergency workers struggled to cope with the disaster. Later Forensic tests showed the bomb had consisted of 50 sticks of gelignite packed into a motor car and surrounded by small pieces of metal which were meant to act as “shrapnel”. The investigation into the setting of the bomb began at once and continued for months. During that time two of the injured – Magistrate Ian West and Constable Carl Donadio recovered from their wounds. However Constable Angela Taylor who had suffered extensive burns to her body died at the Royal Melbourne Hospital 20 April 1986.

The Russell Street Bombing refers to the 27 March 1986 bombing of the Russell Street Police Headquarters complex in Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The explosion was caused by a car bomb hidden in a stolen 1979 Holden Commodore.

The blast seriously injured 21-year-old Constable Angela Taylor, who died on 20 April, becoming the first Australian policewoman to be killed in the line of duty. A further 22 people were injured. The explosion caused massive amounts of damage to the police HQ and surrounding buildings, estimated at more than A$1 million.

The Age newspaper reported that the blast had such an impact because of the open-floor design of the offices acted like a claymore mine, sending more shrapnel as the blast ripped through the floors, seemingly adding more pressure to the blast as it followed its path. The station has closed down and been converted into apartments.

In the course of the investigation, a group of people including Stan Taylor, Peter Reed, Craig Minogue and Rodney Minogue were apprehended. The motive for the bombing seems to have been revenge against the police, as the bombers had previously been arrested and still resented their jail terms. In court, Taylor, Reed and Craig Minogue were convicted; Rodney Minogue was eventually acquitted on appeal.

On 7 October 1985, gelignite and detonators were stolen from the Tryconnel Mine at Blackwood. On 25 March 1986, a Holden Commodore was stolen. Both crimes were later found to provide equipment needed for the construction of the bomb.

On 25 April 1986, ten Victoria Police officers raided the Kallista home of Peter Michael Reed at 5.45 am. It was alleged that upon attempting to enforce the arrest by forcing entry to the premises, Reed produced a .455 Smith and Wesson revolver and fired at police, seriously injuring Det Sgt Wylie. Reed was then fired upon by Det Sgt Quinsee and arrested. Reed was charged with attempted murder, recklessly causing serious injury, using a firearm to prevent apprehension and possessing explosives in suspicious circumstances in addition to charges related to the Russell Street bombing. Reed later stated at his trial in unsworn evidence that:

“the police started the shooting and I only used his firearm in self defence.”

On 30 May 1986, police arrested Stanley Brian Taylor during a 2 am raid on his Birchip home. Brothers Craig and Rodney Minogue were arrested in a Swan Hill motel at 5.15 am later that day.

The crown did not allege that any person played any particular role in the bombing, but that each of them were members of a team which planned the bombing and caused the bomb to explode. Evidence against the accused was as follows:

Gelignite and detonators used in the construction of the bomb were of the same type as those stolen from Tryconnel Mine.

Gelignite was found at Reed’s house wrapped in newspaper containing fingerprints belonging to Rodney Minogue.

Craig Minogue owned a pair of side cutters which produced cuts similar to those found on detonator wires.

A file with traces of brass deposits matched with brass deposits found at the bomb site.
a block of wood from which a wooden part of the bomb had been sawn was found at Craig Minogue’s premises.
tinned copper wire, similar to that used with detonators found at the bomb site, was found at Craig Minogue’s premises.
residue of gelignite matched residue found at a previous address of Craig Minogue in Lower Templestowe.
evidence from a witness that Craig Minogue called around Easter 1986, to ask about the use of detonators.
a witness testified that Craig Minogue was seen driving a 1979 Holden Commodore around the CBD prior to the explosion.

– wiki

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=92297987

Young police constable, 21, killed in the Russell Street car bombing is awarded with a service medal 30 years after the tragedy

• Constable Angela Rose Taylor, 21, was killed when car bomb exploded
• She died of her injuries 24 days after Russell Street police station bombing
• Young policewoman has been remembered 30 years after the tragedy
• She was posthumously awarded the National Police Service Medal 

By Jenny Awford For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 18:10 EST, 24 March 2016 | Updated: 19:26 EST, 24 March 2016

The young policewoman killed after a car bomb exploded in front of the force headquarters in Melbourne has been remembered 30 years after the tragedy – and awarded a service medal.

Constable Angela Rose Taylor, 21, died from her injuries 24 days after the bombing of Russell Street police headquarters on Easter Thursday, 27 March 1986.

She was the first policewoman to be murdered in the line of duty in Australia.

Her brother Michael Taylor paid tribute to the young officer at a memorial service on Thursday opposite the old Russell Street station, saying that she always had ‘a disdain for injustice’.

He recalled how as a three-year-old she fended off bullies by swinging a broom because they were teasing him over his leg calipers.

‘She had a strong belief we should all be treated equally,’ Mr Taylor said.

Constable Taylor was posthumously awarded the National Police Service Medal at the memorial which was attended by officers, family and friends wearing pink roses in her memory.

It was given to her parents Marilyn and Arthur by Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton on behalf of Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove.

Two men were convicted of the horrific crime which left Constable Taylor dead and 22 others injured.

One of the bombers, Craig Minogue, could soon apply for bail as his 28-year non-parole period comes to an end this year.

His co-accused, Stanley Brian Taylor, 59, was jailed for life with no minimum set.

Mr Ashton said while any parole decision is up to the parole board, he hoped Minogue ‘stays behind bars’.

Minogue, who was almost illiterate at the time of his arrest has gone on to complete a bachelor of arts degree, and has also obtained his Masters and PHD behind bars.

He also runs a website, on which he apologises for his behaviour in 1986.

‘I understand the pain and suffering that I have caused. I am very sorry for the crimes of my past, and I regret those actions very much and wish that I had not done them,’ he wrote on the site.

‘Thirty years is a very long time in prison, I was 23 when I came in and I will be 53 when I am eligible for release.

‘I hope to be able to somehow pass on to others the value that I have found in education and learning during that time.

‘That contribution I can make depends to a large extent upon others, and whether or not I am going to be given a chance to make a positive contribution,’ he said.

But Detective Inspector Bernie Rankin does not believe Minogue is reformed.

‘I am not convinced that he is the reformed Craig Minogue he is making himself out to be,’ he told 60 Minutes recently.

He went on to explain how Minogue murdered a man not long after being sent to prison for his part in the Russell Street bomb case.

‘Now if Craig Minogue is released tomorrow who’s to say it is not the old Craig Minogue who gets released.

‘What if you take his parking spot, you know, what if you bump into him in a bar?

http://video.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2016/03/24/5731756171013765268/640x360_5731756171013765268.mp4

‘He is trying to get parole and he is trying to demonstrate to a parole board he is no longer a risk,’ he said.

Mr Rankin held back tears when remembering the death of Ms Taylor three weeks after she was injured in the bomb blast.

He helped put out some of the fire on the 21-year-old officer’s clothes and hair.

‘She was thrown across street dreadfully burnt,’ he said.

‘She was a fine young woman that lost her life,’ he said choking back tears after remembering the day, April 20, he found out she had passed away in hospital.

The police officer remembers the bombers had ‘a strong desire to kill as many people and injure as many people as possible’ with their contraption.

In fact the blast could have been a lot worse, a police investigation at the time found not all of the explosives found set into the car went off as was planned because the detonator was used wrong.

‘He is trying to get parole and he is trying to demonstrate to a parole board he is no longer a risk,’ he said.
Mr Rankin held back tears when remembering the death of Ms Taylor three weeks after she was injured in the bomb blast.
He helped put out some of the fire on the 21-year-old officer’s clothes and hair.
‘She was thrown across street dreadfully burnt,’ he said.
‘She was a fine young woman that lost her life,’ he said choking back tears after remembering the day, April 20, he found out she had passed away in hospital.
The police officer remembers the bombers had ‘a strong desire to kill as many people and injure as many people as possible’ with their contraption.
In fact the blast could have been a lot worse, a police investigation at the time found not all of the explosives found set into the car went off as was planned because the detonator was used wrong.

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Man jailed thirty years ago for a Melbourne car bomb which killed a young policewoman is up for parole – but one officer who was there doesn’t think he’s reformed

• Convicted killer Craig Minogue may be eligible for parole this year 
• Minogue was jailed for his part in the Russell Street bombing in 1986
• A car bomb exploded near a police station killing a female officer
• He also killed a fellow inmate once he was put behind bars
• He has used his time behind bars to obtain a PHD 

By Belinda Cleary For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 02:09 +11:00, 21 March 2016 | Updated: 07:43 +11:00, 21 March 2016

A killer who has served thirty years behind bars for his part in the detonation of a bomb outside a metro police station may soon be eligible for parole.

Two men were convicted of the crime, Stan Taylor was sentenced to life without parole, and Craig Minogue was given 28 years without parole, which has now been served.

At 15 seconds past one on Easter Thursday afternoon in 1986 Russell Street, Melbourne best resembled a warzone.

 

A car bomb parked strategically outside the police complex exploded killing 21-year-old police woman Angela Taylor and 22 officers and civilians.

Minogue, who was almost illiterate at the time of his arrest has gone on to complete a bachelor of arts degree, and has also obtained his Masters and PHD behind bars.

He also runs a website, on which he apologises for his behaviour in 1986.

‘I understand the pain and suffering that I have caused. I am very sorry for the crimes of my past, and I regret those actions very much and wish that I had not done them,’ he wrote on the site.

‘Thirty years is a very long time in prison, I was 23 when I came in and I will be 53 when I am eligible for release.

‘I hope to be able to somehow pass on to others the value that I have found in education and learning during that time.

‘That contribution I can make depends to a large extent upon others, and whether or not I am going to be given a chance to make a positive contribution,’ he said.

But Detective Inspector Bernie Rankin does not believe Minogue is reformed.

‘I am not convinced that he is the reformed Craig Minogue he is making himself out to be,’ he told 60 Minutes recently.

He went on to explain how Minogue murdered a man not long after being sent to prison for his part in the Russell Street bomb case.

‘Now if Craig Minogue is released tomorrow who’s to say it is not the old Craig Minogue who gets released.

‘What if you take his parking spot, you know, what if you bump into him in a bar?

‘He is trying to get parole and he is trying to demonstrate to a parole board he is no longer a risk,’ he said.

 

Mr Rankin held back tears when remembering the death of Ms Taylor three weeks after she was injured in the bomb blast.

He helped put out some of the fire on the 21-year-old officer’s clothes and hair.

‘She was thrown across street dreadfully burnt,’ he said.

‘She was a fine young woman that lost her life,’ he said choking back tears after remembering the day, April 20, he found out she had passed away in hospital.

The police officer remembers the bombers had ‘a strong desire to kill as many people and injure as many people as possible’ with their contraption.

In fact the blast could have been a lot worse, a police investigation at the time found not all of the explosives found set into the car went off as was planned because the detonator was used wrong.

Paul Hetzel was a member of Taylor and Minogue’s gang, he helped police gain convictions, but in 1992 his partner’s granddaughter vanished.

Seventeen years later convicted child killer Leslie Camilleri came forward claiming to have killed Prue Bird of his own accord. Mr Hetzel believes she was taken from them in revenge.

‘I thought this is pay back just felt sick in the guts.’

Mr Hetzel said Minogue had threatened shortly after the explosion.

‘He was saying about that any bastard ever spoke about it and that, you know, they will be killed.

‘And that’s when he said wouldn’t it be a shame if anything happened to your little Prue.’

Minogue denies any involvement in the girl’s disappearance and murder. But police are not convinced.

‘There is no doubt in my mind Camilleri commit crime with others and that this crime is a payback for the Russell Street bombing,’ Detective Senior Sergeant Brent Fisher told 60 minutes.

Minogue has said he intends to repay the community for his crimes by accepting the sentence, admitting his guilt and apologising, by making an effort to rehabilitate himself and by not re-offending upon release.

Minogue was not handed down extra time for the murder of his fellow inmate Tsakmakis in prison.

He is currently being held in a medium-security prison in Victoria.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3501405/Craig-Minogue-parole-thirty-years-Russell-Street-bombing.html

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 http://www.remember.org.au/Memorials/Scholarships/Angela-Taylor-Memorial-Scholarships

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Remembering Constable Angela Taylor

https://youtu.be/ktopk7Ff_iQ

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Forensic Investigators – Russell Street Part 5 HD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrrMjRWket8&ebc=ANyPxKpWxnwJ2vgDT9orrGP7USgrmeJaNlGt3itEYD1DAFWjNNpzIk2Q4Po-MFFFoC8ggwQR_ofM48DGgV6tKDNkD1G6Lm6GFw

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Russell Street bomber dies in custody

October 19, 201610:44pm

Helen Velissaris  Australian Associated Press

Kevin John LAUBE

Victoria Police Force

Regd. #  14707

Rank:  Senior Constable

Stations:  Bourke St West, St Kilda, Mentone, Mobile Traffic Section ( from 1972 )

Service:  From  21 February 1964  to  3 March 1976 = 12+ years Service

Awards:  ?

Born:  ? ? 1944

Died on:  Wednesday  3 March 1976

Cause:  Motor vehicle accident – Police cycle – rider

Event location:  Coolart Rd & Eramosa Rd, Somverville, Vic.

Age:  31

Funeral date:  ?

Funeral location:  Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Victoria

Buried at:  Cremated

 Memorial at:  ?

[alert_green]KEVIN IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]

 Funeral location:  ?

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

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

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On the afternoon of Wednesday, 3 March 1976, about 4.50pm, when Sen Const Laube was performing a motorcycle patrol north along Coolart Road, Somerville, and collided with a car which had pulled out into his path from Eramosa Road.
Sadly, he received fatal injuries and died at the accident scene. He was 31.

Sen Const Laube joined Victoria Police on 21 February, 1964 and worked at various police stations during his career including Bourke Street West, St Kilda and Mentone before transferring to the Mobile Traffic Section in 1972.

He was survived by his wife Eve and son Steven.

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Robert Philip EVANS

aka  Ron

New South Wales Police Force

 Academy Class 108

[alert_yellow]Regd. #  12096[/alert_yellow]

Rank:  Junior Trainee – commenced training 8 August 1966

Probationary Constable – appointed 16 September 1966

Constable – appointed 16 September 1967

Senior Constable – appointed 16 September 1975

Sergeant 3rd Class – appointed 10 June 1983

Detective Senior Sergeant – Retirement

Stations:  St Marys ( G.D’s – 8 mths ), STP North Sydney & Parramatta Cycles & Mini Coopers ( 4 years ),

Granville CIB – Plain Cloths from 31 May 1975,  21 Special Squad about January 1972,

Burwood CIB – Plain Cloths from 26 February 1975 – 1978, Passed Detectives Course in 1975 – Drug Squad CIB,

Modus Operandi Section ( M.O. ) from 19 March 1978 ( 4.5 years ),  Special Gaming Squad ( 3 years ),

Drug Law Enforcement Unit from 27 November 1985 at Burwood & Parramatta Districts,

Flemington & Parramatta CIB from 2 November 1986 ( 2.5 years ),

State Operations Unit – M.O. Unit from 9 August 1989 ( Unit Leader as SenSgt 4.5 years )

Service:  From  8 August 1966  to  20 September 1996 = 30+ years Service

Awards:   Commissioner’s Commendation in 13 June 1976 for Valour

“For outstanding courage and tenacity in the arrest of an armed and dangerous offender who had kidnapped two people and had fired shots at Police“

National medal – granted 18 November 1982

1st Clasp to National medal – granted 22 January 1993

Born:  2 May 1938

Died on: 21 November 2001

Cause:  Cancer – colon

Age:  63

Funeral date:  26 November 2001

Funeral location:  Castlebrook – Service performed by Father Jim Boland – Police Chaplain

Buried at:  Cremated – Castlebrook Memorial Park, Windsor Rd, Rouse Hill, NSW

 Memorial at:  Castlebrook Memorial Park

Location:  Gumnut.  Section:  Gumnut Gazebo

Lat/Lng: -33.69562, 150.91998

[alert_yellow]RON is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_yellow]  *NEED MORE INFO

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

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

[divider_dotted]

Robert Philip ” Ron ‘ EVANS

2. 5. 1938 – 21. 11. 2001

Dearly beloved husband of Valerie

Devoted father and grandpa

Have I told you today

I love you

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May you forever Rest In Peace Ron.

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Ron ‘ might have been ‘ associated with and played in the NSW Police Band – not verified.

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Elliott Peter WATT

Western Australia Police Force

Regd. # ?

Rank:  Sergeant

Stations:  ?, Kondinin, Collie ( acting OIC ) – death

Service:  From  ? ? ?  to  22 December 2008 = 15 years Service

Awards:  ?

Born:  31 July 1972

Died on:  22 December 2008

Cause:  Suicide – Service firearm – in the Station Armoury

Age:  36

Funeral date:  ?

Funeral location:  ?

Buried at:  ?

 Memorial at:  ?

Date of Inquest:  13 – 16 February 2012

 Date of Inquest finding:  20 March 2012

ELLIOTT is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance  * BUT SHOULD BE

 Funeral location:  ?

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

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

Police officer’s death not suspicious: police

Updated 24 Dec 2008, 7:20am

Police from the internal affairs unit are investigating the death of an officer at the Collie Police Station, south of Perth.

Sergeant Elliott Watt was found dead in the armoury room of the station yesterday.

Police say he shot himself with a police issued firearm.

Speaking outside the station this morning, Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan said local officers were shocked.

“This has affected all of the police officers and their families,” he said.

“It’s a very a tragic situation that’s occurred at a difficult time of the year when we’re moving up to Christmas.”

Sergeant Watt was the second in charge at the station and had been in Collie for 12 months.

He leaves behind a wife and four children, aged 11, five, three and 18 months.

His death is not been treated as suspicious, and his fellow officers are being offered counselling.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-12-23/police-officers-death-not-suspicious-police/248500

Coronial inquiry into police officer’s suicide

Updated 13 Feb 2012, 8:40pm

Map: Collie 6225

The Perth Coroner’s Court has heard that exposure to a number of critical incidents, including fatalities, could have contributed to a police officer’s suicide.

The Coroner has begun an inquiry into the death of Elliot Peter Watt, 36, at the Collie police station in 2008.

Sergeant Watt, who was the acting officer-in-charge of the station, had four sons.

His body was discovered in the station’s armoury alongside his police-issue firearm.

The Coroner is investigating what impact the daily access to firearms had on the sergeant and whether WA police had adequate mental health safety checks in place.

His wife, Emma Watt, told the court her husband was deeply affected by his work.

Mrs Watt told the inquiry her husband’s mental health started to deteriorate when he was stationed in Kondinin and he had to attend a number of critical incidents with limited or no back up.

She said these included a serious car accident involving children, a farmer’s suicide and an unsuccessful attempt to resuscitate a footballer.

Mrs Watt said he was never offered counselling by WA Police and bottled up his emotions.

Earlier today, the court was told Internal Affairs investigated Sergeant Watt’s death and found there was no single work related incident that triggered his death.

The family’s lawyer said the critical incidents were just as likely to contribute to the suicide as any family problems.

The inquiry also heard Sergeant Watt was depressed in the the years leading up to his death and was looking for another job.

The inquest continues tomorrow.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-13/coronial-inquiry-into-police-officer27s-suicide/3827158

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/burden-too-much-to-bear-for-policeman-who-shot-himself/story-e6frg6nf-1226271242316

Coroner calls for police wellness checks

Posted 10 Mar 2012, 12:13pm

The Police Union says it is unfortunate the suicide of a police officer had to be the catalyst for reform in WA’s police service.

The coronial inquest into the death of Acting Senior Sergeant Elliott Watt concluded yesterday.

Sergeant Watt shot himself at the Collie Police Station in 2008.

Coroner Alistair Hope has recommended WA police conduct annual health and wellness reviews on every police officer in the State.

The President of the Police Union Russell Armstrong says more resources are needed.

“Not enough staff within health and welfare, four clinical psychologists for nearly 6000 people and we’re dealing with 24/7 critical incidents,” he said.

“And that is not enough staff, so it’ll have to be resourced and resourced very quickly.

“It’s long overdue and should have been put in place a long time ago,” he said.

WA police are yet to review the recommendations.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-10/mental-health-checks-for-police/3881424

Office of the State Coroner, Western Australia – Annual report – 2011 – 2012

Elliott Peter WATT

The  State  Coroner  conducted  an  inquest  into  the  death  of  Elliott  Peter  Watt  (the  deceased) with  an  Inquest  held  at  Perth  Coroner’s  Court  on  13‐16  February  2012.  The  State  Coroner found  that  death  occurred  on  22  December  2008  at  Collie  Police  Station,  Collie,  as  a  result  of gunshot wound to the head in the following circumstances ‐

The  deceased  was  an  acting  Senior  Sergeant  of  police  with  Western  Australian  Police  (WA Police) at the time of his death on 22 December 2008.  The deceased was born on 31 July 1972 and so was 36 years of age at the time of his death.

The  deceased  died  at  the  Collie  Police  Station  as  a  result  of  a  self  inflicted  gunshot  wound.  At the time he was the relieving Officer in Charge of the Collie Police Station, the day of his death
was his first day back at work after a period of three weeks long service leave.

On  the  day  of  his  death  the  deceased  worked  from  8am  and  had  been  conducting  his  normal duties as the Officer in Charge of the Police Station throughout the day.  It appears that he was last seen at about 3:45pm.

The deceased was discovered in the armoury at 4:25pm having died of a gunshot wound to the head.

The  deceased  used  the  Glock  pistol  which  had  been  allocated  for  his  own  use  to  shoot  himself while alone in the armoury of the Collie Police Station.

None  of  the  police  officers  on  duty  at  the  Collie  Police  Station  heard  the  shot  being  fired  and none  were  alert  to  the  possibility  that  the  deceased  might  be  about  to  take  his  own  life  prior to his doing so.

The State Coroner found that the death arose by way of Suicide.

The State Coroner observed that it was important that families of serving members are alert to the available services as it is often family members who are most aware of changes in a person suffering from mental health problems.

In that context the State Coroner made the following recommendation –

I  recommend  that  WA  Police  take  action  to  better  promote information in relation to available services to families of serving members.
The  State  Coroner  observed  that  the  deceased’s  colleagues  were  not  alert  to  his  deteriorating mental  condition.  This  was  in  large  part  because  the  deceased  concealed  his  condition  from them,  but  it  is  also  clear  that  they  had  received  little  training  in  the  management  or identification of persons suffering from depression.

Evidence  at  the  inquest  revealed  that  for  officers  taking  on  senior  management  roles,  while training in respect of these issues is available, it is at present not a mandatory requirement.

The State Coroner made the following recommendation –

I  recommend  that  training  in  respect  of  the  identification  and  management  of  officers suffering  from  stress  or  depression  should  form  part  of  the  training  for  police  officers entering management roles.

The  State  Coroner  made  the  following  recommendation  in  respect  to  improving  the  recording of  conversation  with  the  Health  and  Welfare  Branch  of  WA  Police  in  the  context  of  evidence relating to contacts which had not been recorded or filed –

I  recommend  that  WA  Police  ensure  that  there  is  in  place  appropriate  computer  software which  will  enable  the  recording  of  all  contacts  to  the  Health  and  Welfare  Branch  relating  to individual officers where concerns have been expressed as to the welfare of those officers.

The State Coroner observed that the evidence in this case has highlighted the fact that policing can be a demanding and stressful occupation.

The  deceased  was  described  as  a  very  good  officer  who  was  generally  highly  regarded  and  yet none of his work colleagues had any real appreciation of his deteriorating mental health.

In  the  State  Coroner’s  view  there  needs  to  be  some  form  of  regular  health  review  or  wellness review of every police officer in WA Police.

In this context the State Coroner made the following recommendation –

I  recommend  that  WA  Police  put  in  place  a  system  which  would  ensure  that  in  respect  of every member there is some form of wellness review conducted or at least offered each year which will identify significant changes in physical and mental health.

A  letter  dated  20  March  2012  addressed  to  the  Minister  for  Police  invited  the  Minister  to respond to the State Coroner’s recommendations.  At the  time of publishing the annual report a response had not been received from the Minister’s office.
http://www.coronerscourt.wa.gov.au/_files/Coroners_Court_Annual_report_12.pdf

https://www.wapu.org.au/images/ReportsSubmissions/WAPU_ProjectRecompense_Compiled.pdf

 Lance Ian FERRIS

aka  The Pelican Man

( late of Ballina )

New South Wales Police Force

Regd. # 11835

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

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

Constable – appointed 4 April 1967

Constable 1st Class – appointed ? ? ?

Senior Constable – appointed 4 April 1975

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

Final Rank:  Senior Constable?

Stations:  ?, Casino

Service:  From 21 February 1966  to  ?1982?

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

Born:  Thursday 12 December 1946

Event date:  Suffered Stroke on Saturday 13 October 2007

Died on:  Sunday  14 October 2007

Cause:  Stroke

Death location: Lismore Base Hospital, NSW

Age:  60 years, 10 months, 2 days

Funeral date:  ?

Funeral location:  ?

Buried at:  Cremated Lismore.  Seabird Rescue Centre

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

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

 Funeral location:  ?

Richmond River Historical Society – Index to Obituary / Death Notices

LH  370

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

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

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

Sixty year old Lance Ferris died on Sunday the 14th of October, 2007 at Lismore base Hospital after suffering a stroke on Saturday.

The man many of us fondly knew as the “Pelican Man” has passed away leaving a massive whole in the community. Sixty year old Lance Ferris died on Sunday the 14th of October, 2007 at Lismore base Hospital after suffering a stroke on Saturday.

Lance dedicated his life to the rescue, rehabilitation and preservation of seabirds, turtles, and in particular the magnificent pelican and it was through his many years as a dedicated volunteer, using his own money and whatever donations he could find that Australian Seabird Rescue (ASR) came into existence in Ballina, New South Wales in 1992.

Close friend Marny Bonner said, “We’re receiving emails and phone calls from all over Australia from people who are so deeply saddened and shocked.”

Marny Bonner says, “Lance has always had huge compassion for Australia wildlife, his entire life has been rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife. It wasn’t until he noticed not one but two pelicans with hooks in their legs, on the same day, that he realised that there was a problem out there. So he borrowed a boat and had a look around the Richmond River and found that 37 out of 100 pelicans were injured.”

After surveying other estuaries, Lance Ferris realised that what was needed was a huge education program campaign and the passion began.

“We got good support from the North Coast community and some important sponsorship. Over the last 15 years we’ve managed to reach 20,000 children, so there will be a lot of children upset about losing the Pelican man.”

Since that time, ASR volunteers have been involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of seabirds and shorebirds, marine turtles and to date, have rescued over 1000 Australian Pelicans.

Lance Ferris never lost his passion the rescuing injured seabirds.

Marny Bonner believes, “Ultimately that’s what claimed him, his passion for wildlife led to him not looking after himself as well as he might have. It led to many, many hours in loss of sleep trying to save those little lives.”

“I would like to absolutely commend the staff at Lismore base Hospital who worked so hard with Lance. It was a very upsetting time for everybody because everybody knew who he was and knew how hard he’d worked to save so many lives and yet there was nothing we could do to save this most important life,” says Marney Bonner.

In 2004 as president of Australian Seabird Rescue, Lance led the volunteer organisation to win the inaugural National Coastcare Community award.

In an earlier life Lance worked a police officer based in Casino and was a member of APEX. He also worked as a teachers aid for children with disabilities, was a well respected musician and a member of the Sonset Orchestra and could be found at any given weekend at the Lismore Car Boot Markets. Ballina Mayor, Phillip Silver says the death of Lance Ferris is a huge loss for the community.

“I guess in many ways he was ahead of his time in terms of the recognition of that vulnerability of the environment and the water animals. Because he was doing it 20 years ago when it was certainly happening but people weren’t thinking about it,” said mayor Silver.

ASR is always looking for more volunteers and as Marny Booner says “the pelicans have lost their best friend, if pelicans could cry, there would be a wailing around the nation that could not be ignored. It will take an army of volunteers to replace Lance Ferris”.

Jason Ferris believes his Dad would never really let on if he was feeling unwell.

Jason recalls, “At 3am on Saturday morning he sent out a bunch of emails with instructions regarding seabird rescue, so we suspect over the last week or so, he was aware something was going on.”

“My Dad’s always run pretty close to the edge. Dad lived and breathed seabird rescue 24/7. I would often find him sleeping in all sorts of places in the back cars, on seats… his focus was never on his own health, more on the animals in care,” said Jason.

A passion that Jason and Lance shared was music.

“I developed an interest in music as a result of Dad. Dad was really an amazing musician and beautiful singer. In my 20’s he and I started playing music together around the North Coast. Definitely some of my most treasured memories of Dad,” said Jason.

As much as it can be…it will be business as usual for Australian Seabird Rescue.

According to Jason, “Dad’s put 13 or 14 years into this organisation, you can’t just pull the plug. He would be most unhappy with me if that happened.”

In 2003, ABC TV’s Australian Story took a look at a Ballina based former police officer called Lance Ferris, who’s dedicated his life to fixing the plight of the pelicans… read more

ABC North Coast reported when Lance Ferris and his team of seabird rescuers headed to Victoria for a series of training sessions with wildlife carers… read more

A public memorial service will be held for Lance Ferris.

Marny Bonner wrote this in the ABC North Coast guestbook.

“Thank you to the ABC crew for your lovely, sincere tribute to Lance, and thanks to all who phoned to share the ways in which Lance touched their lives. Lance’s life and work will be commemorated at the WildlifeLink Sanctuary in Ballina this Friday 19/10 at 11am. All are welcome to join us. The centre will be open from 10am. It is located at the end of North Creek Rd, which runs off the Pacific H’way as it heads out of Ballina towards Bangalow. On behalf of Jason’s family and Australian Seabird Rescue volunteers, thank you for your condolences and support… Marny.”

Australian Story – ABC

A Bird in the Hand

PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT: Monday, 23 June , 2003

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NSW Police Memorial unveiled at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park by Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione

December 2, 2015 12:00pm

Matraville’s Themalis (Tim) Macarounas had only served as a police officer for a few months before he was killed on duty.

Five months after the 22-year-old graduated, he was driving in a pursuit of a stolen car along Oxford St when his wheels locked after braking and crashed into a light pole.

He died from his injuries on October 20, 1987.

Constable Macarounas is one of 31 names engraved on a new memorial at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park honouring officers killed on duty and resting in the park from the Eastern Beaches, Eastern Suburbs, Waverley and Rose Bay Local Area Commands — including four colonial officers.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione unveiled the memorial during a ceremony on Monday.

Constable Macarounas’ parents, Helen and Arthur were at the service. The couple visit their son’s grave every couple of weeks.

They said their son was a talented athlete — he played many sports and represented the South Sydney district in the Harold Matthews Shield and SG Ball rugby league teams — but he was too short to enter the police force straight out of school.

It wasn’t until height restrictions were abandoned, that he was able to tryout.

“We were so proud of him when he graduated,” Mr Macarounas said.

“He was a community-minded. He had an interest in helping other people.”

Constable Macarounas’ funeral was attended by 600 mourners.

“He was everything to us. Not only to us but to his friends,” Mrs Macarounas said.

“There was something in him. Whoever met him, felt it. I can’t explain it, there was 600 people there. He was only 22. I get goosebumps when I talk about it.”

The Local Police Memorial is the second of its kind in the state. Woronora Memorial Park, Sutherland, had one installed in April.

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the memorial would “stand as a beacon of hope, a beacon of sacrifice and commitment, from the police force to the community”.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/city-east/nsw-police-memorial-unveiled-at-eastern-suburbs-memorial-park-by-police-commissioner-andrew-scipione/story-fngr8h22-1227630738509

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NSW Police Force

Daniel Arthur STILLER

aka  Dan

Queensland Police Force

Regd. # ?

Rank:  Sergeant

Stations:  Hendra Police Station before transferring to South Brisbane Traffic as a Senior Constable.

2007 Dan was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and transferred to the Oxley District Division Traffic Branch, working out of Mount Ommaney Police Station – HWP Cyclist

Service:  From  ? ? 2002  to  1 December 2010

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New South Wales Police Force

Regd. # 32276

” Possibly ” in PREP Class 272

Rank:  Constable

Stations:  ?, Bankstown ( late 1990’s ),

Service:  From  ? ? 1997  to  14 July 2001 = 4 years Service with NSW Police force

Awards:  Queensland Police Service medal – posthumously

Queensland Police Service Award for Meritorious Service – posthumously

Born:  6 January 1977

Died on:  Wednesday  1 December 2010

Death location:  Bruce Hwy, approximately 15km south of Mt Larcom, Qld

Cause:  Motor cycle collision – rider -v- jacknifing semi trailer

Age:  33

Funeral date:  Thursday  9 December 2010 @ 10.30a,

Funeral location:  St Peter Chanel Catholic Church, Chaprowe Roadn  The Gap

Buried at:  Settlement Road, and on to a private interment

 Memorial at:  Sergeant Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve, Heathwood, 4110. Stapylton, Johnson & Paradise Rd & Logan Motorway, Qld

Lat: -27.6425
Long: 152.986389
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.

[alert_green]DAN IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]

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 Funeral location:  ?

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

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

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Police officer killed while escorting wide load

Sergeant Dan Stiller, 33, was killed when the motorcycle he was riding was struck by a truck on the highway about 15 kilometres south of Mount Larcom at about 7am.

The crash closed the highway in both directions near Mount Larcom for more than five hours.

Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett said it appeared the truck jack-knifed before it hit Sergeant Stiller, who was escorting a wide load and convoy along the Bruce Highway.

‘‘The tragic loss of a young promising officer of Sergeant Stiller’s calibre will be felt right throughout the organisation, particularly among those who were fortunate enough to work with him,’’ he said.

Mr Barnett said another police officer, in a police sedan, was also involved in the wide load escort but that officer was not injured.

Sergeant Stiller’s wife, also a police officer, was ‘‘naturally devastated’’ and was receiving the support of her colleagues and close friends, Mr Barnett said.

Premier Anna Bligh said Sergeant Stiller’s death was a ‘‘tragic reminder’’ that police put their lives on the line every day.

“Our thoughts, my thoughts, and think those of all Queenslanders are with his family. This is a very sad day for them,’’ she said.

“It’s also a very sad day for the police service. It’s been almost four years … since we’ve seen a Queensland police officer lose their life in the course of their duties.

Opposition leader John-Paul Langbroek also paid tribute to Sergeant Stiller.“This is a very sad day for our state’s police service and our greater Queensland community,” he said.

“I know each day that every one of Queensland’s 10,702 police officers go to work, they work in challenging and sometimes dangerous situations.’’

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

The 33-year-old sergeant, originally from New South Wales, was an officer with the Oxley District Traffic Branch. Police are investigating the death of their colleague.

The investigating will be overviewed by the Ethical Standards Command.

Rest in Peace my mate Sgt Dan Stiller. You will never ever be forgotten. A great Police Officer. A great Highway Patrol Officer. A true professional in every way. A loving husband that will be truly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with Julie, both families, your QPS mates and your NSWPF mates. I am shattered. Till we meet again.

Commenter

Dean L

Location

NSW

Date and time

December 03, 2010, 12:16AM

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This has been issued to all media on behalf of Sergeant Dan Stiller’s wife, Julie;

 A born and bred Brisbane-boy, Dan Stiller grew up knowing one day he would be able to combine his love of motorbikes with his job. In 2007, after 10 years as a police officer, he did just that when he was promoted to a Sergeant at the Oxley District Traffic branch.

On Wednesday December 1, Sergeant Dan Stiller paid the ultimate sacrifice doing what he loved.

   

 

 

 

 

http://www.angelaowentaylor.com.au/PhotoGallery/tabid/65/AlbumID/430-133/Default.aspx

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Coroner to examine police officer’s highway death

Rae Wilson | 17th Oct 2012 2:59 PM

Coronor recommends wide-load changes after Stiller death

abennymorrison | 16th Mar 2013 2:00 PM

BIRDS in BACKYARDS

Dan Stiller Reserve, Parkinson Qld

6 posts / 0 new

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Sat, 14/03/2015 – 09:35

#1

timrob

Dan Stiller Reserve, Parkinson Qld

A new section has been added to Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve in Parkinson to the south of Brisbane.  It is well worth a look as it has good tracks and an interesting lagoon in the north-eastern corner.  We recommend a weekend walk as there is quite high road noise from Logan Motorway in places.

“Dan” is a very interesting reserve that we have visited numerous times, and currently 152 bird species have been recorded there.  Interested people may like to download our (updated today) birders guide from:

http://www.vk4yeh.com/birding%20downloads.html

Photo of a female fairy wren taken at the lagoon yesterday.

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Wed, 18/03/2015 – 17:01

#2

Reflex

Thanks Tim. I’ll have a wander around one day.

Samford Valley Qld.

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Thu, 19/03/2015 – 12:20

#3

Devster

Very informative information Thanks Tim

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Fri, 24/04/2015 – 12:56

#4

timrob

My wife Marg and I will be leading a BQ walk to “Dan” on May 10th, and will be delighted to meet you.

Tim

Quote from BQ website

” This will be the fist BQ visit to Dan Stiller Reserve for 2015. Meet at 7 am at the gate near the end of Axis Place (UBD 239, E6). This section of the reserve is relatively new and until recently had no good tracks. BCC has made a loop track that includes a section with close proximity to a lagoon on a minor tributary of Oxley Creek. It is also possible, time permitting, to see a large ex-sandmining lake that apparently will become part of an expanded reserve in the future. The track is well made and an easy walk. Boots are recommended for safe access to the edge of the lagoon. There are no toilet facilities in this reserve.

We will meet for morning tea at the park on Lincoln Green Drive (UBD 238, H16) where toilets are available.”

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Fri, 24/04/2015 – 13:10

#5

Woko

Great to learn of the extension to the reserve, Tim.

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Sat, 25/04/2015 – 08:38

#6

Reflex

Sounds good Tim.

Samford Valley Qld.

http://birdsinbackyards.net/forum/Dan-Stiller-Reserve-Parkinson-Qld

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 Leslie George ROBINSON

aka  Les

New South Wales Police Force

Redfern Police Academy:  Class 2 of 1946

Regd. # 4962

Uniform # 1470

Rank:  Probationary Constable – appointed 21 January 1946

Sergeant 2nd Class – appointed 20 February 1967

Inspector 3rd Class – appointed 3 December 1974

Inspector – appointed 14 June 1977

Senior Inspector – appointed 3 April 1979

Superintendent – appointed ? ? ?

Chief Superintendent – appointed ? ? 1981?

Stations:  ?, Albury until around 1958?  Lock Up Keeper at Walla Walla 1958 – 60?, Wagga Wagga, Newcastle ( ‘R’ District )( 1967 ), ?

Sydney area after passing Inspectors course / exam., Penrith – Jan 1975, Castle Hill, Liverpool. 

Superintendent at Metro Country Superintendents Office ( HQ ), Superintendent at Traffic Branch ( HQ ), College St, Sydney. 

Parramatta ( H District ) as Chief Superintendent in 1981, Penrith ( J District ) in 1986 – retirement

Service:  From  ? pre 21 January 1946  to ? ? 1986? = 40 years Service

Awards:  National medal – granted 26 June 1983 ( C/Supt )

Born:  Wednesday  1 April 1925 in Bemboka, NSW

Died on:  Friday  26 May 1989 at Westmead, NSW

Cause:  Heart attack

Age:  64 years, 1 month, 12 days

Funeral date:  ?

Funeral location:  Police Funeral at Pinegrove Cemetery, NSW

Buried at:  Cremated at Pinegrove, NSW

 Memorial at:  Pinegrove Memorial Park,

Pinegrove Cemetery, Kington St, Minchinbury, NSW,

Peace Rose Gardens,  Granite Wall, Left 1,

Lat/Long: -33.789330374912154, 150.8474147993362

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

 Memorial Plaque location:

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

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

The Argues ( Melbourne Vic. )

Tuesday  13 April 1954     p6 of 24

Justyn Raymond LIMOND 

New South Wales Police Force

Regd. # 38683

Rank:  Detective Senior Constable

Stations:  ?, St Marys ( Pro Con ), Regentville ( Det. ), Parramatta ( State Crime, Firearms Unit )

Service:  From  ?  to  28 February 2012 = ? years Service

Awards:  Commander’s Commendation – Strike Force Burindi 2013

Born:  17 April 1975

Died on:  28 February 2012

Cause:  Pulmonary embolism DVT

Age:  36

Funeral date:  6 March 2012

Funeral location:  All Saints Anglican Church, Singleton

Buried at:  Sedgefield Cemetery, Gresford Rd, Singleton

Anglican Lawn, Section 3, Row Q, grave 6

Memorial: NSW Police force Service Memorial Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, E8 ( right wall )

*  GPS:  -32.54715457297511,  151.21848766732023

 Memorial at:  Sydney Police Centre.

 [alert_red]JUSTYN is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_red]  * BUT SHOULD BE

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

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal

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Justyn had returned to the family home to help care for his younger brother who had a brain tumor but Justyn died 10 days after arriving.

His brother, Christopher, died from that brain tumor 9 weeks to the day, after Justyn had died.

May they both forever Rest In Peace

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Justyn’s parents would like to remind people about the very real danger of DVT, due to immobility, which the Coroner attributed directly Justyn’s job.  Get away from that type writer, out of that seating position and exercise those legs.

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Newcastle Herald     2 March 2012

LIMOND, JUSTYN RAYMOND Passed away suddenly at North Rothbury 28th February, 2012 Aged 36 Years

Loved son of STEPHEN and ADELLA. Loving brother of CHRISTIAN, LACHLAN, BENNETT, BRONWYN, TED and SHAUNA. Loved partner of KATHY.

Family and Friends of JUSTYN, the LIMOND, PAGE and MILLER FAMILIES are warmly invited to attend his Funeral to be held in All Saints Anglican Church, Singleton, TUESDAY 6th March 2012 commencing at 11.30am followed by Private Family Burial. By request no flowers, donations may be left at the Church to aid the Singleton Cancer Appeal.

In the care of Chapmans Funerals Singleton 6572 1089 a.f.d.a.

http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac;jsessionid=829C0E1193C3898075A92663BF92607C?sy=afr&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=1month&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=brs&cls=18297&clsPage=1&docID=NCH1203024069U38ETI4

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2011_Lin_Bruce

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*  Despite the fact that the current aerial view of the cemetery with Google map does NOT show a row of graves, there is, in fact, a 5th row of graves and the ‘peace’ marker is the location that the boys graves are located at.

The Singleton Council map shows that 5th row.

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