Bob McCloskey’s widow Anne has informed us that Bob passed away 11pm Wednesday 3rd August 2016.
His funeral is set down for 1.30pm Thursday 11th August 2016 at the St Johns Bosco Catholic Church situated on the corner of Banksia Avenue and Waratah Road, Engadine.
Bob was natures gentlemen. He was the former Commander of Hurstville. He also worked at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics when assigned to the OSCC.
1st Clasp to National Medal – granted 27 August 1992
Born: 29 January 1947
Died on: Thursday 28 July 2016
Cause: ?
Age: 69
Funeral date: Wednesday 3 August 2016 @ 3pm
Funeral location: Rose Chapel, Palmdale Lawn Cemetery and Memorial Park,
57 Palmdale Rd, Palmdale
In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the medical helicopter
service at The Rose Chapel on the day or online at https://westpacrescue.com.au/donations
Thank you.
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: ?
[alert_yellow]DESMOND is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_yellow] *NEED MORE INFO
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Funeral location:
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FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
There will be no formal police involvement at the funeral service however the family do invite all friends and former colleagues to attend if they wish.
The thoughts and prayers of the New South Wales Police Force are extended to the Davidson family and friends at this sad time.
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Des is remembered as a ‘big man with large hands’ and with a great sense of humour.
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Terence Joseph O’KEEFFE
| 06/08/2016
Terence Joseph O’KEEFFE
aka Terry
New South Wales Police Force
[alert_yellow]Regd. # 10320[/alert_yellow]
Rank: Probationary Constable – appointed 29 March 1962
Sergeant 3rd Class – appointed 12 July 1978
Sergeant 1st Class – appointed 10 October 1986
Final Rank = ?
Stations: ?, Central Traffic – 1 Division – A District ( 1962 ), School Lecturing based at Bankstown ( Section Leader for Northern Sydney ), Sydney Police Station ( Surry Hills ) – retirement
Service: From? ? ?pre March 1962 to 18 June 1992=31 years Service
Son of Jean and Joseph (both dec.). Brother of Tony, Carole, Sandra, Trish, Maree and Christine (dec.). Always in our hearts.
Family and friends are warmly invited to attend a Celebration of Terry’s Life to be held in the South Chapel of Northern Suburbs Crematorium, 199 Delhi Rd, North Ryde on Monday, August 8, 2016 at 10am.
No flowers by request.
May you forever Rest In Peace Terry.
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Remembered as a quiet and reserved man who was too nice to be a policeman.
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Mark Anthony BATEMAN
| 06/08/2016
Mark Anthony BATEMAN
Victoria Police Force
Regd. # 30810
Rank: Senior Constable
Stations: ?, Northcote – death
Service: From? ? ? to 20 May 2000= ? years Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: ? ? 1970
Died on: Saturday 20 May 2000 @ 2.20am
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – killed instantly
Age: 30
Funeral date: ? ? ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: Blue Ribbon Foundation Portland District Health Emergency Helipad
Mark Bateman with his children, Jack and Daisy. Source: News Limited
Jack Bateman and his grandfather, Phil Bateman, place flowers at the memorial service
Daisy Bateman (front, second from left), Jack Bateman, Tina Robinson and daughters.
Deb Bateman and Trevor Robinson
James St, Northcote – Northcote Police Stn. Front Inscription Donated by the Northcote R.S.L. in memory of Senior Constable Mark Anthony Bateman 30810 and Senior Constable Fiona Frances Robinson 30507 tragically killed in the line of duty 20 May, 2000 Lest We Forget
[alert_green]MARKIS 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.
At approximately 2.20am on Saturday 20th May, 2000Senior Constable Fiona Robinson and Senior Constable Mark Bateman were travelling along High Street, Northcote with emergency lights activated in response to an emergency call. At the intersection of Dennis & High Streets the divisional van they were driving collided with another vehicle before coming to rest against a traffic control signal and electricity pole. Both members were killed instantly. Fiona was 30 years of age.
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ELEVEN years ago, Debra Bateman’s police officer husband was killed on duty. She chose to be strong.
Debra Bateman is the face of Blue Ribbon Day … a wonderful choice, as I will explain, and a job well done by the organisers.
I say job, because Debra, sorry Dr Bateman, is not the sort of person who has ever sought the spotlight so I’m guessing they had to work hard to convince her.
It’s perhaps why she never aimed for the stars as a child. Dr Bateman says she begrudgingly finished high school before qualifying as a hairdresser.
Yet, she is now a senior lecturer in higher education research at Deakin University and recently has been honoured with two national teaching awards for excellence, the Pearson ATEA Australia Teacher Educator of the Year and the Australian Learning and Teaching Council award.
She has also been cited for her outstanding contribution to student learning.
“Who’d have thought!” Dr Bateman, 43, says with a laugh.
And, yet, just a little more 10 years ago, things were so different, so despairing.
At 32, Dr Bateman became a widow, but don’t call her that, especially if it makes you feel sorry for her or you are tempted to plant a consoling kiss on her cheek. Because people, Dr Bateman says, do that when you are a widow. You can see the pity work across their faces, she says. The assumptions registered.
Perhaps she is more conscious of the emotional baggage the name carries because of the sudden and shocking way Dr Bateman became a widow on a Saturday night in May 2000.
They were answering a call to attend a reported holdup at a bakery in Northcote, when their van was clipped by another vehicle, became airborne and crashed into a power pole.
Both officers were killed.
Dr Bateman was at home with children, Jack, 17 months, and Daisy, who was nine weeks old.
She has never spoken publicly about her 29-year-old husband’s death until now and only because she is the face of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Day. So why now?
“I feel it is appropriate for me to step up,” she told me.
“I have a few runs on the board, successes in my life.”
She also spoke to children Daisy, now 11, and Jack, who is 12, about going public and said the family agreed it was a privilege to do it and a positive thing to do and they all wanted to give something back.
Dr Bateman will feature in an advertising campaign promoting the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Day on September 29. It is a day when Victorians wear blue and white ribbons as a mark of respect for the sacrifice and memory of 157 police men and women who have lost their lives in the line of duty in Victoria.
Money raised – $5.5 million to date – goes to pay for new lifesaving equipment in Victoria’s public hospitals.
Mark Bateman was, his wife says, a very proud policeman who also loved his football club. He wasn’t a complicated bloke. They met when he was 16, she was 18, and they married eight years later, when Dr Bateman had completed a teaching diploma.
There were a few hurdles along the way. A kilometre from the site of the accident that would claim Mark’s life, the couple had a horrific car accident. Mark, then 19, suffered broken ribs, but Dr Bateman, 21, suffered a brain injury that would keep her in hospital and rehabilitation for a year.
She said the accident was a major transition for both of them.
Mark would emerge an incredibly committed person, Dr Bateman a young woman heading in a new direction.
She was a qualified hairdresser, but a vocational therapist told her she could not do that any more, because she wouldn’t be able to stand on her feet all day.
Dr Bateman was told she would make a great teacher. The therapist was spot on. She was a born teacher.
When Mark died, Dr Bateman became a single mother and was forced to think about what she wanted to do, “because I really had grown up”.
Juggling children, she completed a doctorate and now works in the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof Jane Den Hollander. Previously, she worked in the School of Education.
Prof Den Hollander said Dr Bateman was a shining example of what could be achieved through dogged determination, perseverance and a love of lifelong learning. She doesn’t tell anyone she is a police widow, because Dr Bateman does not want to be defined by it and she wants her children to know they are special, but not because their father died.
It was also important to her to maintain her integrity and independence.
“I’m a very self-contained unit, that’s how I describe myself,” Dr Bateman said.
A good teacher is also a good learner. Four weeks after Mark’s death, Dr Bateman was invited to a lunch attended by several police widows. She said: “I was still very raw. (But) I could see women around the tables who had made choices. Some stuck with the very moment of losing their partners. Others were amazing women who were resilient and robust. They had incredible integrity and pride in who they were.”
Dr Bateman said her parents, Alan and Joy, had taught her to never give up and she had two babies who required her to make some serious choices.
“I chose to be strident and strong,” she said.
“I’ve proven that widows can do anything they want to do and I have proven to myself that stuff I never dared dream was possible.”
Like I said, she is a wonderful role model for us all, not just widows, and her story is a lesson in how to not be burdened by a catastrophic tragedy, but rather be inspired by it. It’s a story of a woman who stayed strong and a family which helped each other through the sadness and despair.
And for those who believe that Mark Bateman is looking down on them, well, he’d be looking down with pride.
12-11-2001
Vic: Police car type did not contribute to officers’ deaths
A coroner has found the deaths of two policemen in a car accident in Melbourne were not influenced by the van in which they were travelling.
Senior Constable MARK BATEMAN, aged 30, and 31-year-old Senior Constable FIONA ROBINSON died from multiple injuries after their divisional van rolled when it side-swiped another car in suburban Northcote on May 20 last year.
Coroner PHILLIP GOLDBERG said the two police officers were en route to a burglary in progress and were trying to overtake the slower moving car.
He said a subsequent police investigation revealed that the Holden Commodore in which they were travelling had a higher potential to roll over than the previous model Ford.
The Commodore divisional vans are no longer used by police.
But Mr GOLDBERG says the Commodore’s greater risk of rolling did not aggravate the circumstances of the two police officers deaths.
Trevor Robinson stood before about 150 people and declared that for the rest of his life he would love the wife he lost in tragic circumstances 10 years earlier.
At the same time, he told of his love for Tina Robinson, whom he has since married, and the two daughters they have together.
The words were spoken at a memorial service where it was said that not only are Senior Constable Fiona Robinson, and the colleague who died with her, Senior
Constable Mark Bateman, loved and not forgotten, but also that life has moved on
in some positive ways.
The service was held 10 years to the day since the two Northcote police officers
were killed in a divisional van accident as they were heading to a reported holdup.
After being hit by another vehicle, the van partially overturned and crashed into an
electricity pole.
The deaths sparked a review of police van safety and led to the introduction of the
Crewman vehicle, which was designed to reduce the risk of rolling over. In September last year, the government announced that new vans, each featuring six airbags and an Electronic Stability Program, are being introduced in a phased rollout that will replace the Crewman vehicles.
Family, friends and representatives of the Victoria Police Force and The Police
Association attended the memorial, where Mark Bateman’s widow, Deb Bateman,
recalled the night she had “a visit from the police that a police family truly dreads”.
She had a two-year old son, Jack, and a baby daughter, Daisy. Trevor and Fiona Robinson had been married only three months.
Deb told how in 10 years, Jack has enjoyed school success, Daisy shines in basketball and she herself has completed a PhD. Life has gone on, she said, even as they continue to miss Mark.
An approach from Northcote Police, suggesting a commemoration of the 10th
anniversary of the tragedy, is an example of Deb’s assertion that the police community has never deserted her and her family.
Police Legacy organised a Perth holiday for the children last year. They have flown in a police helicopter with the Chief Commissioner thanks to the Blue Ribbon Foundation.
“Today is a very special day in the coming together of all those really important
police organisations that keep us connected,” said Deb.
“My children have a very strong sense that they belong somewhere within the police
Officers at the tightly knit Northcote police station in Melbourne’s inner north are today mourning the deaths of two of their colleagues in a road accident early yesterday. Senior Constable Mark Bateman, 30, and his 31-year-old friend and colleague Senior Constable Fiona Robinson who was married just 11 weeks ago were killed when their divisional van hit a pole after colliding with a car in High Street, Northcote, about 2.20am.
One of the- two officers was believed to have swapped a shift with a colleague and was not originally rostered to work on Friday night.
Acting Chief Commissioner Neil O’Loughlin said he was deeply saddened by the accident, which highlighted the dangers police faced. “It’s tragic that these members died whilst serving the community,” he said.
The officers were described by the officer-in-charge at Northcote, Senior Sergeant Rick McIntosh, as “happy-go-lucky characters”. “Fiona would always have a smile on her face, even when she was working under pressure,” he said. “She had only recently been married.”
Senior Constable Bateman was also married, with a two-year-old son, Jack, and a daughter, Daisy, three months. “Mark loved work and was dedicated to his family,” Senior Sergeant McIntosh said.
Police spokesman Kevin Loomes said the 40 officers stationed at Northcote were receiving counselling. He said some of them had arrived at work yesterday unaware their friends had been killed.
The assistant secretary of the Police Association, Senior Sergeant Paul Mullett, said the deaths of the two officers would be deeply felt among their colleagues and in the community. “
They certainly enjoyed a good reputation, a very good reputation,” he said. “They’re both renowned for their dedication . . . They are two respected members within their own workplace, and they had a reputation of respect among their local community.”
Yesterday, Northcote residents and police paid their respects by dropping flowers off at the police station. Bunches of flowers were also taped to a pole at the accident scene. Mr Loomes said the accident occurred while the two officers were driving north along High St.
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Opening of Emergency Helipad and Dedication of Mark Bateman Memorial
Mark Bateman Memorial helipad
Late Mark Bateman’s Children Jack & Daisy Bateman – Handprinting into Cement as part of Memorial at the Helipad.
Friday, December 11, 2015
The Portland district community celebrated the opening of the city’s new helipad on 8 December 2015.
The official opening of the Blue Ribbon FoundationPortland District Health Emergency Helipad marked the culmination of a long and dedicated campaign over the past 9 years.
PDH CEO Chris Giles said the helipad was a community facility that came about as a result of great local support. The community turned out in hundred to join in the celebrations of the opening of this potentially life-saving facility for our district.
The Chairman of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation, Bill Noonan, OAM, the President of the Portland Branch, Peter Corbett and President of Portland District Health Board of Management Michelle Kearney lead the opening of the Emergency Helipad.
The ceremony also included the dedication of a permanent police memorial in memory of Senior Constable Mark Bateman who died with his partner Senior Constable Fiona Robinson on May 20, 2000 when their divisional van was involved in a crash while answering a priority one call at Northcote.
The dedication will also be a celebration of community spirit and determination as it acknowledges the many organisations, individuals, trades people, suppliers and sponsors who have donated their professional skills, materials and other resources for the building of the vital emergency facility.
We should acknowledge Neil Soullier – Victorian Blue Ribbon Foundation CEO for his great support throughout the project, Peter Corbett – President of the Portland Blue Ribbon Foundation Branch and loyal committee, Peter Carr – Volunteer Project Manager, the many PDH staff previous and present who have lived and breathed helipad over the past 9 years, Carolyn Malseed for pulling together the opening with the Blue Ribbon committee and the many businesses and organisations who volunteered time and/or donated towards the project to make this happen. There are many other people that could be thanked, this list goes on and on and we are grateful for their support and assistance.
National Police Remembrance Day, or Blue Ribbon Day as it is better known in Victoria, occurs every September, and this year’s Blue Ribbon Day was Thursday 29 September ( 2011 ).
This year Scotch ( Scotch College, Melbourne ) was nominated as the ambassador school for Blue Ribbon Day, and on Wednesday 14 September Mr Neil Soullier OAM, the CEO of the Blue Ribbon Foundation, attended assembly and presented a flag of remembrance to the Principal. The flag was flown at Scotch until Blue Ribbon Day, Thursday 29 September.
Principal Tom Batty, Mr Neil Soullier OAM and Jack Bateman (Year 7) with the Blue Ribbon flag of remembrance.
At the assembly, Jack Bateman (Year 7) addressed the school, speaking of his close identification with Blue Ribbon Day.‘My name is Jack Bateman. This morning I want to talk to all of you about something which is pretty close to my heart. The Blue Ribbon Foundation is a community organisation which ensures that the memories of police who have died in the line of duty live on as part of the community.
‘One of the police who have died on duty is my dad, Mark Anthony Bateman, Senior Constable, stationed at the Northcote Police Station, and this year my family have proudly agreed to represent the Blue Ribbon Foundation. The foundation was founded in 1998 and has a roll of honour which lists 157 police members who have died. My dad is part of history and the honour roll dates back to 1858.
‘The foundation is mainly run by volunteers who organise fundraising events throughout Victoria. All money goes to community projects that promote awareness, and for important projects like hospitals which are named in honour of fallen officers.
‘We can do nothing to bring them back, but as a grateful community we can take steps to honour their memory and ensure their sacrifice is acknowledged. I hope that we at Scotch College will be able to contribute to the Blue Ribbon Foundation’s mission – a good start is to wear a blue ribbon on Police Remembrance Day, 29 September.’
Rank: Probationary Constable – appointed 17 February 1995
Senior Constable – appointed August 1999
Stations: Mill Park ( 17 February 1995 ), Transit ( April 1977 ), Northcote ( March 1999 ) – death
Service: From? ? ?pre 17 February 1995 to 20 May 2000 = 5+ years Service
Awards: posthumous Victoria Police Star – Awarded on 19 July 2005
Born: ? ? 1969
Died on: Saturday 20 May 2000 @ 2.20am
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – killed instantly
Age: 31
Funeral date: ? ? ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: the Fiona Robinson Treatment Room, Children’s Ward, Geelong Hospital, Victoria
James St, Northcote – Northcote Police Stn. Front Inscription Donated by the Northcote R.S.L. in memory of Senior Constable Mark Anthony Bateman 30810 and Senior Constable Fiona Frances Robinson 30507 tragically killed in the line of duty 20 May, 2000 Lest We Forget
[alert_green]FIONAIS 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.
At approximately 2.20am on Saturday 20th May, 2000Senior Constable Robinson and Senior Constable Mark Bateman were travelling along High Street, Northcote with emergency lights activated in response to an emergency call. At the intersection of Dennis & High Streets the divisional van they were driving collided with another vehicle before coming to rest against a traffic control signal and electricity pole. Both members were killed instantly.
Today the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation will dedicate a Police Memorial to honour Senior Constable Fiona ROBINSON at the Geelong Hospital.
The ceremony, to dedicate the Fiona Robinson Treatment Room in the Children’s Ward, is to be conducted in the presence of senior police, representatives from the hospital and the Blue Ribbon Foundation plus members of Senior Constable Robinson’s family. Many of S/C Robinson’s former colleagues, who were stationed at Northcote in May 2000, will also be attending.
The Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation has donated $250,000 for the specialised Treatment Room at Geelong Hospital with nearly half being raised in the Geelong community.
The Fiona Robinson Treatment Room forms part of the recently redeveloped children’s area of the Geelong Hospital where more than $8 million was raised to create the Cotton On Foundation Children’s Ward.
Fiona’s Treatment Room is specially equipped to give primary care and treatment to children as well as new-born babies and their mothers.
Fiona Robinson completed her training at the Police Academy and graduated as Constable Fiona De Leuuw (30507) on 17th February, 1995. Her initial posting was at Mill Park police station before transferring to Transit in April, 1997. In March 1999 she was posted to the Uniform Division at Northcote and earned her promotion to Senior Constable in August the same year.
In early 2000 Fiona married Trevor Robinson but this happy union was cut short by tragedy, just three months later.
At approximately 2.20am on Saturday 20th May, 2000Senior Constable Robinson and Senior Constable Mark Bateman were travelling along High Street, Northcote with emergency lights activated in response to an emergency call. At the intersection of Dennis & High Streets the divisional van they were driving collided with another vehicle before coming to rest against a traffic control signal and electricity pole. Both members were killed instantly. Fiona was 30 years of age.
Fiona DeLeeuw was an energetic, happy young girl that spent much of her childhood living around the Romsey area with mother Shirley, father Ernie and her two brothers Andrew & Matthew. Ernie was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years and became the first Sergeant to be stationed at Wallan.
Fiona was a keen horse rider and excellent goal shooter in netball. After leaving school Fiona started her working career as a teller with the Commonwealth Bank but after serving at Lancefield, Kilmore and the Melbourne branches she opted to follow in her father’s footsteps and join Victoria Police
A posthumous Victoria Police Star was awarded to Constable Robinson’s family on 19th July, 2005.
The Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation is a community-based organisation that perpetuates the memory of fallen police officers through the support of worthwhile community projects within Victoria.
The dedication of this latest facility will bring to 29 the number of hospital units funded by the Foundation in Victoria, mostly in the areas of emergency and trauma treatment.
Blue Ribbon Foundation CEO, Neil Soullier said;
“Senior Constable Robinson died while answering an emergency call from a member of the public and she paid the ultimate price. Our view is that members who have fallen in the line of duty shall forever remain on duty and now, through this specialised Treatment Room, Senior Constable Robinson is serving the people of Geelong”.
What: Police Memorial Dedication
Fiona Robinson Treatment Room at Geelong Hospital
Where: Geelong Clinical School – Deakin University & Barwon Health
285 Ryrie Street, Geelong – enter via Kitchener House
12-11-2001
Vic: Police car type did not contribute to officers’ deaths
A coroner has found the deaths of two policemen in a car accident in Melbourne were not influenced by the van in which they were travelling.
Senior Constable MARK BATEMAN, aged 30, and 31-year-old Senior Constable FIONA ROBINSON died from multiple injuries after their divisional van rolled when it side-swiped another car in suburban Northcote on May 20 last year.
Coroner PHILLIP GOLDBERG said the two police officers were en route to a burglary in progress and were trying to overtake the slower moving car.
He said a subsequent police investigation revealed that the Holden Commodore in which they were travelling had a higher potential to roll over than the previous model Ford.
The Commodore divisional vans are no longer used by police.
But Mr GOLDBERG says the Commodore’s greater risk of rolling did not aggravate the circumstances of the two police officers deaths.
Trevor Robinson stood before about 150 people and declared that for the rest of his life he would love the wife he lost in tragic circumstances 10 years earlier.
At the same time, he told of his love for Tina Robinson, whom he has since married, and the two daughters they have together.
The words were spoken at a memorial service where it was said that not only are Senior Constable Fiona Robinson, and the colleague who died with her, Senior
Constable Mark Bateman, loved and not forgotten, but also that life has moved on
in some positive ways.
The service was held 10 years to the day since the two Northcote police officers
were killed in a divisional van accident as they were heading to a reported holdup.
After being hit by another vehicle, the van partially overturned and crashed into an
electricity pole.
The deaths sparked a review of police van safety and led to the introduction of the
Crewman vehicle, which was designed to reduce the risk of rolling over. In September last year, the government announced that new vans, each featuring six airbags and an Electronic Stability Program, are being introduced in a phased rollout that will replace the Crewman vehicles.
Family, friends and representatives of the Victoria Police Force and The Police
Association attended the memorial, where Mark Bateman’s widow, Deb Bateman,
recalled the night she had “a visit from the police that a police family truly dreads”.
She had a two-year old son, Jack, and a baby daughter, Daisy. Trevor and Fiona Robinson had been married only three months.
Deb told how in 10 years, Jack has enjoyed school success, Daisy shines in basketball and she herself has completed a PhD. Life has gone on, she said, even as they continue to miss Mark.
An approach from Northcote Police, suggesting a commemoration of the 10th
anniversary of the tragedy, is an example of Deb’s assertion that the police community has never deserted her and her family.
Police Legacy organised a Perth holiday for the children last year. They have flown in a police helicopter with the Chief Commissioner thanks to the Blue Ribbon Foundation.
“Today is a very special day in the coming together of all those really important
police organisations that keep us connected,” said Deb.
“My children have a very strong sense that they belong somewhere within the police
Officers at the tightly knit Northcote police station in Melbourne’s inner north are today mourning the deaths of two of their colleagues in a road accident early yesterday. Senior Constable Mark Bateman, 30, and his 31-year-old friend and colleague Senior Constable Fiona Robinson who was married just 11 weeks ago were killed when their divisional van hit a pole after colliding with a car in High Street, Northcote, about 2.20am.
One of the- two officers was believed to have swapped a shift with a colleague and was not originally rostered to work on Friday night.
Acting Chief Commissioner Neil O’Loughlin said he was deeply saddened by the accident, which highlighted the dangers police faced. “It’s tragic that these members died whilst serving the community,” he said.
The officers were described by the officer-in-charge at Northcote, Senior Sergeant Rick McIntosh, as “happy-go-lucky characters”. “Fiona would always have a smile on her face, even when she was working under pressure,” he said. “She had only recently been married.”
Senior Constable Bateman was also married, with a two-year-old son, Jack, and a daughter, Daisy, three months. “Mark loved work and was dedicated to his family,” Senior Sergeant McIntosh said.
Police spokesman Kevin Loomes said the 40 officers stationed at Northcote were receiving counselling. He said some of them had arrived at work yesterday unaware their friends had been killed.
The assistant secretary of the Police Association, Senior Sergeant Paul Mullett, said the deaths of the two officers would be deeply felt among their colleagues and in the community. “
They certainly enjoyed a good reputation, a very good reputation,” he said. “They’re both renowned for their dedication . . . They are two respected members within their own workplace, and they had a reputation of respect among their local community.”
Yesterday, Northcote residents and police paid their respects by dropping flowers off at the police station. Bunches of flowers were also taped to a pole at the accident scene. Mr Loomes said the accident occurred while the two officers were driving north along High St.
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Noel Richard DAWSON
| 06/08/2016
Noel Richard DAWSON
( late of Stratton )
Western Australia Police Force
Regd. # 2588
Rank: ?
Stations: ?
Service: From? ? ? to? ? ? = ? years Service
Awards: No find on It’s An Honour
Born: 25 December 1930 at Carnarvon
Died on: Thursday 21 July 2016 in Midland, WA
Cause: ?
Age: 85
Funeral date: Wednesday 3 August 2016 @ 11am
Funeral location: PINNAROO Valley Memorial Park, ( West Chapel ) Whitfords Ave & Gibson Ave, Padbury, W.A., 6025
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: ?
[alert_yellow]NOEL is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_yellow] *NEED MORE INFO
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Funeral location:
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FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
DAWSON:
WA POLICE UNION
Members are invited to attend the Funeral Service for our late retired member Noel Richard Dawson 2588 at PINNAROO Valley Memorial Park on WEDNESDAY (03.08.2016) at 11.00am.
DAWSON (Noel Richard):
The members of Guildford Bassendean Lodge No. 16 WAC extend their condolences to the family on the passing of Noel, an esteemed member of the Lodge.
DAWSON (Noel Richard):
Noel Richard Dawson Passed away on 21st July 2016.
Forever in our hearts.
I love you my beautiful Granddaddy and i miss you every second of every day.
Lavinia Dawson lit a candle
Sydney, Australia
5 days ago via mobile
Part of my hart is now forever gone, but know you are back with Gran and Mum waiting till we all meet again. Miss you so much Granddad love you always.
Miss Sue-Ann Patricia Dawson lit a candle
STRATTON, Australia
7 days ago
Will always remember my ‘extra Dad’ who took me for my driving test, and arranged a pony for me to ride for a wonderful fun-filled Pony Club day. I always felt so loved and accepted by Noel and Pat. Lots of love always, Jane
About 1000 people attended the funeral of policeman Ray McNish in Echuca – Moama on Friday. A huge cortege started outside the Echuca police station in Dickson St, led by mounted police, a lone piper and with Victorian police chief commissioner Graham Ashton taking the salute as the hearse passed through an honour guard of uniformed and plain clothes officers. The service was held at Dungula Function Centre to accommodate the massive crowd. Full story on pages 4 and 5.
[alert_yellow]RAY 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.
Photo: Married couple Wendy and Raymond McNish (Supplied: Wendy McNish)
A grieving Victorian widow has taken the state’s police to court in an attempt to prove her husband’s suicide was work-related.
Wendy McNish has spoken out for the first-time about the suicide of her husband Raymond McNish at Moama early last year.
The New South Wales Coroner has been examining the case but Mrs McNish has also taken legal action against Victoria Police.
Her lawyer Travis Fewster from Maurice Blackburn said his client was trying to prove Mr McNish’s psychological disturbance came about because of employment stress.
“We will be saying that at the time he took his life, he just did not know where to turn, what to do,” Mr Fewster said.
“It was absolutely work-related,” he said.
Mr Fewster said a medical report from a GP suggested Mr McNish had lost faith in society and was disenchanted.
“We have also got a suicide note that said he could no longer have any fun, he could not laugh and he was not smiling anymore,” he said.
“So we have got those things put together as well as the trauma he saw day and in day out and what we consider is a lack of support from some of the parties involved,” Mr Fewster said.
A country copper
Photo: Senior Constable Ray McNish spent almost 12 years as a police officer. (Supplied: Wendy McNish)
A great country copper was how Wendy McNish described her late husband.
“He was a very diligent, thorough worker and he found he had put his hand up for help and that was not there,” she said.
He took his own life in February last year aged 50.
He was a senior constable based at Echuca in northern Victoria.
Victoria Police rejected Mrs McNish’s initial application for compensation, denying liability in December last year. Now she has taken on the force and hopes it can make changes to better support staff and their families.
[code]“He felt alone and unsupported within his job,” Mrs McNish said.[/code]
She said she wanted the force to be more open-minded about mental health measures it could implement.
“Anything that helps them to cope with what they are seeing every-time they close their eyes has got to be a benefit and help them be more balanced,” she said.
“I’m not the only one out there that this is happening too,” she said.
“If I can help in any way I can then I will,” she said.
She said Mr McNish was affected by what he saw during his almost 12 years in the force.
Police tackle mental health issues
Victoria Police unveiled its three-year mental health strategy in August, which included a cultural leadership program.
Commissioner Graham Ashton said he wanted the force to do everything to protect, promote and preserve employees’ wellbeing.
Mr Ashton announced last month he was suffering from a fatigue-related illness and was taking sick leave.
At that time, he said he had always encouraged staff to speak up if they were struggling and to seek support as early as possible.
The Police Association, the union representing Victorian officers, said it was looking at how to encourage members facing a stigma to speak up. The secretary Wayne Gatt said he wanted to break down culture that stopped police from seeking help.
[code]”The stress that builds up over a long and challenging career makes for the perfect environment for mental health injuries to take hold,” he said.[/code]
“The Victorian Police has also been strengthening its support services that are available to our members and has the Police Association in terms of physical resources and people we can send out to assist members when they need help.
Wayne Gatt said some members had taken their own lives this year.
“I’ve been to two funerals this year of members who have lost their lives,” he said.
“It’s so critically important that we have adequate ways of providing appropriate diagnosis, delivering appropriate support services and getting help to members as soon as they put their hand up,” he said.
Mrs McNish acknowledged Victoria Police had some focus on mental health but she said she was unsure if it was on the right path.
Photo: Wendy McNish and her lawyer Travis Fewster are taking legal action. (ABC Central Victoria: Stephanie Corsetti)
“For me, I don’t think counselling and psychology is the only answer,” she said.
“I think there is more than one avenue that can be taken with regard to mental health,” Mrs McNish said.
“I look at natural therapies because that’s where I’ve got the main healing and benefits for me,” she said.
She said she just wanted acknowledgement from Victoria Police.
“I think they need to speak with widows and families who have lost and find if there are some common threads in there that we can pull together … so changes can be made in the right direction because like I said, it’s not a one-size-fits-all scenario,” she said. Mrs McNish also said treatment options could go further.
[code]”The counselling side of things and the support that is there, is really only just ticking the boxes,” she said.[/code]
She said conversations about suicide were becoming more widespread but there was still work to be done.
“I’ve seen people shy away from me,” Mrs McNish said.
“Even friends of 10 years have crossed the street who are work colleagues of Ray’s, you know that’s disappointing,” she said.
“I don’t want to normalise it, I just want to open the doors so that the conversations can flow and people can be understood,” she said.
“That’s been a real difficult thing for me to understand that people don’t want to or are not prepared to talk about it,” Mrs McNish.
“The more we get it out there, it just makes it easier for people,” she said.
“Sadly I’m not going to be the last one that goes through this,” Mrs McNish said.
“If you can’t open up to people and for them to at least hear you out, it makes it really difficult to move forward,” she said.
Victoria Police said in recent years, it had completed an organisation-wide mental health review and done significant work to improve the culture and support services around mental health.
THE widow of an Echuca policeman who took his own life a year ago is suing the Victoria Police.
In a writ lodged in the Country Court Wendy McNish is claiming her husband “sustained personal injury and death” throughout his career, which was caused or contributed to by the force’s breach of duty to him.
Leading Senior Constable McNish had always wanted to be a policeman but did not actually begin his career until he was 39.
Eleven years later he was dead after a career which saw him work in stations around the Campaspe region, in undercover and had been the key investigator in recovering more than $1 million in stolen farming machinery.
The issue of mental health among officers made headlines in February last year after three Victoria Police members committed suicide in the first six weeks of 2016, including Ray McNish.
Now his widow is seeking compensation under the Accident Compensation Act, claiming she was dependent on her husband’s earnings at the time he died.
Mrs McNish is seeking unspecified damages.
The Herald Sun reports today that since 2000 five officers have died in the line of duty – but 19 more have died at their own hand.
In 2006, while based at Swan Hill, Ray McNish was awarded for his efforts in dealing with family violence through “exceptional listening skills, an empathetic approach and thorough investigation of family violence incidents.
The paper said between July 2010 and June 2015 WorkCover accepted 482 mental injury claims from Victoria Police and rejected 500.
It might have been a late start in blue but Dissa was a born copper. He worked in uniform, he worked undercover, even got to mix police work with his other great passion – farming – in a case which saw him help recover more than $1 million worth of stolen agricultural machinery.
But in the end it was most likely the job he loved that in part had failed him — to what extent no-one will ever really know.
Ground down by a depression so dark and so insidious that in the end it would all be more than he could live with.
At the time of his death the Riverine Herald reported Ray McNish was the tangible tip of an unseen iceberg paralysing many of those on our emergency services frontline.
Police, fire fighters, ambulance crews, search and rescue – they’re all vulnerable to the horrors and tragedy to which they are so frequently exposed on our behalf.
And they are committing suicide, or attempting to, in greater numbers, frightening numbers.
Or broken by post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or crushing variations of either/or, baling out of careers they love before they checked out of life – for good.
The ripple effect on families, friends and colleagues spans generations – from victim to their parents, their partners and their children.
These men and women give their all in careers where they are frequently all that stands between society and social chaos.
Yet are forced to haggle, sometimes for years, for the most meagre financial recognition of the load they carry.
Governments of all persuasions are prepared to see them as numbers on a spreadsheet rather than the increasingly irreplaceable assets they are; real people whose very wellbeing – mentally and physically – is being eroded on a daily basis.
And in the end Ray McNish joined a line that sadly is already too long, and threatening to become much longer.
A human tragedy, which in Ray McNish’s case, was played out in tributes and tears at Dungula Function Centre last February.
Wife of Echuca cop who died in tragic circumstances sues Victoria Police
PETER MICKELBUROUGH, Herald Sun
Ray McNish’s funeral. Picture Lana Murphy/Riverine Herald
THE wife of a well-loved country cop who died in tragic circumstances a year ago is suing Victoria Police.
Wendy McNish, whose “soulmate”, Leading Senior Constable Ray McNish, 50, died on February 8 last year, accuses the force of breaching its duty to her husband, who took his own life.
In a writ lodged in the County Court, Ms McNish claims her husband “sustained personal injury and death throughout” his career which was caused or contributed to by the force’s breach of duty to him.
Ms McNish is claiming compensation under the Accident Compensation Act, saying she was dependant on her husband’s earnings at the time of his death.
Ms McNish and her lawyer declined to comment on Tuesday. The action is the latest by grieving families of dead police, with the Herald Sun revealing last April that the fiancée of another officer ( Robert John SMITH ) was suing after her partner shot himself at Boronia Police Station with his service firearm after complaining of being bullied and harassed.
Since 2000, five Victoria Police officers have died in the line of duty, but 19 more have died by their own hand.
It is understood Leading Senior Constable McNish’s death did not occur at workor involve a police firearm.
Based at Echuca, he was a popular officer on both sides of the Murray River and was farewelled with a police guard of honour in the presence of Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton.
“No farewells were spoken. No time to say goodbye. You were gone before we knew it. And only God knows why. Forever in our hearts, love you always. Until we meet again. Your suffering is now over”, a family death notice read.
Victoria Police officers form a guard of honour at Ray McNish’s funeral. Picture Lana Murphy /Riverine Herald
In 2006, while based at Swan Hill, then-Senior Constable McNish was awarded for his efforts in dealing with the complex issue of family violence, through his “exceptional listening skills, an empathetic approach and thorough investigation of family violence incidents”.
A colleague from NSW paid tribute to “not only a fellow police officer but a mate & a true loving caring person”.
He posted: “To my very close friend Wendy my heart breaks for you, you & Ray have been true friends to me helping me with my PTSD I just wish I could have known Ray’s pain so I could have been there for Ray.”
Ms McNish is seeking unspecified damages.
A police spokeswoman said the force took the welfare of its employees seriously and had made a priority of addressing mental health issues, including adopting all 39 recommendations from a mental health review last year.
Between July, 2010 and June, 2015 WorkCover accepted 482 mental injury claims from Victoria Police and rejected 500, including 241 resulting from harassment and bullying, 252 for work pressure, 167 sparked by traumatic events and 54 due to occupational violence.
A WorkSafe spokesman said: “WorkSafe is continuing its inquiries into the death of Mr McNish. As such it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
Over the past five years, 1037 mental injury claims have been made by Victoria Police members.
A National Coronial Information System report on Intentional self-harm among emergency service personnel in 2015 found that of the of the 62 police suicides in Australia between July 1, 2000, and December 2012, 25 shot themselves — 23 with their service-issued firearm.
A 2015 Victorian Coroners Prevention Unit report into suicide rates among workers in key professions found the annual suicide rate among Victoria police was 10 per 100,000.
If this article causes you distress or if you require help or information, police employees can call Welfare Services confidentially 24 hours 7 days a week on (03) 9247 3344, and other members of the community can call Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyondblue on 1300 224 636
Ray McNish waited until he was 39 to fulfil a childhood dream – and become a policeman.
Barely 11 years later about 1000 people, many of them police and former police, alongside family and friends, gathered in Echuca – Moama to attend his funeral.
The man affectionately dubbed Dissa ( as in disarray ) had taken his own life.
He had lived the dream, and he loved the job. Everyone said so, and they all meant it.
It might have been a late start in blue but Dissa was born copper. he worked in uniform, he worked undercover, even got to mix police work with his other great passion – farming – in a case which saw him help recover more than $1 million worth of stolen agricultural machinery.
But in the end it was most likely the job he loved that in part had failed him – to what extent no-one will ever really know.
Ground down by a depression so dark and so insidious that in the end it would all be more than he could live with.
A state which, in true Dissa style, he largely kept from those who knew him best, those who loved him most.
Ray McNish is the tangible tip of an unseen iceberg paralysing many of those on our emergency service frontline.
Police, fire fighters, ambulance crews, search and rescue – they’re all vulnerable to the horrors and tragedy to which they are so frequently exposed on hour behalf.
And they are committing suicide, or attempting to, in greater numbers, frightening numbers.
Or broken by post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or crushing variations of either / or, bailing out of careers they love before they check out of life – for good.
The ripple effect on families, friends and colleagues spans generations – from victim to their parents, their partners and their children.
These men and women give their all in careers where they are frequently all that stands between society and social chaos.
Yet are force to haggle, sometimes for years, for the most meagre financial recognition of the load they carry.
Governments of all persuasions are prepared to see them as numbers on a spreadsheet rather than the increasingly irreplaceable assets they are; real people whose very wellbeing – mentally and physically – is being eroded on a daily basis.
And in the end Ray McNish joined a line that sadly is already too long, and threatening to become much longer.
A human tragedy finally played out in tributes and tears at Dungula Function Centre on Friday – and the ripples keep on spreading.
A 55-year-old man has been charged with stealing farm machinery from properties in northern Victoria.
Detectives say they found about $500,000 worth of stolen equipment when they searched five properties in the Bamawm region, south of Echuca, on Tuesday.
Senior Constable Ray McNish says the investigation has been a focus for local police.
“It certainly has. It’s been probably well over 12 months now and it’s still an ongoing investigation at this stage,” he said.
A Bamawm man was arrested and charged with theft and handling stolen goods.
He was released on bail and is due to face the Echuca Magistrates Court in April.
Victorian police have increased their focus on farm thefts in recent months, with the establishment of rural crime taskforce.
A MELBOURNE man who police allege drove to Echuca, bound his father’s partner with duct tape, assaulted her and robbed the house, was granted bail yesterday.Mustafa Hadis, 20, of Meadow Heights, faced the Bendigo Magistrates Court on several charges, including intentionally causing serious injury and theft yesterday.
The court heard Hadis had been estranged from his father since the age of two and had recent attempts at contact rebuffed.
Detective Senior Constable Ray McNish said Hadis had attended his father’s house twice in the week leading up to the attack. The first time he was told his father wished to have no further contact with him, the second his father was not home. Detective McNish said two days later, on January 18, Hadis and two co-accused attached stolen number plates to a car and again drove to Echuca, parking some distance from the victim’s address. “The victim was home alone in bed and at about 7am was awoken to see Hadis standing outside her bedroom window,” he said. Detective McNish said when the 58-year-old victim went outside to confront Hadis, he grabbed her and tried to pull her back inside, causing her to fall to the ground. He said Hadis then called out for help from his co-accused and they dragged the victim inside where they struck her face and arms with a rubber mallet. “Once inside, the victim’s hands were bound with packing tape, she also had her mouth and head covered to quell her screaming,” Detective McNish said. He said Hadis and the two co-accused then stole a large amount of jewellery and two mobile phones. He said the victim feared for her life, especially when one of Hadis’ co-accused took a knife from the kitchen. “The victim was taken to hospital with injuries to her head requiring stitches, severe swelling to her hand and bruising to her arms and legs,” he said. Detective McNish said the attack was a “premeditated act” with the men pre-packing the tape, mallet, screwdrivers and gloves. The court heard Hadis made full admissions when later arrested and interviewed by police, saying he felt hurt by his father and “emotionally rejected”. Hadis’ bail application was opposed by police, but his defence counsel said it was important her client was released as he was the sole carer of his mother. Hadis was bailed, with strict conditions, to appear at the Bendigo Magistrates Court for a committal mention on April 4.
Police honoured for work in combatting family violence
Release date: Sat 28 October 2006
Last updated: Wed 1 November 2006
Five police members were honoured on Friday for their efforts in dealing with the complex issue of family violence.
The 2006 Excellence in Policing Family Violence Awards were presented by Assistant Commissioner (Region 3) Ken Lay.
The awards are the result of a recommendation from the Region 3 Family Violence Reference Group that police members who excel in their approach in responding to family violence should be recognised. The Family Violence Reference Group comprises police members and representatives from other government departments and family violence services.
The awards were divided into two categories: Leadership and Practise.
Leadership awards are for members displaying outstanding initiative and leadership, which have positively motivated and influenced others in response to family violence.
Winners of the 2006 Excellence in Policing Family Violence – Leadership awards are:
• Sergeant Phil Nash from Broadmeadows police station for excellence in managing Family Violence Liaison Officer portfolio in an area of high numbers of family violence incidents.
• Constable Donna Rundle from Kyneton police station for outstanding leadership in addressing Family Violence within Macedon Ranges.
Practise awards are for members exhibiting exemplary characteristics that have added significant value to the manner in which police act when responding to family violence.
Winners of the 2006 Excellence in Policing Family Violence – Practise awards are:
• Senior Constable Frank Scopelliti from Tatura police station for a consistently high level of response, outstanding victim support and negotiation skills.
• Senior Constable John Lal from Epping police station for a highly professional and ethical approach, adhering to the principles and policies of the Victoria Police Code of Practice for Investigating Family Violence and consistent referrals to NARTT.
• Senior Constable Ray McNish from Swan Hill police station for exceptional listening skills, an empathetic approach and thorough investigation of family violence incidents.
Assistant Commissioner Ken Lay told forum attendees that family violence affects all communities.
“The unfortunate and stark reality of family violence is that it affects all of our communities”, Mr Lay said.
Assistant Commissioner Ken Lay said that police attendance at incidents of family violence had decreased in Region 3 in the 2005/2006 financial year compared to the 2004/2005 financial year.
He said that in the 2005/2006 financial year police in Region 3 attended 5955 incidents of family violence, compared to the 2004/2005 financial year where police in Region 3 attended 6367 incidents.
“Reporting incidents to the police is the crucial step needed to ensure that victims of family violence are supported and the crime attached to family violence is addressed,” Mr Lay said.
“Although the figures suggest that family violence incidents have decreased, it is still possible that incidents go unreported. I hope that the example set by all police members in Region 3 nominated for the ‘Excellence in Policing Family Violence’ awards encourages more victims of family violence to seek support.”
Police response to family violence can mean the difference between life and death; about half the homicides in Victoria over recent years have been the result of family violence.
New Victims’ legislation, the ‘Victims’ Charter Act 2006’ comes into effect on Wednesday 1 November. This legislation will further ensure that all police members deliver a quality service to victims of crime, treating victims with courtesy, respect and dignity. As part of the Act, police will distribute a new booklet ‘A Victim’s Guide to Support Services and the Criminal Justice System’ to all victims of crime.
Unnamed male who suicided the week pre 11 February 2016.
This officer who died this week was from Echuca police station, but ended his life at a house in Tocumwal, a small town in NSW about 110 kilometres to the north-east.
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Two Victoria Police officers take their own lives in a week
Nino Bucci and Cameron Houston
Victoria Police is grappling with the suicides of two officers in a week, as it awaits a high-level review of mental health issues within the force that is expected to recommend an overhaul of support services.
As Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton described the challenge of mental health issues among police as “one of the most important issues” he had to face, the families of the two officers were mourning the sudden losses.
In 41 days this year, two officers and a police employee have taken their lives. It has been almost 10 years since a Victoria Police officer died on duty, according to the Police Association honour roll.
The first officer who died this week was from Echuca police station, but ended his life at a house in Tocumwal, a small town in NSW about 110 kilometres to the north-east.
The other officer( SenCon Paul Anthony BRENNAN ) was from Mordialloc station, and is understood to have taken his own life after being involved in a minor traffic incident in the bayside suburbs on Wednesday night.
Neither officer was on duty at the time of their deaths.
“The death by suicide of a police member is always cause for enormous concern at Victoria Police. Looking after our people is one of our highest priorities,” police spokeswoman Acting Sergeant Melissa Seach said.
“We are heavily committed to improving the mental health support available to all our staff.
“We know that anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress can all be triggered by the stressful situations our people can find themselves in.”
Acting Sergeant Seach said the Victoria Police Mental Health Review would be completed in late March. Mental health experts have been consulted as part of the review.
“Suicide has long been a problem for Victoria Police as it has been across the population in general.
“Victoria Police understands that with improvements in recognising and addressing mental health issues, the incidence of suicide can be reduced and we are committed to doing this.
“The organisation will continue to work … [with] partners such as the Police Association, beyondblue and independent universities to improve our services and ability to break down barriers and help those at risk.”
In October, The Age reported that an officer had taken her own life at a police station, soon after she was deemed fit to carry a service firearm, despite suffering from mental illness.
It was also reported that a senior police officer who was charged with murder suffered mental health issues for almost a decade before he allegedly shot and killed a man during a routine intercept in Windsor in 2013.
He is believed to have an extensive history of psychiatric problems, raising further concerns about Victoria Police’s handling of mental illness and its policies surrounding access to firearms.
Mr Baker took extended leave on several occasions because of his illness, and was only allowed to resume work after approval from a Victoria Police psychiatrist.
But less than a year before the shooting, it is believed Mr Baker was involved in a serious altercation with another officer that should have set off alarms, according to colleagues of the accused man.
The coroner is also set to investigate the death of a sergeant( Sergeant Martin James VEAL ) who took his own life last June.
It is believed at least five officer deaths are before the coroner. More than 40Victoria Police officers have reportedly committed suicide since 1990.
The force said they would not comment on the circumstances of the officers’ deaths while they were the subject of coronial investigations, including whether they were reviewing access to service weapons.
Dear Wendy , Matt & family, it it with the deepest sadness that we write our condolences to you on the tragic passing of a dear and wonderful person – our friend Ray. It has been some years since we have caught up, but he was always in our mind and hearts and we just picked up where we left off – true friend ! We have fond memories of our friendship and wish you and Matt the strength to carry on. Please if you are in the area, call in and see us, we will miss him dearly – Love from Rene and Roger xoxo
Sue, Dot and Ray and families, my arms are wrapped around you at this impossibly difficult time. You are in my thoughts and heart. I immediately remember Raymond’s warm, infectious smile. Hold each other tight. Love to you, Kruse xxx
Dear Ray, Dot, Susan and Karen, My sincerest condolences for the passing of Ray. A great bloke who made growing up in Gippsland all the more worthwhile. regards, Bill
Dear Ray, Dot, Susan and Karen, and your families, I was so shocked and saddened to hear of Ray’s death. What a bloody waste. My thoughts and mental hugs go out to you at a time when every thing must seem so senseless. If I can’t make it tomorrow, I will be thinking of you all with much love. Regards, Jenny
Alan Rugless on a Triumph. This would have been taken in 1964, at Ulmarra, when Alan was stationed at Grafton. On Allen’s lap is his son, Paul – who also joined the NSWPF.
Alan’s wife, Lyn, passed away on Friday 6 May 2022 from the effects of Lung Cancer ( diagnosed only two months prior ).
Alan is currently in a Nursing Home and a sufferer of Dementia and would not be aware of the death of his wife.
As of Tuesday 26 July 2016:
Update on Allen Rugless who is currently in St George Hospital. He has been moved into an Intensive Care Ward. Suffering from Influenza virus A and pneumonia. His condition at this time is the same has made no improvement so neither stepped forward or back. Is getting the right treatment so lets hope he continues to battle on.
Bunny Warren
As of Friday 29 July 2016, Ruggo is now in a Critical condition but stable.
Some good news people, just got information that Allen Rugless is on the mend he is 100% from what he was from admission to the hospital. Lyn says that the improvement from last night to today is remarkable. He has most of the machines taken off him is giving cheek to the nursing staff this morning.
Lets hope he continues to improve but it looks at this time that he is over the rough part of it. I asked if he is able to have visitors and she said he can but only two at a time. So there you go people latest update on the little bloke.
