Born in France on 13 February 1973
Passed away on 18 October 2016
Late of SCULLIN
Aged 43 years
Service Detail
Funeral service will be held at St Christopher’s Cathedral, Canberra Avenue, Manuka, ACT on Tuesday, 25th October 2016 at 1:30am.
To the family of Christopher Bird: I am very sorry to hear of your loss, please accept my deepest sympathy. May you find comfort in family and friends at this difficult time. The Bible also offers words of comfort and speaks of a time when death, pain, and suffering will be no more at Revelation 21:4. Again, I am very sorry for your loss and I hope this message brings you much comfort. “
It was with much sadness we received news today of the passing of Detective Sergeant Chris Bird after a protracted battle with cancer.
Birdy joined the job as an investigator in Sydney Office and for many years has been a fixture in ACT Policing. With a passion for uniform policing and bomb response he has been a mate to many and will be sorely missed.
We here at the AFPA have been proud to support Birdy and his family and our thoughts go out to Tracy and their kids at this difficult time.
[divider_dotted]
The Story
Chris Bird is a husband, a father to three kids and he is our mate.
Birdy, as he is well known around the AFP, is a Detective Sergeant in ACT Policing as well as a long serving member of the Bomb Response Team and the Disaster Victim Identification Team. In Birdy’s 25 years with the AFP he has worked nationally internationally and within community Policing. He’s been involved in major events including a number of overseas deployments and is well respected by anyone who has had the pleasure to work with him.
He’s been the bloke to turn up and help others in their time of need and now it’s time for us to help him. Birdy has dedicated the past 25 years to the AFP and now he and his family could do with your help.
In November 2014 Birdy was diagnosed with bowel cancer. In December 2014 and April 2015 Birdy had surgery and since then has undergone regular treatment including chemotherapy and radiation. He has battled his illness with dignity and courage and continues to work operationally despite his illness (albiet with a few days off each fortnight for treatment). Unfortunately in recent months he has been advised that his cancer is now stage 4 and terminal.
With all the positivity and dignity in the world, Birdy has continued to fight hard however his treatment is expensive and financially taxing.
The costs, both monetary and emotionally are taking their toll on the family. We want to raise money so the family have options as treatment gets more expensive. We want to raise money to relieve the bills that are piling up and give the Bird family quality time together, whether that means a trip away or money for whatever they choose when their income and more is being taken in treatment costs.
Please get behind this very dignified, proud (he hates we are doing this but we’ve told him to shut up!), resilient, caring mate of ours.
Message from Birdy’s wife Tracy
************************
Many times in life it becomes extremely difficult to put into words exactly what you feel or what you want to say, now is one of those times.
The kids and I have always known how amazing Chris is and it has truly lifted our spirits seeing that so many others feel the same. We know that the times ahead are going to be rough in so many different ways, but the support, comments, donations, offers of help and all round kindness shown to us has helped us see we are not on our own.
It is daunting and heartbreaking to recognise how often time was taken for granted and the list of things that had been put off for a more convenient time. Then to be given the opportunity from others to escape this craziness for a little while, reduce some of the everyday stressors and to utilise the chance to just be together, is a gift I don’t know how to ever repay.
Time and Friends are precious commodities and we cherish them both
Thankyou
Man caught trying to beak into cars in Gungahlin apartment complex
Date: July 29 2015
Police arrested a man in a Gungahlin underground car park on Tuesday night after he was caught trying to break into cars.
ACT Policing said officers found the 35-year-old Scullin man hiding in a service area of an apartment complex on Gungahlin Place after a member of the public reported suspicious behaviour about 11.15pm.
The man was found with tools and items suspected to be stolen.
He was taken to Gungahlin Police Station and later charged with trespassing, going equipped for theft, possessing stolen property, providing a false name and attempting to escape custody.
The man will face the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday afternoon.
Gungahlin acting station sergeant Chris Bird praised the actions of the member of the public who called police.
“This person did the right thing – they saw something that looked suspicious and they called the police,” he said.
“Often people will assume that someone else will do something, but this person took it upon themselves to take action.
“If you see someone who looks suspicious, loitering near cars or looking into vehicles, someone you don’t usually see in your complex, then call the police.”
Sergeant Bird urged Canberrans to report car break-ins to police on 131 444, even if the car was unlocked or nothing was stolen.
Police have urged anyone who may have seen the incident in Gungahlin to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via act.crimestoppers.com.au
Publish date: Monday, 20 July 2015, Publish time: 3:58pm
ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to a robbery that occurred in Gungahlin this morning (Monday, 20 July).
Around 9am a woman was walking towards the Big W loading dock (opposite a public car park) in Gungahlin when a male person ran up behind her and grabbed her handbag.
A brief struggle occurred with the male threatening the woman before fleeing the scene with the woman’s handbag. He was last seen getting into a dark coloured vehicle, which sped off erratically turning left off The Valley Way and onto Gungahlin Drive.
Acting Station Sergeant Chris Bird from Gungahlin Station said this incident was a cowardly attack.
“ACT Policing treats all robberies seriously, but this type of incident where a member of the public is going about her daily business and is confronted in such a cowardly manner is disturbing. We’re calling on the public’s assistance to help us identify the offender,” Acting Station Sergeant Bird said.
Police are urging anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information that could assist police to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Information can be provided anonymously. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
All articles in relation to the death notice, funeral notice for Terry were ‘archived’ by the newspapers prior to me becoming aware of the death – therefore the articles are not complete.
May he forever Rest In Peace
Terence Burton Tribute
(Archived)
Published in The Canberra Times on Mar. 19, 2016
First 25 of 93 words: TERENCE WILLIAM BURTON (1946 – 2016) Terry passed away (aged 69 years) on Sunday, 13 March 2016, at Port Macquarie Base Hospital. Late of Port…
TERENCE WILLIAM BURTON ( 1946 – 2016 ) Terry passed away ( aged 69 years ) on Sunday, 13 March 2016, at Port Macquarie Base Hospital. Late of Port Macquarie and formerly of Fraser, ACT. Dearly beloved husband of Jennifer (Jenny). Adored and loving father of Anthony and Leigh. Cherished father-in-l…
DWYER, Colonel Brian Michael (Michael).
(Ret’d) AM RFD ED MB BS
251888
14th April 1929 ~ 19th November 2015
Aged 86 years
Passed away peacefully at Longueville Private Hospital
Late of Hunters Hill, formerly of Gosford
Beloved husband of Carlin, much loved father of Anthony, Justin, Megan, Casey and Fabian
Son of Sydney Keith and Alice, brother of Allan and Jean (all dec’d), stepbrother of Phillip
Loving Grandfather and Father-in-Law
Medical Practitioner, Army Officer,
Police Medical Officer.
Family and friends are invited to celebrate his life at a Requiem Mass at
St Peter Chanel, Futuna Street, Hunters Hill
10am on Wednesday
25th November 2015
And afterwards at the Hunter’s Hill Club, 12 Madeline Street, Hunters Hill for refreshments.
A private cremation will take place following the service.
In lieu of flowers please consider donations to the Vanuatu Earthquake Appeal
In the loving care of
All Suburbs
1300 74 00 74
[divider_dotted]
Tuesday, 24 November 2015
So sad to hear of Doc’s passing. He was a great man and a mentor of mine both in Canberra and Sydney. His family can be proud of his life and the influence he had on us all. I can’t be there on Wednesday but I will be there in spirit. RIP
~
Gary Tuckwood,
Mardi, New South Wales
[divider_dotted]
Tuesday, 24 November 2015
As a young Constable in Canberra there were many occasions when a wise Doc Dwyer provided a voice of common sense in tense investigations. His laconic sense of humour was legend as was his ability to cut down some pretentious pumped up crook many times without them realising the same. A man of class and integrity, they sure as heck don’t make them like him any more. RIP Doc
~
Phil Spence BM,
CANBERRA, Australian Capital Territory
[divider_dotted]
Saturday, 21 November 2015
Happy memories of many years ago.RIP.
~
Margaret & Arthur Fogarty
[divider_dotted]
Published in The Sydney Morning Herald on Nov. 21, 2015
Awards: awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal. The U.N. Secretary-General established the Dag Hammarskjöld medal for posthumous award to members of peacekeeping operations who lost their lives during service with a peacekeeping operation under the operational control and authority of the United Nations.
Born:
Died on: ?
Place of death: East Timor
Cause: Heart attack
Age: ?
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: ?
Memorial at: ?
[alert_blue]BRETT is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_blue] * NOT JOB RELATED
[divider_dotted]
Funeral location: ?
[divider_dotted]
Clifford Samuel FOSTER
| 28/10/2016
Clifford Samuel FOSTER
Commonwealth Police / Australian Federal Police Force
THEY were the untouchables, an elite band of Australian Federal Police, some of whom insiders say were no better than “gangsters with police badges”. Their headquarters were Redfern’s landmark TNT twin towers, where extramarital conquests and drunken “happy hour” parties were common. It was the 1980s and, as one former officer of the 35-strong AFP Sydney drug investigation unit recalls, it was like “living inside a grubby episode of Miami Vice“.Memories of the heady days of the twin tower crew have been revived because of the charges laid against one of the squad’s alumni, senior NSW Crime Commission investigator Mark Standen.Following his arrest on drug charges this month, insiders have told The Sun-Herald some members of the unit were compromised and beyond control.
Michael Anthony Wallace – convicted of stealing $20 million worth of seized heroin in 1990 and then of murdering girlfriend Zoe Zou and dumping her body in the Blue Mountains in 2006 – was one.
Another was Allan Gregory McLean, sentenced to 16 years’ jail for helping import millions in heroin from India hidden inside a consignment of soccer balls in 1988.
Others were named at the NSW Wood Royal Commission over filching $200,000 from a Sydney cocaine dealer in 1983.
But with authorities infatuated with rogue NSW cop Roger Rogerson, some of the officers went bad and started trafficking drugs, taking bribes and ripping off crooks.
Ensconced on the lower floors of the TNT block, the unit was run for a time by chief inspector Cliff Foster, who committed suicide after a battle with depression in 2001.
It can now be revealed he had been under investigation for supplying heroin and was linked to an organised crime syndicate shipping huge amounts of hashish into Australia from New Zealand.
In the days after charges were laid against Standen, AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty was forced to deny claims that he and Standen worked side by side at Redfern and were once daily jogging partners.
Standen, who left the AFP to join the Crime Commission in 1996, is now accused of trying to smuggle in by sea enough pseudoephedrine to make $120 million worth of ice. He is due to face court again on August 6.
Mr Keelty said he and Standen had only ever been stationed together at the AFP‘s Sydney city headquarters in Goulburn Street.
They “might have been involved in some of the same operations” but were not close.
Page 2 of 2
Mr Keelty also said he was unaware Standen had admitted to the 1982Stewart Royal Commission that he once flushed 18 foils of cannabis down a toilet instead of declaring it as evidence. Former NSW detective turned University of Western Sydney academic Michael Kennedy said another member of the unit was allowed to take up a government job after admitting to stealing a kilogram of seized heroin displayed at a media conference. Another detective resigned after being confronted with allegations he was using and dealing cocaine. He eventually went to work for standover man Tim Bristow, who died in 2003.One-time head of AFP internal affairs Ray Cooper says security at the TNT offices was a disgrace.”Operational details were being leaked to the crims,” Mr Cooper said. “As a result, I warned the hierarchy that we needed to keep an eye out.”
Mr Cooper said his investigation into the Foster allegations was taken from him and deliberately derailed to avoid a public scandal.
He was denied permission to use phone taps and several witnesses against Foster were kidnapped and threatened by other corrupt federal detectives.
Wayne Sievers, who worked at the Redfern towers between 1983 and 1988, likened the experience to “living inside a grubby episode of Miami Vice”.
“You were looking at a group, some of whom were simply cowboys with huge egos, who were allowed to drive around town in fast cars with guns, doing whatever they wanted.”
Mr Sievers said the same day he reported being offered payola by a more senior officer he was transferred to non-operational duties.
Following a raft of AFP corruption claims at the Wood Royal Commission, a federal inquiry chaired by Sydney barrister Ian Harrison was set up in 1996-97.
Mr Cooper gave evidence but has since criticised the proceedings.
No public hearings were held and all findings were classified. Dr Kennedy and Mr Sievers also testified but believe little was achieved.
All three have called for the inquiry report to be opened.
Last week, NSW Supreme Court judge Harrison said it would be inappropriate for him to comment.
Funeral location: North Chapel, Church Yard M, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Camden Valley Way, Leppington, NSW
Buried at: Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Camden Valley Way, Leppington, NSW
[alert_blue] RONALD is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_blue] * NOT JOB RELATED
[divider_dotted]
Commando – Ronald William John SCOTT 1943
Ronald William John SCOTT NSW Police – 1950
“C” Troop identity who went on to be President of the N.S.W.Association.
VALE: 16/09/2011.
SERVICE RECORD COPIED FROM WWII NOMINAL ROLL
Name
SCOTT, RONALD WILLIAM JOHN
Service
Australian Army
Service Number
24494 (NX175312)
Date of Birth
29 Jan 1925
Place of Birth
COOTAMUNDRA, NSW
Date of Enlistment
18 Sep 1943
Locality on Enlistment
Unknown
Place of Enlistment
BATHURST, NSW
Next of Kin
SCOTT, W
Date of Discharge
6 Jan 1947
Rank
Corporal
Posting at Discharge
2/10 COMMANDO SQN
August 2005 Ron was selected to join the Commemorative Mission to Hawaii marking the 60th. anniversary of victory in the Pacific. See Double Diamond December issue 2005 for full report.
2007 Ronald William John SCOTT N.S.W. Association President Reciting the “Ode”
Dedication of Plaque at Ronald William John SCOTT The Australian War Memorial Canberra 06/03/2007
Article Published in Liverpool RSL Sub-Branch Magazine.
Born at Cootamundra on the 29th. January 1925, the elder of eight children of Australian born parents of English and Irish decent.
Ron’s early childhood was on his parent’s property at Yeoval NSW, where he recalls helping trappers at night to collect rabbits.
Due to a major bushfire that ravaged the area in 1933, The family and remaining stock moved to a second property at Quandialla NSW, A wheat and sheep district where they remained for many years.
His schooling was at a one-teacher school near a Rail Siding called Berendebba, there were on average, sixteen pupils attending class 1st. to 6th.:Ron managed to gain a bursary.
At the outbreak of war in 1939, and still a youth of fourteen he witnessed almost every able bodied man in the district going off to war, For the next couple of years, Ron shore sheep, lumped wheat, fenced and became a general rouseabout.
During 1942 at the age of 17 years six months, he enlisted in the RAAF, after a medical at Parkes and interviews at Sydney, he was informed of a long waiting list before eventual call-up.
Now 18 years he managed to enlist in the AIF in l 943,Basic training was at Bathurst, then on to Canungra Jungle Training for the gruelling Infantry course, Ron volunteered for the Commando Course to follow.
Joining the newly formed 6 Div. Cav. Commando Regiment on the Atherton Tablelands, Ron allotted to 10 Commando Sqn. Sailed with 7 and 9 Sqn on the Katoomba as vanguard for the 6″‘ Division Aitape-Wewak campaign in New Guinea.
A bitter and costly campaign fought for days behind enemy lines, Culminating in the surrender of general Adachi, being present at the surrender Ron felt very fortunate.
On returning from New Guinea and spending some weeks in Concord Hospital, His discharge finally completed, Ron applied and was accepted into the NSW Police force, He was stationed at Leichhardt, Lithgow, Regent Street and Camperdown, Fate took over when Ron on behalf of the Police service went to Victoria Barracks to borrow Walkie Talkie sets for crowd control, The then Col.F. Hassett convinced him that by returning to the regular Army with the rank,his pay would double; The Police Certificate of Service says Very Satisfactory.
Posted to 13 National Service Battalion at Ingleburn as an instructor in 1951, Ron remained there until posted to Japan and then on to 1 RAR Korea as Regimental Police Sgt. Returning with the Battalion in April 1956 to Enoggera Barracks QLD.
Still with I RAR posted to Malaya in Sep. 1959 to Nov. 1961, Returning to Holsworthy NSW, remained as R P Sgt, and Mess Secretary/Treasurer until his discharge on 17 Jan. 1963, as pre arranged Ron again elected to join. the Commonwealth and later Federal Police Service.
After some years and tiring of shift work and double shifts, He decided to call it a day_ Resigning with a Certificate of Service marked Satisfactory.
Ron joined Nock and Kirby’s warehouse at Hoxton Park, which later became Burns Philp, then BBC.
Ron and wife Pat have lived at Minto for the past 24 years, their Son and Daughter both married with children live at Minto and Ingleburn.
Service medals and badges. 39/45 Star,Pacific Star,War Medal,Australian Service Medal . General service medal and clasp Malaya. Australian service Medal 1945-75 and Clasp Korea. Australian service medal 1945-75 and Clasp Malaya. Australian Defence medal 1945-75. Pingat Jasa Malaysia Medal. Active service Badge No.462660. Infantry Combat Badge. WW2 Anniversary Medallion.
And Finally: STATEMENT FROM THE MAN HIMSELF:
MY RECOLLECTIONS OF THE END OF WW2.
As a member of the 2/6 Cav. Commando Regiment comprising 7,9, l 0,Commando Squadrons, We had taken part in the whole of the Aitape-Wewak New Guinea campaign by the 6th.Division.At this time my 2/10 Squadron was occupying a place called Cape Karawop just north of Wewak which had recently been taken after a major battle.Cape Karawop was supposed to give us a rest after a five months continued action, including an amphibious landing at Dove Bay south of Wewak, The Japanese were moving down from the Mountains to our coastal holiday home, they would attack at night with grenades and rifle fire.To us this unofficial War carried on for several nights after we had been told the Japs had surrendered, I can recall our chaps yelling out “The war is over you silly bastards”. From our Unit History “To The Green Fields Beyond” by Shawn O’Leary, I have made the following interesting extracts covering the period.8.15am 6th August 1945, 1 st Atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima.11 am 9th August 1945, 2nd Atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki12th August 1945,Sydney’s crazy celebrations could be heard on our Signals wireless.9.14am 15th August 1945,the single code word NEON was flashed around the globe to confirm the unconditional surrender of Japan, Sydney again went wild, from a platform in the Domain Jack Davey entertained an audience of 150,000.The Commandos took stock of their losses in the campaign, 48 killed 119 wounded, They had killed 778 Japanese taken 23 prisoners and found 363 dead, Our last casualty was on the 18th. “August 1945, A young 19 year old killed by one of our own booby traps while checking for Japanese infiltrators. On the 22nd August 1945 General Adachi advised that Japanese troops had been ordered to cease fire but not to lay down their Arms.On the 13th September 1945 General Adachi formally signed surrender documents on the Air strip at Cape Wom before Major General H.C.H Robertson.Having served the whole of the Campaign and being present on the surrender parade, I was most grateful and proud to have survived WW2
Funeral service will be held at North Chapel, CHURCH YARD M on Wednesday, 21st September 2011 at 10:00am.
Committal service will be held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, North Chapel, Camden Valley Way, Leppington, NSW, Australia on Wednesday, 21st September 2011.
Service: From 23 September 1968to? ? ? = ? years Service
Awards: National Medal – granted 8 June 1988
1st Clasp to National Medal – granted 8 December 1993
Born: 17 June 1943
Died on: 19 December 2014
Cause: Cancer
Age: 70
Funeral date: 29 December 2014
Funeral location: Norwood Park Crematorium, Canberra
Buried at: Cremated
[alert_blue] Bob is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_blue] * NOT JOB RELATED
Information from Russell Perkins via NSW Fallen Police FB page:
For any of you older blokes that may have come across Bob McGoogan, ex ACT Police then transitioned into the AFP with the amalgamation, he passed away on the 19th December after a battle with cancer.
Funeral at Norwood Park Crematorium in Canberra 29th December
Funeral Service location:
ROBERT JAMES CHARLES MCGOOGAN “BOB” 17 June 1943 – 19 December 2014 Beloved husband of Margaret. Father of Guy, Michael, Mark, Matthew, Morgan and Buddy….
“To McGoo….for all those years from Safety Ed to the other ‘work’..to your wonderful attitude to kids to the the attitude adjustments delivered to those in need. A spinner of tales some possibly…” – Gary Brown
“Bob was truly a larger, and louder, than life character. I always enjoyed his company, in my office, or at his home. His bear hugs of my staff were something to behold. My sincerest sympathy to you…” – Fred Barnes
Awards: Meritorious Unit Citation for work in East Timor.
Commendation for efforts in disarming a male carrying a replica pistol in Honiara Court.
Born: ?
Died on: Wednesday 22 December 2004
Cause: Shot – Murdered
whilst deployed on official duties at Honiara, Solomon Islands
Age: 26
Funeral date: Thursday 30 December 2004
Funeral location: ANZAC Memorial Chapel,
Royal Military College, Duntroon, ACT
Buried at: Cremated
Memorial: The main street of a new AFP training village in Canberra was named Adam Dunning Drive in his memory.
Adam DUNNING
Adam IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Tears for the fallen as Adam comes home
By Craig Skehan and Aban Contractor December 24, 2004
AFP officers farewell their mate Adam Dunning after loading his coffin into a RAAF jet at Honiara Domestic Airport. Photo: Andy Zakeli
They had slow-marched their comrade’s casket to the plane that would take him home.
Their backs were straight, but the emotions were too much: tears tumbled down the cheeks of the Australian Federal Police pallbearers as they did Adam Dunning this last honour.
Then, once his body was stowed in the hold of the RAAF jet on the tarmac in Honiara, his mates made a last gesture of solidarity with the colleague they were farewelling forever – forming a circle, heads bowed, arms locked around each other’s shoulders.
Adam Dunning, the 26-year-old AFP protective service officer who was killed by a sniper in the early hours of Wednesday morning, was accompanied home by the Minister for Justice, Chris Ellison, and the Opposition’s home affairs spokesman, Robert McClelland, but at Fairbairn air base in Canberra, where the RAAF 737 touched down just before 6pm, it was Mr Dunning’s family and friends – his parents, Michael and Christine, his sisters, Sarah and Emma, and his girlfriend, Elise Wiscombe – who formed the guard of honour.
Standing in two straight lines, they faced the plane.
With the Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty, standing watch nearby, Mr Dunning’s parents held their heads high, and his sisters and Ms Wiscombe quietly sobbed as eight AFP pallbearers bore his flag-draped casket from the plane. His parents held hands and seemed to stand even straighter as their only son was placed in the hearse that would take him to the mortuary.
In the Solomons, police are questioning a taxi driver about several suspects in the murder. A Solomon Islands police source told the Herald that the taxi – seen near the murder scene with several passengers before the shooting – had been seized.
On a narrow, potholed road on the outskirts of the Solomons capital, Honiara, locals offered heartfelt apologies for the shooting.
“I am so very sorry,” said one young man. “He came here to help us.”
By the roadside at Zion Junction, investigating officers had cut the long grass to help search for clues to the identity of the person who, in darkness shortly after 3am on Wednesday, shot Mr Dunning while he was on patrol in a Toyota Land Cruiser.
Zion Junction does not have a particularly dangerous reputation. Rather, locals said, other settlements further along the same ridge were known for trouble, ranging from extortion to payback shootings.
Moffat Suiga, a community elder who was awakened by the shots that killed Mr Dunning, said he and others were at a loss to explain the murder.
A middle-aged businessman said the overwhelming majority of Solomon Islanders wanted to see those responsible put in jail. He said it would be a good thing if the Australian-led intervention force remained for the next 40 years.
At a commemoration service earlier in Honiara, Mr Keelty said Mr Dunning had “died for peace”.
The Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Sir Allan Kemakeza, said the young man had been helping the country overcome ethnic strife and crime. “We will not forget him,” he said.
A police funeral will be held for Mr Dunning on a day to be announced.
AFP officers farewell their mate Adam Dunning after loading his coffin into a RAAF jet at Honiara Domestic Airport.
Photo: Andy Zakeli
Australian Protective Services officers salute the coffin in a guard of honour at Honiara Domestic Airport before Adam Dunning’s coffin was flown back to Australia.
Photo: Andy Zakeli
Australian Protective Services officer Robert Turnbull sheds a tear at the official wake in the compund before Adam Dunning’s coffin flew back to Australia.
Photo: Andy Zakeli
The RAAF jet carrying Adam Dunning’s body touches down.
Photo: Andrew Taylor
Adam Dunning’s coffin is loaded from the aircraft to a hearse at the RAAF Base at Fairbairn.
Photo: Andrew Tayl
Senior officers and other dignatories, along with family members, watch Adam Dunning’s coffin being loaded from the aircraft to a hearse at the RAAF Base at Fairbairn in Canberra.
Photo: Andrew Taylor
The girlfriend of Adam Dunning, Elise Wiscombe (far left), cries as police salute the farewell of the coffin.
Photo: Andrew Taylor
Friends of Adam Dunning after the hearse had left the tarmac.
Photo: Andrew Taylor
Memorial Tribute to Adam DUNNING, 10 years on. 22 December 2014, National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra.
Excellent turnout at NPM this morning for Adam and his family. RIP and we remember.
Peacekeeper killed ADG’s funeral brings Air Force and police together
By FLGOFF Fiona Peacock
The funeral of LAC Adam Dunning, a member of the PAF and Air Force Active Reserve.
LAC Adam Dunning.
LEADING Aircraftman Adam Dunning, an ADG with No. 28 (City of Canberra) Squadron and former member of No. 2 Air Field Defence Squadron, was killed in December last year while on operational duty with the Australian Federal Police as part of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
In the early hours of December 22, LAC Dunning and an Australian Protective Service colleague were on a routine vehicle patrol in Honiara, protecting the Prime Minister’s and Governor General’s residences.
A concealed gunman shot at the vehicle, fatally wounding LAC Dunning, who was 26.
He deployed to the Solomons in October and, after only six weeks there, was awarded a commendation for disarming a man in front of the Magistrates Court.
At LAC Dunning’s funeral, members of 28SQN played a part in recognising his Air Force service. The squadron’s honorary air commodore, Air Commodore Justice Terence Higgins, represented 28SQN among the official party of Service chiefs.
Members of the Air Field Defence Wing provided the firing party and the guard of honour for receiving VIPs. The RAAF Ensign was carried by Pilot Officer Shane McGaughey and was escorted by Flight Sergeant John Forth.
Two close friends of LAC Dunning, Leading Aircraftmen Tim Gresham and David Pauli, were members of the bearer party. The President of 28SQN Association, Steve Williams, represented former 28SQN members. 28SQN members joined AFP personnel to form a guard of honour.
AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty praised No. 34 Squadron for the way it handled bringing LAC Dunning’s body back to Australia.
By Misha Schubert
Political correspondent
Canberra December 31, 2004
They stood side by side. Two long lines of blue uniforms facing each other along the tree-lined road. Like a slow Mexican wave, each snapped to attention and saluted as the body of one of their own passed by.
Adam Dunning, murdered by a sniper while on patrol in the Solomons early last week, had begun the last leg of his journey home.
Earlier, these men and women of the Australian Federal Police and the Royal Australian Air Force had wept openly as Mr Dunning was farewelled with full police and military honours in the Duntroon chapel. “He was a great man,” said his federal police mate Pat Castle.
The nation’s military chiefs turned out to pay tribute, as did Prime Minister John Howard, Governor-General Michael Jeffery and senior cabinet ministers.
But this ritual belonged to those who knew and loved Adam Dunning.
His mother, Christine, read from a tribute that she and her husband, Mike, had written to their son in February. They had praised his courage, sensitivity and mettle.
His partner, Elise, who had brought red roses for the man she had loved, said he was her greatest friend. “He was my strength, my inspiration, my love.”
Peacekeeper Beau Tennant, who was with Mr Dunning the night before he died, broke down as he recalled his friend’s generosity.
“Before he left me, his last words were: ‘Are you right for money mate?’ That was the kind of bloke he was,” he said.
Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said Mr Dunning would live on in the memories of grateful Solomon Islanders.
“Adam Dunning died for peace and law and order. His work and his death will always be remembered by his colleagues,” he told mourners.
The federal police hope to build a memorial to Mr Dunning at their new training centre for overseas police peacekeepers.
Mr Dunning also served with RAAF in Timor before joining the AFP.
Police believe his murder and another attack on police on October 21 were carried out by three former members of the Malaitan Eagle Force militia.
They have charged two men – John Ome and Philip Kwaimani – over the attacks and are hunting James Tatau, who Mr Keelty said was present at both events and had access to a cache of weapons.
Police believe the trio were working on their own, with no sign of any broader uprising against the peacekeeping effort.
It fell to Emma, who had adored her older brother, to claim his service medals and caps from the flag-shrouded coffin and hand them to her grieving parents.
As his police mates carried Mr Dunning’s coffin from the chapel into the sunlight, drummers and bagpipers ushered him on his way. A police motorcade led the cortege through Canberra’s streets to a private service and cremation.
A plane carrying the body of murdered Australian peacekeeper Adam Dunning has landed in his home town of Canberra.
The 26-year-old Australian Protective Services officer was shot twice in the back by a sniper while serving as part of a peacekeeping mission in the Solomon Islands yesterday morning.
Members of Mr Dunning’s family, and his colleagues were on hand to formally receive his body.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty returned from the Solomon Islands about half an hour before the plane bearing Officer Dunning’s body landed.
He was among those waiting for Justice Minister Chris Ellison and Labor’s homeland security spokesman Robert McClelland, who accompanied the body on the flight back to Canberra.
Commissioner Keelty, Senator Ellison, Mr McClelland and AFP officers formed a guard of honour before the coffin was removed from the plane.
Family members, including Officer Dunning’s parents Mike and Christine, and girlfriend Elise Wiscombe, stood arm in arm watching proceedings.
A guard of honour, carrying Officer Dunning’s hat, led the flag-draped coffin to the hearse.
Eight pall bearers stood tall under the weight, as Officer Dunning’s police colleagues watched on.
A cavalcade of AFP motorcycles is waiting to lead the hearse to Canberra’s mortuary.
A full police funeral will be held for Officer Dunning on a day to be announced.
Officer Dunning’s parents took the time to thank those who attended the short ceremony before the hearse headed for Kingston mortuary under police escort.
Senator Ellison later said the Solomons people were behind RAMSI and Australia’s efforts to bring law and order to the country.
He said some adjustments might be made to the conduct of night patrols but any final decision would depend on recommendations from the AFP.
He denied the Government had too quickly reduced the AFP’s military support in the Solomons.
“We’ve made fantastic progress in the Solomons and we never underestimated the danger that our people faced,” he told ABC television
By Craig Skehan and Cynthia Banham December 23, 2004
Australia is rushing 100 extra troops to the Solomon Islands in defiant reaction to the sniper murder of Adam Dunning, the nation’s first peacekeeper to be killed by hostile fire.
The murder highlights the perils of the new interventionist role in the Pacific islands, but the Prime Minister, John Howard, vowed the mission to the Solomons would go on “undeterred, unrestrained, unaffected by what’s happened”.
“We won’t be cowed by this,” the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, added.
Mr Dunning, a 26-year-old Australian Protective Service officer from Canberra who had dodged bullets while serving in East Timor, was shot twice in the back while on a patrol in a four-wheel drives Toyota Land Cruiser in the capital, Honiara, at 3.10am on Wednesday. The bullets were among six shots fired rapidly from a high-powered military rifle.
“It looks as though the person who fired it had training in the use of such firearms,” a Solomon Islands official said.
Members of former ethnic militias – who had formed gangs and reduced the country to anarchy – are now being questioned. Australian investigators say the involvement of former Solomon Islands police officers, or an individual officer, cannot be ruled out.
At his Canberra home, Mr Dunning’s father, Michael, was distraught as he spoke of his son’s honourable death.
“It is sad as he cared for the [Solomons] people so much and was doing something really good on their behalf,” Mr Dunning told the Herald. “He always has been a decent person, tough and soft-hearted at the same time. He was totally honourable and very stubborn – nobody could make him do anything that he did not think was right. He was a credit to us.”
Adam Dunning had been planning a future with his 22-year-old girlfriend, Elise Wiscombe, on his return home next month. “I’m very, very proud of what he’s done over there,” she said. “He’s one of the greatest people I’ve ever met.”
Mr Dunning was part of the regional intervention force which has been seeking to stem ethnic and criminal violence in the Solomons since July last year.
A rapid-response, 100-member infantry company from the First Royal Australian Regiment was to leave Townsville on Thursday for the Solomons, just a day after the murder. The Defence Minister, Robert Hill, said: “This is to send a clear message to the thugs … that we will not tolerate the murder of our police officers.”
A meeting of departmental secretaries in Canberra recommended extra forces to support the 160 defence force personnel already there. Those troops are backing the 147 Australian Federal Police members who are serving in the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) – about 95 of them from the Australian Protective Service, which comes under the federal police. The Justice Minister, Chris Ellison, and the Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty, flew to Honiara on Wednesday night. Australian forensic experts also flew in.
Mr Keelty said: “Over 4000 arrests have been made and over 3700 weapons have been seized [since the intervention began]. Clearly this indicates that there are some in the community in the Solomon Islands who are not happy about RAMSI’s presence.”
He said the hot tropical climate – and the large number of weapons already recovered – were among the reasons body armour had not been used for regular patrols. However, this is now under review.
Mr Keelty called Mr Dunning “a brave and courageous young Australian” and said his killing emphasised “the danger that our people face”.
The Solomons Prime Minister, Sir Allan Kemakeza, described the killing as barbaric and cowardly.
Mr Dunning’s partner on patrol, who had been driving, tried to resuscitate him.
The murder scene, on the outskirts of Honiara, was close to two settlements which are known to be frequented by former ethnic militiaman who formed criminal gangs.
The Australian police contingent has been at the forefront of efforts to clean up local police and officers have been charged with offences from corruption to assault and robbery. A number of local politicians are either under investigation or already facing various charges.
Mr Keelty said the ammunition used indicated the murder weapon was an SLR or possibly an AK-47. This was consistent with some of the weapons used before the arrival of the intervention force. The looting of many SLRs and other military-style weapons from Solomons police armouries had fuelled the five years of unrest that prompted the intervention of the Australian-led force.
There was a major riot at the Central Prison in Honiara this year, when inmates threw rocks at Australian personnel and painted anti-Australian slogans. Two months ago, an intervention force vehicle patrol was fired on.
Protective Service Officers were deployed along with other Australian law enforcement officers in the Solomon Islands as part of RAMSI. The peacekeeping force suffered their first casualty on 22 December 2004 when PSO1 Adam Dunning was shot and killed while deployed on official duties in the Solomon Islands. Two former members of a local militia were charged but acquitted of Dunning’s murder.[5] Officer Dunning was buried with full police honours.
The main street of a new AFP training village in Canberra was named Adam Dunning Drive in his memory.[6] The $2.8 million training facility at Mount Majura just outside Canberra, has been designed to replicate situations in regional countries to which personnel might be assigned.
The main street of a new training village for Australian Federal Police and other personnel being sent overseas has been named after murdered peacekeeper Adam Dunning.
The $2.8 million training facility at Majura, just outside Canberra, has been designed to replicate situations in regional countries to which personnel might be assigned.
Prime Minister John Howard officially opened the facility on Thursday in the presence of police chiefs from across the country as well as from several regional nations.
Australian Protective Service officer Mr Dunning, 26, was fatally shot twice in the back while on night patrol in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara in December.
He was serving as part of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomons.
His parents attended the opening of the village, through the centre of which runs a road now named Adam Dunning Drive.
“The loss of Adam Dunning signified that this is very dangerous work,” Justice Minister Senator Chris Ellison said.
“That was the ultimate sacrifice paid in the course of his duties.”
Mr Howard said the new facility reflected the new security reality for Australia and its region.
“Events of the last five years have totally transformed both the demands and the expectations of the Australian community on the Australian Federal Police,” he told the gathering.
“In that five-year period we have seen the threatening arrival of international terrorism.
“We’ve (also) seen the emergence of an ongoing need on the part of this country, in cooperation with our friends in the Pacific region, to involve ourselves in the restoration of conditions of law and order and cooperation with police services and governments of those countries.”
The training village, to be used by a range of emergency services personnel as well as police, recreates the environment that police experience when on overseas missions.
Designed to reflect the streetscape of a small overseas township, it enables true-to-life scenario training which helps to prepare police for unknown and sometimes dangerous challenges.
It includes 18 buildings and structures including a corner store, a town hall, a police station, a school, a pub, a marketplace and even a cemetery, reflecting the fact that police are sometimes required to perform exhumations in the course of their work.
The spokesman said 124 personnel had already trained at the complex which was completed in March.
Service: Commonwealth Police / Australian Federal Police: From ? to ? ? 1996
AFP Regd. # ?
Awards: Member of the Order of Australia ( AM ) – granted 26 January 1982 in recognition of service to the AFP
National Medal – granted 3 September 1985
1st Clasp to National Medal – granted 1 May 1987
Born: ?
Died on: Tuesday 22 July 2014
Cause: Cancer
Age: ?
Funeral date: Saturday 26 July 2014
Funeral location: Chapel of Fred Ward (Brindabella) Gardens, Curtin
Buried at: Cremated
[alert_blue]BARRIE is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_blue]
Barrie John BROWN, age unknown, former Regd. No. 10118.
Barrie resigned from NSW Police in 1969 and joined the Commonwealth Police and later the AFP where he served until 1996.
He regularly met with retired NSW Police in the RPA (ACT) Social Luncheon group. His funeral has been held.
[divider_dotted]
Obituary
Printed: Saturday 2 August 2014
BARRIE JOHN BROWN AM
Passed away peacefully on 22.7.2014 surrounded by his loving family.
Adored husband of Jann, loved so much as a father and friend by his children Caryn and Stephen and their partners.
Amazing and devoted, proud grandfather to Kaela and Alana.
Special mate to brother Dennis and his family.
Supportive friend to many, with a great heart.
Barrie never lost his gentle, caring manner through two years of fighting cancer.
He was a much respected police officer, volunteer and car racing enthusiast.
His private cremation took place last Saturday, followed by a celebration of his
life, with good friends present in the Chapel of Fred Ward (Brindabella) Gardens, Curtin.