Memorial located at: 1/ Glen Davis Rd, Capertee – the Clarence Pirie Memorial Park
Lat: -33.143736 Long: 149.983791
2/ a Wall Plaque at Chifley L.A.C.
SenCon Clarrie Pirie ( 1960 )
Clarence Roy PIRIE – Touch Plate at the National Wall of Police Remembrance, Canberra
CLARENCEIS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance
Grave location: Rookwood Cemetery, NSW
Zone E, Section 19, Grave 3661
INSCRIPTION: In Loving Memory of my dear husband and our dear father Clarence Roy PIRIE died 13th October 1960 aged 40 years. Erected by the New South Wales Government in Memory of Senior Constable Clarence Roy PIRIE who was shot & killed in the Execution of his Duty at Jew’s Creek on the 13th October 1960. Police Crest.
FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
Senior Constable Clarrie Pirie was the Officer-in-Charge of the Capertee Police Station from 1958 until his death on 13 October, 1960. On that day he was informed by Lithgow Police that two male offenders had abandoned a stolen car at Cudgigong, north of Capertee.
While patrolling the area Senior Constable Pirie found two fourteen year-olds with a vehicle at a roadside camping area at Jews Creek, ten miles south of Capertee. These however were not the two offenders the police were searching for and as such Constable Pirie did not know that on the previous day the pair had escaped from the Yasmar children’s detention centre ( Lidcombe ) and had broken into a dwelling where they stole several items of property and the vehicle before driving to the Jews Creek area.
As the constable was talking to the young offenders one of them suddenly produced a .22 rifle and shot Constable Pirie. He died a short time later. Both youths were captured the following day.
The senior constable was born in 1920 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 15 September, 1947.
At the time of his death he was stationed at Capertee.
Knew Clarie well when I was at Cowra and Clarie was LUK at Young, I was transferred on the PSB at Lithgow and Clarie was transferred to Capertee so I used to see a lot him as the Highway Patrol done daily runs to Capertee.
I took the phone call at Lithgow from a chap from Cullen Bullen to say Clarie had been shot, then drove Insp. Eli Hanson and Det S/Cst Jimmy Foster to the Scene at Jew’s Creek.
Never will forget that day.
His Youngest son John was a Police Support Officer and KAC Manager at Orange.
( Eli HANSON, NSWPF # 2207, Retired in 1962 and died in January 1973 ( aged 71 years, 0 months, 2 days ) )
Police Remembrance Day – 29 September 2022
A message received from one of the daughters of Roy & Frances PIRIE on 21 September 2022:
Dear Greg, Not sure if you are the right person to find out some info on Police Memorial Day Services in the Young area.
I live near Young & would really like to be able to pay my respect to my Dad who was killed on duty in 1960. It’s my only way to keep my memory going & now my Mum has passed, I’m feeling the sadness even more.
My Dad was Constable Clarence Roy Pirie who was shot & killed at Capertee.
I usually find out after the event that there had been a service around Young so what I’m hoping is that someone could let me know beforehand so I could attend.
Sorry to trouble you but just reaching out.
Yours respectfully,
Francine Pirie.
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Hello Francine.
Good choice picking me. lol.
I have tried to phone Young ( without success ) but I have just spoken with the District Commander, Supt. Paul Condon, and he confirms that there WILL be a Service in Young.
He is now on the phone to obtain the ‘where and when’ for us.
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omg, bless you & thank you x
I am on NSW Fallen Police ( FB Group ) so that’s how I got you so; thanks again.
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There is a Service at Young Police Station ( only a small Service though ) at 11am on Thursday 29 September. The troops there will be expecting you.
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Greg thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I’ll be there
x
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You are very welcome Francine.
xoxox
Cal
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Dear Greg,
Thank you so much for organising my attendance yesterday.
The staff at Young Police Station were amazing. The young Police Officers were so interested in my family’s story.
Thank you for the link as I read through the article I read things I didn’t know about. Many tears have been cried but I still believe it’s been a healing time for me even though it’s been 62 years.
Sometimes you need a reason & yesterday was a good reason to grieve, not only for my Dad but for all the other families who have lost their loved one.
Again Greg, thank you from my heart as this would not have happened if you hadn’t gone to the trouble to organise this for me.
God bless you
Francine Pirie
xx
The Result
Young Police – Remembrance Day – 2022 – Francine Pirie – Holding picture – Daughter of Clarence Pirie – killed 13 Oct 1960
Great effort from Young Police and Supt. Paul Condon, Goulburn
Mrs Frances Josephine PIRIE sadly passed away last night ( Friday 12 October 2019 ) aged 94 years – 5 days shy of her 95th birthday.
Wife of Senior Constable Clarence Roy PIRIE of the Capertee Police.
Almost 59 years to the day, Frances and Clarey are together again.
Knew Clarie well when I was at Cowra and Clarie was LUK at Young, I was transferred on the PSB at Lithgow and Clarie was transferred to Capertee so I used to see a lot him as the Highway Patrol done daily runs to Capertee.
I took the phone call at Lithgow from a chap from Cullen Bullen to say Clarie had been shot, then drove Insp. Eli Hanson and Det S/Cst Jimmy Foster to the Scene at Jew’s Creek.
Never will forget that day.
His Youngest son John was a Police Support Officer and KAC Manager at Orange.
Almost all visitors to Capertee will notice the large memorial park in the middle of the village close to the Glen Davies turnoff. This recreational area, which includes a car park, childrens’ playground and toilets, is officially named after Clarence Pirie a notable policeman who was stationed in the community during the late 1950s and early 60s. While many police have served the Capertee district well over the years Pirie deserves lasting recognition as he gave his life to protecting the community.
Senior Constable Clarence (Clarie) Roy Pirie was born in Paddington, Sydney, in 1920. During World War 2 he joined the army and served in New Guinea. After the war, in 1947, he joined the New South Wales Police Force, and from 1959 to 1960 he was the Officer-in-Charge at Capertee Police Station.
On the 13th October 1960 he was asked to look out for two male offenders who had abandoned a stolen car north of Capertee.While patrolling the area the following day, Pirie found two 14 year-olds with a vehicle at a roadside camping site at Jews Creeks south of Capertee. According to police records, these were not the suspects who had abandoned the vehicle the previous day but two escapees from the Yasmar juvenile detention centre in Haberfield, Sydney. While interviewing the youths one of them suddenly produced a stolen .22 rifle and shot the officer twice. The Senior Constable died of his wounds at the scene a short time after. The two youths were arrested the following day and were later imprisoned. Pirie was survived by his wife Frances and four young children.
The memory of Clarie Pirie as well as the many other police who have been killed in the line of duty is commemorated each year on Police Memorial Day which is held near the end of September.
INSCRIPTION: This plaque has been erected to perpetuate the memory of Senior Constable Clarence Roy PIRIE in recognition of his ultimate sacrifice when he died as a result of gunshot wounds sustained when arresting two juvenile car thieves at Jews Creek on the 13th October 1960. “to everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the heaven”
SYDNEY, Thursday: – Police were to-night conducting one of the largest manhunts ever in the Central Western district for two youths who are alleged to have shot dead Senior Constable Clarence Roy Pirie, 40, of Cullen Bullen.
The constable was chasing two youths on the Capertee Cullen Bullen Road early to- night.
Pirie, a father of four, was believed to have been killed with a .22 rifle.
Police from Lithgow, Bathurst, Mount Victoria, Kandos, Rylstone, Katoomba, Oberon, Orange and other centres are searching dense bush near Jews Creek.
Police from other Central Western stations and from Sydney will join the searchers to-morrow.
The searchers are heavily armed with rifles and riot guns.
Other specialised weapons will arrive from Sydney to-morrow.
At 9 a.m. to-day a stolen car was found abandoned at Cudgegong.
Two youths were seen to leave the car and police in the area were alerted.
Constable Pirie sighted two youths in a second stolen car on the Lithgow-Mudgee Road near Jew’s Creek.
Overturned
The stolen car overturned at high speed about a half mile farther on.
Two youths scrambled from the wreck and fled into the bush.
Constable Pirie followed them.
Police believe that the elder youth, realising that Pirie was following them, turned and fired the shot which fatally wounded the policeman.
LITHGOW, Tuesday:- A 14-year-old Sydney boy was remanded in Lithgow Children’s Court to-day on a charge of murdering a policeman.
He was remanded till November 1 without bail and will be detained in custody until that date.
The boy was charged with having murdered Constable Clarence Roy Pirie at Jews Creek camping reserve on October 13.
Police prosecutor Sergeant J. S. Smith said the youth charged with murder had escaped from a Sydney boys’ home on October 12 and together with another boy had stolen a car.
The car was allegedly parked at Jews Creek’ Camping reserve the next day.
When Const. Pirie approached the vehicle he was allegedly shot dead.
The Canberra Times Tuesday 7 March 1961 page 3 of 20
SYDNEY, Monday: — Christopher Lindsay, 15, went to gaol to-day for 15 years for killing a policeman last year.
Mr. Justice Else Mitchell described the fair-haired, well-dressed boy as a “young gangster.”
Lindsay, of Alice Street, Newtown, did not appear to be emotionally upset at the sentence.
He turned to court officials who led him from the dock to the cells below.
The sight of the boy being led away brought an outburst of sobbing from the public gallery.
Lindsay last week had pleaded not guilty to having murdered Constable Clarence Roy Pirie, 39, at Jews Creek Camping Reserve off the Mudgee Road near Cullen Bullen on October 13 last.
The Crown accepted Lindsay’s plea of guilty of man slaughter.
Lindsay – standing in the dock of Central Criminal Court with hands clasped in front of him – heard Mr. Justice Else Mitchell say that the deposition and Lindsay’s own signed statement left slender ground for the lesser offence.
“Before committing this crime, you had shown a refusal both in England and in this country to conform with the laws which are made for the good of society.
“From the record, it is clear that the processes of the habitation and reform which are provided by the country here have made no impact on your attitude or conduct.
“In pursuit of this anti-social conduct you twice escaped from Yasma shelter, where you were being detained awaiting trial for various charges, and on the second occasion in company with a confederate, younger than yourself, stole a rifle, food, other goods and then a motor car in which you travelled to the scene of the crime.
“When you were in fear of apprehension by a constable of the police for the theft of the car you did not hesitate to shoot him because as you said ‘You did not want him to catch you with the car.’
“Your subsequent conduct and your attempt to evade capture though perhaps natural do not appear to have been accompanied by any manifestation of c0ntrition or remorse, a fact which seems to me all the more serious in view of Dr. McGeorge’s conclusion that you are not suffering from any mental or psychiatric disorders.
“A substantial sentence appears to be necessary not only for the reasons I mentioned but as the only possible way in which you may begin to understand your obligations to society.”
SYDNEY, Friday:— The Full Supreme Court to-day dismissed a school boy’s appeal against a 15-year sentence for the manslaughter of a policeman.
The boy, Christopher Lindsay, 15, appealed against the severity of the sentence.
Mr. Justice Else-Mitchell, in Central Criminal Court, had sentenced Lindsay to 15 years gaol for the manslaughter of Constable
Clarence Roy Pirie, at Jew’s Creek, last October.
Pirie was questioning Lindsay on a car theft at the time.
Lindsay to-day conducted his own case before the Full Bench — comprising the Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Evatt, Mr. justice Herron and Mr. Justice Hardie.
He handed the bench a written statement, headed —’ “No Discourtesy.”
The statement read: “I respectfully submit that His Honour, at the time of imposing the severe sentence for manslaughter, regarded the offence as tantamount to murder.
“I further most respectfully submit the crime was not premeditated.
“The whole tragedy took place in a matter of seconds.
“At no time did I intend this man’s death.
“I respectfully submit that a 14-year-old youth to be sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for a crime he did not intend, is too severe.”
Mr. Justice Else-Mitchell, reported to the Full Court, that Lindsay’s offence was hardly distinguishable from murder.
However, he had felt that he was bound by the Crown’s acceptance of the manslaughter plea.
Lindsay originally had been charged with murder.
Mr. Justice Else-Mitchell said it had been submitted he should not impose a crushing sentence.
He also was mindful of the danger with a youthful offender — that the imposition of a heavy gaol sentence often could produce more harm than good.
The Full Court ruled unanimously against Lindsay’s appeal.
It added that Lindsay’s crime called for the greatest condemnation.
PERSONAL LOSS: Inspector Greg Pringle and police administration manager John Pirie have personal experience of the loss of someone close on Police Remembrance Day. Photo: JUDE KEOGH 0926police2
REPRESENTATIVES from Orange Police Station will today attend a national memorial in Canberra for Police Remembrance Day.
For Inspector Greg Pringle and Canobolas Local Area administration manager John Pirie, the day bears a special significance.
John Pirie was just coming up to his fifth birthday when his 40-year-old father Senior Constable Clarence Roy Pirie was shot at point-blank range and killed near Capertee.
It was on October 13, 1960, that Mr Pirie’s father was patrolling when he came across a stolen vehicle. He stopped the vehicle and spoke to two youths inside, but one of them pulled a gun on Snr Const Pirie and shot him.
Inspector Pringle’s experience is in contrast, but he agrees the grief that comes with losing a colleague on the job remains for many years.
“I was with highway patrol working out of Cootamundra in 1988. I had a cup of tea with a fellow officer Constable Kurt Schetor before we headed off to patrol in separate directions,” Insp Pringle said.
Ten minutes later the then Constable Pringle received a call to respond to a crash and he arrived to find his friend and colleague was in involved in a head-on crash with a truck.
“I did my best but I couldn’t revive him,” he said.
Insp Pringle said many police officers carried a burden of grief with them for colleagues who died on the job.
“In many ways it is harder to deal with your own grief,” he said.
“When you are a police officer your ‘tank’ is full of other people’s grief because that’s part of the job. But it doesn’t leave much left.”
Officers from Canobolas Local Area Command will not be marking Police Remembrance Day in Orange this year.
Instead, this year’s service will be held at Cowra which is part of the Canobolas Local Area Command.
A brother and sister came to yesterday’s National Police Remembrance Day ceremony to remember their dad who was killed in the line of duty 50 years ago.
REMEMBER THEM: Police, emergency services personnel and community members gathered in All Saints’ Cathedral yesterday to mark National Police Remembrance Day. Photo: PHILL MURRAY 092901prem
Three generations of Clarence Roy Pirie’s family came together in All Saints’ Cathedral to honour the police officer who was shot and killed by two escapees at Capertee on October 13, 1960.
At the time her father was killed MaryAnne Ford was just three years old – her brother Ron Pirie was seven. There were two more siblings Francine who was not yet two and John who was five. After the police officer’s death, their mum was left to raise the young family alone. Although MaryAnne remembers little of her dad she still treasures the plastic ‘policeman plod’ doll that he gave her before he died. It is something concrete to remember him by.
“The day I got married I left my bouquet on his grave,” she said.
Ron said although he has blocked out a lot of his memories of that sad time there are things that he does remember – like being put in the wooden slab lock up when he was naughty.
Although yesterday’s national remembrance day was to remember all police who lost their lives, for Clarence Pirie’s family it was very personal.
Apart from MaryAnne and Ron, Clarence’s granddaughters Ruth Ford and Kellyanne Howarth were at the special ceremony along with his three-month-old great grandson Jaydon.
They said the ceremony was both moving and beautiful.
“It was hard, but it was good,” Ron said with tears in his eyes.
He paused then and shook his head. “You know it never goes away.”
Slain policeman remembered
DON MAHONEY
15 Oct, 2010 08:40 AM
When Senior Constable Clarence (‘Clarrie’) Roy Pirie went to work on the morning of the October 13, 1960, he fully expected to go home to his wife Frances and their four young children at the end of the day.Sadly, 40-year-old Senior Constable Pirie lost his life that day at Jews Creek, when he was shot by one of two escapees from a juvenile detention centre.
Senior Constable Pirie’s family returned to Capertee this week to remember the events that turned their lives upside down for all time.
On Thursday morning Senior Constable Pirie’s wife Frances, with her children, grandchildren and some great-grandchildren, joined senior police including Deputy Commissioner Dave Owen, Assistant Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, Chifley Area Command Superintendent Michael Robertson, Member for Bathurst Gerard Martin, and many members of the police force at Clarrie Pirie Memorial Park in Capertee to mark the 50th anniversary of his death.
A service was conducted by Police Chaplin Mark Jenkins from the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst and was addressed by the Superintendent Robertson, Mr Martin and Detective Superintendent Jim Foster who investigated Senior Constable Pirie’s death.
“Senior Constable Pirie paid the ultimate sacrifice and was the sixth of eight police officers [in the Chifley command] to lose their life upholding the law,” Superintendent Robertson said.
“Those who follow [in the police force] serve to do his memory proud and he lives on through this park, which was named in his honour.
“The debt owed by society to Senior Constable Pirie cannot be measured and we will always ensure that he is remembered.”
Member for Bathurst Gerard Martin related how Clarrie Pirie served with the Australian Armed Forces in New Guinea during World War II and how he met his wife in military service.
“He undertook a very challenging front line career, which can be extremely dangerous,” Mr Martin said, speaking on behalf of Police Minister Michael Daley.
“His loss will always be a tragedy and compares to the recent death of trainee detective William Crews, the former Glen Innes who lost his life in the line of duty last month.”
Detective Superintendent Jim Foster told how Senior Constable Pirie had joined the police force in 1947 and served at Parramatta and Young before being transferred to Capertee in 1958.
“Those were difficult times with no two-way radios or mobile phones, but the community spirit was evident as we investigated the case,” Detective Foster said.
“The Postmaster at Cullen Bullen kept the phone lines open after the 6pm regular closing time so that we had communications.
“The only police photographer was hours away and a local chemist took the photos we needed to record evidence.
The offenders were arrested at 3am on October 14 as they were attempting to board the Mudgee Mail train at Capertee.”
Detective Superintendent Foster said Senior Constable Pirie was faithful to his duty as a police officer and earned the respect of the Capertee community and the police in the then Lithgow sub-district.
Mrs Pirie said her husband’s attention to detail in his work as a police officer was incredible.
“He knew just about every car that passed through town,” she said.
“Strange cars always attracted his attention.”
Perhaps that attention to duty led him to investigate the stolen vehicle driven by the two escapees, that he saw at Jews Creek that day 50 years ago.
Mrs Pirie, now in her 80s, said her husband’s death changed her life forever as she struggled to raise four children.
“At the time of Clarrie’s death Ron was 8, John 5, Mary Anne 3 and Francene 2,” she said.
“I received a small police pension but had to go out and work to be able to raise and educate them.
“I had to remove our personal effects from the police house at Capertee soon after Clarrie’s death and we moved to Young.”
The ceremony concluded with wreaths being laid by Mrs Pirie and family, Assistant Commissioner David Owen, Superintendent Michael Robertson and the students from Capertee Public School.
John Pirie Wall to Wall – Ride for Remembrance – 2014 I was immensely proud, felt hugely honoured and felt very humbled that the Wall to Wall riders from the Western Region led by Geoff McKecknie stopped at Capertee today. I would also like to express my gratitude to Paul Bousfield and the Capertee Community, especially the school children and those that help with providing lunch for the riders.
by Det. Supt. ( Retired ) Jim FOSTER ( R.I.P. 9 July 2019 )
( 2014 ) The offender, Christopher Lindsay ( assuming he served the full 15 years, would have been 30 years of age when released from gaol in 1975. Assuming he is still alive today, he would now be around 69 years old.
I did a cursory search for him, via Google, but it is a common name and pursued it no further.
Cal
Clarence Roy PIRIE’s Daughter, Maryanne – July 2014 in the park dedicated to her father killed 54 years earlier.
[blockquote]Stopped at my Dad’s park and had a cuppa a few days ago, often wonder how different our lives would have been if he hadn’t been killed. I will, in my elderly mother’s honor, ride the Wall to Wall ( of Remembrance ) this September.[/blockquote]
Clarence Roy PIRIE 13.10.1960 Wall Plaque, Chifley L.A.C.
Elizabeth COUSSENS nee McCampbell nee Gowing 34 old
Bruce James COUSSENS 7 months old
Funeral date: 31 July 1957
Funeral location:
Buried at: Bega Cemetery
Anglican, Section 7, Row A, Grave 3
Constable Kenneth Coussens ( 1957 )
Kenneth Desmond COUSSENS touch plate in Canberra
[alert_green] KENNETH IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
The constable, his wife Elizabeth and baby son Bruce were murdered by the offender Kelly who had placed a bomb on the front verandah of the constable’s home at Bega. The offender had become incensed at being spoken to by the constable regarding traffic offences and on 29 July, 1957 he placed a metal dairy container packed with over 200 sticks of stolen gelignite at the constable’s home. About 2am the offender lit the fuse to the bomb and the dwelling was almost obliterated in the resultant explosion.
Constable Coussens‘ stepson, eight year-old Roger McCampbell, was the sole family survivor of the explosion. The offender Kelly was arrested after a major police investigation and was later sentenced to life imprisonment.
The constable was born in 1926 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 18 October, 1948. At the time of his death he was stationed at Bega.
OBITUARY
Senior Constable Kenneth Coussens; wife – Elizabeth Coussens; infant – Bruce Coussens 7 months old.
Killed by a bomb blast on July 29, 1957.
Senior Constable Ken Coussens moved to Bega in 1954 where the officer took up motor cycle traffic duties for the Public Safety Bureau (now known as the Highway Patrol).
He married a local girl Elizabeth who came from a well known local family and they had two children, Roger nine (from Elizabeth’s first marriage) and an infant son Bruce, seven months old.
Constable Coussens performed his police duties in a conscientious and professional manner in the Bega area attending to traffic duties, attending the scene of motor vehicle accidents and performing other police and community duties as required of a country police officer.
About 1956, in the course of his traffic duties Constable Coussens came into contact with a local man named Myron Bertram Kelly, 32.
The officer had cause to speak to Kelly regarding traffic offences and issued traffic fines to the man on a number of occasions.
Kelly appears to have become enraged when Constable Coussens issued fines and defect notices to Kelly’s tractor and rotary hoe.
As a result Kelly formed a grudge against Constable Coussens.
After this event Kelly went to a silica mine at Rock Flat between Nimmitabel and Cooma in his truck and removed five cases of gelignite and took it to Nethercote where he buried it.
He then stole a six gallon cream can from Curtis Brothers Creamery and took that to Nethercote.
He later built a home made bomb by placing 240 sticks of gelignite and a fuse into the cream can.
In the late hours of July 28, 1957 Kelly sneaked to the officers home while he was asleep in the house with his wife and young family.
He set the bomb at the front of the fibro and iron home situated in Girraween Crescent, Bega and ignited the fuse a few hours later.
Kelly left the scene and went home and at about 2am the bomb detonated causing a huge explosion which completely demolished the house.
The bomb also caused extensive damage to other homes and windows in the vicinity, up to a mile away.
More than 100 windows at Bega Hospital were shattered by the blast.
Constable Coussens and his wife and young baby were killed instantly.
The 9-year-old son Roger survived the blast as he was sleeping at the rear of the house.
Shocked neighbours saw him emerge from the wreckage dazed and confused.
Local residents did not know what had happened and due to the enormity of the blast rumours quickly spread that the gas works had exploded or a Navy plane from HMAS Albatross Nowra had accidentally bombed the town.
However, when it was learned a police officer had been killed by a bomb, police quickly recognised it had all the hallmarks of an assassination.
A criminal investigation swung quickly into action with detectives from Sydney travelled to Bega.
Forensic evidence from the crime scene indicated the explosion was caused by a home made bomb and fragments of a dairy can were located at the scene.
An intense investigation followed, lead by crack homicide squad detectives. Subsequently Kelly was identified as the prime suspect when his hatred of Constable Coussens became known as a motive.
Investigators later searched Kelly’s home and found explosives, fuses and gelignite and a demolition hand book.
Kelly was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of Constable Coussens and his wife and baby.
He was also charged with the theft of six cases of gelignite, 800 detonators, 1000 feet of fuse, an army .303 rifle, 50 rounds of ammunition and possessing an unlicensed pistol.
The trial was conducted in Central Criminal Court and Kelly was convicted by a jury on the murder charges.
On December 6, 1957 he was sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr Justice McClemens who said at the time: “One could only hope for the sake of common human nature that a crime as terrible and devilish as the Bega bombing on July 29 sprang from some deep seated mental derangement. It is not a case where in the interest of the community one could recommend or hold out any hope for mercy”.
Constable Coussens was also a returned serviceman having served in the Royal Australian Navy.
(Research courtesy of David Gardner Australian Police Journal March 2005.Vol 59 No 1.)
Plaque commemorates a local policeman and his family who were murdered in 1957.
Senior Constable Ken Coussens, his wife and seven-month-old son were blown up by 240 sticks of gelignite. It was discovered that local man Myron Kelly had held a well-known grudge against the constable and in the absence of other leads this seemed worth following up. The offender had become incensed at being spoken to by the Constable regarding traffic offences and placed a metal dairy container loaded with the stolen gelignite outside the front door of the Constable’s home.
When Kelly’s house was searched, four and half sticks of gelignite, 20 feet of safety fuse and 58 detonators were discovered. The offender was arrested after a major Police investigation and later sentenced to life imprisonment. Myron Kelly was released from jail in 1980 and returned to the district. He died in Cooma in July 2007 aged 83.
Kenneth Desmond COUSSENS, born to Albert James & Edith Mabel COUSSENS.
NSW Deaths Registration number 34296/1957
National Archives of Australia:
Merchant Navy & Royal Australian Navy
Service # 32875
Born: Hastings, England Trade: Ex Apprentice Fitter & Turner
He reported for Duty on the 30 June 1944 as a ‘Ordinary Seaman II’ and Served upon the H.M.A.S. Cerberus as of the 3 July 1944.
He was described as being 5′ 10 1/2″, with brown hair and brown eyes with a scar on his right thigh.
It appears as though he was still ‘Serving’ with the R.A.N. on 12 June 1947.
He was ‘Rated’ as a ‘Ordinary Seaman’ on 2 July 1944
‘Rated’ ‘Able Seaman’ on 1 June 1945
Was transferred to Royal Australian Navy for 2 years from 4 October 1946.
On his ‘Blue card’ of the R.A.N. it appears, in the Medals, Clasps, etc. section, that the date of May 1958 appears with Const. Police Station Bega NSW.
In the area of the ‘Blue Card’ of the R.A.N. it appears, in the Good Conduct Badges, he was ‘Granted’ a ‘Penguin’ in July 1947.
Other data, written in pen and pencil, on his R.A.N. Service cards is hard to decipher.
The Canberra Times Tuesday 30 July 1957 page 1 of 12
SYDNEY, Monday. – Mystery still obscures the cause of the explosion which killed a police constable, his wife and their six-month-old son when it shattered their Bega home early to-day.
Police said to-night it would be several days before they could sift and examine the wreckage to determine the cause of the explosion, but they have found fragments of metal which appear to be from the casing of a high explosive shell.
Victims of the tragedy were: Constable Kenneth Desmond Coussens, 31, his wife Elizabeth, 34, and their son, Graham.
Their bodies were hurled from their beds and thrown 50 yds. into a neighbour’s garden. The sole survivor of the tragedy was Roger, 9, a son of Mrs. Coussens by a former marriage.
Detectives of Sydney Arson Squad were to-night uncertain of the cause of the explosion.
Fragments of metal which may be from the casing of a high explosive shell, will be examined by an R.A.N. explosive expert called in from Nowra Fleet Air Arm Base.
The explosion, shortly after 3 am. rocked Bega, damaging other houses and breaking 100 windows in Bega Hospital, almost half a mile away.
Awakened by the explosion, terrified neighbours rushed into the streets, which were blanketed by heavy fog.
Thick smoke hung over the Coussen’s house, which was shattered.
As horrified neighbours watched, young Roger Coussens staggered from the ruins, screaming, and slowly walked past torn down electricity and telephone wires which crackled and sparked.
He collapsed into the arms of a neighbour, dazed but uninjured.
The bodies of Constable Coussens and his wife were found near each other in a neighbour’s garden, 50 yards away.
It was almost five hours before the shattered body of the baby boy was found, behind a tree in the backyard.
Panic
As the explosion shattered windows of the four storey Bega Hospital, panic broke out among patients.
Men and women screamed and jumped from their beds as nurses ran through the wards, soothing patients.
Ambulanceman Keith Beresford said the house was like a scene in war time.
“Dense fog and hovering smoke hung over the wrecked building with sparkling electric wires on the ground,” he said.
At dawn, hundreds of people had gathered and Superintendent Mijch, officer in charge of the South Coast District Police to cordon off the area.
Pieces of furniture and personal possessions of the Coussens family were strewn over hundreds of yards.
The mattress from the bed on which the couple were sleeping together with bloodstained children’s clothing, were hurled many yards.
Supt. Mijch ordered that nothing be touched until Sydney. C.I.B. detectives, Sergeants Behrens and Bateman, and Det. Bradbury of the Arson Squad arrived.
Explosives expert, J. Parsons of the N.S.W. Mines Department and Det. Sgt. Ray Kelly of the C.I.B. Homicide Squad, were also rushed from Sydney.
Detectives are working on theories that the Coussens were the victims of a bomb plot perpetrated by a madman with a grudge, or that the explosions may have been caused by a war souvenir collected by Constable Coussens, who had served in the R.A.N, for a short time.
Bomb Theory
The theory of the bomb plot was strengthened this afternoon when police found a tunnel had been dug under the Coussens’ bedroom.
Police say the explosive could have been placed in the tunnel.
They have ruled out the possibility of a gas explosion.
Police are mystified at the escape of Roger Coussens.
Dazed and terrified, the boy said the only thing he remembered was a large piece of timber falling across his bed.
It was the boy’s second escape. His father, an American businessman, was killed in a car crash in the United States when Roger was still a baby.
Roger and his mother, then Mr. McCampbell, who were in his car, escaped unhurt.
Police said the only thing that saved Roger to-day was the fact that he was sleeping in a separate bedroom.
Under Room
The explosion apparently occurred in or beneath the bedroom where his mother, step-father and step-brother lay sleeping.
Residents told police that after the first tremendous explosion, shock waves spread across the district.
Mr. Kevin Barham, a neighbour, said he rushed into the street and heard screaming.
“I saw Roger staggering towards me, dressed only in his pyjama top.
“He was bare footed and crying and had dirt in his hair.
“He kept screaming ‘The house is ruined – the house is ruined.’
“When Roger walked towards me, he was stepping through live wires brought down by the explosion,” Mr. Barham said.
Barham said there was a strange smell about the Coussens’ home after the explosion, but he could not identify it.
Constable Coussens had been attached to Bega for about three years.
He had been a member of the police force for 11 years and was attached to the Safety Bureau in Sydney before being sent to Bega.
He had been stationed at Kogarah and also Cooma.
Police to-night placed a guard over the wreck of the home.
They said it would “be several days before they could sift and examine the debris to determine the cause of the explosion.
Earlier to-day a giant mobile crane was used to lift huge blocks of reinforced concrete which had been scattered over a wide area.
Police to-night appealed to residents to examine their gardens for any strange fragments of metal which may have come from the seat of the explosion.
They said even the smallest fragment could play an important part in solving the mystery.
The Canberra Times Wednesday 31 July 1957 page 1 of 12
SYDNEY, Tuesday. – Detectives are carefully investigating the background of a constable, who with his wife and seven-months-old son, was killed in a bomb explosion at Bega yesterday.
Detectives will also inquire into his activities and arrests since he joined the police force, about 10 years ago.
Those killed were Const. First class Kenneth Desmond Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth, 34, and their son, Graham.
The trio were killed when a mysterious explosion wrecked their home at Bega and smashed windows throughout the town, a half mile away. Coussens step-son, Roger, escaped unharmed.
Detectives to-day discovered metal casings, which strengthens a theory that a maniac with a grudge against the constable, placed a bomb under the house.
They are also interviewing the hoodlum element in the town, for the constable, despite his unblemished police record, was described as a “hard man” by certain sections of the public.
His application to duty had earned him a number of “threats.”
With this in mind, a team of detectives headed by Detective Superintendent Norman Mitch, are investigating his local arrests.
The State Police explosives expert, Mr. S. W. Parsons, has established that the blast was not caused by gelignite.
No traces of a detonator been found.
A theory, described as “doubtful,” is that Coussens became involved in the fishing war on the South Coast.
Detectives have established that Coussens had purchased a £1,500 fishing launch 12 months ago and had engaged a crew of three to fish commercially.
The launch, registered in his wife’s name, was sold two weeks ago.
The Canberra Times Thursday 1 August 1957 page 4 of 16
BEGA, Wednesday. – Fragments of metal found at the site of the fatal explosion which killed a police constable, his wife and his young son on Monday, were sent to the C.I.B. to-day.
The fragments will be examined by the Scientific Bureau and metallurgists in the hope of identifying them.
Police are now certain that the explosion occurred from a container which was under the front verandah of the house. However, it is not yet known if it was a war souvenir or a home-made bomb planted by a maniac.
Victims of the blast were Constable Kenneth Coussens, 32, his wife, Elizabeth, 32, and his son, Graham Bruce, 7 months.
They were buried at Bega to-day. More than 1,500 people attended the funeral service and many wept at the cortege passed through the crowded main street. Shops and businesses were closed as a mark of respect.
Fifty police from all parts of the South Coast formed a guard of honour and police who had worked with Constable Coussens acted as pall-bearers.
The couple and their child were buried in a family grave two miles out of Bega.
Sole survivor of the explosion was Mrs. Coussens’ son by a former marriage nine-year-old Roger.
Roger’s father, a U.S., businessman, was killed in a car crash when Roger was a baby.
The Canberra Times Saturday 10 August 1957 page 1 of 16
BEGA, Friday. – Hatred had led a man to make a milk can bomb which exploded killing a police constable, his wife and baby son, police alleged in Bega Court to-day.
Before the court was Myron Bertram Kelly, 32, agricultural contractor, of Gipp Street, Bega.
Kelly has been charged with the murder of Const. Kenneth Desmond Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth Coussens, 34, and their son, Bruce Coussens (7 months), of Girrawheen Crescent, Bega, on July 29.
Police Prosecutor Det. Sgt. J. Behrens told Mr. W. Cobcroft, J.P., that Coussens, his wife and son were killed after a violent explosion near the front door of their home.
Sgt. Behrens said police alleged Kelly made a bomb by stacking stolen gelignite into two milk cans and detonating them with a home-made time fuse.
Inquiries, he added, had shown that the milk cans had been stolen from Bega and the explosives from Nimmitabel.
“The explosion was sufficiently violent to catapault their bodies out of the house on to the adjacent vacant allotment,” Sgt. Behrens said.
Metal Found
“A scientific examination was made and a large number of pieces of metal were recovered embedded in woodwork and in the ruins of the house.
“Pieces were collected in various positions in the vicinity, approximately 400 yards away.”
Sgt. Behrens said Kelly was a native of Nimmitabel
and had an intimate knowledge of the places from where the explosives were stolen.
Kelly had been questioned by police about his knowledge of explosives, Sgt. Behrens said.
“He has had experience of explosives and when questioned he denied that he had any explosives in his possession.
In Bedroom
“This was found to be false, as a search of his home revealed a quantity of gelignite and detonators stored in his bedroom.
“During the search, identical nameplates from the missing milk cans referred to were found at his home.
“He has not offered any explanation of their presence there,” Sgt. Behrens said.
The prosecutor said Kelly had put forward an alibi for his movements on the night before and the morning of the explosion, but this alibi would be disproved.
He said, “We contend that the defendant had the strongest motive, which is hatred.”
”Differences”
“Evidence will be given,” Det. Sgt. Behrens said “that the defendant had had differences with the late Constable Coussens in connection with traffic matters over a lengthy period.”
Mr. Cobcroft remanded Kelly to Bega Court on September 4. He refused bail.
Immediately after Kelly had been remanded, Mr. Cobcroft opened the Coroner’s Court inquest into the death of Coussens, his wife and son.
On a request from Sgt. Behrens, he adjourned the hearing to a date to be fixed.
The Canberra Times Tuesday 15 October 1957 page 1 of 12
BEGA, Monday: A 9 year-old boy told the Bega coroner’s Court to-day that a blast which killed his mother, stepfather and baby stepbrother, had caused his house “to come down on top of him.”
The boy, Roger Clinton McCampbell, said he thought he was dreaming and called out to his mother, but she did not come to him.
The District Coroner, Mr. W. Cobcroft, opened the inquiry into the deaths of Constable Kenneth Desmond Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth, 34, and his 7-months-old son Bruce.
All three died in an explosion which wrecked Constable Coussen’s home in Girrawheen Crescent, Bega, on July 29.
Before the court, charged on three counts of murder, was Myron Bertram Kelly, 34, agricultural contractor, of Gipps Street, Bega.
He was also charged with stealing six cases of gelignite, 800 detonators and 1,000ft of fuse.
The Canberra Times Wednesday 16 October 1957 page 3 of 12
BEGA, Tuesday.—A man allegedly told police he planned and lit a home-made bomb which later exploded, killing a police constable, his wife and baby son, Bega Coroner’s Court was told to-day.
In a statement allegedly made by Myron Bertram Kelly, 32, of Gipps Street, Bega, Kelly said he and the policeman were “bitter enemies”.
Kelly has been charged with the murder of Constable Desmond Kenneth Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth Coussens, 34 and their eight-months-old son, Bruce James Coussens.
The three died when an explosion rocked, their home in Girawheen Crescent, Bega, on July 20.
The statement alleged to have been made by Kelly was handed to the Coroner, Mr. Cobcroft, S.M., by Detective Sergeant C. Behrers.
Not Particular
It read “The first trouble I had with Constable Coussens was about three years ago. That was a series of defect notices about a Howard tractor and rotary hoe.
“Coussens was not very particular what he did.
“The first real trouble was two years ago when he overtook a taxi I was travelling in and arrested me for riding an unregistered motor cycle and then carried out a search of my premises, where I am now living. “I was fined £5 for that offence.
“The next incident was a collision in front of the Bega Police Station on April 13, 1956.
Collision
“I had been working on the river bank below the town. On my way home I saw him on the corner of Auckland and Bega Streets. I was driving a rotary hoe.
“He then followed me a fair way behind along Bega Street and up Gipps Street.
Opposite the police station, he closed in and collided with the tractor.
“He then charged me with everything, he could think of, although the accident was of his own neglect.
“I appeared before the Bega Court and I was fined a total of about £40.”
The statement also alleged several other traffic incidents between Coussens and Kelly, but no charges were laid.
“From these incidents, we were bitter enemies,” the statement said.
It continued: “About the middle of June this year, I went in my truck to Rock Flat and I took five cases of gelignite from there.
Stole Can
“A week before the tragedy when Constable Coussens was killed, I stole a six-gallon milk can from the platform at the Bega butter factory. It had ‘Curtis Bros.’ on the can.
“I took the labels off the can, dug up the gelignite and made a bomb out of the milk can and brought it back in my car to my home in Bega.
“That week I fitted it up with about 20ft. of fuse and a detonator and sealed it up with mud.
“About midnight that night, I put the bomb in the back of my car and drove into Auckland Street.
“I took it out of the car and put it on the verandah of Constable Coussens’ house, near the front door.
“At about 2 o’clock in the morning, I walked up to Constable Coussens’ house and lit the fuse on the bomb.
“After that I went back to bed. Not being a strong container, I expected very little damage to be done and a lot of noise.
“I thought it would go no further than to break some fibro off the walls and give the constable a bad fright, causing the Police Department to move him.
“I did not think that it would kill him, his wife and his child.
“It was the last thing in the world that I wanted to happen.
The Canberra Times Thursday 17 October 1957 page 5 of 20
BEGA, Wednesday: The inquiry into the deaths of Constable Desmond Coussens, his wife and baby son in an explosion which wrecked their home, was adjourned to-day till tomorrow.’
The hearing was adjourned because some witnesses could not attend.
The Canberra Times Friday 18 October 1957 page 18 of 20
BEGA, Thursday: A farmer told the Coroner’s Court to-day that he had believed a milk can filled with explosives was to be placed on a police constable’s verandah as a practical joke.
The farmer, Edward Morris Williams, said he had been a close friend of Bartram Myron Kelly, 32, contractor, of Bega, who has been charged with murder.
The inquiry is being held into the deaths of Constable Kenneth Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth, 34, and his son, Bruce, 8 months, at Bega on July 29.
The three died when a bomb wrecked the house.
Williams said Kelly had shown him a milk can containing gelignite, at the back of Kelly’s home, and said he was going to put a burnt-out fuse in it and leave it on the patio to frighten Coussens.
Williams said he had not reported the matter to the police because he had understood it was a practical joke by Kelly.
The Canberra Times Saturday 19 October 1957 page 6 of 16
BEGA, Friday,— An agricultural contractor was committed for trial to-day by the Bega District Coroner on a charge of having murdered a police constable, his wife and baby son.
The coroner, Mr. W. Cobcroft, found Constable Kenneth Coussens, 31, his wife, Elizabeth, 34, and son Bruce James, 8 months, died from injuries received on July 29 in an explosion, in their home in Girrawheen Street, Bega.
The explosion had been feloniously and maliciously brought about by Myron Kelly, he said.
He committed Kelly for trial at Central Criminal Court.
Mr. Cobcroft said a bomb had been placed on the patio of the constable’s home near his bedroom and detonated. The bomb had been housed in a cream can. It has been established that the cream can was stolen from the Bega Butter Factory shortly before the explosion and that the can was in the possession of Kelly.
Kelly was also found to be in possession of a quantity of gelignite, detonators and a fuse.
Mr. Cobcroft said he was not satisfied with the evidence of one of the 40 witnesses who appeared at the inquest, Edward Morris Williams, farmer, of Pambula, who said that he had seen and handled the bomb made by Kelly.
One would have expected that in these circumstances Williams would have gone to the police and volunteered information which probably would have led to the “frustration of Kelly’s intention,” said Mr. Cobcroft.
“I don’t believe Williams’ evidence where he stated he thought the whole affair was to be nothing more than a practical Joke,” he added.
Had Williams acted as a prudent man, the tragedy might have been averted.
The Canberra Times Saturday 7 December 1957 page 1 of 16
SYDNEY, Friday: An agricultural contractor found guilty of setting off a bomb which killed a police constable, his wife and child, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Mr. Justice McClemens in the Central Criminal Court to-day.
The contractor is Myron Bertrand Kelly, 32, of Gipps Street, Bega.
Kelly pleaded not guilty to the murder of Constable Kenneth Desmond Coussens, 31, of Girraween Crescent, Bega.
Coussens, his wife Elizabeth, 34, and their baby son, Bruce, 9 months, were killed when an explosion wrecked their home on July 29.
The Crown alleged that Kelly confessed to placing a home-made bomb under the patio of Coussens’ home and lighting the fuse.
The bomb was a milk can filled with gelignite.
In a statement from the dock yesterday Kelly said he had no intention of harming the Coussens’ family.
“I have thought the matter over day and night and still cannot believe that the explosive I had did that damage and killed three people,” he said.
TRAGIC incidents litter the Bega Valley’s long and proud history – fire, homicides and accidents cutting lives far too short.
However, very few incidents stir emotions, ignite debate and were more widely reported than a bombing that claimed the lives of a local police constable, his wife and infant son.
This coming Sunday (July 29) marks the 50th anniversary of this tumultuous event in 1957 when the town was rocked by the monumental explosion about 2.10am on that fateful day.
The cold air of the winter’s night was pierced by the noise of the explosion that woke everyone in town and many in the surrounding farming districts.
Hundreds of windows were smashed by the concussion, more than 100 in the hospital alone, and some up to a mile away from the explosion site.
Residents initially were confused as what exactly had blown up.
The obvious culprit, the gasworks, was still standing as were Slater’s fuel depot and the various service stations.
As emergency service personnel fumbled for their boots and warm clothing the initial cacophony was replaced by an eerie, yawning silence.
It took several minutes of fruitless searching before the source of the blast was identified.
It was the two-year-old home of Constable Kenneth Coussens and his family on the northern side of Girraween Crescent that had borne the brunt of the explosion.
The entire front of the house had been blown away, with the remainder barely standing.
Vast sections of the roof were missing and supporting wooden tresses had fallen into the void.
Such was the force of the blast, that Constable Coussens, his wife Elizabeth (nee Gowing) and infant son Bruce, who had all been sleeping in the front bedroom at the time, were flung large distances through the air.
All three sustained devastating injuries and were killed instantly.
Horrified and instantly sickened by the war-like scene they found when arriving at the house, those who converged were stunned when, incredibly, Mrs Coussens’ elder son Roger (9) crawled physically unscathed from the hotchpotch of metal and wood that only minutes earlier had been his family’s home.
While the cloak of night may have hampered emergency workers in their efforts, it enabled neighbours to shield the boy from the horrors that lay only metres away.
As daylight greeted investigators, reminders of the horror of the incident continued to emerge, with soiled children’s books and bloodstained booties among the items that littered the lawn and street.
The investigation
Superintendent Mitjch of Wollongong, along with detectives Bevan, Bateman, Clark and Davenport, arrived in Bega shortly before noon on the day of the blast to commence investigations.
The chief explosive expert of the Department of Labour and Industry, Mr Parsons, followed shortly after.
Accident or murder?
The house had been destroyed and apart from a vast hole and the devastation there were precious few leads.
With inquiries leading nowhere, speculation an innuendo continued to mount throughout the community.
One popular story (which was quickly disproved) was that planes from the Nowra naval base had mistakenly dropped a bomb during a flyover.
The subject of gossip also turned to Constable Coussens who had served in the Navy during World War II prior to joining the force.
The story went that he was a souvenir hunter and had stored a mortar bomb on the landing – this theory was also kyboshed.
It wasn’t until detective Bob Bradbury suggested: “I wonder if those bits of metal could have come from a cream can which might have been used as bomb” that things started to fall into place for the investigative team.
A number of checks were made and the investigators scored a hit: the Bega Creamery Society confirmed that a six-gallon cream can had been stolen from the factory recently.
The owner of the can, the Curtis family, was contacted and it was ascertained that the stolen item was one of two bought years previously.
The second can was subsequently examined and the metal was found to be identical to that located at the explosion site.
Further investigation revealed that a substantial quantity of gelignite had been stolen from a mine at Rock Flay (between Nimmitabel and Cooma).
The detectives continued to pore over Constable Coussens’ life in an attempt to discover a reason for such a malicious act and it was quickly discovered that local man Myron Bertrand Kelly, 32, had held a well-known grudge against the constable.
In the absence of other leads it seemed worth following up.
So on August 7 a search was made of Kelly’s house and a safety fuse and an unexploded detonator in a tobacco tin were found in a tool shed on the property.
Also located was an empty landmine, and brass nameplates bearing the name ‘Curtis Bros, Brogo’ – the plates from a dairy cream can.
In a cabinet in the main bedroom four and half sticks of gelignite, 20 feet of safety fuse and 58 detonators were discovered.
There was also an empty hand grenade, powder tins and equipment for loading rifle and gun cartridges, together with a demolition handbook.
A search of Kelly’s Dodge vehicle revealed a circular marking on the floor mat in the back that matched up perfectly with the identical cream can the police had procured from the dairy.
Two weeks later, upon receipt of further information, five cases of gelignite were located under a rock on a property at Nethercote frequented by Kelly.
The grudge
Constable Coussens had been stationed at Bega since 1954 on motorcycle traffic duties for the Public Safety Bureau (now known as the Highway Patrol).
He was praised by his fellow officers and a large proportion of the local community for his vigilance in dealing with hoodlums and ‘hoons’, but it was his zeal that had him offside with some – including Myron Kelly.
Kelly had been booked of a number of occasions by the constable and harboured palpable ill-will towards him.
In an interview at Bega Police Station on August 14, Kelly outlined his dealings with Constable Coussens.
He said he had received a number of defect notices on his tractor and rotary hoe and had been stopped frequently for licence checks by the officer.
He also made the accusation that Constable Coussens had instigated a collision between the pair in order charge him with a number of offences.
“It was April 13, 1956… I saw him on the corner… I was driving the rotary hoe. He followed me and opposite the police station he closed in to collide with the tractor. He then charged me with everything he could think of, although the accident was mainly of his own neglect. I appeared before the Bega Court and was fined a total of 40 pounds,” Mr Kelly said.
Minor incidents also had occurred in May and July 1957 (just before the bombing), no breaches were issued but there were words between the pair.
There remain some people in the community who are sympathetic to Kelly and who speak of the constable “having it in for him”.
The bomb
In the same interview with police, on August 14, Kelly also outlined how he made the bomb.
On Sunday, June 16 he had gone to Rock Flat in his truck, entered a silica mine and removed five cases of gelignite. He then returned to a property at Nethercote and buried it.
Then about a week before the bombing he stole the six-gallon cream can and also took that to Nethercote.
Kelly told investigators, “A few days after, instead of going to work, I removed the labels from the can and dug up the gelignite. I packed 240 sticks into the can like cigarettes and made a bomb. I took in my car home and put it in my shed. Later, I fitted it with about 20 feet of fuse and a detonator and sealed it with mud.”
Then, just before midnight on July 28, he sneaked over to the Coussens residence and set the can down on the front landing, then hurried home to bed.
Two hours later he returned, lit the fuse and walked away – he was at his home again by the time the blast shook Bega.
Court proceedings
After being charged with the murders of Constable Coussens, Elizabeth and Bruce on August 9, Kelly appeared in the Bega Local Court of Petty Sessions before being remanded to reappear at a later date.
The coroner’s inquiry into the three deaths began on October 14 before William Cobcroft, JP.
During the lengthy inquiry, Mr Cobcroft heard evidence from a large number of witnesses, including the detectives involved in the case, family members of the deceased, and Kelly, among others.
During his time in the stand, Kelly reiterated his accusations that the constable had unfairly targeted him and that his intention had been simply to frighten the officer after his requests to councillors and high ranking police for Constable Coussens to be transferred fell on deaf ears.
“I have all the regrets in the world for what happened,” Kelly said.
The following is an extract of Mr Cobcroft’s findings, handed down on October 15:
“Kenneth Desmond Coussens, Elizabeth Mary Hamilton Coussens and Bruce James John Coussens died from injuries received on July 29, 1957, in an explosion felonously and maliciously brought about on that date by Myron Bertrand Kelly, and I further find in the manner aforesaid that the said Myron Bertrand Kelly did felonously and maliciously murder them.”
Mr Cobcroft committed Kelly to the Central Criminal Court, Sydney.
After five days of evidence the jury retired and after just one hour they returned with a guilty verdict.
Justice McClemens asked Kelly if he had anything to say. Kelly shook his head and said loudly, “No!”
In sentencing the then 32-year-old farming contractor to life imprisonment on December 6, 1957, Justice McClemens said: “One could only hope for the sake of common human nature that a crime as terrible and devilish as the Bega bombing on July 29, sprang from some deep-seated mental derangement.
“It is not a case where in the interest of the community one could recommend or hold out hope for mercy.”
When being led away Kelly turned to his elderly father, waved his hand and simply said in a loud voice: “Goodbye!”
The miracle boy
Amazingly, this hideous event was not the first time that nine-year-old Roger’s (the sole survivor) life had been touched by tragedy.
Eight years earlier his American father (Elizabeth’s first husband) was killed in car accident in the United States.
The youngster had been in his mother’s arms in the car at the time and somehow, miraculously, both had survived.
Upon returning to Australia and the Bega Valley, Elizabeth met, fell in love with, and married Constable Coussens.
Roger, who now lives in Sydney, has a family of his own and is returning to Bega this weekend for the memorial service.
Myron Bertrand Kelly
After being sentenced to life imprisonment on December 6, 1957, Kelly was released in 1980 and returned to the district.
In the ensuing years he lived a quiet life at Austral Farm, Nimmitabel, before moving to the Sir William Hudson Memorial Centre in Cooma where he died, aged 83, on July 4 this year. He never re-offended.
Kelly was married to Viola and the father of two sons – David (dec) and John – and a daughter, Jeanette.
There are still some in the community who believe Kelly was provoked and others who believe his version of events that he didn’t intend to physically harm Constable Coussens or his family.
Senior Sergeant, Garry Nowlan, of Bega Police disputes this.
“It is easy to see from the evidence the man had a fixation with explosives,” Mr Nowlan said.
“He knew what they could do. You don’t use 240 sticks of gelignite to scare somebody. You don’t murder a family because you got a few traffic tickets.
“Kelly was judged by a jury of his peers and they got it right. He was a cold, reckless killer.”
Whatever the truth is, there is no doubt Myron Bertrand Kelly will always hold an infamous place in the history of Bega.
Around 150 people gathered alongside police officers in Bega to remember the tragedy that claimed the lives of Constable Kenneth Coussens, his wife Elizabeth and baby son Bruce, who were murdered by Myron Kelly, who had placed a bomb outside the Constable’s home in Bega.
Fifty years ago a policeman, his wife and baby were murdered in Bega in south-east New South Wales.
Around 150 people gathered alongside police officers to remember the bombing tragedy that claimed the lives of Constable Kenneth Coussens, his wife Elizabeth and baby son Bruce, who were murdered by Myron Kelly, who had placed a bomb outside the Constable’s home in Bega.
NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney stated, “This was a very important occasion, not only for the Coussens family who had gathered from as far as Adelaide and Sydney. It was important for people in the Bega Valley to come together, with members of the NSW Police Force to acknowledge the 50th Anniversary of when Senior Constable Ken Coussens his wife Elizabeth and their seven month old son Bruce were murdered in Bega.”
“It’s was an occasion to reflect, to remember but also acknowledge that which is good about this community. These are always occasions for sadness and reflection but they also give you optimism for the future, said Commissioner Moroney.”
He continued, “Mr Coussens is one of 280 officers in NSW who have lost their lives in the execution of their duties. It’s a reflection on the legacy that people like Ken Coussens leave us and on the proud history and traditions of the NSW Police.
Locals recall the enormous explosion at about 2am as hundreds of windows were smashed close to the Constable’s home and some up to a mile away from the explosion site.
The home was almost obliterated by the explosion with the entire front of the house being blown away and the remainder barely standing. Much of the roof was missing and Constable Coussens, his wife Elizabeth and infant son Bruce, who had all been sleeping in the front bedroom at the time, were flung through the air and killed instantly.
I can think of no greater breach of civil liberty than the taking of another life
In search of a suspect, detectives intimately examined Constable Coussens’ life in an attempt to discover why such a violent act had occurred in the usually quiet town.
It was discovered that local man Myron Kelly had held a well-known grudge against the constable and in the absence of other leads this seemed worth following up.
The offender had become incensed at being spoken to by the Constable regarding traffic offences and placed a metal dairy container loaded with over 200 sticks of stolen gelignite outside the front door of the Constable’s home.
When Kelly’s house was searched, four and half sticks of gelignite, 20 feet of safety fuse and 58 detonators were discovered. The offender was arrested after a major Police investigation and later sentenced to life imprisonment.
Myron Kelly was released from jail in 1980 and returned to the district. He died in Cooma in July 2007 aged 83.
Commissioner Moroney said, “This was a terrible act of evil…from my reading of the historical documents, Mr Kelly stated he only ever intended to frighten the constable. However, I can think of no greater breach of civil liberty than the taking of another life.”
Incredibly, Mrs Coussens’ elder son Roger who was 9 years old at the time was physically unharmed by the attack.
For the Commissioner, being able to meet Roger who was the sole survivor from that day was very inspiring.
Commissioner Moroney said of Roger, “He had a bit of a tear in the eye as he reflected on his mother, brother and step-father. I think it was also an opportunity for him to catch up with family and to reflect what I believe was the honour that his step-father holds in terms of service Kenneth Coussens gave to the NSW Police Force and the community.”
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – Police Bike – Rider
Event location: Riverstone Rd, Riverstone
Event date: 9 August 1953
Death location: Prince Henry Hospital
Funeral date: 12 August 1953
Funeral location: ?
Funeral Parlour: ?
Buried at: McGraths Hill Cemetery, Charles St
Row 11, Plot 2
Memorial located at: ?
Gunner, Evan Clyde WILLIAMS
Evan Clyde WILLIAMS is buried with Ian Gary WILLIAMS – son – 1952 – 1957
[Half headstone missing] …Memory of / …OUR FOND FATHER / …WILLIAMS / …AGED 30 YEARS / …o / …WILLIAMS / …AGED 5 YEARS / …ISSED. [Note: Earlier transcriptions have Evan Clyde Williams died 11th August 1953 aged 30 years & Ian Gary Williams died 23rd November 1957 aged 5 years]
[alert_green]EVAN is mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
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Grave location: TBA
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FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
On the evening of 9 August, 1953Constable Williams was riding a police motor cycle outfit along Riverstone Road, Riverstone when the cycle collided with another vehicle which had been travelling in the opposite direction. The constable was treated at the scene before being conveyed to the Hawkesbury District Hospital suffering from severe injuries including a fractured skull. He was transferred to the Prince Henry Hospital that night, where he was operated on, however he died on 11 10 August, 1953 without regaining consciousness.
The constable was on his way home from duty when the accident occurred.
The constable was born in 1923 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 28 March, 1949. At the time of his death he was stationed at Riverstone.
Residents of Merungle Hill were shocked to learn of the death of Constable Evan Williams, who died on Monday night as the result of injuries sustained in a motor cycle accident.
The late Mr. Williams was a member of the Police Force, and while riding a motor cycle between Parramatta and Windsor on Sunday night his machine came into collision with a motor car. He sustained a fractured skull, and a broken leg. He was taken by Ambulance to the Coast Hospital where doctors performed an operation in an effort to save his life. Despite the best medical skill however, he died from his injuries. The late Mr. Williams’ parents who reside at Merungle Hill, did not learn of the accident until told about it by a neighbor on Monday morning who had heard it In a news bulletin broadcast over the air. Mr. Williams immediately got into touch with the police who informed him that they had been endeavouring to locate him. Mr. and Mrs. Williams caught Monday night’s train for Sydney, but when they arrived at the Hospital the sad news had to be broken to them that their son had passed away during the night. The late Evan Clyde Williams was born at his parents home which is situated opposite the Merungle Hill School where he received his first schooling. He later attended the Leeton Intermediate High School. He was a returned soldier of the second World War and saw service In the Middle East and New Guinea. He was about 31 years of age, and is survived by his wife and two children. The funeral was held at the Windsor Cemetery on Wednesday. Mrs. Eckley, a next door neighbor of the Williams family, who had known the deceased ever since he was a little boy, said that the news of his untimely death came as a great shock to the people of Merungle Hill where he was so well-known and the shock was all the greater because of the fact that the announcement came so suddenly and unexpectedly over the air.
Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), Wednesday 12 August 1953, page 28
WILLIAMS, Evan Clyde.— August 10, 1953 (suddenly), late police constable, dearly loved husband of Pyhllis Williams of Macquarie street, South Windsor, and dear father of Graham and Ian, aged 30 years.
Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 – 1954), Tuesday 11 August 1953, page 21
POLICEMAN DIES
Constable Evan Clyde Williams, 30, of Riverstone, who was seriously hurt when his motorcycle outfit collided with a car near Vineyards railway station, Windsor, on Sunday night, died in Prince Henry Hospital early today.
Corporal Evan Williams, a Digger of the last war, who is now serving with the Hay Garrison, was seen in Leeton during the week-end with his son, Gunner Evan Clyde Williams, also in khaki. The latter has enlisted for service abroad, and is attached to the anti-tank reinforcements. Mr. Williams senior arranged his leave to be home with his son, and also to attend the 21st birthday party given in honor of his daughter, Joy, last night. She was the first baby born on Merungle Hill soldier settlement.
GUNNER EVAN CLYDE WILLIAMS as been wounded in action. Gunner Williams, who served in the Middle East, was in action in New Guinea. His father Cpl. Evan Williams, is attached to the garrison force at Hay. The wounded soldier’s mother, who resides at Merungle Hill, is at present a patient in the District Hospital, where she underwent an operation. The telegram containing the notification read as follows: ‘I regret to inform you that Gunner Evan Clyde Williams has been wounded in action. The Minister for the Army extends his sincere sympathy.’
Relatives of killed officer Evan Clyde Williams being sought
Krystyna Pollard
Relatives of a local police officer killed on duty more than 60 years ago are being sought as plans for his grave to be restored in an historic Hawkesbury cemetery forge ahead.
Constable Evan Clyde Williams, a resident of South Windsor, was killed on duty on August 9, 1953 while stationed at Riverstone. Constable Williams had been riding a police motorcycle along Riverstone Road when it collided with another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction.
He was treated at the scene before being taken to Hawkesbury Hospital suffering from severe injuries, and was later transferred to Prince Henry Hospital to be operated on. He died without regaining consciousness two days later.
The Narrandera Argus and Riverina Advertiser stated on August 17, 1953, that Constable Williams had only just returned to duty after an earlier injury.
“He had resumed duty only a fortnight after having received injuries when he chased a stolen motor car, the driver of which ran his machine against an electric light pole,” the article stated.
Constable Williams was buried at historic McGraths Hill cemetery, where his grave is currently in a state of disrepair. The NSW Police Memorial and Historical Society is working to restore his grave, and society member Ian Colless is asking descendants to come forward.
“We are seeking anyone who may have known or know the Williams family, or has any contacts in the Hawkesbury district, who could assist,” he explained. “McGraths Hill cemetery is heritage listed and any application for work normally requires permission of an ancestor or heir of the burial rights.”
Born in 1923 at Leeton, Constable Williams served in WWII where he was injured while serving as a gunner in the 2/4 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment of the AIF. He joined the NSW Police Force in 1949.
Constable Williams’ wife Phyllis stayed in the area for a time after his death and the couple had two sons, Graham and Ian. Ian died as a child and is buried in the same location. Anyone with information should contact coll2ian@gmail.com.
![[Half headstone missing] …Memory of / …OUR FOND FATHER / …WILLIAMS / …AGED 30 YEARS / …o / …WILLIAMS / …AGED 5 YEARS / …ISSED. [Note: Earlier transcriptions have Evan Clyde Williams died 11th August 1953 aged 30 years & Ian Gary Willilams died 23rd November 1957 aged 5 years]](https://police.freom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Evan-Clyde-WILLIAMS-02-NSWPF-Died-11-Aug-1953.jpg "http://www.hawkesbury.net.au/cemetery/mcgraths_hill/mhmc010.html")
