Need a good honest - Queensland Police Union

Wall to Wall - Ride for Remembrance
Wall to Wall
Ride for Remembrance
By Senior Sergeant Bradyn Murphy
On Saturday 15 September, over 1,500 leather-clad riders and
pillions descended on Canberra, taking over the streets in a
procession that lasted for kilometres. Riders came from all over
Australia, from the dry lands of the Northern Territory to the far
reaches of Western Australia.
This event is the Wall to Wall
Ride. It is a show of unity, a show of
support, and a show of brotherhood. It
is about mates remembering mates.
These riders weren’t the ‘1%ers’ that
people often associate with this type
of ride, but were off-duty police, expolice,
friends, and family who had
ridden from their respective states to
join as one to remember those officers
who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in
the line of duty.
The journey for some of the 100
Queensland riders who rode to
Canberra commenced on Thursday 13
September, where an official ceremony
was held at the Queensland Police
Service Academy.
Commissioner Bob Atkinson handed
the Wall to Wall baton to Assistant
Commissioner Paul Doyle, who
transported the baton to Canberra.
After a blessing and morning tea,
about 30 riders departed, with some
making Tamworth the first stop.
This was a significant stop for the
Queenslanders because they joined
in ceremonies remembering the life
of Senior Constable David Rixon, who
tragically lost his life during a traffic
stop earlier in the year.
“The Wall to Wall Ride is a show of unity, a
show of support, and a show of brotherhood.”
With the QPS losing Sergeant Dan
Stiller and Detective Senior Constable
Damian Leeding in the previous Wall
to Wall period, we knew all too well
the loss that the NSW Police Force was
feeling, and in particular the Tamworth
police family.
A moving ceremony was held in
Tamworth on the morning of Friday
14 September, where Senior Constable
Rixon’s name was placed inside the
NSW baton by his wife and family.
I don’t think there was a dry eye in
the place as hardened coppers, both
serving and retired, listened to the
words spoken in tribute to a great
bloke and downright decent copper.
I recall looking at one retired police
officer as he wiped away tears, and
I thought of the things this man
has seen in his 40 or so years since
starting the job ... yet still he was so
emotional about a police officer he has
never met.
46 Queensland Police Union Journal October 2012