Ph 3259 1900 (24 hours) - Queensland Police Union

AUGUST 2012 

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE QUEENSLAND POLICE UNION 

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THE COLDEST CASE 

THE 60 TH ANNIVERSARY OF 

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Contents 

COVER STORY Page 28 

THE COLDEST CASE 

On Wednesday the 19th of September this year, members of the 

QPS Homicide Cold Case investigation team will quietly mark the 

60th anniversary of the death of 22-year-old public servant, 

Betty Shanks. 

It must be distinctly understood that any expressions of opinion 

by correspondents in our columns must not be considered the 

opinion of the Editor, and no responsibility arising from there can 

be accepted. 

The Editor of the Police Journal reserves the right to grant 

permission to reproduce articles from this magazine. Such 

permission is hereby granted to any Police Association or Police 

Union in Australia and to the Police Association of New Zealand. 

Permission is also granted to any Police Association, Police Union 

or organisation representing police employees in any other 

country. 

Acknowledgement of the source must be contained in any reprint. 

Where an article indicates that copyright is claimed by the author, 

then permission to reproduce is withdrawn unless permission 

from the author is granted. 

also in this issue... 

Contents 

Page 

General President & CEO 2 

General Secretary 4 

Assistant General Secretary 6 

Metro North Region Roundup 7 

Southern Region Roundup 9 

Far Northern Region Roundup 12 

Northern Region Roundup 14 

Central Region Roundup 17 

North Coast Region Roundup 19 

Metro South Region Roundup 21 

South East Region Roundup 23 

Internal Police Association Invitation 27 

The Coldest Case – 

The 60th Anniversary of the Betty Shanks murder 28 

The Kokoda Challenge 38 

Nationwide 46 

Day in the Life of Lorraine Van Dulken 52 

Police Recipes 56 

Police Living 57 

Book Review - K9 COPS - Police Dogs of the World 58 

From the Archives 59 

Out and About 60 

85 Years and Beyond 62 

Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games 64 

Letters to the Editor 67 

Police Health 70 

QRPA 72 

Journal Contact 

Queensland Police Union Journal 

PO Box 13008 George Street Brisbane QLD 4003 

TEL: (07) 3259 1900 FAX: (07) 3259 1950 

journal@qpu.asn.au www.qpu.asn.au 

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: TEL: 0459 241 291 media@qpu.asn.au 

ADVERTISING: TEL: (07) 3259 1989 

SUBMISSIONS: The Journal accepts letters and articles to be 

considered for inclusion. 

UNION STAFF 

Field Officer (North Qld) 

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES 

Membership 

Reception 

Mick Gerrard 

Kaye Ellis 

Carly Beutel 

Melissa Lindner 

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS SERVICES 

Senior Industrial Officer Stephen Mahoney 

Industrial Officer 

Chris Stephens 

Industrial Officer P/T Aasha Venning 

Workplace Health 

Rosemary 

& Safety 

Featherstone 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES 

Finance, Audit & 

Risk Management 

Legal 

Membership Services 

I. Leavers (Chair) 

S. Maxwell 

D. Lees 

S. Maxwell (Chair) 

P. Thomas 

M. Bristow 

B. Smithson 

D. Lees (Chair) 

B. Smithson 

S. Maxwell 

P. Mullen 

General President & CEO 

General Secretary 

Asst General Secretary 

Vice President 

Treasurer 

EXECUTIVE MEMBERS 

Far North Region 

Northern Region 

Central Region 

North Coast Region 

Metro North Region 

Metro South Region 

HQ & SCOC Region 

Southern Region 

South Eastern Region 

Ian Leavers 

Mick Barnes 

Denis Sycz 

Shayne Maxwell 

Darren Lees 

Marty Bristow 

Peter Thomas 

Bill Feldman 

Des Hansson 


Tony Collins 

Paul Mullen 

Darren Lees 

Bob Smithson 

EXECUTIVE SERVICES 

Corporate Affairs & 

Journal Coordinator 

Journal & Media 

Systems Specialist 

& Journal Sub Editor 

Finance Officer 

Executive Secretary 

LEGAL SERVICES 

Solicitor 

Legal Support Officer 

A/Legal Support Officer 

Barrister (retained) 

Simon Tutt 

Andrea Appleton 

James Johnston 

Kelly Harris 

Janice Gaden 

Calvin Gnech 

Wendy MacDonald 

Larissa Krasnoff 

Simona Vladimirova 

Troy Schmidt 

Rules 

Workplace Health 

& Safety 

Women’s Consultative 

Committee 

T. Collins (Chair) 

P. Mullen 

B. Smithson 

B. Feldman 

P. Thomas (Chair) 

M. Bristow 

B. Feldman 

T. Collins 

B. Smithson (Chair) 

A/Snr Sgt Virginia 

Miller 

General President, General Secretary and 

Assistant General Secretary are ex-officio 

members of all committees. 

Queensland Police Union Journal August 2012 

1


IAN LEAVERS 

A NEW COMMISSIONER 

With the announcement of our new police Commissioner imminent, speculation is rife about who will be handed 

the top job. As a Union, we are looking forward to the announcement so that we can start doing business with 

the new appointee. We are hoping for a fresh slate, an updated outlook, and a new attitude from HQ, and will 

keep you updated on the interplay between the Union office and police HQ as soon as communication with the 

new Commissioner begins. 

POLICE USED FOR CORRECTIVE 

SERVICES JOBS 

It has come to our attention at the 

Union that it is becoming more and 

more common for prisoners to be 

returned to Watchhouses after court 

appearances for extended periods, 

rather than being transferred directly 

into the care of Corrective Services. 

“We are hoping 

for a fresh slate, 

an updated outlook, 

and a new attitude 

from HQ.” 

Further, it is often the case that police 

officers are required to transfer 

prisoners in general duties vehicles, 

rather than these prisoners being 

transferred by Corrective Services 

officers in the safe and secure vehicles 

that have been designed for this 

purpose. 

Ian presents Terry Armstrong with support from the Union for his 200k walk for Mater Little Miracles. 

“The use of police officers for Corrective 

Services jobs should not become the norm.” 

While we understand there may at 

times be extenuating circumstances 

where a prisoner may be required to 

stay longer at a Watchhouse, or be 

transferred by police where there is no 

other option, the use of police officers 

for these Corrective Services jobs 

should not become the norm. 

It’s not that we don’t want to lend a 

hand; we always do when we can, but 

in the current environment, we are so 

understaffed that sometimes we don’t 

have a hand to lend. With regards to 

2 


our officers doing transfers, this is a 

safety issue. 

Our general duties vehicles are 

not securely equipped to transport 

prisoners for long distances, and if we 

ever do so, we are putting both our 

prisoner’s safety and our own safety 

at risk. 

We believe there should be a review 

of procedures where the use of 

police officers for Corrective Services 

roles has become common practice, 

because we are better employed doing 

the jobs we signed up for, such as 

providing a frontline presence on the 

street to protect our communities. 

HOUSING IN THE CENTRAL REGION 

There have been some advances to 

the epidemic police housing problem 

in the Central Region with the promise 

of the purchase of additional housing, 

and the establishment of a Housing 

Allocation Committee.


Our Central Regional Rep Bill Feldman 

is to sit on the Committee, and we 

hope this initiative will be the first 

step in providing some options for our 

officers who have faced astronomical 

rent and severe housing shortages. 

The possibility of police housing being 

independently managed by private 

sector investors (such as occurs with 

“We as a Union will 

be taking it up to the 

government to ‘help’ 

them understand just 

how tough we are 

doing it!” 

defence housing) is also still on the 

table, and we remain very interested in 

further discussion as to the viability of 

this option. 

NORTH COAST AND CENTRAL 

REGION BRANCH MEETINGS 

During the last month I have attended 

branch meetings throughout the North 

Coast and Central Regions, including 

at Redcliffe, Maroochydore, Gympie, 

Maryborough, Bundaberg, Gladstone, 

Rockhampton, Emerald, Moranbah, 

and Mackay. 

A major concern in all of these areas 

is the possibility of loss of staff in light 

of cutbacks occurring in the public 

service throughout the state. What we 

know is that we as a Union take a hard 

line against any attempt to cutback 

frontline services, as well as support 

for frontline staff. 

All police throughout the state are 

doing it tough with the rising cost 

of living, and particularly those in 

the Central Region, and those in the 

northern parts of the North Coast 

Region. 

We as a Union will be taking it up 

to the government to ‘help’ them 

understand just how tough we are 

doing it! 

Stay Safe. 

Ian Leavers 


0419 786 381 

Queensland Police Union Journal August 2012 3


MICK BARNES 

COMMISSIONER’S APPOINTMENT 

Applicants for the position of Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service have been shortlisted, and 

interviews conducted. The topic of the anointed successor to Bob Atkinson has been foremost in the majority of 

conversations where any policing issue has been discussed. 

I am comfortable that this Union will 

work well with the new Commissioner 

if given the chance. Each month, 

advocates from our Union and the 

Commissioned Officers’ Union 

participate in a Commissioner’s liaison 

meeting to personally address matters 

of importance to our respective 

members. I would consider the 

members as the backbone of the QPS 

as an organisation. 

A quick note to the successful 

appointee: this forum holds great 

significance as an avenue to improve 

service, and we are more than happy 

to meet with you each month. 

ROMA DISTRICT TOUR 

I recently toured the whole of the 

Roma Police District with Southern 

Region Executive member Darren 

‘Beefa’ Lees and QPU Industrial Officer 

Chris Stephens. It was interesting to 

note the subtle differences between 

Regions when it comes to funding not 

only equipment but also residences. 

We were warmly welcomed in every 

centre and enjoyed some special 

hospitality at station BBQs in St 

George and Roma. Our discussions 

with members reinforced the value of 

working in country Queensland while 

raising young families, something 

that is under threat considering 

the unknown future of residential 

arrangements. 

Many thanks to all the officers and 

their families for the great hospitality. 

WHITE BALLOON DAY 

Friday 7 September is White 

Balloon Day. White Balloon Day is 

a Bravehearts signature event held 

annually during Child Protection Week 

to raise awareness about child sexual 

assault and to help empower survivors 

to break their silence. 

Many of our members daily pursue 

the offenders involved in these 

crimes committed on our children. 

Many thanks to those in regional 

“The future of QPS residences remain in the 

balance with many rumours circulating about 

the intentions of the LNP government.” 

The Roma District is not immune to 

the resources boom, with construction 

evident in the centres of Roma, Miles, 

and Wondoan. Smaller locations are 

dealing with increases in transport 

through their respective Divisions. 

Many officers expressed concerns 

with the QPS’s approach to Tenancy 

Agreements for those who occupy 

a departmental residence as part of 

their duties within their communities. 

The future of QPS residences remain 

in the balance with many rumours 

circulating about the intentions of the 

LNP government. 

4 


The Roma Masterchefs Cian Jacobs, Neville Cox and Greg Benfer cooked up a storm including locally caught 

Murray cod.


CPIU offices and the specialised units 

within State Crime Operations whose 

ongoing professional involvement 

have put the Queensland Police 

Service among the best policing 

services in the world when it comes to 

the investigation and prosecution of 

these offences. 

“A quick reminder to 

members that if you 

are called upon for a 

‘quick chat’, you are 

entitled to have a 

support person at any 

time.” 

I recently caught up with the founder 

and Executive Officer of Bravehearts, 

Hetty Johnson, with our Minister. As 

can be seen, the Hon. Jack Dempsey 

has thrown his support behind White 

Balloon Day. I urge you visit www. 

whiteballoonday.com.au to learn more 

and see how you too can assist in 

making Australia the safest place to 

raise a child. 

DISTRICT BULLYING OFFICER 

As expected, it hasn’t taken long for 

one District Officer to establish himself 

as a bully to his staff. This behaviour 

has followed him throughout his 

service in recent years. This type of 

conduct will not be tolerated and has 

Police Minister Jack Dempsey shows his support for White Balloon Day. 

been brought to the attention of senior 

QPS management. 

A quick reminder to members that if 

you are called upon for a ‘quick chat’, 

you are entitled to have a support 

person at any time. 

This serial offender has also directed 

staff to not record their interactions 

with him. This should ring alarm bells 

that inappropriate behaviour is about 

to follow. Record your dealings with 

this standover merchant, but openly 

declare the recording and then alert 

this office. 

Be Safe. 

Mick BARNES 


0411 453 335 

If it happens, protect yourself and your family 

by immediately contacting the QPU office 

Ph 3259 1900 (24 hours) 

or your regional representative. 

They will steer you in the right direction. 


Assistant General Secretary 

6 

DENIS SYCZ 

WHERE IS THE BRASS? 

Every now and then, an article is written in the press that really gets to the heart of the situation. No, I don’t 

mean the endless dribble that flows from those august publications in Brisbane; I mean a regional newspaper 

that calls it like they see it. 

In the 29 June edition of the Gold Coast 

Bulletin, reporter Robyn Wuth wrote a 

gem of an article in relation to faceless 

senior management of the QPS, ‘the 

officers we are supposed to see on 

television with the sparkly bling on 

their shoulders’, and the roaring silence 

they produce when asked to think for 

themselves. 

Ms Wuth was commenting on the 

current crime wave on the Gold Coast, 

and the lack of comment by senior 

police in relation to that crime wave. 

She went on to state, ‘Where the bloody 

hell are you? Watching the news this 

week, you’d be forgiven for thinking the 

police were missing in action because 

there seemed to be story after story 

after story where police were nowhere 

to be found.’ 

“Perhaps once you 

start climbing the 

promotional pole, it’s 

easier to say nothing.” 

She continued, ‘The footage went 

around the country with not one 

comment from police. Not one 

policeman of rank had anything to 

say about it ... perhaps they’re shy. Or 

perhaps once you start climbing the 

promotional pole, it’s easier to say 

nothing. That way nothing is your fault.’ 

I think you get the picture. It was an 

article that cut to the heart of the 

very real problems facing senior 

management within the QPS. 

Sure, it might be just one example, but 

for years I’ve been banging on about 


the lack of support for our members 

from senior management, and this 

is just another example of the lack of 

leadership affecting members at the 

frontline. 

Senior police seem to lack the ability 

to make judgement calls and decisive 

decisions because of the organisational 

fear of criticism. 

“Senior police should be out there telling the 

story from the perspective of the police; after 

all, they wear the same uniform and have the 

same employer.” 

Public comment by senior police would 

go a long way to allay the fears of the 

public in many instances that have 

been reported in the media. 

Be that the perception of a serious 

crime spree (as in this case), or even an 

incident involving our members where 

they have made a split second decision 

that will be scrutinized by everyone 

senior management can muster at the 

time. 

Senior police should be out there telling 

the story from the perspective of the 

police; after all, they wear the same 

uniform and have the same employer. If 

facing the media means a bit of praise 

for police actions, or letting the public 

know we need their help, then let’s do it. 

It seems that over the years, this Union 

has become the only voice of police 

in the state. It’s a sad indictment on 

an organisation that can’t support 

their employees when they are trying 

to do the job they are paid to do, and 

this article shows that even the public 

realise that senior police have gone 

missing when it comes to ‘holding the 

police line’. 

Being on the front foot would go a 

long way to stopping those stories 

that are allowed to fester by rumour or 

innuendo, be they a good news story or 

a bad news story. 

Robyn Wuth’s article was gold, and 

you should read it in its entirety. It’s 

available here: http://www.goldcoast. 

com.au/article/2012/06/29/427985_ 

robyn-wuth-opinion.html 

Let’s hope someone at 200 Roma Street 

reads it as well. 

MOYNIHAN REFORMS 

While I’m at it, we see that the QPS 

has made a submission into child sex 

offenders sentencing laws. What a 

welcome development from the QPS 

on an important piece of legislative 

reform. 

It’s just a shame that they couldn’t 

have done the same for the Moynihan 

reforms, which have a far greater effect 

on our members as they struggle to 

meet the new requirements that go 

with them. 

Denis SYCZ 

Assistant General Secretary 

0417 724 883

Metro North Region Roundup 

SHAYNE MAXWELL 

SAFE HAVEN FOR CRIMINALS 

With the current pursuit policy, have we created a safe haven for criminals. We have enabled them to commit 

burglaries and drive away without a fear in the world. Because newer vehicles are harder to break into, crims 

have started committing burglaries in order to steal keys to then steal vehicles. More often than not, high 

powered vehicles are targeted, and once in the vehicle, these crims simply ignore the blue light and siren. They 

are home free. 

It is no surprise, then, that the safe 

haven we have created has led to an 

increase in the unlawful use of motor 

vehicles. Since the introduction of the 

pursuit policy, evade police incidents 

have dramatically increased by 100%, 

and even up to nearly 150% in some 

Districts. 

Recently, a stolen vehicle was sighted 

on a number of occasions in two 

different Regions, and six different 

divisions. On each occasion that the 

vehicle was sighted and the pursuit 

terminated, police had to stop and 

notify Comco for the DDO to attend 

and inspect the police vehicle. 

on the side of the road, we also have 

to then wait for Policelink to enter an 

evade police on QPrime. 

We hear stories nearly every day in 

the media about the increase of ram 

raids in the metropolitan areas, and 

criminals evading police by blocking 

the road, driving on the wrong side, 

using excessive speed, running red 

lights, and throwing objects out of 

vehicles. 

ANNA OUT, LNP IN. 

Campbell Newman and the LNP have 

now been in government for 100 days, 

and a lot has been made of the budget 

cutbacks required to get our state back 

on track. 

To date, I have not heard of any official 

budget cuts to the QPS. I have heard 

rumours of cutbacks of 5-10%, the 

further reduction of AOs, and the 

flattening of ranks. 

“More often than not, high powered vehicles are 

targeted, and once in the vehicle, these crims 

simply ignore the blue light and siren.” 

“Since the introduction 

of the pursuit policy, 

evade police incidents 

have dramatically 

increased by 100%.” 

We know the LNP are looking for costsaving 

measures from all government 

departments, and I hear we are 

expected to lose more AOs and face 

significant cuts to the budget. So as 

an organisation, how can we condone 

wasting valuable resources as our 

officers sit on the side of the road? 

There is an expectation that members 

will try and intercept a stolen vehicle, 

get enough information to identify it, 

and then record it as an evade police 

incident. So we are not only sitting 

How many evades are the police 

dealing with each shift? How many 

times do they intercept a vehicle that 

turns out to be stolen? Sometimes, 

while trying to intercept, they are 

informed to stop the pursuit, pull over, 

and wait for the DDO to arrive and 

inspect the vehicle. 

This leaves 20-30 minutes idle. 

Police are becoming more and more 

frustrated each shift, knowing that at 

some time during the shift, they will 

be sitting idle on the side of the road. 

I understand that the QPS has listened 

to the concerns of the Union regarding 

the deployment of stingers during 

pursuits. By the time this article 

appears, there should be a new policy 

for stingers which will allow them to 

be used outside the pursuit policy. 

I have recently read the Queensland 

government’s six month action plan, 

covering July to December this year. 

The LNP have undertaken to deliver 

the following to the QPS in the next six 

months: 

• More school and community 

based police 

• Amendments to the Weapons Act 

to include tougher sentences for 

offences such as possession and 

trafficking firearms 

• Improved GPS tracking for 

dangerous sex offenders 

• The introduction of tough, new 

anti-hooning laws. 

• Crime fighting resources in Cairns, 

Townsville, and the Gold Coast 

to focus on juvenile crime and 

alcohol management 


Metro North Region Roundup 

• A new major crime squad 

• The renewal of Neighbourhood 

Watch and Crime Stoppers 

• The recruitment of 300 new police 

• A blitz on antisocial behaviour on 

school buses 

• Amendments to existing laws to 

better address synthetic drugs 

• Amendments to existing laws 

to increase penalties for child 

pornography 

“I have not heard of 

any official budget 

cuts to the QPS. 

I have heard rumours 

of cutbacks of 5-10%, 

the further reduction 

of AOs, and the 

flattening of ranks.” 

• Amendments to the Proceeds 

of Crime Act regarding the 

unexplained wealth of organised 

criminals 

• The review of liquor licensing, 

gaming, and trading hours 

• New laws to ensure drug 

traffickers serve at least 80% of 

their sentence 

• The establishment of future 

arrangements following the 

completion of current Drink Safe 

Precinct trials 

• An increase in penalties for drug 

traffickers who target children 

I would like to congratulate the LNP 

for their election win and for listening 

to our concerns, but our members 

hold other realistic concerns that 

any further cuts to our AOs will 

significantly effect frontline services 

to the people of Queensland. 

The QPS have already reduced AOs 

across the state, and I have already 

seen its effect on the average police 

officer. Losing more AOs will lead to 

more police sitting in offices attending 

to paperwork. 

I suppose I shouldn’t complain. At 

least they won’t be wasting resources 

sitting on the side of the road. 

Play safe and go home to 

your loved ones. 


(Chook) 

Regional Representative 

Metro North Region 

QPU Vice President 

0438 112 741 






8 

Queensland Police Union Journal August 2012

Southern Region Roundup 

DARREN LEES 

FATIGUE MANAGEMENT – WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT? 

A recent article in the Sunday Mail related to the amount of money the QPS earned in specials payments over 

the last year. The amount quoted in the story was $30,790,000 over the 2011/2012 year: some serious coin in 

anyone’s terms. Of course, our members benefit from it, and in some cases, our members need to perform these 

specials to make ends meet in an economic environment where everything seems to rise well in excess of any 

pay increases we receive. 

While the financial information 

pertaining to specials duties in the 

article is an interesting read, it got 

me thinking of something that is very 

topical at the moment: the issue of 

fatigue management. 

The QPS seems to have taken a very 

serious line towards it as part of their 

WH&S management, and it is topical 

“The general principle 

is simple: fatigue 

management is the 

responsibility of every 

single person within 

an organisation.” 

particularly as I write this article, 

because I am due to start work at 

10pm tonight for my sixth night 

wireless. 

Only a few months ago, our QPU 

Executive attended a presentation 

by Peter Simpson, a gentleman 

from Western Australia who is 

recognised as a bit of a guru on the 

issue of fatigue management and its 

impact on workers in a wide range 

of industries, particularly the mining 

industry. 

The QPS has commissioned Peter to 

conduct research into the issue of 

fatigue management and to assist 

with information sharing between 

management and supervisors 

throughout the state 

When we heard Peter speak, the 

Manager of the QPS Wellbeing 

section, Colin Anderson, was also 

present. A lot of what Peter and Colin 

said made perfect sense to me. 

The general principle I took away 

from the presentation is simple: 

fatigue management is the 

responsibility of every single person 

within an organisation. 

It is the responsibility of the 

employee coming to work to ensure 

they are not fatigued to the point 

that they place themselves and their 

workmates at risk. 

It is the responsibility of the QPS 

Senior Executive to ensure they 

have suitable and effective fatigue 

management policies designed to 

assist our members in the workplace, 

ensure they have appropriate risk 

management strategies to address 

the issue of members who sometimes 

necessarily come to work fatigued. 

Much of what the Service speaks 

about pertaining to fatigue 

management is often linked to special 

duties, and our members performing 

those duties on rest days or before or 

after shifts. 

In the eyes of many, this practice 

may be causing our members to be 

significantly fatigued, and hence 

they may be placing themselves and 

others at risk when they are actually 

at work performing their rostered 

shifts. 

I understand that, and have no issue 

with the aspect of special duties being 

one area where our members need to 

be careful that they are not smashing 

themselves to a point where they can 

only ever be fatigued at work. 

“It is a well-known fact that when there is a 

major investigation occurring, detectives may 

go days with very little (if any) sleep, until the 

baddie is in the bin.” 

and to ensure the risk of someone 

making a life or death decision while 

fatigued is minimised. 

It is the responsibility of the NCOs 

and managers of stations, sections, 

and teams within our Service to 

However, this is not the only area 

where our members will experience 

fatigue at work, and the QPS needs to 

take a long, hard look at its policies to 

protect all our members and ensure 

we do not have people at work who 

are so fatigued they cannot function. 



This places the QPS and many of 

our members at a very high risk of 

something going horribly wrong. 

Let’s consider one example to 

highlight that this is not just an issue 

specific to special duties. As you 

would all know, for a lengthy part of 

my policing career, I have been in 

plain clothes in both CIB and CPIU 

offices. 

It is a well-known fact that when there 

is a major investigation occurring, 

detectives may go days with very 

little (if any) sleep, until the baddie 

is in the bin, or all investigations are 

exhausted. 

I would also like to point out that in 

many of these types of investigations, 

we also have our uniform 

colleagues—traffic branches, TCS, 

Intel, SOC, and scientific and a myriad 

of other officers—who also go days 

with limited rest and sleep, securing 

and examining scenes, conducting 

door knocks, and all those other notso-glamorous 

jobs. 

I cannot remember the last time 

any detective, uniformed officer, or 

scenes of crime officer had a ten 

hour break in the middle of such an 

investigation to ensure they were not 

fatigued when they returned to work. 

10 

“The reality is that 

no police officer, 

plain clothes or 

uniform, wants to 

stop until certain 

investigations come 

to a satisfactory 

conclusion.” 

In plain clothes, it is often the case 

that you may work until 5am, go 

home, try and get an hour’s sleep, 

have a shower, get changed, and be 

back for a morning briefing at 8am. 

There is then the very real possibility 

that this may be repeated the next 


day, and may go on for days or 

weeks, depending on the nature of 

the investigation. 

We simply do not have endless 

numbers of detectives to allow one 

team to go home for 10 hours and 

another to take over, and then swap 

over for days on end. 

Fatigue management is thus a very 

real issue that needs a consistent and 

“The QPS senior executive ought to realise that 

their exposure to the risk of a serious incident 

will not be diminished just because they 

commissioned a well-respected, switched-on 

expert on fatigue management to put together 

some excellent presentations for them.” 

effective approach by all involved. 

The reality is that no police officer, 

plain clothes or uniform, wants to 

stop until certain investigations come 

to a satisfactory conclusion. 

I do not believe any of this would 

wash in any way, shape, or form 

in a coronial inquest. If one of our 

members was driving back to work 

after two hours’ sleep, barely able 

to keep their eyes open, and they 

crashed into an innocent person in a 

vehicle causing an instant fatality ... 

If that occurred to one of our 

members who had done back-to-back 

specials after a shift at work with 

no sleep, there would be outrage, 

and everyone would be pointing the 

finger at the member involved for not 

managing their own fatigue. 

But as far as I am concerned, the 

QPS cannot have its cake and eat it 

too. If we are to tackle the issue of 

fatigue management seriously and 

in a bipartisan manner between the 

service and the QPU, it has to be done 

properly, not half baked like many 

other policies and procedures. 

There were a lot of suggestions Peter 

highlighted that other industries have 

implemented effectively, and that 

have had success in reducing the 

number of critical or serious incidents 

within the workplace. 

One which brought a bit of a cynical 

smile to my face was the notion of 

‘kindy nap time’ at work. 

Peter’s research highlighted that 

when a person becomes fatigued, 

often a short power nap of about 20 

minutes is a very real and effective 

way to rejuvenate that person, 

allowing them to function for the 

remainder of their shift. This reduces 

real risks of serious workplace 

incidents due to fatigue. 

You may be asking why I was smiling 

when he presented this notion; I was 

thinking to myself, ‘how many bosses 

out there could get their heads 

around allowing our members to have 

a kindy nap on night work or during a 

4p-midnight shift?’ I bet many of you 

reading this are smiling, too. 

But if anything, it did highlight to 

me that Peter and Colin are right. It 

will take a serious cultural change 

“The approach to 

fatigue management 

will take a massive 

cultural change on a 

lot of levels.” 

in many different areas to ensure 

fatigue management is looked 

upon as a serious issue within our 

workplace. 

If our members want to stay safe at 

work, and the QPS wants to minimise 

the risk of serious or critical incidents 

occurring, then everyone has to leave


their old-school ideals at the door, 

and check in for a new-age ride. 

That may be hard to swallow for 

many of our members who are doing 

these specials regularly, to make ends 

meet or get ahead. 

No-one is saying that cannot still 

occur, but you are living with your 

head in the sand if you think the 

days of doing special after special 

before or after shifts without any 

consequence will continue. We all 

have to take responsibility for fatigue 

management. 

One thing I can assure you is that 

we as an Executive will put pressure 

on the QPS to ensure this issue 

is approached in an appropriate 

manner. 

I hope the senior executive read this 

article and look at the investigation 

example I have highlighted, where the 

real problems of fatigue management 

are present in the QPS workplace 

every day, all over the state. 

The QPS senior executive ought to 

realise that their exposure to the 

risk of a serious incident will not 

be diminished just because they 

“Research 

highlighted that when 

a person becomes 

fatigued, often a short 

power nap of about 

20 minutes is a very 

real and effective way 

to rejuvenate 

that person.” 

commissioned a well-respected, 

switched-on expert on fatigue 

management to put together some 

excellent presentations for them. 

I call upon the QPS to take this 

issue seriously and embrace some 

of the notions Peter Simpson has 

suggested. 

We need to move away from the old 

days of thinking, ‘if you can’t stand 

the heat, get out of the kitchen’, to 

a more modern day approach of 

thinking, ‘what can we do in this 

instance to reduce the fatigue of our 

officers?’ 

In doing so, we will ensure that 

officers are capable of their best 

output every time they step foot in 

the office. 

Keep up the good fight and stay 

awake, alert, and safe. 

Darren LEES (Beefa) 


Southern Region 

QPU Treasurer 

0417 776 184 


Far Northern Region Roundup 

MARTY BRISTOW 

WATCHHOUSE WOES 

Back in June this year, staff at Cairns Watchhouse were thrown under the microscope yet again with a death 

in custody. I won’t go into details as the matter is pending coronial inquiry, but I will say the staff who were in 

attendance at the Watchhouse that evening acted in a very prompt, professional manner. 

As I have written previously, Cairns 

Watchhouse is probably one of the 

busiest in the state. It frequently holds 

more prisoners than even Brisbane 

Watchhouse, and more often than not 

with less than half the staff. 

Things appear to have improved 

only slightly since my last rant on 

Watchhouses, because on the night in 

question, there were in the vicinity of 

40 persons in custody, and I believe 

the majority were corrective services 

prisoners. 

system installed over the past 18 

months (which cost in the vicinity of 

$1.5 million) does not have the ability 

to download audio files to accompany 

the digital CCTV footage. 

I have heard whispers that during the 

install of the system, there were a 

number of disputes. Some disputes 

were apparently so minor that you 

really have to wonder. 

One issue that Properties and Facilities 

(P&F) complained about was the 

“It seems to be the norm for corrective services 

to deliver prisoners to the Watchhouse on a 

Friday afternoon, because they have to attend 

court on Monday morning.” 

This was done as it would seemingly 

have caused a significant delay in 

the system becoming operational 

had the installer waited for blue to be 

available. In any case, it was the same 

cable other than colour, but apparently 

P&F demanded it be changed. 

Then there are the covers required 

for the in-cell CCTV cameras to 

ensure they are not damaged by the 

undesirable persons being held in the 

cells. 

Originally, these covers were made 

locally (in Queensland, anyway), by 

a company in Brisbane who charged 

in the vicinity of $150 per cover. For 

some reason, the new system requires 

covers that are imported from the USA 

that cost approximately $1200 per 

cover. 

It seems to be the norm for corrective 

services to deliver prisoners to the 

Watchhouse on a Friday afternoon, 

because they have to attend court on 

Monday morning. This leaves police 

with the responsibility of managing 

these prisoners over some of our 

busiest periods. 

Apart from the fact that we are looking 

after corrective services prisoners 

(we often have other agencies dump 

their ‘too hard basket’ cases on us, 

especially over a weekend), there 

is another very worrying factor 

that was brought to light during the 

investigation. 

It has been discovered that the 

Watchhouse digital camera monitoring 

12 


screws used in holding on the face 

plates for the intercom call buttons 

in the cells. The installer used longer, 

better quality screws than what was 

allocated in the plan, explaining that 

they would be better. 

P&F demanded they be removed and 

the original screws used. During the 

first week, two call button face plates 

were ripped off the walls by prisoners 

with their bare hands, and both were 

thrown at staff members. Luckily, the 

face plates missed them. 

Then there was a dispute over the 

colour of the cable used. The plan 

called for blue cable, but green was 

installed instead, allegedly because 

blue was not available in Australia. 

“First response 

general duties crews 

are constantly taken 

away from responding 

to urgent calls from 

members of the public 

so they can act as 

security guards for 

the Courts.” 

The list of issues continues: racks 

for the hard drives, hard drives 

that are continually failing and not 

recording, lack of an alarm or warning

Far Northern Region Roundup 

mechanism when the hard drive is not 

recording, and the fact that if a hard 

drive doesn’t record, it is not known 

until an attempt is made to download 

and save to disk. 

Then we have the continual staffing 

problems. First response general 

duties crews are constantly taken 

away from responding to urgent calls 

from members of the public so they 

can act as security guards for the 

Courts. 

makes the decision to hand over the 

responsibility of persons in custody to 

corrective services, the better. Police 

will thus be freed up to better serve 

the public. 

I’m contactable 24/7. 

Marty BRISTOW 


Far Northern Region 

0438 767 839 

There are not enough supervisors on 

the roster to cover all the supervisor 

shifts for a year. Five supervisors 

cannot cover every shift of the year for 

a 24/7 rotational position when you 

take all factors into account, because 

we must have our leave under 250 

hours. 

I have serious concerns for the 

welfare of the staff, and persons 

in custody. The sooner someone 


Northern Region Roundup 

PETER THOMAS 

Where has this year gone? Here we are in August, and before you know it, the silly season will be upon us. This 

year has seen some significant changes for the state of Queensland and major changes for the QPS. Finally, 

we have a Premier and Police Minister who understand that policing is a demanding job unlike any other. It is 

also reassuring that we have a Police Minister who actually takes the time to talk to our members, listen to the 

issues facing police on a day-to-day basis, and take action. 

The diabolical state that we still 

find ourselves in cannot be solely 

attributed to the previous inept 

government. 

Our senior executive need to step up 

and take their share of responsibility 

for the irresponsible and totally 

ludicrous decisions that have been 

“Hopefully sensible and considered planning 

and evaluation is conducted before future 

projects are undertaken to prevent unnecessary 

resource and revenue wastage that can be used 

for operational resourcing.” 

made and that have placed the 

Service in its current position. 

Hopefully sensible and considered 

planning and evaluation is conducted 

before future projects are undertaken 

to prevent unnecessary resource and 

revenue wastage that can be used for 

operational resourcing. 

This month, The Good, The Bad, and 

The Ugly is on hold as I am doing a 

top seven wish list for the coming 12 

months. I chose seven as this is the 

number of times Queensland has won 

the State of Origin series in a row: 

just a reminder for the NSW followers 

in case they forgot! 

1. STOP THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 

DEERAGUN POLICE HEADQUARTERS 

What a waste! Where this concept 

came from no one knows, and no 

one is willing to put their name to 

it. Those I have spoken to agree it 

is nonsensical to create a District 

14 


Headquarters and to relocate all 

investigative services far from the 

other policing services in the city area. 

A twelve story government office is 

currently being constructed alongside 

the Townsville police station and has 

expressions of interest for tenants 

advertised. 

Correct me if I am wrong, but I always 

thought we were a government 

organisation. Why then would we not 

use this building as an extension of 

our current station? Is this not a more 

feasible option? 

2. STREAMLINE OUR POLICE FLEET 

One type of vehicle for general duties 

policing, standardised base model 

V8s or turbo charged 6 cylinder 

vehicles for state traffic support and 

traffic branch officers, standardised 

vehicles for all non-operational 

roles, and hybrid vehicles for all 

commissioned officer allocations. 

Before we lose staff, transfer the 

savings attained to more police 

and retention of our administrative 

officers. 

As an ex motor vehicle mechanic, 

I know that this fleet streamline 

concept will ensure that fit-outs 

are consistent, and procurement 

of light bars, security barriers, and 

all electrical components could be 

sourced from the one provider, thus 

reducing costs in the variances. 

3. RETURN ALL POLICE HOUSING 

MANAGEMENT TO A CENTRAL 

WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT 

APPROACH 

This will ensure that the allocation 

of funds for housing actually goes 

to the repair and maintenance 

of residences, rather than areas 

determined by regional managers. 

The QPS should no longer be the 

poor cousins to Education and Health, 

and no longer should our members 

have to live in these second-rate 

residences. 

“The QPS should no 

longer be the poor 

cousins to Education 

and Health, and no 

longer should our 

members have to live 

in these second-rate 

residences.” 

4. REVIEW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 

REPORTING 

I note the further advancement in 

domestic violence reporting and query 

the supposed streamlining of the 

process. I cannot envisage too many 

officers standing roadside completing 

the DV documentation, and then 

returning to the station to transfer the 

information verbatim into QPrime.


After discussing this issue with a 

trainer, I was informed that the general 

consensus from course participants 

was that most respondents will be 

detained and taken back to the station 

or Watchhouse and released on 

conditions. 

in most instances have identified 

security issues. 

These issues have been previously 

raised in my articles, yet we still 

have this type of vehicle allocated for 

policing. 

“Streamline the entire administration and 

reporting process, and let us get back to our 

core business of detecting and preventing crime 

and protecting life and property.” 

struggling, and is taken to the ground 

and handcuffed, they are going to end 

up with sore wrists and a possible 

graze to the forehead. 

Why is this being investigated as an 

injury in custody, and then further 

investigated when the offender 

makes a formal complaint? 

These are POST-approved tactics 

and should be a tick and flick by the 

supervising Sergeant or Watchhouse 

Sergeant when the prisoner is lodged. 

This is because of four main reasons: 

1) Standing outside a residence at 

2am completing documentation has 

inherent dangers in some areas we 

police, and also further escalates 

the DV situation. 2) The concept 

of duplicitous reporting is time 

consuming and unnecessary. 3) The 

information relied on for the order 

is completed roadside and is limited 

to the space provided. 4) Haste can 

often cause grammatical errors and 

limited information for the application 

process. 

I cannot understand why the 

information for the application is 

not similar to the information that 

is provided on a Notice to Appear: 

‘That on the 7th day of July 2102, 

you committed an act of domestic 

violence, namely ...’ 

Streamline the entire administration 

and reporting process, and let us get 

back to our core business of detecting 

and preventing crime and protecting 

life and property. 

5. PASS ALL PRISONER TRANSFERS 

BACK TO THE RESPONSIBLE 

AGENCIES 

At the moment, we are nothing 

more than highly skilled taxi drivers 

performing the role of correctional 

service officers. Corrective services 

have vehicles specifically designed 

for transportation and transfer of 

prisoners in a secure manner. 

It amazes me that general duties 

police officers are required to transfer 

high risk prisoners in sedans that 

It further amazes and infuriates 

me that our members are often 

required to transfer prisoners for 

long distances (eg. Mount Isa to 

Townsville, which is 900 kilometres). 

This situation not only places the 

officers in a high risk position, but 

also threatens the prisoners’ health. 

“Finally, we have 

a Premier and 

Police Minister 

who understand 

that policing is a 

demanding job unlike 

any other.” 

If you are serious about law and 

order, get us back on the road 

detecting and preventing crime, not 

performing the role of a corrective 

service officer. 

6. FIX THE BROKEN DISCIPLINE 

PROCESS 

The delayed and antiquated process 

needs a massive overhaul. As any 

of our Regional Representatives 

and branch officials would attest, 

the number of interviews being 

conducted is out of control. As 

a Service, we have become so 

internally focussed that we have lost 

sight of the real picture. 

The ESC, CMC, and our senior 

management have lost touch with 

reality, and they fail to remember 

that if an offender is violent and 

The delays in the process and the 

manner in which officers are treated 

cause nothing more than anxiety, 

stress, and ultimately poor morale. 

7. FIX THE REPORTING AND 

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS 

The days of three or four drink 

drivers, a criminal arrest, and then 

time for some proactive patrolling 

have long gone. 

I recall setting a challenge in my 

April article for members of the 

senior executive: Here is a challenge 

for any commissioned officer at the 

rank of Superintendent or above: in 

a training environment in QPRIME, 

arrest an offender and process them 

on multiple burglary charges, throw 

in a DV breach and a fail to appear 

warrant, and complete the charge 

processing. This is a combination 

of offences that are not too out of 

the ordinary. Only then will you 

understand the complexities of the 

QPRIME system, and the frustration 

experienced by operational officers. 

“At the moment, we 

are nothing more than 

highly skilled taxi 

drivers performing the 

role of correctional 

service officers.” 

I now also add to this that the 

offender was not compliant, a 

struggle ensued, and the offender 

sustained minor injuries during the 

arrest. As the arresting officer, you 



know that this is an injury in custody 

and that you will be required to 

provide a version to the DDO. 

You are also very likely to be slapped 

with a complaint. Now go back to the 

station and contact support link for 

“As a Service, we have 

become so internally 

focussed that we have 

lost sight of the real 

picture.” 

the DV, contact PAC, complete the 

patrol log, complete ITAS, complete 

your charges, download any of your 

voice recordings from the shift to the 

file server, if you have had time then 

issue a TIN, complete the facts on 

the back, complete your Intel supps, 

complete a Use of Force report, 

and then do your station statistical 

reporting. 

You may then understand why 

officers are leaving in droves. It is 

not for better money. It is for better 

working conditions that are less 

stressful. 

The mining industry tends to be 

blamed for overinflating wages within 

the employment sector, and it is often 

stated as the catalyst for officers 

leaving the Service. 

In some instances this may be 

correct, but the officers I have 

spoken to who have left the QPS 

have reported a frustration with the 

direction that the QPS has taken 

with reporting and administrative 

processes. 

I understand that we have been 

poorly funded and managed by the 

previous government and senior 

executive for so long that it will take 

time to get back to being the best 

resourced and most revered policing 

service in Australia. 

However, I believe the bigger picture 

is much more than just funding: it is 

“The officers I have 

spoken to who have 

left the QPS have 

reported a frustration 

with the direction 

that the QPS has 

taken with reporting 

and administrative 

processes.” 

process. I urge the Police Minister 

and Premier to continue listening to 

the rank and file frontline officers. 

These are the officers who are 

out there walking the beat, they 

are the ones keeping your streets 

and communities safe, and these 

are the frustrations that are being 

experienced by these frontline 

officers every day. 

“The days of three or 

four drink drivers, a 

criminal arrest, and 

then time for some 

proactive patrolling 

have long gone.” 

Hopefully in 12 months time we can 

look back and reflect on how bad 

things were, and on how much things 

have improved. Please don’t let that 

light at the end of the tunnel be a 

collision course with a coal train. 

Until next month, take care of 

yourselves and each other, take the 

time to attend your branch meeting 

and don’t forget: 

NO UNION REP = NO 

INTERVIEW 

Peter THOMAS 

(Thommo) 


Northern Region 

0409 591 270 






16 


Central Region Roundup 

BILL FELDMAN 

NO PAIN, NO GAIN 

Our fellow Unionists in the emergency services, health, and the public service are beginning to feel the pain 

that we in the police service felt under the former government. We had to fight and justify with determined 

reasoning why we needed and deserved a pay rise in excess of what the then Labor government was prepared 

to give. For the first time in enterprise bargaining history, the government had offered a pay rise below that of 

the CPI, which was in effect a pay cut. We knew we were in for a long and protracted fight for a better outcome. 

We wish all these fellow Union organisations and members well in their fight for better wages and conditions. 

We have our own fight coming up in 

just over 12 months. Our last fight 

took almost two years to finalise, and 

some aspects of the Determination 

are still being implemented by the 

QPS. 

As the OIC of a two-man station, I 

am still waiting with bated breath 

to see if I am really going to be paid 

as an OIC and receive the applicable 

allowance for the duties that I 

perform. 

Having toured to other police Union 

jurisdictions during the last two 

years, we as an Executive have 

witnessed firsthand what the GFC 

has caused in many countries, and it 

has been a very sobering experience. 

Our fellow police officers in these 

“As the OIC of a 

two-man station, 

I am still waiting with 

bated breath to see 

if I am really going to 

be paid as an OIC.” 

countries have been caught in conflict 

with their respective governments. 

Some have been negotiating a zero 

percent pay rise with no further 

increases in staff numbers for 

three years, and others are facing 

a decrease in pay rate of between 

5-10% for no job losses. 

With examples such as these, we 

were left feeling very fortunate 

indeed for our own negotiated 

outcome through arbitration. Most 

jurisdictions looked on our outcome 

with extreme envy. 

In some American jurisdictions, 

governments are so broke that they 

Our real fight is only just beginning. 

Stay interested and involved in 

your Union; it’s your future you’re 

protecting. 

FAREWELL BARRY 

Some of us don’t have to worry 

any more, and I say a very sincere 

farewell to an old former cadet and 

“In some American jurisdictions, governments 

are so broke that they are unable to pay the 

pensions legislated and protected by law to 

retired and retiring police.” 

are unable to pay the pensions 

legislated and protected by law to 

retired and retiring police. 

Governments funding their 

responsibility to retired public 

servants (superannuation) is 

producing a phenomenon now called 

‘pension envy’, where legislators 

are looking at law reform to reduce 

the pension previously promised 

these retired veteran police officers. 

Disgraceful. 

Don’t think an attack on our 

superannuation is out of the question; 

they already took away our defined 

benefit and have left us at the mercy 

of the global economy. So don’t think 

they won’t try and erode our benefits 

already won. 

work colleague, Detective Sergeant 

Barry Maff, OIC of the Charters 

Towers CIB. Many an errant, young, 

black-hat-wearing cowboy from the 

outer Burdekin will be glad to see this 

old stager retire. 

Those massive mitts he has for 

hands will no longer be grabbing 

the shoulders of delinquent criminal 

offenders. We have lost another true 

character from the Service and we 

will be poorer for the loss. 

Barry, we wish you all the best in the 

future, and I am truly sorry I could 

not be there for your send-off. I am 

sure my other old mates, Mick Barnes 

and Peter Thomas, passed on my 

best wishes and told a few whoppers 

(true stories, just exaggerated) on my 


Central Region Roundup 

behalf. I won’t expand on any of those 

stories here, because some of us are 

still in the circus. 

STAFFING 

There appears to be a glimmer of 

hope on the horizon with our staffing 

crisis in the Central Region. We have 

had the promise of new recruits and 

several old hands from Brisbane. 

“Stay interested 

and involved 

in your Union; 

it’s your future 

you’re protecting.” 

Again, we will wait with bated breath 

to see whether this is a figment of 

someone’s imagination, or whether 

these officers will truly materialise in 

CQ and Mackay this time. 

HOUSING 

There has also been the promise of 

the purchase of affordable housing in 

our major centres in CQ, and I have 

been asked to be part of a Housing 

Allocation Committee. 

I am looking forward to seeing what 

can be achieved for our struggling 

young Constables and their families 

as we look at these accommodation 

variables. At this stage, the cheque is 

still in the mail. 

Attend your Union meetings to stay 

informed. 

Stay safe, play it safe, and 

make it home. 

Bill FELDMAN 


Central Region 

0419 659 105 

18 


North Coast Region Roundup 

DES HANSSON 

Well, the end is near. There’s one more Executive meeting, and then my resignation takes effect at the end of 

August. By the time this article hits the stands, a replacement should have been found from within our Region. 

At this stage, I’m aware of only one 

nomination: Grant Wilcox. Grant is 

currently the President of Sunshine 

Coast branch, and I heartily endorse 

his nomination. 

He has extensive knowledge of the 

law and has a good grounding in 

Union-related matters from his time 

as President. 

officials of note. Some are still branch 

officials, some are still in the job and 

have gone on to other areas, and 

some have resigned or retired. 

I will not mention the plentiful 

reasons I have to remember them, 

because this article would go on for 

more pages than I am allowed to 

write. 

colleague again, then we won again, 

and he was eventually reinstated. 

This is just one more example of the 

hypocrisy and bastardry that we have 

to contend with from our fearless 

leaders, and one more reason why 

you should all support your branch 

officials by getting to every meeting 

you can. 

More importantly, he has the welfare 

of members at heart, and has the 

time and energy to devote to all in the 

North Coast Region. 

Here goes: Des Mahoney from 

Maroochydore, Marcel Van Grinsven 

from Deception Bay, Barry Horne 

from Redcliffe, Andrew Bailey 

“We’ve got another round of EB negotiations 

coming up, and numbers at branch meetings are 

essential when dealing with government.” 

If a ballot is called, please make the 

effort to vote! 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time as 

NCR Rep, but openly and honestly 

admit that without the help of branch 

officials, there is no way that I (or 

any of our fulltime officials from the 

Union office) could have hoped to 

contend with the myriad of issues 

that are raised. 

There have also been numerous 

times when we, as Union officials, 

have had to deal with matters 

not strictly Union-related, but 

nevertheless we have still tried to 

help those members involved, and 

sometimes with positive results. 

from Gympie, Rob Anderson 

from Maryborough, John Sajko 

from Bundy, Paul Jackson from 

Maroochydore, and Darrin Taylor 

from Caboolture/Maroochydore. 

Of course I’ve missed a few. I’ll 

put that down to an aging memory 

caused by Union celebrations 

following victories in relation to 

member’s rights. 

One recent victory involved a 

member who was unjustly sacked 

for a drink driving offence. He was 

sacked despite the penalty being 

outside the QPS guidelines which 

were put in place only a few months 

prior to his dismissal. 

We’ve got another round of EB 

negotiations coming up, and 

numbers at branch meetings 

are essential when dealing with 

government, particularly after the 

previous government left the state 

in the worst financial mess it’s ever 

been in. 

Before I sign off for the last time, 

I’d like to mention a few of the 

early fulltime officials who were 

instrumental in me taking part in 

Union activities. 

Merv Bainbridge immediately comes 

to mind: RIP mate, your good sense 

of humour will never be forgotten. 

“Keep up the good 

fight, and don’t 

hesitate to pull up 

any of the bosses if 

need be.” 

Merv Melling also comes to mind, for 

inspiring me to take on the CJC when 

all seemed lost. 

I could not write this last article 

without mentioning some branch 

We appealed and won, then the 

QPS appealed and stood down our 

And last but not least, Gary 

Wilkinson. Gary left the Union in a 


North Coast Region Roundup 

solid financial and political position, 

which made us a force to be reckoned 

with when it came to any type of 

negotiation. 

He was fearless when it came to 

fighting for member’s rights, and it 

was because of his stewardship that 

we were in a sound enough financial 

position to keep fighting the shabby 

treatment handed out to Chris Hurley, 

which included the disgraceful act 

of the government at the time going 

interstate for a judicial opinion when 

they wouldn’t accept the advice of 

their own DPP! 

of the bosses if need be. Support 

yourselves and your mates by turning 

up to branch meetings. 

Be careful out there. 

Des HANSSON 


North Coast Region 

0412 707 434 

Needless to say, that was a sweet 

win following a concerted effort by a 

shameless government to persecute 

our member. 

Anyway, keep up the good fight, 

and don’t hesitate to pull up any 

20 


Metro South Region Roundup 

TONY COLLINS 

TIME FOR A CHANGE? 

With the new, incoming Commissioner, now is the time for organisational change on a level not seen since 

we regionalised. The philosophy of this change should be based around whether or not it affects the frontline. 

That is the only question needed to be asked of every section and unit of the QPS: if this section or unit was 

disbanded or downsized, would it affect the troops on the frontline? Can we as an organisation afford not to 

take this opportunity to make a real change as opposed to paying lip service? 

One section which is probably feeling 

the microscope right about now is 

the QPRIME Help desk. Unfortunately 

for this section, it is almost entirely 

staffed with secondments. However, 

they are vital to keeping the 

Apparently, it is currently handling 

approximately 400 calls for service 

a week. That is 400 calls from first 

response police who, without QPRIME 

help, would be sitting there twiddling 

their thumbs, whistling Dixie, 

“The only question needed to be asked of every 

section and unit of the QPS: if this section or 

unit was disbanded or downsized, would it 

affect the troops on the frontline?” 

monstrosity that is called QPRIME 

ticking along. 

becoming more and more frustrated in 

just trying to do their jobs. 

ramifications and significant impact 

these new laws will have on our time 

and resources. 

This process sometimes makes the 

new laws unworkable in a practical 

sense. I am not advocating a police 

state. Nor am I saying that we are 

always right. 

I am pointing out that the cost in 

time and resources does not seem 

to factor in these amendments or 

new laws. Sometimes, there are just 

not enough resources to do the job 

properly without impacting on our 

core business. 

Not only does this section handle 

Service Desk Inquiries for QPRIME, but 

also ITAS and the new QCAD. QPRIME 

Help has transformed itself into an 

“Without QPRIME 

help, first response 

police would be sitting 

there twiddling their 

thumbs, whistling 

Dixie, becoming more 

and more frustrated 

in just trying to do 

their jobs.” 

extremely useful unit for first response 

police, in assisting with glitches 

and mistakes that the training never 

provided for. 

These 400 calls have helped first 

response police get back on the road 

where they belong. I would suggest 

any decisions affecting the future of 

this section will have a considerable 

flow-on effect to first response police. 

We could always stick that in the next 

OPR. 

SOUNDS GOOD IN THEORY, BUT IN 

PRACTICE? 

As practitioners of the law, we 

are often consulted regarding 

amendments to laws, or about the 

introduction of new laws. It is all well 

and good to consult us, but sometimes 

the process is shanghaied. 

Sometimes our recommendations 

are watered down by the theoretical 

practitioners of the law, the lawyers, 

who have their own agenda. Or 

sometimes the government of the 

day has to fulfil an election promise, 

but fails to understand the practical 

A balance needs to be struck between 

laws that are unrealistic in a practical 

“Can we as an 

organisation afford 

not to take this 

opportunity to make 

a real change as 

opposed to paying 

lip service?” 

sense, civil rights concerns, and the 

needs of the government. 

If the Newman government’s hatchet 

men are to review the QPS, then 

perhaps they should take some time 

out of their busy schedules to not 

only look at our numbers, but also 

at the legislation that fails us as an 

organisation. If they want some 


Metro South Region Roundup 

recommendations, I am available on 

the below number to assist in any way 

I can. 

IN SHORT 

• Assistant Commissioner Lewis 

commenced her retirement from the 

QPS on 8 July. Goodbye and good 

luck for the future. 

on hold for everyone. A number of 

positions will now be sourced on 

a closed merit basis until they are 

gone. 

• Twenty-four is the number of new 

positions that have been created 

at the Academy to assist with the 

intake of new recruits. 

“If the Newman government’s hatchet men 

are to review the QPS, then perhaps they 

should take some time out of their busy 

schedules to not only look at our numbers, 

but also at the legislation that fails us as 

an organisation.” 

• One to 815 is the ratio of police to 

public in the Wynnum District, almost 

twice the national average. 

• Three is the number of cars needed 

by Annerley, Coorparoo, and West 

End police to do their job. 

Tony COLLINS 


Metropolitan South Region 

0414 804 472 

• Thirty to fifty are the number of 

surplus Inspectors that must find 

positions. A similar number of 

surplus Senior Sergeants exist. That 

is about three years of promotions 

• Around 4000 is the number of 

new recruits required to be put 

through the Academy to achieve 

the Newman government’s election 

promise. 

22 


South East Region Roundup 

BOB SMITHSON 

NEW OVERTIME APPROVAL PROCESS 

On 2 June 2012, a new directive was issued by the South Eastern Region Assistant Commissioner concerning the 

overtime approval process. The directive outlines who can and cannot approve overtime. Non commissioned 

officers are now not able to approve any overtime at all. Requests for overtime are to go through the chain 

of command via the District duty officer (DDO) to a commissioned officer, either the RDO or the on-call 

commissioned officer. 

But this only applies to requests for 

overtime of up to two hours. Anything 

beyond two hours has to be approved 

by the relevant District officer. I can 

only assume by this that the District 

officers will be getting woken up 

several times during each night. 

I guess we would have to expect 

these sorts of adjustments to 

our working lives, taking into 

consideration the approach adopted 

by the new LNP government and their 

spending cuts across the board. 

“I have received 

reports of our officers 

being told to hand 

over jobs, such as 

domestic violence 

investigations, 

midway through 

the job.” 

as domestic violence investigations, 

midway through the job. 

This is a ludicrous situation. It could 

become very embarrassing for 

someone in the witness box, if they 

have to stop giving evidence and tell 

“If you request 

overtime and it is not 

authorised, just go 

home.” 

the court they were directed to cease 

duty halfway through an investigation 

and told to hand it over to someone 

else who had no first-hand knowledge 

of the facts surrounding the incident. 

Please let us see some common sense 

when it comes to overtime approval. 

If you request overtime and it is not 

authorised, just go home. I don’t 

want to see our members hanging 

Another old issue that is likely to 

raise its head again is the practice 

of management suggesting to our 

members that they have some time 

off in lieu of overtime. For some of us 

who have been around for a while, we 

know that this practice is simply not 

on. 

For some of our newer members, I 

will reiterate: there is no facility in 

our Award or EB agreements for time 

off in lieu of overtime. If you work 

overtime, you must be paid for it. 

If your boss suggests to you that 

you have some time off in lieu, 

politely ask them to put it in writing. 

Somehow, I don’t think they will do 

that. 

MORE COMMUNICATIONS 

PROBLEMS 

It seems that the communications 

problems in the South Eastern Region 

will not go away. The latest crisis has 

occurred in the Coomera District, with 

However, the new overtime directive 

also contains one paragraph which 

reads, ‘Delivery of frontline policing 

remains a priority. Adjustments under 

the overtime approval process are not 

to impact core operational policing 

requirements’. 

“If your boss suggests to you that you have 

some time off in lieu of overtime, politely ask 

them to put it in writing. Somehow, I don’t 

think they will do that.” 

It would appear that some 

commissioned officers are not taking 

this paragraph into consideration 

in their decision-making process. I 

have received reports of our officers 

being told to hand over jobs, such 

around for 30 or 45 minutes every 

day completing ITAS logs in their own 

time. If it can’t be finished on your 

rostered shift, do it when you next 

start work. 

radio communication going offline for 

lengthy periods of time. 

For several nights in a row, the radio 

channels dropped out completely, 


South East Region Roundup 

with no radio communication available 

between the Communications Centre 

and many of the Coomera District on 

road car crews. 

The communications staff were 

forced to use a backup ‘redundancy 

“Our resources are 

spread thinly enough 

on the ground as it 

is; we don’t need the 

added risk of being 

out there without 

radio communication 

as well.” 

system’, which entailed the operators 

having to work off handheld radios. 

I am told the RES staff got on the job 

quickly and completed system tests, 

and the issue was resolved in the 

short term. 

I must say that the senior 

management did move quickly when 

advised of these problems, and 

following investigations, the blame 

was pointed at Telstra equipment 

failure. In any event, these are very 

concerning issues and it’s something 

that needs to be fixed properly and 

swiftly. 

Our affected members are rightfully 

concerned about these occurrences 

from an officer safety perspective. 

Our resources are spread thinly 

enough on the ground as it is; we 

don’t need the added risk of being out 

there without radio communication 

as well. 

Bob SMITHSON 


South East Region 

0408 120 110 

24 


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Queensland Police Union of Employees, PO Box 13008, George Street, Brisbane, Queensland 4003 

Phone (07) 3259 1900 Fax (07) 3259 1950 Email police@qpu.asn.au

QUEENSLAND POLICE LEGACY SCHEME 

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INTERNATIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATION 

Australian Section ─ Queensland Region 

International Police Association 

Australian Section 

National AGM 

2012 

18 – 21 October 2012 

Queensland Police Headquarters 

200 Roma Street Brisbane 

Thursday 18 October 

Informal dinner @ Hog’s Breath Café – own cost 

Friday 19 October 

Cocktail Function @ Qld. Police Credit Union Building Rooftop 

– IPA members free; non-IPA $15 

Saturday 20 October 

Members & Partners Day Program including: 

o Sirromet Winery Tour with wine tasting 

– IPA members /non-IPA $15 

o BBQ Lunch @ Merthyr Bowls Club – own cost 

o Citycat Cruise on Brisbane River – own cost 

Formal Dinner @ United Services Club, 183 Wickham Tce. Brisbane 

– IPA members $70; non-IPA $78 

Sunday 21 October 

Official Opening of the Gold Coast IPA House, 

Lunch @ North Burleigh Surf Club – own cost 

IPA members - register online 

http://forms.ipa-australiapolice.com.au/agm-registration/ 

Non-IPA members - please contact 

Treasurer Lorenzo Ricato on (07) 3351 7432 or 

e-mail treasurer.qld@ipa-australiapolice.com.au 

RSVP 30 September 2012 


The Coldest Case – The 60th Anniversary of the Betty Shanks murder 

The Coldest Case – 

The 60th Anniversary of the 

Betty Shanks murder 

By Andrea Appleton. Photographs and original documents courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum. 

On Wednesday the 19th of September this year, members of the 

QPS Homicide Cold Case investigation team will quietly mark the 

60th anniversary of the death of 22-year-old public servant, 

Betty Shanks. 

For them, it is the oldest unsolved 

murder on their books, and one which 

springs to mind when considering 

the 170 cases that remain unsolved 

throughout the state. For Brisbane, 

and the rest of Queensland, the 

anniversary is a reminder of a 

homicide that shocked the state. 

Betty’s murder is regularly referred 

to as the event that ended the era of 

innocence in Brisbane, because in its 

aftermath women no longer felt safe 

walking alone, and the community 

began to shut their doors and 

windows at night. 

And despite Queensland’s largest 

manhunt at the time, and repeated 

investigation of leads, tip-offs, and 

confessions over the subsequent 

“Betty’s murder is 

regularly referred to 

as the event that ended 

the era of innocence 

in Brisbane.” 

sixty years, Betty Shank’s killer has 

never been found. 

CONSTABLE ALEXANDER STEWART 

At the time of Betty’s murder, 

Constable Alexander Stewart of the 

Brisbane Police Traffic Office lived 

28 


on Thomas Street in the Grange, an 

inner-northern suburb of Brisbane. 

His home was roughly halfway 

between Betty’s home on Montpellier 

Street where she lived with her 

parents and the Grange tram 

“It is the oldest 

unsolved murder on 

the books, and one 

which springs to mind 

when considering the 

170 cases that remain 

unsolved throughout 

the state.” 

terminus where Betty alighted from a 

tram on the night of her death. 

The distance between the terminus 

and Betty’s home was no more 

than 500 metres, a quiet stretch of 

a quintessential 1950s Queensland 

street, which was to become the most 

examined stretch of footpath in the 

state. 

On the evening of 19 September 1952, 

Const Stewart was at home reading. 

He was enjoying a quiet night at 

home because he planned to spend 

his following rest day painting his 

house. 

At approximately 9:35pm he was 

disturbed by a slight noise, and he 

looked out of his bedroom window 

in the direction of the sound. Const 

Stewart did not notice anything out 

of the ordinary, and he soon went to 

sleep until approximately 5:15am the 

following morning. 

When Const Stewart awoke, he 

intended to look at the early morning 

paper before his breakfast. In his 

statement at the time, he said that he 

‘walked down the back steps of [his] 

home, along the side path nearest 

Hill’s residence, and then I walked 

in front of the house and ... along 

Coats’ side, looking for the paper. 

‘I walked down towards Hill’s 

residence and as I approached the


“The distance between the terminus and Betty’s 

home was no more than 500 metres, a quiet 

stretch of a quintessential 1950s Queensland 

street, which was to become the most 

examined stretch of footpath in the state.” 

almost to the neck ... There was no 

evidence of … sexual intercourse.’ 

Despite the lack of evidence of 

sexual interference, rumours circled 

and spread that the motive of the 

attack was rape, with the Sunday 

Mail reporting a ‘chance strike by a 

maniacal killer’. 

side fence near their residence, and 

I might have been looking through 

or over the hibiscus trees of Hill’s 

residence, I saw lying on the lawn the 

body of a female in Hill’s yard’. 

Const Stewart immediately jumped 

the fence into his neighbour Mr 

Coat’s yard, and he rang the Wilston 

police. ‘I had no idea at the time that 

Betty Shanks was missing,’ he said. 

BETTY IS FOUND 

Betty’s parents, however, were 

well aware that she was missing, 

because she hadn’t arrived home 

from an evening lecture at the State 

Commercial High School in the city at 

her usual time. 

Betty’s father had phoned the police 

at 1:35am on 20 September to report 

her as a missing person. It was only 

four hours later that her battered 

and strangled body was found in a 

neighbour’s yard. 

A CIB circular written by Inspector 

Donovan, who was in charge of the 

investigation, reported that Betty’s 

body was found ‘on its back with both 

arms outstretched above the head ... 

Her face and neck were covered in 

blood and there were signs of severe 

injuries to the face. 

‘Her black handbag was open and was 

partly underneath [the] deceased’s 

head. The contents of the handbag 

were strewn about the lawn near the 

body and it is not thought anything is 

missing from the handbag. 

‘A gold wristlet watch which [the] 

deceased was wearing was stopped 

at 9:53pm, and a valuable gold ring 

was found to be intact on her finger. 

[The] deceased’s skirt and slip had 

been lifted almost waist high and her 

private part was exposed. 

‘Her blouse had been pulled out from 

the skirt band and was wide open 

Any police attempts at the time 

to dispel these rumours had little 

effect, and in fact police advised 

householders to take precautions and 

report any suspicious behaviour. 

“A gold wristlet watch 

which the deceased 

was wearing was 

stopped at 9:53pm, and 

a valuable gold ring 

was found to be intact 

on her finger.” 

EXAMINATION OF THE SCENE 

Upon examination of the crime scene, 

police found a trail of blood from 

where Betty was first attacked on 

the footpath of Thomas Street to her 

final resting place in the Hill family’s 

backyard. Her body had been lifted or 

thrown over the fence encircling the 



yard, and the fence rail was splashed 

with blood. 

Betty’s fractured jawbone and the 

apparent boot polish stains on her 

body led the examining doctor, Dr 

O’Reilly, to conclude she had been 

“Rumours circled 

and spread that the 

motive of the attack 

was rape, with the 

Sunday Mail reporting 

a ‘chance strike by a 

maniacal killer’.” 

Thomas Street looking towards the Days Road intersection at the top of the hill. On left is the Hill’s home on 

the corner of Carberry Street (behind the trees on the footpath), where Betty’s body was found. 

kicked about the head and body. 

Further, bruising and scratches to the 

throat pointed to strangulation. 

There were two bloodstained hand 

marks on the upper rail of the fence, 

apparently made by the offender in 

his escape from the scene. Police 

were unable to lift any fingerprints 

from the bloody smears, and of 

course DNA technology was nonexistent 

at the time. 

A PROFILE OF BETTY 

Investigating police began to create 

a profile of Betty, documenting her 

normal activities and her friends and 

associates. She was a University of 

Queensland graduate employed as a 

clerk in the personnel section of the 

Commonwealth Department of the 

Interior in Ann Street, Brisbane City. 

She was studious, and regularly 

attended lectures at the State 

Commercial High School after work. 

Other than attending these lectures, 

she rarely went out at night, except 

occasionally to the theatre with a 

girlfriend. 

She was interested in art and 

painting, and usually stayed at home 

on the weekends, assisting her 

mother with gardening. 

Thomas Street looking towards the Shanks’s home on Montpellier Street. On left is Wilson State Primary 

School, and on right the Hill’s home. 

“A male person phoned the deceased at her 

work and information is that whilst taking 

the call and afterwards, the deceased seemed 

changed in her demeanour and quieter in her 

manner.” 

Inspector Donovan’s CIB circular 

noted that the ‘deceased had no 

association with male persons 

outside her work and study in recent 

months’, yet it also noted that on 

the afternoon of either 17 or 18 

September, ‘a male person phoned 

[the] deceased at her work and 

information is that whilst taking the 

call and afterwards, [the] deceased 

seemed changed in her demeanour 

and quieter in her manner’. 

WITNESSES ON THE TRAM 

Police began talking to witnesses 

who had seen Betty at the lecture 

and on the tram the night she died, 

and they conducted a widespread 

doorknock of the neighbourhood in 

the search for leads. 

30 



Police discovered that after the 

lecture in the city, Betty accepted a 

lift from her lecturer at approximately 

9pm. Two other male students also 

accepted a lift. Betty’s lecturer drove 

her to the corner of Lutwyche Road 

and Maygar Street, Windsor, where 

she got out of the car alone to wait for 

a tram. 

“The police were 

looking for a suspect 

described as a ‘moonfaced 

man that a taxi 

driver reported seeing 

jump the fence at the 

murder spot’.” 

Another resident of the Grange, Jane 

Osborne, was waiting at the tram 

stop, and she and Betty boarded the 

tram together, which arrived at the 

Grange terminus on Days Road at 

9:32pm. 

Also on the tram was Marie Patton, a 

resident of Wilston, and she nodded 

to Betty when the three women got 

up from their seats to alight from 

the tram. Mrs Osborne walked in 

the direction opposite to which it is 

believed Betty walked, and she did 

not notice anyone at the tram stop. 

Ms Patton walked quickly down 

Thomas Street in the direction of 

her home on Primrose Street, just 

off Thomas Street, about two thirds 

of the distance between the tram 

terminus and Betty’s home. 

She did not observe anyone lurking 

along Thomas Street on her way 

home, and she did not hear any 

unusual noises either before or after 

her arrival home. 

Betty was in the habit of walking 

down the side of Thomas Street next 

to the Hill residence, where she was 

apparently attacked, forced over the 

fence into the Hill’s yard, and then 

murdered. 

OTHER WITNESSES 

Though neither Mrs Osborne nor 

Ms Patton saw or heard anything 

unusual, other witnesses noticed 

a man at the terminus as the three 

women left the tram. 

One described him as wearing 

dark coloured trousers and a light 

shirt, whereas two other witnesses 

described him as well-dressed, in 

a dark grey or brown suit. Another 

witness claimed a man at the tram 

terminus at about 9:30pm declined a 

lift when offered. 

The Courier Mail reported that the 

police were looking for a suspect 

described as a ‘moon-faced man 

[that] a taxi driver reported seeing 

jump the fence at the murder spot’. 

Allegedly, this taxi driver later saw 

the same man at the railway station at 

Newmarket, just one kilometre from 

the murder scene. 

Another suspect was a man who was 

picked up by a taxi at 10:20pm about 

two kilometres from the scene of the 

crime. This man allegedly had blood 

on his shirt. 

The statement of James Coats, who 

lived next door to Const Stewart 

on Thomas Street, says he ‘heard a 

half moan or slight moan, sufficient 

to make [him] inquisitive ... at 

approximately 10:40pm. 

‘That was what caused me to get 

out of bed. It was then that [a] motor 

cycle passed. I waited to hear if there 

was anything more, but couldn’t 

hear through the exhaust of the 

“I heard two cries ... I did not take much notice 

... I have heard cries by night out there before, 

from the direction of the school grounds.” 

The Hill’s home where Betty was found inside the front yard fence. 

The site where Betty was found inside the Hill’s yard. Her body is located behind 

the right hand fence post, hidden by the grass. 



motor cycle. I looked out through the 

window. I did not see even the motor 

cycle ... When I looked through the 

window, I did not see anyone at all.’ 

Marjorie Hill, in whose yard Betty’s 

body was found, also heard a cry 

and a motor bike. ‘I heard two cries. 

I thought that it was a young boy 

skylarking. They were fairly loud ... I 

did not take much notice. 

“It is imperative that 

all police give this 

matter urgent and 

diligent attention with 

a view to obtaining 

information which will 

lead to the clearing 

up of this crime.” 

Detectives at the scene. 

‘I have heard cries by night out there 

before, from the direction of the 

school grounds. I heard a motor bike 

go up the street shortly afterwards. I 

did not know in which direction it was 

going...’ 

Despite police leave being cancelled 

so that every available officer could 

work on the case, the identity of 

the man allegedly at the tram stop 

was never established. The man (or 

men) seen by the taxi drivers was 

never found, and police could not 

determine who had driven down 

Thomas Street on a motor bike. 

WIDESPREAD INVESTIGATION 

Inspector Donovan’s CIB circular 

stated that ‘intensive investigations 

by a large squad of police have so far 

not revealed the identity of this killer, 

and it is imperative that all police 

give this matter urgent and diligent 

attention with a view to obtaining 

information which will lead to the 

clearing up of this crime...’ 

32 



stem the information being provided 

to police. 

Members of the community 

continued to offer their opinions, or 

report men they suspected, and the 

original investigating officers and 

others involved in the case never lost 

hope that the killer would be found. 

One man who was among the first at 

the crime scene in 1952 is journalist 

Ken Blanch. He was so affected by 

the scene and the later unsolved 

investigation that he wrote a book 

examining the circumstances of the 

crime. 

‘Killer hunt HQ’, a special communciations room set up in the Brisbane CIB office on the corner of George and 

Elizabeth Streets. Inspector Donovan (who wrote the circular) is wearing glasses on the left. Sub-inspector 

Martin is at the rear on the phone in front of a wall of maps of Wilston, the Grange, and surrounding suburbs. 

“There have been at least eight confessions to 

Betty’s murder over the years.” 

The Betty Shanks case escalated 

into the largest murder investigation 

Queensland had ever seen. 

Nationwide checks were made 

on known sex offenders. Patients 

discharged from the nearby Goodna 

Mental Hospital were questioned. 

Military bases were approached and 

leave checked, as police came to one 

dead end after another. 

RUMOURS 

The apparent lack of motive did little 

to ease public concern about the case, 

and generated a number of rumours. 

The original suspected attack by a ‘sex 

maniac’ was a theory that remained 

generally accepted, especially when 

police encouraged people within the 

area to remain vigilant. 

Rumours also circulated that Betty 

was involved in an affair, and a 

number of different men were 

considered, including an Ipswich 

doctor who killed himself two days 

after Betty’ murder. 

Another later theory was that the 

murder was a case of mistaken 

identity, and that the actual intended 

victim was Ena Hamilton, a doctor’s 

receptionist who regularly walked the 

same route. 

It is postulated that she may have 

been a target as she may have carried 

keys to her employer’s premises, 

where drugs were stored. 

“If we get information 

that we believe is 

going to be able to 

take us forward to 

solve Betty Shank’s 

murder, then we’ll 

do it.” 

In effect, all of the above rumours 

remained just that—rumours—and 

speculation generated only heartache 

for those mistakenly identified. 

A 1953 Inquest found that a person 

or persons unknown killed Betty 

Shanks. The Inquest did not quash 

public interest in the case, nor did it 

Blanch reports that in 1997, ‘a woman 

came forward and told police that her 

father, who was a child molester, had 

an affair with Betty and killed her in a 

fit of rage. 

‘The woman told police that her 

father had burned his clothes the 

morning after the murder and made 

her clean his shoes, which were 

covered in blood’. He also says that in 

the late 1990s, four people contacted 

police to say that one of their 

relatives had killed Betty. 

INFORMATION AND CONFESSIONS 

Though Detective Sergeant Virginia 

Gray of the Homicide squad cannot 

confirm the exact numbers, she 

agrees that the Homicide Cold Case 

investigation team still to this day 

receive calls relating to Betty Shanks. 

She adds that a surprising number 

are family members dobbing in a 

relative, and that investigations have 

determined most are motivated by 

family feuds or mental illness. Det 

Sgt Gray confirms there have been 

at least eight confessions to Betty’s 

murder over the years. 

For example, a deathbed confession 

was made by a man in his 80s in a 

respite home in Brisbane in 2005. 

Homicide police tried to establish 

whether he was actually in Brisbane 

at the time of the crime, and they took 



DNA samples from him after he had 

died. Following further investigation, 

police ruled him out as a suspect, as 

they have for all the men who have 

confessed to Betty’s murder. 

Detective Superintendent of the 

Homicide team, Brian Wilkins, 

says that in relation to high profile 

investigations, it is not unusual for 

people to confess. 

‘For some unknown reason, this 

occurs in a number of investigations,’ 

he says. ‘Whether they’re trying to 

get a bit of notoriety, or publicity, I 

don’t know. But what would drive a 

person to make a false confession in 

relation to a homicide astounds me.’ 

The Hill residence. 

“If someone walked in here today and said they 

killed Betty Shanks, it doesn’t mean they’re 

going to be put in a headlock and walked to the 

Watchhouse.” 

‘We take all confessions with a grain 

of salt,’ he continues. ‘If someone 

walked in here today and said they 

killed Betty Shanks, it doesn’t mean 

they’re going to be put in a headlock 

and walked to the Watchhouse. 

We’ve still got to be able to prove 

that confession. We have to do an 

investigation in relation to their 

confession, and 99% of the time, their 

story doesn’t check out. But they 

have to be 100% eliminated.’ 

THE PASSAGE OF TIME 

If someone did in fact walk into police 

Headquarters today and confess to 

killing Betty, that person would have to 

be of fairly advanced years to be taken 

seriously. Obviously, with the murder 

occurring 60 years ago, the offender 

would likely be at least 80 by now. 

The passage of time is of course 

a critical factor in any murder 

investigation, and in the really 

old cases, important witnesses, 

the victim’s families, and original 

investigating police are no longer 

around to move a case forward. 

Though it is a common belief that the 

older a case gets, the less likely it is 

to be solved, Det Supt Wilkins does 

not necessarily agree. Sometimes, an 

important witness is threatened by 

someone, or a particularly situation, 

and it takes a change in circumstance 

for that person to be able to come 

forward. 

“Homicides in the 

state of Queensland 

have decreased in the 

past decade, and the 

current figures stand 

at approximately 60 

homicides per year.” 

‘Sometimes, time makes things 

easier,’ he says, ‘because threats that 

may have existed disappear. So it’s 

a double-edged sword, really. The 

older it is, the harder it gets ... or then 

there’s the possibility someone will 

be able to talk.’ 

‘In some cases, the offender dies 

before they get to court or jail,’ Det 

Supt Wilkins continues. ‘Like Brown, 

the accused murderer of the Mackay 

sisters. He was a man in his 80s, 

and he died before the jury was in a 

position to either acquit him or find 

him guilty.’ 

THE COLD CASE TEAM 

For members of the Cold Case team, 

this is a thought that motivates them 

in their investigations. The team is a 

specialist unit attached to Homicide, 

and it is made up of six Detectives led 

by a Detective Senior Sergeant. 

Ideally, they are dedicated in a 

fulltime capacity to cold cases, but at 

busy times they are required to help 

investigate current cases. 

HOMICIDES 

Homicides in Queensland have 

decreased in the past decade, 

and the current figures stand at 

approximately 60 homicides per year. 

In 2011, Queensland recorded only 

44 homicides across the state, the 

lowest rate in the past four decades. 

All of these were solved. 

‘Over the last 10 or so years, we’ve 

had an extraordinary success rate 

with the Homicide squad,’ Det Supt 

Wilkins says. ‘Since 2005, there are 

34 



could phyically see blood, and you 

might then get DNA analysis. Now, 

they swab areas where you can see 

nothing, and through microscopic 

analysis, we can get DNA profiles. 

‘The methodologies and technical 

capabilities of analysis has just blown 

us out of the water, so the way we do 

our business with the forensic people 

has totally changed. 

‘Obviously, with cold cases, the crime 

scene is no longer there,’ Det Supt 

Wilkins continues, ‘but we look at 

the exhibits that were taken from the 

crime scene, and we see how they 

have been analysed. 

“We’re trying to lie 21st century investigation 

strategies and forensic techniques across a 

1970s investigation.” 

only three outstanding homicides that 

are unsolved: two in 2009, and one in 

2010. The rest have been 100% clear 

up. 

‘Plus the three that are outstanding, 

we are certain we know who the 

offenders are. We are just working 

towards gathering sufficient evidence 

so we can actually charge them. So 

that’s very good in the last 10 years. 

‘We’re a statewide response, and 

we work in close conjunction with 

Regional detectives,’ he continues. 

‘The Regional detectives are always 

the first response to a homicide, and 

we provide them with additional 

support.’ 

PROJECT RECOGNITION 

The Cold Case team also does a lot 

of work with Regional detectives. At 

present, Det Sgt Gray is leading a 

project called Project Recognition, an 

in-depth examination of all the cold 

cases around the state, including all 

missing persons. 

The Project aims to gather all of the 

evidence from initial investigations, 

including statements and exhibits, 

and to create an electronic version of 

all cases on the IMAC system. 

NEW FORENSIC CAPABILITIES 

‘A critical part of that is looking at 

the forensic review of exhibits,’ Det 

Supt Wilkins explains. ‘Our forensic 

capability has significantly increased 

in the last 20 years, particularly in 

relation to DNA. DNA analysis is 

critical now at crime scenes. 

‘We’re not being critical in any way, 

shape, or form of investigators in 

the past, but 20 years ago, we may 

have spent 24 hours at a major crime 

scene. Today it’s not unusual for us to 

spend two weeks there, and we hold 

major crime scenes for two to three 

months. 

‘It’s all related to the ability of 

our people to gather evidence,’ 

he continues. ‘Twenty years ago, 

you’d go and swab areas where you 

‘We have a look at our current 

capabilities, and we meet with our 

colleagues in the forensic services 

branch and with Queensland Health 

scientists, to see if we can go forward 

with a re-analysis. 

‘We also look at what exactly was 

done, how thorough it was, and 

if there were any areas missed,’ 

he says. ‘We’re trying to lie 21st 

century investigation strategies and 

“The Cold Case team 

even organised a 

display at the Ekka, 

in an attempt to 

help jog memories.” 

forensic techniques across a 1970s 

investigation, and we will then go 

forward with an investigation if we 

think it has some sort of solvability 

about it.’ 

PATRICIA RIGGS 

For example, the Cold Case 

team recently determined the 

disappearance of Patricia Riggs 

in Rockhampton to be a case that 

could be solved. They conducted a 

review (including forensic) over a six 

month period, and a Crime Stoppers 

campaign was run. 



The Cold Case team even organised 

a display at the Ekka, in an attempt 

to help jog memories. It is one of 

the cases that the team is currently 

concentrating on in an effort to bring 

it to a successful conclusion. 

SOLVING BETTY’S MURDER 

At some point in the future, the 

murder of Betty Shanks may be 

chosen as one of the cases for the 

team to concentrate on. 

‘If we get information that we believe 

is going to be able to take us forward 

to solve Betty Shank’s murder, then 

we’ll do it,’ Det Supt Wilkins says, 

‘the same as we’re doing now for 

Patricia Riggs.’ 

All it may take is an anonymous call 

to Crime Stoppers, and anniversaries 

are often triggers that bring events 

back to focus for witnesses or 

others with vital information. If such 

information is received, and the 

Cold Case team believe they have 

discovered the identity of Betty’s 

killer, they can only hope there are 

appropriate witnesses and evidence 

that remain to prove their case in a 

court of law. 

“Anniversaries are 

often triggers that 

bring events back to 

focus for witnesses 

or others with vital 

information.” 

Even if Betty’s killer is found to be 

dead, the team would approach the 

Coroner with new evidence and 

request a Coronial Inquest. 

It is possible that with adequate 

new evidence, the Coroner may be 

able to make a finding as to who is 

responsible for Betty’s murder. 

‘So even if no-one is ever pinched, 

that’s the finding,’ says Det Supt 

Wilkins. ‘It would give something to 

the family and those who remember.’ 

Something indeed. It would give 

the city of Brisbane, and the state 

of Queensland, an answer to a 

mystery that caused widespread 

shock and sadness, and that forced 

an examination of attitudes and 

lifestyles. 

It would bring a certain sense 

of closure to a tragedy that had 

immeasurable repercussions in 1952, 

and that continues to intrigue, sixty 

years later. 

36 


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The Kokoda Challenge 


An Event Diary 

By Senior Sergeant Chris Tritton, Surfers Paradise DDO. Photos courtesy of Steve O’Keefe. 

If anyone is looking for a real challenge to add to the bucket list, 

this is the one for you. The Kokoda Challenge has just run its eighth 

year, and it has become known as Australia’s toughest endurance 

event. This year was labeled the toughest ever. 

The Challenge is conducted in the 

Gold Coast hinterland in honour of 

the troops who fought on the Kokoda 

Track in Papua New Guinea (PNG) 

during the Second World War. It is 

held on a weekend close to 15 July 

each year, because this is the date 

when Australian troops landed on the 

track in 1942. 

The Kokoda Challenge is 96 kilometers 

long (the same length as the actual 

Kokoda track), and teams are allowed 

39 hours to complete it, which 

symbolises the 39th Regiment who 

landed in PNG. 

The motto of the Kokoda Challenge 

is ‘mateship, endurance, courage, and 

sacrifice’, and these are the qualities 

you will require to finish. 

The event sees competitors trekking 

over 5,000 metres of vertical elevation 

across dense mountain trails (more 

than any other endurance event of 

its type in Australia), and includes 12 

creek crossings, with a few extra weir 

crossings thrown in if there’s heavy 

rainfall. 

To enter the Challenge, each team 

must raise at least $1,500, which 

goes towards at-risk youth as part 

of the Kokoda Kids Foundation. The 

identified youth are provided with 

leadership training and are then flown 

to PNG to take part in the actual lifechanging 

Kokoda track. 

“The feet need to 

be toughened and 

conditioned to handle 

96 kilometres of 

prune skin.” 

QPS CHALLENGERS 

The 2012 Kokoda Challenge attracted 

many competitors from the QPS, 

particularly from the SER, and all ranks 

from Constable to Superintendent 

were covered. This was my second 

year taking part, and I believe it is a 

little like childbirth (but having not 

actually taken part in childbirth, I 

guess I don’t really know). 

I think it’s similar in that during the 

event, you are crying out that you will 

never do it again, but once the pain has 

subsided, all you can remember are 

the good parts, and the urge is back. 

Teams are made up of four members 

of any combination: all men, all 

woman, corporate, families. Our 

team name, ‘The Chequered Band 

of Brothers’, reflected our policing 

background and honoured our soldiers 

past and present. 

Our team was made up of Senior 

Sergeant Craig McGrath (Gold Coast 

DDO), Senior Constable Cameron 

Bourke (Helicopter Support Unit), 

Rod Cornick (Warrant Officer Class 

One, Regimental Sergeant Major, 

Enoggera), and myself. 

Also taking part from the Gold Coast 

was Detective Superintendent Dave 

38 Queensland Police Union Journal August 2012


Hutchinson (SER Regional Crime 

Coordinator), the most senior police 

officer involved, and also the fittest. 

He was back for his seventh Kokoda 

Challenge as part of ‘Cops on the Run’. 

He unfortunately lost his regular 

teammates Detective Inspector Brian 

Swan and Detective Senior Sergeant 

Lincoln Macleod due to injury, but 

found other worthy replacements in 

the form of seasoned long distance 

runners from outside the job. 

An eight-time participant of the event 

is Senior Sergeant Ryan Clark (SER 

Regional Intel Coordinator). He has 

formed a well-drilled and heavilytrained 

team with his wife and two 

sisters, and over the years they have 

cut massive amounts of time off their 

previous best times. 

They are ‘Team Peelers’, and Ryan 

set the goal of becoming the fastest 

family in the event this year, because 

he narrowly missed out in 2011. 

Standing in his way was Inspector 

“You cannot assume that you can go for a few 

runs with the dog and be ready to tackle this 

beast.” 

Greg Baade (Gold Coast Major Events 

Planning Unit) and his wife Sergeant 

Linda Baade (Gold Coast PCYC) and 

two of their family members. 

Their team ‘Beat the Bah’ is also 

well-seasoned, having in the past 

completed several attempts at the 

Challenge. Greg and Linda have also 

completed the real Kokoda track in 

PNG with their son and daughter. 

There were many other QPS members 

in the event this year, and I apologise 

for not mentioning everyone. I will 

describe the Challenge from the point 

of view of a mediocre team, so any 

really fit people will know they will do 

it easy. 

PRE EVENT TRAINING 

Don’t underestimate The Challenge. 

You cannot assume that you can go for 

a few runs with the dog and be ready 

to tackle this beast. 

The event requires at least a few 

months of heavy, mountain-hiking 

training. Because the slower teams 

will compete all night in the dark, 

nightlight training is necessary to 

become used to handling rough 

terrain under torchlight. 

It is also necessary to become 

accustomed to exercising while 

fatigued because there is no sleeping 

during the event, and many teams will 

take over 24 hours to complete the 96 

kilometres. 

We spent most of our time training 

between February and late June, 

often hiking and running for six hours 

at a time. It is here that we started 

to discover the injuries and chafing 


39


The Mt Nimmel climb. 

issues that could potentially hold us up 

during the real event. 

A lesson from seasoned participants 

like S/Sgt Ryan Clark is ‘don’t try 

anything in the event that you haven’t 

tried in training’. 

This means any taping of toes, or 

any new shoes or equipment have to 

be experimented with, because the 

possible pain or discomfort of a new 

Hydration pack or shoes could be your 

downfall. 

Lots of people will read up and learn 

a new blister solution or old wives’ 

tale potion and will use them on the 

morning of the event. Because the 

body has not felt it before, it may 

reject it. The day of the event is not 

the time to be experiencing new and 

foreign pains. 

THANKS TO SPONSORS 

During our training regime, we set 

out to commence fundraising for the 

event to support the Kokoda Kids. 

We were very fortunate that some 

“We contemplate the time we have spent away 

from our families training, and then consider 

the real diggers who didn’t do this for fun.” 

fantastic Gold Coast companies came 

on board and donated great prizes that 

were auctioned off in a statewide QPS 

online auction. 

Some of the people we need to thank 

are Village Roadshow, The Heliwest 

Group, LE Gear, Statewide Salary 

Sacrificing, Australian Financial 

Advisors, Plant & Associates 

Accountants, McDonalds Cavill Mall, 

Timezone Surfers Paradise, and 

Mirage Boat Hire. Prior to starting 

the event, we had raised over $2,600, 

which was above our goal. 

Just after the event, the Kokoda Kids 

Foundation had raised over $888,000, 

with money still coming in. 

THE LEAD UP 

In the week leading up to the 

Challenge, we experienced continual 

rain for at least six days. We knew 

this was going to make the trails very 

muddy, and even harder to negotiate. 

Having done last year’s event in the 

rain, I knew what to expect, and that 

brought the nerves on. It meant that 

we could look forward to using at least 

50% more energy during the event 

than in the worst of our raining. 

The day before the event, the 

preparation starts with taping of toes 

and feet and consuming salt and antiinflammatory 

tablets. The car is packed 

with all the cooking equipment and 

supplies for the support team, and there 

is no more training that we can do. 

D-DAY 

On Saturday 14 July, it was an 

early rise at 4am to have some 

breaky and get to the starting point 

at Mudgeeraba. With over 3,000 

competitors, it is a busy place full of 

40 



nervous people wearing the same 

camel backs, hiking poles, and skins. 

This event must keep Anaconda and 

other sport stores in business for the 

year. 

“It is hilarious to 

watch the competitors 

in new shoes timidly 

tiptoeing over 

puddles, trying to 

keep their shoes 

clean. Little do they 

know what they will 

confront throughout 

the Challenge.” 

Chris Tritton, Craig McGrath, Rod Cornick, Cameron Bourke. 

We move off to the start line to the 

sounds of John William’s ‘True Blue’. 

The song induces goose bumps as we 

contemplate the time we had spent 

away from our families training, and 

then consider the real diggers who 

didn’t do this for fun. 

The final clincher before the start is 

a young man from Miami High who 

plays the last post on his trumpet. This 

silences the 3,000 competitors and 

huge crowd in attendance. At the end 

of the last post, a World War II digger 

reads the ode and at the end the crowd 

repeats his words: ‘We will remember 

them; lest we forget’. 

The crowd again breaks into a hive 

of built-up nervous tension and a 

quick stretching of quads and calves, 

because the starting gun is about to 

go off. We are away to the sounds of 

cheers and clapping. 

0 – 29.4KM 

The feeling in the group is one of 

excitement as we start along a 

bitumen road before moving into a 

suburban park which is boggy from 

the constant rain. 

It is hilarious to watch the competitors 

in new shoes timidly tiptoeing over 

puddles, trying to keep their shoes 

clean. Little do they know what 

they will confront throughout the 

Challenge. 

We make it to the first checkpoint, and 

this is where we enter the bushland 

for the first time. We head through 

Mudgeeraba forest, Austinville, and 

Mt Nimmel, which has some very high 

mountains. The mud is so thick on the 

mountains that it is sliding down like a 

lava river. 

Unfortunately, the thick, slippery mud 

causes Cameron to experience severe 

back pain in the form of spasms, 

related to pre-existing herniated disk 

issues. 

It is our goal to finish as a full team, 

but we can’t risk Cameron getting a 

permanent injury. We suspect he has 

no option but to withdraw. 

At the 29.4 kilometre mark, we come 

down into Polly’s Kitchen, a major 

checkpoint. This is where we are first 

fed by our support crew. 

We are in reasonably high spirits, 

but are feeling more fatigued than 

we should be due to the heavy mud. 

After taking more anti-inflammatories, 

Cameron’s back is no better, and he 

reluctantly withdraws from the event. 

29.4KM – ARMY LAND 

We say goodbye to Cameron and 

our support crew and head off for 

the next stage over Polly’s and to the 

Numinbah Environment Centre. 

“There is thick mud 

everywhere, so much 

so that it grabs hold of 

my walking pole and 

breaks it in half.” 

There is thick mud everywhere, so 

much so that it grabs hold of my 

walking pole and breaks it in half. It is 

just starting to get dark as we arrive, 

and we rely on headlamps until the 

morning. 

We now take on seven creek crossings 

where we are just over our knees in 

fast-running mountain water, but it is 

like putting ice on our sore toes and 

also a chance to wash the kilo or so 

of thick mud off our shoes, which has 

been adding extra weight. 

We arrive at Numinbah Hall for dinner 

with the support crew and at this point 

we are on our projected time schedule. 


41


It is back to the Environment Centre 

again for checkpoint 7, and then we 

are heading to the new (but already 

infamous) Army land that has just 

been included in the Kokoda Challenge 

this year. 

Many people who have trained on the 

Army land have spoken of how hard, 

steep, and muddy it is, and we are 

nervous about what we face. 

Sure enough, the land is consistently 

muddy, but we eventually reach the 

Army land major checkpoint where 

our nightshift support crew meet us 

for the first time. 

We are getting tired but think the Army 

land isn’t as bad as everyone had said. 

Little did we know that we hadn’t yet 

reached the main part. 

“Up until this point 

on the mountains, 

we have been 

completing each 

kilometre in 

11 to 12 minutes. 

This Army incline 

takes us 42 minutes 

to go one kilometre.” 

By this stage, it is about 11pm at night 

and after some warm soup, we head 

off on about 5km of dirt road, still 

thinking the worst is behind us. As we 

start to climb the Army land mountain, 

we realise it is a sheer incline that is 

relentless and covered in mud. 

Up until this point on the mountains, 

we have been completing each 

kilometre in 11 to 12 minutes. This 

Army incline takes us 42 minutes to go 

one kilometre. 

It is now we realise what everyone 

has been talking about, and all of a 

sudden we are behind our forecast 

schedule. We arrive at our Beechmont 

checkpoint around 2am. 

HELLFIRE PASS 

We have now been awake for almost 

24 hours, and we still have 30 

kilometres of the same terrain to go. 

We also know that Hellfire Pass is 

about to arrive, which is the steepest 

downhill of the event, and the thighs 

are starting to hurt. 

Just before taking on the descent of 

Hellfire Pass, we are so tired that I 

am actually falling asleep on my feet 

while walking. I never knew I could do 

this. Rod calls a stop to quickly fix up a 

blister forming on his little toe. 

I take the opportunity to lay down 

on the cold, rough road and within 

seconds I’m asleep. The other boys 

reckon I was snoring like an old 

whipper snipper straight away. Rod 

woke me a few minutes later, and it is 

amazing how much better I felt after a 

few minutes sleep. 

We take on Hellfire Pass and it is here 

on the steep, relentless downhill that 

I witness a competitor walking down 

the mountain backwards, to prevent 

his ITB (an inflammation above the 

knee) burning. 

I am in pain with sore toes, knees, and 

ankles, but I feel much better after 

seeing this guy. The descent continues 

for 40 minutes. We have now walked 

through 12 creek crossings and have 

very sore, pruney feet. 

“Just before taking 

on the descent of 

Hellfire Pass, we are 

so tired that I am 

actually falling asleep 

on my feet while 

walking.” 

ONLY A HALF MARATHON TO GO 

We come out at checkpoint 11 at about 

5.30am and see a 21 kilometres sign. 

We think this sounds alright: only a 

half marathon to go. 

However, we start to realise we are 

going to go over our 24 hour goal, 

which is disappointing. We then 

start our trek through a technical and 

annoying part of the terrain, the goat 

track. We feel so close, yet so far, from 

the finish line. 

We are over 80km into the track, and 

this is where the mental demons start 

to raise their heads. All excitement 

and enthusiasm is gone, and we are 

starting to get snappy (I know I am, 

anyway). 

“We start to realise 

we are going to go 

over our 24 hour 

goal, which is 

disappointing.” 

It is around this time that I start 

making threats about what I am going 

to do to the organiser for putting the 

Army land into the equation. 

We arrive at Nathanvale major 

checkpoint at around 7.30am and we 

are feeling very tired and generally 

numb. We are so close, though, so 

there is no way we are quitting. Only 

14 kilometres to go. 

THE HARD YARDS 

There is not much conversation from 

anyone now, and we are almost in 

a trance as we take on the Nerang 

state forest and a steep incline for the 

beginning of the last 10 kilometres. 

We are now passing many injured 

people who are limping along, and 

at this point the event is starting to 

look like the historic photos of the real 

Kokoda with injured soldiers. 

We continue on, determined that 

regardless of the pain, we won’t be 

pulling out, because we have got so far. 

In one last hideous joke from the 

organisers, we think we are almost at 

42 



the top ridge of Nerang forest, with 

just a steady decline to the finish line 

… but this year they have changed 

the route and we are sent back down 

the mountain towards where we had 

already been. 

Officially, ‘Chequered Band of 

Brothers’ has finished in 28hrs and 

7minutes. It is 11.11am, and we have 

gone well over our predicted finish. 

The new course and the mud had 

conquered us. 

“We are now passing many injured people who 

are limping along, and at this point the event is 

starting to look like the historic photos of the 

real Kokoda with injured soldiers.” 

Now I really start to abuse the 

organisers, but Rod stays optimistic 

and gives positive comments, which 

are the exact opposite of what I want to 

hear. The kilometres slowly run down 

on signs at two kilometre intervals. The 

distances just don’t seem right. 

THE END (ALMOST) IN SIGHT 

With one last checkpoint at four 

kilometres to go, we realise we still 

have an hour left because we have 

been walking an average of four 

kilometres per hour. But we can now 

hear the hum of the M1 motorway, 

and a bit of cheering and microphone 

noise from the finish line. 

Slowly, wry smiles start to appear 

on our faces and we pick up the pace 

again, despite the pain. The sooner we 

get there, the sooner we finish. 

Finally, with little notice, we are 

thrown out of the bush and onto a 

cycling track at the Nerang velodrome. 

We walk to the centre and can see the 

finish line, which is decorated with 

army camouflage netting. 

We can see hundreds of people, and 

with our tired, dazed eyes, it is hard 

to find any family. But all of a sudden, 

they are there. 

MADE IT! 

It is unbelievable how fast the pain 

drains away and is replaced with pride 

and achievement. We walk over to the 

final checkpoint and swipe our digital 

wristbands for the last time. 

We have a quick hug with family 

before they point out how much we 

smell. We are now back to earth. 

We are presented with certificates 

and dog tags to commemorate our 

achievement. 

There are two World War II diggers 

present to welcome us in, and 

suddenly our achievement feels 

insignificant compared to what they 

must have gone through. 

Not even a minute later, Craig walks 

up to me and says, ‘I’ll see you later. 

I’m out of here’. He must have been 

imagining the same shower and bed 

that I had been. After 28 hours, there 

is no point hanging around: we have 

spent enough time together. 

THE AFTERMATH 

At home, the shoes come off, and I 

examine the mess that used to be my 

feet. It doesn’t look pretty, and I know 

I am going to lose some toenails. 

Hopefully, it’ll be less than last year’s 

10 missing nails. 

In time, we hear about our other 

colleagues’ times, and realise we 

are not the only ones who found it 

harder this year. Best of everyone was 

Detective Superintendent Hutchinson, 

with a time of 17 hours and 41 minutes. 

To put it in perspective, that is a full 

shift and a few hours of overtime that 

he finished before us. 

We also learn of some seizures 

and serious medical situations that 

Keith Payne OAM, recipient of The Victoria Cross for 

Gallantry and Ambassador of the Kokoda Challenge. 

“There are two 

World War II diggers 

present to welcome 

us in, and suddenly 

our achievement feels 

insignificant compared 

to what they must 

have gone through.” 

occurred during the race for other 

teams. One member’s wife had to have 

her toe amputated, which is a fairly 

heavy price to pay for a charity event. 

GET INVOLVED! 

Although I seem to have highlighted 

the negatives, there is nothing more 

rewarding than knowing you have 

achieved something of this magnitude. 

It is the hardest thing I have ever done, 

but also one of the most satisfying. 

We are now tighter mates for what we 

have been through together. We know 

that no matter how much we describe 

it to others, they are never going to 


43


Trying to muster a smile at the Nathanvale checkpoint at 7:30am. 

Chris Tritton’s toes. 

“One member’s wife had to have her toe 

amputated, which is a fairly heavy price to pay 

for a charity event.” 

appreciate the difficulty, unless they 

actually do it themselves. 

So start to get ready and find a team. 

Registration is normally in February of 

each year, but you need to be quick as 

it books out on the same day. 

If you want more information, go to 

www.kokodachallenge.com, or if you 

want to look at some photos of the 

event, go to the official photographer 

Steve O’Keeffe’s web page at 

www.sokimages.com/kc2012 

44 


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NEW SOUTH WALES 

Police win workers’ comp victory 

New South Wales police officers have 

won an exemption from drastic changes 

to workers’ compensation laws recently 

passed by the state government. 

This exemption represents a critically 

important outcome for injured members. 

In April, the NSW government released 

an issues paper which proposed 

slashing entitlements to workers’ 

compensation. The government claimed 

that the existing Workers Compensation 

Scheme was broken. 

It proposed cutting weekly payments 

for injured workers, reducing the ability 

to claim for permanent impairment 

compensation, capping medical 

expenses, and removing the right 

to claim for injuries that occur while 

travelling to and from work (journey 

claims). 

The Police Association of NSW 

immediately swung into action. 

Police officers regularly deal with 

violent criminals and rowdy drunks, 

and consequently have a high risk of 

injury. Forty to sixty NSW police are 

totally and permanently incapacitated 

each year. Others suffer serious 

injuries which can require complex 

medical procedures and lengthy 

rehabilitation. 

Journey claims are critically important 

to police officers. Excessive travel is 

part of the job, whether in country or 

metropolitan commands, and police 

are often called to incidents at night. 

Additionally, police officers’ oath of 

office requires them to intervene in 

The NSW Police Association joined other Unions to protest against the proposed changes outside state 

parliament on a wet winter’s day. 

incidents when travelling to and from 

work. 

The Association prepared a 

comprehensive response to the 

government’s issues paper and on 

28 May appeared before the 

Parliamentary Joint Select Committee. 

Two injured members gave compelling 

evidence regarding their on-duty 

injuries and their arduous path to 

recovery. Association representatives 

strongly argued for retaining access 

to journey claims given the dangerous 

nature of police duties. 

In a major win, Police Minister 

Michael Gallacher has announced that 

police will be exempt from changes 

to the NSW Workers’ Compensation 

Scheme. 

The exemption was later extended to 

paramedics and fire fighters, after fire 

fighters went on strike for the first time 

in 56 years. 

Under the exemption, the benefits 

police have retained include: 

• No timeframe cap on weekly 

benefits 

• No cap on medical-related treatment 

• No minimum threshold for 

permanent impairment claims and 

the ability for multiple permanent 

impairment claims, as well as a pain 

and suffering claim 

• The ability to claim heart attacks 

and strokes under workers’ 

compensation 

• The ability to claim nervous shock 

for family members affected by an 

injured workers’ injury 

• Disease claims where employment 

was ‘a contributing factor’ 

• Appeals to the Workers 

Compensation Commission for 

any workers’ compensation matter 

affecting benefits. 

However, other public sector workers 

have not been as fortunate and their 

workers’ compensation benefits have 

been significantly reduced. 

46 


Nationwide 

POLICE ASSOCIATION 

OF VICTORIA 

Victorian budget: Police Association 

asks and receives … up to a point 

The Police Association scored more 

significant victories for members in 

the state budget delivered in May. 

In the wake of landmark wins on 

police numbers and wages in the 

past two years, the 2012-13 budget 

initiatives on law enforcement 

showed that the Victorian 

government has listened to the 

Association and its members on key 

issues. 

‘No group ever gets exactly what 

they want in a state budget, but 

we think it is a good result in tight 

economic conditions and shows the 

government remains committed 

to helping our members keep the 

community safe,’ said Assistant 

Secretary Bruce McKenzie. 

‘And for that, the government 

deserves great credit.’ 

The main item in the Association’s 

budget submission was for 

infrastructure upgrades at police 

stations across the state. 

The submission emphasised the 

importance of the Force complying 

with its occupational health and 

safety responsibilities as police 

stations became more crowded due 

to the recruitment of 1,700 new police 

and 940 protective service officers in 

the first term of government. 

In his budget speech, Treasurer Kim 

Wells declared, ‘The 2012-13 budget 

funds additional capital upgrades 

to accommodate these additional 

Victoria police personnel, supporting 

them in their vitally important work’. 

In a separate statement, the Minister 

for Police and Emergency Services, 

Peter Ryan, outlined $133 million 

in new infrastructure spending, 

including $56 million to upgrade 

or refurbish police stations and an 

additional $21.7 million to upgrade 

train stations to accommodate PSOs. 

As part of this spending commitment, 

about 100 police stations would be 

modified or renovated over two years, 

with the bulk of the money directed to 

stations in areas expected to gain the 

biggest influx of new members. 

Apart from the station upgrades, the 

government allocated an extra $54.6 

million for new and upgraded facilities 

to support the training needs of 

members. 

About half of this spending will go 

towards the Victoria Police Operational 

Tactics and Safety Training (OTST) 

complex in Essendon so that it will 

adequately cope with having to train 

the extra members being recruited 

over the next few years. 

The government allocated $13.6 million 

for a new police station and State 

Emergency Service combined facility 

at Waurn Ponds, and $6.27 million to 

build a new police station at Emerald. 

The Police Association hopes that 

these new police stations will be 

independently and adequately staffed 

and not have police officers deployed 

to them from nearby 24-hour police 

stations. 

Bruce said the main disappointment 

in the budget was that there were no 

specific commitments to provide more 

police vehicles and IT equipment for 

members. 

‘We will continue to press for these 

resources to keep our members 

safe and with access to basic 

communications and transport 

services required in our work,’ he said. 

Finally, the Association was also 

pleased with the government’s 

commitment to improve police 

monitoring of known sex offenders. 

In the Association’s budget 

submission, the government was 

warned that police resources to 

manage registered sex offenders 

were ‘grossly inadequate’ and that 

any delay in processing information 

and providing our members with 

the necessary support would result 

in vulnerable members of the 

community being placed at risk. 

In line with the Association’s request, 

the budget will provide an additional 

$8.8 million over four years to 

strengthen the oversight, monitoring, 

and management of registered sex 

offenders living in the community. 

Bruce said the Association would 

monitor the rollout of the new funding 

to check whether it was adequate. 

He said he would score the state budget 

8 out of 10. While the government was 

continuing to deliver on its community 

safety commitments and staffing 

promises, there are reservations 

when it comes to gaps on equipment 

improvements for the extra police. 

He said, ‘We will continue to press the 

government for resources to allow our 

members to be as professional and as 

safe as possible. And we should not 

forget that even with the promised 

extra police officers, Victoria will still 

be below the national average on 

police-population ratio.’ 

POLICE ASSOCIATION 

OF TASMANIA 

The sorry saga of the beanie 

Last time we checked (like this 

morning), Tassie gets mighty cold in 

winter, but don’t let that get in the way 

of common sense when it comes to the 

issue of warm gear for police officers 

who have to work in the icy cold, wet, 

and windy conditions. 

No, no, no, if the thermal beanie 

doesn’t look the part as far as ‘dress 

and appearance’ standards go, well 

then, boys and girls, you’ll just have to 

freeze. 

Sounds ridiculous, right? This is 

Tasmania: where our people work in 


Nationwide 

snow, sleet, ice, and downright icy, cold 

weather. 

Sadly, this is the case. The 

Commissioner is more concerned with 

how his people look than whether he 

has done enough to prevent risks to the 

health of members, and whether he has 

taken steps to minimise those risks. 

It really is a disgrace, and worse still, it 

is embarrassing. It is cringe worthy. 

But that’s the way it is here in chilly 

Tasmania. Our members have been 

wearing Ushanka Russian hats, their 

own thermal hats: you name it. If it is 

warm, they are wearing it. 

It all started with a country member 

working in the highlands (the one with 

the Ushanka Russian hat) deciding that 

it was high time he got a Taspol beanie. 

After all, other country stations had 

been issued with them in the past. 

But no, the Commissioner had 

determined that they were not to be 

issued any longer and those who had 

them could no longer wear them. The 

Commander’s response to the Police 

Association of Tasmania’s (PAT’s) query 

stated, ‘It is the Department position 

that we are not moving to beanies as 

a fourth headdress option. Beanies 

detract from the professionalism of 

the uniform, and from the feedback I 

have received, the baseball caps are 

providing more warmth for members 

than the white cap.’ 

Dear oh dear – baseball caps are 

warmer than the white dress cap! 

Indeed! And just how that is relevant in 

minus degree temperatures remains a 

mystery to us here at the PAT. 

So we do the right thing and try to 

talk sense with the Commissioners. In 

fact, we go to extraordinary lengths, 

because to us it seems beyond belief 

that the Commissioners could abrogate 

their OH&S responsibilities with such 

blatant disregard for their employee’s 

warmth, health, and comfort. 

It was to no avail. So the PAT wrote to 

Workplace Standards and requested 

their intervention. 

After many months of ongoing 

discussions where Tasmania Police 

remained firm in their views and 

the PAT continued to advocate their 

position, Workplace Standards issued 

an Order. 

The Order was issued on 7 June 2012. 

The correspondence addressed to 

Commissioner Darren Hine is just over 

three pages long and is detailed. 

The actual Order states: 

‘I direct you to immediately take 

all necessary steps to ensure 

that adequate thermal headwear 

is immediately available to any 

operational police officer who in the 

course of their duties is exposed 

to wet and windy conditions with 

temperatures under 4 degrees Celsius. 

For the purpose of this direction, 

“adequate thermal headwear” means 

headwear which provides protection 

to at least the standard of the beanies 

currently provided to marine and rescue 

services, search and rescue squads, 

and dive squads. I further direct you to 

provide me a written report within 14 

days of receiving this notice as to how 

you have complied with this direction.’ 

On being provided with a copy of 

the Order, the PAT wrote to Minister 

David O’Byrne (Minister for Police 

& Emergency Services), who is 

also the Minister for Workplace 

Relations (responsible for Workplace 

Standards), and requested that he 

act in accordance with his authority 

and responsibility under Section 7 of 

the Police Service Act and direct the 

Commissioner to comply with the 

legitimate and considered findings of 

Workplace Standards. 

The Minister has not yet replied to our 

correspondence. 

The Commissioner has appealed the 

Order. 

While this issue may appear to some 

to be minor or trivial, the principles 

behind this dispute are very important 

and go to occupational health and 

safety and duty of care. It is beyond us 

why we have had to pursue this issue 

to the nth degree. 

This has always been about preventing 

risks to the health of members and 

taking steps to minimise those risks. 

We see it as disappointing that dress 

and appearance standards have priority 

over an employer’s duty of care to their 

employee. 

NORTHERN TERRITORY POLICE 

ASSOCIATION 

NT Police Resource Efficiency Review 

The Chief Minister has announced that 

the Northern Territory government 

has committed to an independent 

‘Resource Efficiency Review’ of the NT 

Police Force. 

The government’s commitment to 

this review is the result of sustained 

pressure by our Association 

highlighting the resource demands 

faced by operational police officers 

across the Northern Territory. 

The review team will be seeking the 

views of operational police across the 

Territory on all resource issues. 

It is expected that the review will 

be finalised by December this year, 

and that a report of findings with 

recommendations will be presented to 

government at that time. 

It is likely the CLP will provide in 

principle support for the review, but 

irrespective of who wins the election in 

August, the final report should provide 

a road map for the future of resource 

management in our Force. 

Our Association worked closely with 

Mr O’Sullivan and Mr Forster in the 

2003 review, and they have again been 

appointed to conduct this review, along 

with former Australian Federal Police 

Commissioner Mr Mick Keelty. 

48 


Nationwide 

The Northern Territory Police 

Association welcomed the 

announcement by Chief Minister 

Paul Henderson that an independent 

resource efficiency review would be 

conducted. 

‘Our Association welcomes this 

long overdue announcement,’ NTPA 

President Vince Kelly said today. 

‘While this review is not as broad as 

we had hoped, it will go some way to 

alleviating serious issues of concern to 

our members in relation to resources. 

We can only hope it also brings some 

common sense back to the political 

debate about policing. 

‘Our Association maintains that the 

Federal and Territory governments’ 

funding agreements to meet remote 

policing needs is inadequate. 

‘This review should also focus on 

issues highlighted by CLP member Jon 

Elferink regarding the administrative 

burden placed on operational police. 

‘We are hopeful this review will receive 

the support of the CLP.’ 

‘Our Association looks forward to 

working closely with the review 

team and Commissioner McRoberts 

to improve the working lives of our 

operational members and to improve 

community safety’, he said. 

POLICE ASSOCIATION OF 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA 

Association to back member against 

assault claim 

Police Association member Constable 

Norman Hoy pleaded not guilty in the 

District Court last month to one count 

of aggravated assault. 

The prosecution case will be that after 

an alleged incident on 18 September 

2010, Constable Hoy assaulted petrol 

baron Yasser Shahin, who owns the On 

The Run petrol and cigarette chain. 

As reported in The Advertiser, Mr 

Shahin retained Michael Abbott QC 

to file a complaint with the Police 

Complaints Authority, which led to the 

criminal charge. 

Constable Hoy has the full support of 

the Police Association. The committee 

of management has carefully 

considered the circumstances of 

the case and has elected to fund the 

defence. 

It is evident that this matter has had a 

negative impact on not only Constable 

Hoy, but also his family. In the situation 

in which he found himself, he was 

acting in the line of duty. It is therefore 

disturbing that any charge, let alone 

one of assault, has been laid. 

Many members of the public, equally 

disturbed by this prosecution, have 

contacted the Police Association to 

offer not only moral but even financial 

support. 

And from other association members 

have come expressions of great 

dismay at the decision of the Director 

of Public Prosecutions to recommend 

the filing of this charge. Without doubt, 

all operational police will follow and 

scrutinize this case through intensely 

critical eyes. 

It serves to highlight, once again, 

the undeniable necessity of Police 

Association membership. The path 

of non-membership is trodden by the 

foolish, by those who at their peril 

underestimate the value of belonging 

to a Union which guarantees to be 

there, to stand up for, and to defend the 

individual and the collective. 

Country housing dispute 

The Association is presently before 

the Industrial Relations Commission 

regarding a dispute about the 

provision of government housing for 

police residing within 100km of the 

Adelaide GPO. 

The Association’s position is that all 

members who resided in governmentsubsidised 

housing before the 

announcement of the 100km policy 

should continue to receive their 

concessions. 

And the Association is lobbying the 

government to exempt the towns 

of Murray Bridge, Tailem Bend, and 

Mannum from the new policy, which 

does not provide government housing 

within 100km of Adelaide. 

That policy, especially for towns such 

as Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend, is 

short-sighted and makes a mockery of 

community policing. 

The government is well aware of the 

Association’s concerns, but has failed 

to respond to them. Indeed, the Crown 

has briefed counsel to argue for the 

government position. 

In failing to providing housing in 

townships such as Murray Bridge, 

police will choose (and have done so) 

to reside outside of the town, in areas 

such as Mt Barker and Strathalbyn. 

Over time, fewer police will live in the 

township in which they work. 

The association firmly believes that 

this is a poor result for police service 

delivery in local communities. 

Association secretary Andrew Dunn 

will meet with the Council for the 

Rural City of Murray Bridge to brief 

it on the government’s position, and 

how that position will impact on its 

community. 

POLICE FEDERATION OF 

AUSTRALIA 

Federal budget strips 

funding for crime prevention 

In the 2012-13 Federal budget, the 

government announced that it ‘will 

defer payments from the Confiscated 

Assets Account made under section 

298 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 

2002.’ 

The Budget forecasts that this will 

lead to ‘savings of $58.3 million over 

four years’, which ‘will be redirected to 

support other government priorities’. 


Nationwide 

As a result, the Police Federation of 

Australia (PFA) has written to and been 

lobbying the government, expressing 

concern about such a decision. 

It appears to be in complete 

contravention of the commitment given 

to the PFA by the government in the 

lead up to the 2010 Federal election 

in response to our proposal for an 

Australian Crime Prevention Program. 

Currently, payments from the 

Confiscated Assets Account under 

the Proceeds of Crime Act provide 

significant opportunities for community 

programs and innovation in crime 

prevention and law enforcement, 

both of which assist Australia’s police 

considerably. 

Payments under the scheme have 

previously been made for valuable 

government projects such as: 

• A scoping study into The 

Automated Number Plate 

Recognition project 

• Studies into The Minimum 

Nationwide Person Profile (MNPP) 

Project 

• The Sentinel Strategy 

• The Enhanced National 

Intelligence Picture on Illicit Drugs 

(ENIPID) 

• The Enhanced IT Intelligence 

Functionality (Project Walshingham) 

It has also injected much-needed 

funding into community programs 

that seek to address the root causes of 

crime and drug dependency, such as: 

• Supported accommodation 

centres for drug rehabilitation 

• Recreation and life skills programs 

for at-risk youth 

• Centres and activities that 

facilitate positive relationships 

between certain sections of the 

community and the police that 

interact with them 

These valuable opportunities for 

innovation and community programs 

would likely not have been possible 

without the funding from the 

Confiscated Assets Account, and 

would be neglected were it not for 

s298 of the Proceeds of Crime Act. 

In our correspondence and 

lobbying, the PFA strongly urged the 

government to allow the community 

to continue to benefit from these 

initiatives, by continuing payments 

under s298 of the Proceeds of Crime 

Act. 

In addition, we argued that the 

Proceeds of Crime Act has an 

increasingly significant role in the 

fight against serious organised crime, 

and therefore believe that the amount 

of assets that will be confiscated in 

the future will increase. 

Given that sections 297 and 298 of 

the Proceeds of Crime Act only allow 

payments from the Confiscated 

Assets Account for a limited number 

of purposes, we have asked the 

government how they intend to 

achieve the redirection of payments 

from the Confiscated Assets Account 

‘to support other government 

priorities’. 

Section 297 limits payment from the 

account to payments for equitable 

sharing programs, other forfeiture 

orders, payments to the Official 

Trustee, and satisfying court orders, 

and payments under s298 are also 

limited to the sorts of initiatives 

outlined above. 

Therefore the redirecting of s298 

payments to other government 

priorities would require legislative 

amendment. If legislative amendment 

is required, we have advised the 

government the PFA will strongly 

oppose it. 

The PFA believes that the only 

appropriate use of the funds 

confiscated from criminal activity 

is crime prevention and law 

enforcement. Money seized 

from drug traffickers and money 

launderers should not be used to fill 

government coffers. 

Money seized from drug traffickers 

and money launderers should be 

used to stop further drug trafficking 

and money laundering. It is in 

the interests of justice and the 

community that money confiscated 

from criminal activity is used to 

prevent further criminal activity. 

The PFA argues that assets taken 

from those who have wrongfully 

obtained them should be reinvested 

in crime prevention. 

There is something very fitting about 

proceeds of crime being used to 

prevent crime. Such a process has a 

circularity that is both morally and 

poetically just. 

We have therefore urged the 

government to reverse the decision 

to defer payments under s298 of the 

Proceeds of Crime Act. 

50 


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Day in the Life of Lorraine Van Dulken 

Day in the Life of Lorraine Van 

Dulken, Cairns Watchhouse Officer 

By Andrea Appleton 

Lorraine Van Dulken likes to be busy, which is rather fortunate 

given her role in the bustling Cairns Watchhouse. Lorraine relies 

on a wealth of experience, organisational skills, and instinctive 

observation to get her through the really busy periods in the 

Watchhouse, yet she is thankful when there is a little extra time 

to talk to individual prisoners. 

‘Sometimes, a prisoner 

will thank me for listening to them, 

and that makes my day,’ she says. 

When Lorraine first applied for a job 

as a Watchhouse officer in Brisbane 

City in 1999, she had considerable 

“You’re observing 

prisoners all the 

time, consciously and 

unconsciously.” 

Before she knew it, she had sold 

her house in London, relocated to 

Brisbane, and accepted a job as a 

Correctional Officer for Correctional 

Services. 

Lorraine worked for two and a half 

years as a Correctional Officer at the 

Wacol Correctional Centre, and then 

she was promoted to an Operational 

Senior. 

‘Wacol consists of 400 male 

prisoners, and as an Operational 

Senior, I was sort of in charge of 

running the jail,’ Lorraine says. ‘I had 

to organise the men’s movement, 

prisoners could hit harder and they 

didn’t want to stay in the playground: 

they wanted to escape. But they all 

need schooling and training, and they 

all need your support. It was very 

similar in that way.’ 

Though Lorraine thoroughly enjoyed 

her job with Corrective Services, she 

found her 12 hour shifts turning into 

16 hours of work a day, including 

handovers and travel time. 

Her lifestyle was suffering, and she 

decided to change to a position as a 

Watchhouse Officer in Brisbane City, 

because it consisted of eight hour 

experience from previous roles with 

Corrective Services, and also from 

her time working with Save the 

Children in the UK. 

Originally from England herself, 

Lorraine worked with families in a 

disadvantaged area of east London, 

and she also volunteered as a youth 

worker, dealing with violent and 

abused teenagers. 

In 1995, Lorraine considered 

emigrating to Australia with her two 

children. She didn’t have a job and 

didn’t know anyone, but she thought 

the move would be both a great 

opportunity and a great challenge. 

“My previous experience saw me running a 

family centre and I found it not much different, 

except the prisoners could hit harder and they 

didn’t want to stay in the playground.” 

transport, and security. I liaised 

with counsellors, worked out the 

educational areas, and was involved 

in the day-to-day running of the jail. 

‘My previous experience with Save the 

Children Fund as a family coordinator 

saw me running a family centre, and I 

found it not much different, except the 

shifts. She felt confident in her new 

role, because she felt her job as a 

Correctional Officer had been similar. 

‘The basic needs prisoners have are 

the same, but in the Watchhouse, you 

have to find their needs,’ Lorraine 

says. ‘Both roles are about managing 

prisoners, but there is a difference. 

52 



Lorraine is awarded her QPSM for 10 years’ service. 

‘When you get prisoners at the jail, 

they’ve been settled, and you know 

exactly what’s wrong with them in the 

medical sense. You know exactly what 

their needs will be, and they’ve been 

sentenced, or remanded in custody: 

they know what’s happening to them. 

‘In the Watchhouse, they’re raw,’ she 

says. ‘They are just off the street, 

they’ve had alcohol, or they’ve 

bought drugs, and you know nothing 

about their history on the whole. 

Some are repeat offenders, but most 

of them you know nothing about. So 

that’s the difference.’ 

Lorraine worked at the Brisbane 

City Watchhouse until 2008, when 

her husband was transferred to an 

Army unit in Cairns. She applied for a 

new position as a senior Watchouse 

Officer at the Cairns Watchhouse, and 

has worked there ever since. 

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOUR ROLE? 

‘I believe my role is to process, 

supervise, and care for prisoners 

in a secure and safe environment,’ 

Lorraine says. 

‘It can be difficult considering some of 

the offenders can be highly suicidal, 

mentally unstable, or extremely 

violent. You can also have people 

with numerous medical conditions 

“Sometimes, a 

prisoner will thank me 

for listening to them, 

and that makes 

my day.” 

and possible contagious diseases, 

and a high proportion are drug and 

alcohol affected or dependent. 

‘Watchhouse officers need to have 

good management skills, and need 

to be very organised,’ Lorraine says. 

‘You have to give prisoners showers, 

breakfast, and medication, and 

organise legal and other agency visits, 

all before court has started for the day. 

‘At the same time, you’re arranging 

the movement of prisoners to the jail, 

and you have to deal with any fresh 

arrests and DNA ... it’s busy.’ 

‘You really have to be on the ball,’ 

Lorraine continues. ‘You have to be 

aware of a prisoner’s demeanour, and 

take note of any changes. They might 

be sentenced, so depression may set 

in, and that increases the risks. 

‘You have to do something about 

it, even just go up and talk to them, 

ask them if they’re ok, ask them how 

they’re feeling and what’s worrying 

them, and put them on monitor 

if there are any concerns. You’re 

observing prisoners all the time, 

consciously and unconsciously.’ 

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR 

JOB? 

As well as enjoying the constant 

activity at the Watchhouse, Lorraine 

likes the variety of her role. ‘You’re 

not just doing one role, day after 

day after day,’ she says. ‘You’re 



processing prisoners, looking out 

for them, and you can be doing the 

medication side of it as well. 

‘I’ve learnt a lot about people with 

diabetes, taking blood sugar levels, 

and the use of insulin, so working 

closely with the medical staff here to 

gain that information is interesting. 

‘I also like to be able to use my skills 

in sign language,’ Lorraine continues. 

‘We have quite a few deaf repeat 

offenders, and sometimes they’re 

willing to be a bit more open with me, 

because I know their language.’ 

For Lorraine, the ability to implement 

changes within her workplace has 

also been important. 

‘I’m not a big vocal person, and I’m 

not management here,’ she explains, 

‘but you can still undertake good 

management in doing the right 

thing. Perhaps if an area needs to be 

addressed, you address it yourself, 

and then people will follow. I have put 

some things into practice, so that’s 

satisfying.’ 

One other aspect that has come to 

amuse Lorraine is being referred to 

as an elder, or as ‘aunty’. 

‘When I first came to Cairns, I was 

sometimes called an elder or an aunty 

by the prisoners. I thought they were 

relating to my age, and I took offence. 

‘They’d say “I’m not talking to him or 

her, I want to talk to the elder”. They’d 

be pointing at me, and I took it as an 

insult, until someone informed me 

that this is a sign of respect. So at 

first I disliked it, but now I like it.’ 

WHAT DO YOU NOT LIKE ABOUT IT? 

‘I suppose it can be a thankless 

job sometimes,’ Lorraine admits. 

‘You tend to be overlooked, and 

sometimes you can think “they don’t 

even know I’m here”. 

‘But you can come in to work one day 

and a prisoner might say, “I apologise 

“We have quite a few deaf repeat offenders, and 

sometimes they’re willing to be a bit more open 

with me, because I know their language.” 

for the way I spoke to you the other 

day, I really didn’t mean to”, or “I 

know I was talking a load of rot, miss, 

but it’s nice that you had the time to 

listen to me”. So that’s the thanks I 

get. 

‘We also never, ever leave the 

Watchhouse!’ Lorraine says. ‘I feel 

as though I’ve done a sentence 

sometimes! We don’t do escorts or 

anything outside the Watchhouse, 

because we haven’t got powers. 

‘When I was employed, the range of 

duties described was more varied, 

and some of those duties have never 

eventuated. They haven’t got the 

legislation passed, so it’s the police 

or Correctional Officers who do the 

transports. 

‘I have thought of becoming a police 

officer, and maybe in hindsight when 

I changed over from Corrective 

Services, I should have,’ Lorraine 

continues. 

‘But I thought I was old then! I’ve 

done my time now, and I’ve seen a lot 

of change. I’ve implemented a lot of 

that change within the areas that I’ve 

worked, and so I have no regrets.’ 

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR STICKIEST 

SITUATION? 

Lorraine admits she hasn’t been 

involved in too many sticky 

situations, because she has tended to 

settle prisoners before they get out of 

hand. 

‘But something happened not too long 

ago, when I asked a prisoner to get up 

one morning,’ she says. ‘He refused 

to get up, I had a chat with him, and I 

eventually told him he’d be getting up 

whether he wanted to or not. 

‘He did proceed to get up, and it was 

only then that I realised he was a 

very big bloke. He must have been 

on steroids. I walked out of the cell, 

and my colleague, a male officer, was 

walking behind him. 

54 



‘The next thing I knew, it was full 

on, ‘Lorraine says. ‘He grabbed 

my colleague round the neck 

and I thought he was going to be 

pulverised. I knew I wouldn’t have the 

strength to put him in a wrist lock, 

because his arms were bigger than 

my legs, so I wrapped my legs around 

his legs and tried to pull on his arm. 

He pulled his arm around with me 

hanging on it and we were looking 

squarely face-to-face, and he said, 

“You can’t do nothing, miss”. 

“I knew I wouldn’t 

have the strength to 

put him in a wrist 

lock, because his 

arms were bigger 

than my legs.” 

‘I thought to myself, “Wanna bet?”, 

and I had to deploy the spray,’ 

Lorraine says, ‘That’s the first time 

I’ve ever used spray in all the years 

I’ve worked; I’ve normally been able 

to contain the situation, or restrain 

them, or talk them down. But we 

managed to cuff him and we gave 

him after care and everything. 

‘I’ve never been frightened,’ Lorraine 

continues, ‘I don’t know if it’s just 

my nature. The only fear I had was 

that my colleague was going to be 

seriously injured, and I was going 

to do anything possible to stop that 

happening. 

‘I did meet the prisoner again, 

because he was charged and he had 

to come back to the Watchhouse,’ 

Lorraine says. ‘He had completely 

changed his behaviour, and he 

apologised to me.’ 

WHEN YOU’RE NOT AT WORK, WHAT 

ARE YOU DOING? 

‘I’ve just got another dog, a red cattle 

dog puppy,’ Lorraine says, ‘so she 

keeps me busy. I have to take her out 

every day because she’s a working 

dog and she needs exercise. 

‘Sometimes when I can marry up with 

my husband’s time off, we like to go 

camping,’ Lorraine continues, ‘and 

basically my next goal is planning a 

camping trip around Australia when 

I retire. We might even sell up and 

just go.’ 

‘I absolutely love Australia,’ Lorraine 

says. ‘You have a beautiful lifestyle, 

and I think the people are very 

honest. When I first thought about 

coming here, I didn’t know anyone, 

and everyone thought I was mad. But 

I love the openness of Australians. 

“A spade is a spade. 

I like that kind 

of talk.” 

‘I think it’s becoming more like 

England, though, which is a real 

shame,’ she says. ‘People are 

becoming more afraid to say things. 

Once you start telling people what 

they can and can’t say, it goes 

underground and it’s all whispers, 

and that’s when people find it more 

offensive. 

‘So that’s what I like about Australia,’ 

Lorraine says. ‘You can say what you 

think, and still be professional. Here, 

a spade is a spade. I like that kind of 

talk.’ 


Police Recipes 

Police Recipes 

BALSAMIC AND TOMATO 

ROAST CHICKEN 

If you’re planning a dinner party, this 

recipe is an easy way to impress your 

friends. 

It takes almost no time to prepare, 

but the homely smell of roast chicken 

combined with a modern balsamic 

twist will have your friends thinking 

you are domestic deity in no time. 

Delicious served on a bed of potato 

mash with a side of greens, this 

chicken can also be coupled with 

other favourite side dishes. 

Warning: after serving this dish once, 

be prepared for a flood of RSVPs to 

your next dinner party! 

What do I need? 

• 4 thick slices eggplant, cut 

lengthwise 

• 4 chicken breasts 

• 400g can of tomatoes 

• 2 tablespoons salted capers 

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar 

• ¼ cup basil leaves to garnish 

What do I do? 

1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees. 

2) Place eggplant in bottom of baking 

dish and top each slice with a 

chicken breast. 

3) Combine tomatoes, capers, 

balsamic vinegar, oil, and sugar. 

4) Spread mixture over chicken and 

eggplant. 

5) Bake for 45 minutes, or until 

eggplant is soft. 

6) Top with basil leaves to serve. 

TIP: Soak eggplant in water for 30 

minutes before baking to ensure it 

softens. 

Recipe source: Donna Hay in Off the 

Shelf 

Do you have a favourite recipe that you’d like to share with members? 

E-mail us at journal@qpu.asn.au 

56 


Police Living 

Police Living 

GUIDE 6501 CPN GLOVES 

If you’re in the market for a new pair of gloves, you should have a look at the new Guide pair that 

was recently awarded 1st runner up in the Best New Product category at the Security Exhibition and 

Conference in Sydney (behind an inexpensive security camera system). 

These gloves are designed specifically for police and defence, and are made of high quality leather 

with pre-shaped seams and a tight index finger for both comfort and flexibility. 

Alycore technology on the inside of the hand and around the fingertips protects from the risk of cuts 

and puncturing by sharp objects and hypodermic needles, and the Kevlar-reinforced lining on the 

back of the hand provides extra heat protection. 

There are so many features and technological materials packed into these gloves that your chance of 

injury is minimal, even when high-fiving your mates. 

GLOVE FEATURES: 

• Patent-pending technology 

• Unique level of protection 

against cuts, needles, and 

puncture 

• Flame retardant leather 

• Waterproof and breathable 

material on palm and back of 

hand 

• Kelvar lining for extra heat 

protection 

• Ergonomic design 

• Flexible 

• Comfortable to wear 

Got a photo of yourself that deserves a high five? Have you caught a big fish, 

embarked on an adventure, or fashioned something out of wood in your shed? We 

have a $50 BCF voucher up for grabs for our favourite photo, so send your pictures 

to us at journal@qpu.asn.au, and you might see yourself in the next Journal. 


K9 COPS - Police Dogs of the World 

Book Review - K9 COPS 

Police Dogs of the World 

By Andrea Appleton 

Have you ever wondered why German shepherds are sometimes 

called Alsatians? It’s because these dogs have been used by British 

Bobbies since World War I, and the Bobbies preferred the latter 

name because of anti-German sentiment at the time. 

Can you guess the more obscure 

breeds of dogs used for international 

law enforcement? How about boxers, 

spaniels, and ... chihuahuas? 

Yes, that’s right: from a potential pool 

of 70 dogs, a long-haired chihuahua 

named Momo (Japanese for peach) 

was one of 32 dogs that passed a 

search and rescue test in western 

Japan. It is hoped Momo will be of 

special benefit in rescue operations, 

because she will be able to squeeze 

into areas too small for usual search 

and rescue dogs. 

These are merely two insights gained 

from a quick flip through Nigel 

Allsopp’s new book, and flip is what 

you’ll want to do when you first get 

your hands on it! 

Packed full of photos of police dogs 

in action around the world, as well as 

countless heartwarming anecdotes of 

bravery and unwavering loyalty, it’s 

hard to resist these fascinating titbits. 

But once you’ve flipped back to the 

beginning, you’ll realise the whole 

book provides interesting information 

about police dogs, and their 

important role in law enforcement. 

K9 Cops explores the history and 

current use of police dogs, from 

humble beginnings as guard dogs 

and companions. 

Their early use was not always a 

success, such as in 1888 when the 

Commissioner of the Metropolitan 

Police in London deployed two 

bloodhounds in the hope they would 

help track down Jack the Ripper. 

Instead, one of the dogs bit the 

Commissioner, and they both ran 

away, requiring a police search to find 

them. 

Nowadays, police dogs are an 

indispensible part of modern policing, 

and K9 Cops examines their use in 

a wide range of specialist policing 

activities, from tracking and riot 

control to explosives detection and 

border protection. The book also 

includes an A – Z section of police 

canine units in 47 countries. 

Nigel Allsopp is a world authority on 

canines. He spent 15 years working 

as a dog handler in the Royal New 

Zealand Air Force Police before 

emigrating to Australia, where he 

has trained personnel from customs, 

corrective services, and federal 

aviation security in the use of 

specialist dogs. He is now a Senior 

Constable in the QPS dog squad, 

working with firearms and explosives 

detection dogs. 

Snr Const Allsopp thinks the future is 

bright for police dogs, because there 

is no sign of any technology that 

can match their wide-reaching law 

enforcement capabilities. 

‘What machine can jump a two metre 

ditch, climb or jump over a three 

metre wall, swim across a water 

obstacle, and hold a suspect until you 

arrive?’ he asks. He relays a US police 

Nigel Allsopp 

Big Sky Publishing 

Sydney, 2012 

RRP: $29.99 

dog saying, that if a member of the 

public is in trouble, they call 911, and 

if a cop is in trouble, they call the dog 

unit. 

This book is for any officer who has 

ever been relieved when the dog 

squad showed up, and for anyone 

who enjoys heartwarming tales of the 

heroics of man’s best friend. 

K9 Cops is available from ABC stores 

or direct from Big Sky Publishing. 

Nigel has also given a copy to the 

Police Academy Library. 

58 


From the Archives 

From the Archives 

PRESENTATION OF MEDALS, 1909 

A presentation of Imperial Service Medals to nine ex-members of the Queensland Police Force by his Excellency the Governor 

in April 1909. The uniformed men wearing white helmets are members of the Queensland Police Force. The two storey 

building on the right is today Hotel LA on the corner of Caxton Street and Petrie Terrace, Brisbane. 

Source: John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Neg: 43895 

Each month we will print a photo from the archives to 

showcase the history of the Queensland police service. 

We are always on the lookout for any old policing photos, 

so please send in any you may have. 


Out and About 

Out and About 

MATER LITTLE MIRACLES WALK 

Ian Leavers with Terry Armstrong (on Ian’s left) and other walkers about 

to depart on their 200k walk from Jimboomba police station. 

ADOPT-A-COP DAY AT SURFERS PARADISE STATE SCHOOL 

Consts Tracy Godwin and Debbie Pokai (organisers of the day) answer questions 

from excited children. 

Snr Consts Natasha Anthony and Mark Lister of the Mounted Police 

introduce their horses to wary children. 

Snr Const Damian Hill shows off the mobile command post. 

60 


The children meet a very large member of the dog squad.

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85 YEARS AND BEYOND 


Ipswich Detectives and Support Staff Celebrate 

By Ken Martin, Crime Stoppers Chairperson 

They came from far and wide. Some hadn’t seen each other for 

30 years, and though age had taken its toll, recognition brought 

instant smiles as hands were shaken and old memories relived. 

It was a case of the new breed and 

the old brigade coming together for 

a wonderful day as 130 current and 

former Ipswich detectives and support 

staff celebrated 85 years of service to 

the community. 

The venue was the Ipswich Turf Club 

at Bundamba and it had been suitably 

decorated with photographs and 

memorabilia both past and present, 

while a DVD also covering the old and 

the new was played onto two large 

screens. 

Guest speakers were retired Assistant 

Commissioner Terry McMahon QPM, 

Mayor of Ipswich Paul Pisasale, 

Assistant Commissioner Paul Wilson 

APM, and Commissioner Bob Atkinson 

APM. Acting Superintendent Lew 

Strohfeldt was MC for the day. 

Mr McMahon gave an overview of CIB 

operational activities in bygone years 

and related to events when he was the 

Detective Senior Sergeant in charge of 

the Ipswich CIB and JAB. 

He commented that in those days, 

DNA were simply three letters of the 

alphabet, and that mobile phones and 

computers were still in embryonic 

stages. The insight he provided into 

policing in the past was well received. 

Assistant Commissioner Paul Wilson 

spoke on the many feats achieved by 

members of the Ipswich community 

and acknowledged the excellent work 

Current Ipswich CIB staff with the plaque presented to Ipswich CIB by Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale. 

“One hundred and thirty current and former 

Ipswich detectives and support staff celebrated 

85 years of service to the community.” 

undertaken both in the past and by the 

current detectives and support staff. 

Mayor Paul Pisasale thanked the 

assembly on behalf of the community 

of Ipswich for their contribution in 

making Ipswich one of the safest 

communities in Queensland. He 

presented Detective Sergeant Gary 

Dixon, Officer in Charge of the Ipswich 

CIB, with a plaque on behalf of the 

Ipswich City Council. 

Commissioner Atkinson acknowledged 

and thanked both past and present 

staff for their contribution to policing, 

and stated that the Ipswich CIB had 

created a culture of excellent team 

work and reliability over many years, 

resulting in the development of fine 

detectives. 

The Commissioner presented the first 

female detective in Ipswich, Noylene 

Milne, with her Queensland Police 

Service Medal. Noylene had spent six 

years in the Ipswich CIB, which she 

described as ‘a wonderful six years’. 

And call it fate or call it coincidence: 

the celebration luncheon was held 

on 2 August, and due recognition 

62 



Current Ipswich CIB staff PCSC Max Gardener, PCC Steve Williamson, and 

Det Sgt Dan Morgan. 

Retired support staff Mr Jim Curley, retired Assistant Commissioner Roly 

Dargusch, and retired detective Mr John Hawkins. 

was given to Alfred Mairs, the first 

detective to serve in Ipswich in 1927. 

Mairs was born in Carrickneady, 

County Mayo, Ireland, on 24 August 

1892. 

Also on 2 August, a niece of Alfred 

Mairs living in South Wales, UK, 

googled the name ‘Mairs’ and 

‘Carrickneady’. A self-confessed 

genealogist, Sheila Arthur said, 

‘up popped an article from the 

Queensland Times’, providing details 

of the celebratory function. After 

further googling, she located a similar 

article in the Queensland Police Union 

Journal. 

Mrs Arthur made contact with the 

Yamanto police station and has now 

been sent a copy of the function’s 

celebratory booklet for her archives. 

As a footnote, she added that Richard 

J Mairs, a nephew of Alfred, is still 

residing in the home in Carrickneady 

where Alfred was born. 

Commissioner Atkinson presenting Ipswich District’s first female detective Noylene Milne with her QPSM. 

Retired Assistant Commissioners Don Mercer and Graham Williams, retired Chief 

Superintendent Ken Morris, and Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon. 

Retired detectives Frank Hannan and Terry Channells. 


Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games 

Australasian Police and 

Emergency Services Games 

The 2014 Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games 

will be held in Melbourne on 19-24 April 2014. 

The Games will provide the 

opportunity for all members to 

participate as competitors or 

volunteers in a wide range of sports 

that will bring several thousand 

competitors, family members, 

organisers, and support people to 

Victoria. 

Competition is in open and age-graded 

categories, catering for all levels of 

ability. 

GAMES ELIGIBILITY 

All employees, registered volunteers, 

and retired personnel from eligible 

police and emergency service 

agencies from throughout Australasia 

are eligible to compete. 

A full list of eligible agencies is 

available on the Games website: 

www.apandesgames.com.au 

Note: Eligibility to participate in the 

Australasian Police and Emergency 

Services Games is at the discretion 

of the Australia & New Zealand Police 

Games Federation. 

PROPOSED SPORTS 

• Angling Fresh Water 

• Angling Salt Water 

• Aquathon 

• Archery Field 

• Archery Target 

• Badminton 

• Basketball 

• Box Tag 

• Cricket Indoor 

• Cricket 20/20 

• Cross Country 

• Cycling 

• Darts 

• Dragon Boats 

• Duathlon 

• Equestrian 

• Golf 

• Half Marathon 

• Hockey Field 

• Lawn Bowls 

• Mountain Bikes 

• Netball 

• Petanque 

• Road Race 

• Rowing Indoor 

• Rugby 7s 

• Shooting Large Bore 

• Shooting Small Bore 

• Shooting Trap 

• Shooting Skeet 

• Shooting Sporting Clays 

• Shooting Pistol 

• Snooker 

• Soccer Field 

• Soccer Indoor 

• Squash 

• Stair Race 

• Surfing 

• Swimming Open Water 

• Swimming Pool 

• Table Tennis 

• Ten Pin Bowling 

• Touch Rugby 

• Toughest Competitor 

• Track and Field 

• Triathlon 

• Tug of War 

• Volleyball Beach 

• Volleyball Indoor 

• X-Terra Duathlon 


Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games 

MESSAGE FROM THE GAMES 

MANAGER 

I am delighted to invite competitors 

from all eligible Police and Emergency 

Service agencies from throughout 

Australasia to the Melbourne 2014 

Australasian Police and Emergency 

Services Games to be conducted 

between 19-24 April 2014. 

It is our mission to use the best 

available sporting venues for the 50 

plus sporting disciplines on offer, 

and to provide a social environment 

to perpetuate the tradition of friendly 

competition and inter-agency 

camaraderie. 

We are excited about the opportunity 

to provide competitors and their 

accompanying family members and 

friends with not only an excellent 

sporting experience but also an 

outstanding cultural, social, and 

tourism experience, taking in all that 

the City of Melbourne and Regional 

Victoria have on offer. We want the 

Melbourne 2014 Games to be an 

experience not to be missed. 

Danny Bodycoat APM 

Inspector 

Manager – Melbourne 2014 Games 

For more information visit the 

Melbourne 2014 website at 

www.apandesgames.com.au 

Q Invest is wholly owned by 

QSuper Limited (ABN 50 125 248 286). 


New cars 

for less 

right here. 

Get a free quote now. Visit our website and click on 

Novated Car Leasing. 

www.qld.smartsalary.com.au 

Salary packaging and Novated leasing are only available to eligible employees of the Queensland Government as per the Queensland Government 

salary packaging arrangement QGCPO 250/10. Actual savings will vary depending on your income tax bracket and your personal circumstances. 

The Queensland Government strongly recommends that Financial Advice is obtained prior to entering into a Salary Packaging Arrangement and that 

employees read the Queensland Government Motor Vehicle and Novated Leasing Information Booklet and Fact Form available via the Queensland 

Contracts Directory (QCD) at http://qcd.govnet.qld.gov.au/Pages/Details.aspx?RecID=839.

Letters to the Editor 

Letters to the Editor should be no longer than 400 words if possible and sent to: (Letters may be edited for length and clarity.) 

PO Box 13008 George Street, Brisbane Qld 4003 Fax: 07 3259 1996 or Email: journal@qpu.asn.au 

Dear Editor 

I wish to advise you of my retirement 

from the Queensland Police Service 

on 2 July, and subsequently my 

resignation from the Queensland 

Police Union of Employees. 

During nearly 38 years of service, 

I have seen the Queensland Police 

Union represented by many 

personnel, from the local branches, 

the Regional Representatives, the 

Union staff, and the Executive and 

their committees. Their dedication 

to their positions and to assisting 

officers has been tireless. 

I urge members of the Queensland 

Police Service to be financial 

members of the Union. Without the 

assistance of the Union delegates to 

represent and give advice, members 

would not have the finances to defend 

themselves against charges or civil 

action. 

I leave the Service knowing the 

Union is in a strong position and 

has a leadership that will ensure 

all members are represented in all 

submissions to ‘fight for your rights’. 

Be careful, take care, and stay safe. 

Regards 

R. O. Coleman (Bob) 

Sergeant 2769 (retired) 

Toowoomba District Police 

Communications Centre 

Dear Editor 

Regarding all the problems facing 

this wonderful state of Queensland, I 

consider that the easy answer to that 

is to simply double the number of 

police in this country Australia, not 

just Queensland. 

The first thing the politicians are 

going to ask is, ‘where is all the 

money coming from to pay for the 

extra equipment and salaries etc?’ 

The simple answer is, ‘how much is 

currently spent on the road toll in 

this country?’ I believe it to be in the 

vicinity of $2.8 billion annually. 

Well, if by doubling the number 

of police on the road reduces the 

road toll by even only half, then 

there would be $1.4 billion for the 

expenditure. 

A great bonus for us all would be less 

deaths on the road, and less crime 

being committed. Just the mere 

presence of the uniform will have an 

effect across the whole spectrum: 

road trauma, crime, etc. 

Would it not be a safer and more 

comfortable place to live in, with a 

happier population and more settled 

police officers, because they do not 

have to knock on a door at 2am and 

say, ‘sorry, but your loved one is 

no longer with us’, because he was 

bashed and died, or was killed in a 

road crash? 

I have long held the belief that traffic 

offenders can be classified into three 

classes: 

1) The person who inadvertently 

crosses double lines or runs a stop 

sign. Get him once and you will 

never get him again. 

2) The deliberate offender who looks 

around, sees no copper in sight, 

and so away he goes and just does 

what he likes. 

3) The fool that nobody can help. 

I was once on a marked police 

motorcycle travelling at the old 

speed of 60mph, when a car 

overtook me. I accelerated and 

followed him for a couple of miles 

at 85mph. He was booked. 

G. A. J. Jones 

Sergeant 1036 (retired) 

Dear Editor 

It is with both regret and joy that 

I tender my resignation from 

the Queensland Police Union of 

Employees. 

On 13 July, I reached the compulsory 

retiring age of 60 years and have 

therefore retired from the Queensland 

Police Service (Force) from that date. 

My regret is that I have met and 

known several good mates in this 

job, and in my retirement I will no 

longer enjoy their company due to 

commitments other than work. 

My joy is that I will no longer 

be harassed or bullied by the 

hierarchy of this Service that I have 

encountered during complaint 

investigations. 

During my service of some 29 years, 

I have not until the last few years 

had cause to personally engage the 

services of Union representation. 

I must thank our Regional 

Representative, Bill Feldman, for his 

help in organising assistance, and 


67

Letters to the Editor 

also lan Park and Marcus Brown for 

their assistance. 

As an aside to the focus of this 

letter, I want to relate a recent 

event of idiocy. After retirement, I 

received a letter from the Assistant 

Commissioner of Central Region, 

informing me that an investigation in 

which I was implicated had been filed 

as ‘unfinalised’ due to my retirement. 

The letter then goes on to say 

that should I wish to rejoin the 

Queensland Police Service in the 

future, the investigation would be 

re-commenced. Having reached the 

compulsory retirement age, why 

would I consider rejoining? 

My only wish for the membership is 

for sanity to return to a now insane 

police Service. 

Best regards 

Brian Cumming 

Ex Sarina traffic branch 

Thankfully, their efforts have enabled 

me to put a very difficult situation 

behind me (a situation I am totally 

responsible for). I can now move 

forward in my loved profession: 

policing. 

I’ve also been very fortunate to 

experience nothing but honesty and 

support from the Queensland Police 

Service, including the Commissioner, 

Deputy Commissioners, Assistant 

Commissioner O’Regan, my many 

Inspectors, and most importantly, 

my line supervisor Senior Sergeant 

Poole. 

They all had responsibilities they 

were required to meet, and yet they 

dealt with me in nothing other than 

professionalism and understanding. 

I want to thank them for this, and for 

their transparency during the entire 

process. 

To the Union, Mick Gerrard, Peter 

Thomas, and Calvin Gnech, I would 

also like to thank them for their 

support and efforts during this time. 

in recent years during the various 

EB negotiations on behalf of all 

members. 

I am proud to have been a member 

of the Queensland Police Service 

during these years, along with being 

a member of the Police Union. 

Once again a big thank you to the 

General President and Executive 

members of the Queensland Police 

Union and I wish you all the very best 

in future years. 

Kind Regards 

Tony Goddard 

OIC Townsville District Traffic Branch 

Dear Editor 

I have always advocated the need 

to be represented by a Union, firstly 

when I was a shearer and jackaroo, 

and then when I joined the South 

Australian Police Force way back in 

1987. 

Fortunately for me, I’ve never had 

to call upon my Union to assist me 

previously, but that changed in 2007. 

Having been a financial member for 

over 20 years, people may ask why I 

felt it necessary to continue paying 

my dues. 

I can tell you that you will never 

know when things can go wrong, 

either due to your own negligence, 

or through something out of your 

control. Fortunately (or unfortunately, 

depending how you look at it), I did 

have to call upon the services of the 

Union. 

I say to anyone considering not 

being a member of the Union: please 

reconsider. You never know when 

things could turn, and without the 

Union’s support, we are at the mercy 

of the public’s knee jerk reaction and 

over expectations. 

Gil Napper 

Branch Manager 

Townsville Police Citizens Youth Club 

Dear Editor 

I wish to advise that as of today, 

25 July, I officially retire from the 

Queensland Police Service due to 

attaining the age of 60 years after 

almost 38 years of service throughout 

Queensland. 

I congratulate the Union on the 

magnificent work it has done 

over many years and especially 


Police Health 


by Peter Shanahan, Police Health Chairman 

CONFUSED ABOUT WEIGHT 

LOSS? 

With so many diets out there 

promising the best weight loss 

method, it can be confusing for those 

trying to lose weight to figure out what 

you should and should not be eating. 

What’s important to note is that what 

works for one person may not work 

for another. This article will look at the 

basic facts to get you started. 

If you are thinking about losing weight 

or starting a new exercise program, 

it pays to see your doctor or health 

professional first. Your doctor will 

check if you have any underlying 

health conditions that may affect your 

weight loss attempts or approach to 

weight loss. 

THE FACTS AND FIGURES 

Purely as a guide, one kilogram of 

body fat contains about 7,700 calories, 

or about 32,000 kilojoules. This is the 

amount of energy you will need to 

burn or forego to lose one kilogram of 

fat. 

It’s presumably safe to burn 0.5kg to 

1kg of fat per week. The easiest way 

to accomplish this is to reduce calorie/ 

kilojoule intake, and increase exercise. 

Rather than cutting out 1,100 calories 

per day, it is easier to reduce your 

daily food intake by 500 calories and 

exercise (burning 600 calories). After 

7 days you’ll reach the 7,700 calorie 

reduction. 

To work out energy (Cal/KJ) in food, 

read labels, go online, or buy a 

reference book. The Department 

of Health and Ageing has created a 

helpful site called the `Healthy Weight’ 

website: www.healthyactive.gov.au 

There are also plenty of free apps 

and other websites. You don’t need to 

spend a fortune. 

If you just try to dramatically reduce 

your calories, your body might hinder 

your weight loss efforts, because 

it may think you are going into 

starvation, and may try and hang onto 

fat (energy stores). So why make it 

harder for yourself? 

Exercise is beneficial not just for 

losing weight, but also for general 

health, so eating well and exercising is 

a win/win. 

ARE ALL CALORIES THE SAME? 

Dietician Australia recommends eating 

a variety of fresh foods of all colours 

to make sure you get all the vitamins 

and minerals essential for a healthy 

body. It is easier to keep weight off 

and maintain a new eating plan if you 

make real food choices rather than 

substitutes. 

The vitamins, minerals, and fibre 

in nutritional whole foods play an 

important part in both your energy 

levels and how you feel. Fibre will help 

fill you up and keep your body regular 

in getting rid of waste products. 

If you limit your variety of foods, you 

are likely to miss out on important 

vitamins and minerals, and no doubt 

you will get bored with eating the 

same thing over and over. This will 

only make it harder to stick with your 

diet. 

You should aim to develop sensible 

eating habits that are easy to relax 

once you reach your goal weight, 

without going back to old bad habits. 

SET YOURSELF REALISTIC GOALS 

Don’t be fooled into thinking it is 

possible to lose the ten kilos a week 

shown on reality TV shows. They don’t 

show the contestants exercising for 

five-seven hours a day with personal 

trainers, while on extremely low 

energy diets. They are also monitored 

by doctors 24/7. This is not realistic for 

us who have work and life to get on 

with. 

If you are losing more than a kilo a 

week, it is also quite possible that it is 

not pure fat but water weight (where 

your body has been retaining water), 

or even muscle wastage if you are not 

fueling your body with the right food. 

www.mydr.com.au has some handy 

tools including a weight calculator for 

what weight range is healthy for you. 

WHEN YOU LOSE WEIGHT, WHERE 

DOES THE LOST BODY FAT GO? 

Fat is basically stored energy. 

Your body converts fat to usable 

energy for your muscles and other 

tissues through a series of complex 

metabolic processes. This causes 

your fat cells to shrink. 

These metabolic activities also 

generate heat and waste products. 

These waste products - water and 

carbon dioxide - are excreted in your 

urine, faecal matter, and sweat, as 

well as being exhaled from your 

lungs. 

To help with the process of 

eliminating waste products, make 

sure you drink enough water, 

particularly if you are exercising. 

Drinking water will also help you 

feel full when dieting, because 

dehydration is often confused with 

hunger. 

In summary, balance your energy 

intake with energy output. Choose 

foods and eating patterns that 

help reduce your calorie intake 

and combine this with physical 

activity that you find enjoyable and 

sustainable. Take a long-term view, 

70 

Queensland Police Union Journal July 2012


and get some expert help to identify 

your individual needs. 

WHERE TO GET HELP 

• Your doctor 

• A dietician 

Police Health pays generous benefits 

towards health services provided by 

recognised dieticians and recognised 

exercise physiologists under Platinum 

Health, Platinum Plus, and SureCover 

Extras policies. 

This story was requested by some 

of our Queensland Police Health 

members. If you would like to 

suggest a topic about health or 

health issues, please email: 

feedback@policehealth.com.au 

This article provides a general 

summary only. Professional advice 

should be sought about specific cases. 

Police Health is not responsible for any 

error or omission in this article. The 

information provided reflects the view 

of the organisations from which the 

information has been sourced and does 

not represent any recommendations or 

views of Police Health. 

Police Health | Ph: 1800 603 603 

www.policehealth.com.au 

Information Sourced From: Mayo Clinic, 

National Health & Medical Research 

Council, Nutrition Australia, Department 

of Health and Ageing, Betterhealth 

channel, www.mydr.com.au, 

www.healthyactive.gov.au, 

www.measureup.gov.au. 

This is a general guide only. Please consult a doctor or dietician for individual requirements, because required energy for 

individuals varies greatly, depending on many factors. 

THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF KILOJOULES REQUIRED DAILY TO MAINTAIN YOUR WEIGHT 

AGE MALE FEMALE 

12-15 years 10,500 kj (2,500 calories) 9,000 kj (2,142 calories) 

16-18years 12,500 kj (2,976 calories) 9,500 kj (2,261 calories) 

Adults up to 60 years 11,000 kj (2,619 calories) 9,000 kj (2,142 calories) 

Adults over 60 years 9,000 kj (2,142 calories) 8,250 kj (1,964 calories) 

Source: National Health & Medical Research Council, NHMRC, Canberra. These figures represent average 

requirements for the Australian population. Actual energy needs for individuals will vary considerably, depending 

on activity levels, body composition, state of health, age, weight, and height. 

Mydr website has a basal rate calculator http://www.mydr.com.au/tools/basal-energy-calculator so you can work out a 

general guide to how much energy your body needs for basic functions. 






Queensland Police Union Journal July 2012 71

QRPA 

QRPA NEWS – AUGUST 2012 

State Secretary: Jillian Steinkamp 

steinkamp.jillian@gmail.com 

0411 401 596 

QRPA website: www.qrpa.asn.au 

Email: queenslandretiredpolice@gmail.com 

MESSAGE FROM MICK O’BRIEN, STATE PRESIDENT, 

QRPA INC 

completed in quick succession, which is not always a feature of 

some luncheons! President John Meskell gave what appears to 

be his Annual Report during which he informed the gathering 

that he would not be seeking re-election at the forthcoming 

AGM. While this was a surprise to the visitors, his branch 

members were aware of his decision, as John’s wife has not 

been in good health. We wish life member John and his wife 

well, and acknowledge his long and successful leadership of 

the Gold Coast branch. 

The Legacy widows, led by recently re-elected President 

Shirley, were there in force. The large attendance by these 

widows, as well as local police widows, was helped by the 

generosity of the branch; the branch invites the widows, and 

covers the cost of their meals. 

Secretary Treasurer of the Darling Downs branch, Roger 

Deshon, reports that the executive members of that branch 

were all re-elected unopposed to carry on for another 

twelve months. The branch is based in the beautiful city of 

Toowoomba and will be looking for another large attendance 

at their annual luncheon later in the year. Mal Nichols, the 

founding President of the Gladstone branch, has also retired 

from the position because Mal and wife Joanne are looking 

to relocate to Brisbane. 

Above is a photograph of the Townsville branch retiring 

President and life member, Brian Bensley, and his wife Carol, 

accepting a token of appreciation from the State Management 

Committee for their dedicated service to the Association over 

the past 16 years. Brian spent ten years as President and six 

as Secretary/Treasurer. He will now take some time out while 

Trevor Errington takes over as President. We congratulate 

Trevor. 

I had the opportunity to attend the Gold Coast annual luncheon 

at Twin Towns in July with State Vice President and life member 

Greg Early and wife Ruby. At our table were life members past 

State Secretary John Cummins (who also spent many years 

as Secretary/Manager of the Police Legacy Scheme), and wife 

Maureen. Maureen worked at Police Legacy as well, looking 

after the busy office. Both John and Maureen are looking well 

and are enjoying their well-earned retirement. John is also a 

past Chairman and long-serving member on the QPCU Board. 

Also representing QPCU at the function was member John 

Just and wife Denise, as well as Stuart Brown. 

The well-attended function was organised and run by the 

busy Treasurer Neil Raward, who kept the agenda rolling. The 

whole show was over just five minutes past the two hours he 

had programmed. The draws for the Police Legacy raffle were 

The QRPA Annual Police Legacy Bowls day was another 

outstanding success. The well-planned and conducted function 

at the Wavell Heights Bowls Club attracted twenty-five teams 

from as far away as Bundaberg. V/Ps Greg Early, Myles Burns, 

and Bob Pease from the State Management Committee (SMC) 

and members Laurie Taylor and Ray Hodges were the main 

organisers, while State Secretary Jill and I assisted on the day. 

Legacy Board member Mavis Scott was also a willing hand, 

and as usual, it was her lucky day: she won many prizes in 

the hourly raffle draws. Greg did his usual outstanding job 

gathering sponsorships. The day raised $6060.46 for the 

Scheme, including the annual $500 donated by QRPA. I was 

happy to present the cheque to Legacy President and Chairman 

of the Legacy Board, Acting Senior Sergeant Andrew Gough. 

CEO of the Queensland Police Credit Union, Grant Devine, 

presented the annual $10,000 QPCU donation to the Scheme, 

and added (to everyone’s surprise) that QPCU would increase 

their annual donation to $15,000. The support from the players 

and the Club ladies who prepared the fine meal was excellent. 

The players were most interested to hear from A/Snr Sgt 

Gough, who spent some time outlining the financial needs of 

the 72 children now being educated by the Scheme. 

The SMC is working with President Ray Stubbins and the Far 

North Queensland branch to encourage more eligible former 

police officers in that large catchment to join the fellowship 


QRPA 

of the branch. We will be attending their September AGM to 

continue our joint project. 

Our State Secretary Jillian is a member of the QPS’s 150th 

anniversary committee. Big things are planned for this 

milestone. I note from the NSW RPA Bulletin that their 

Association struck a medal to commemorate this great event in 

their state, and is selling the medals to their members. I know 

there are a number of ex-NSW officers who have joined the 

QRPA ranks, and perhaps they may be interested in this medal. 

On a sad note, among the members of the Association who 

have passed away since our last newsletter was one Thomas 

Power. Tom will be well known to any of our members who had 

dealings with this fine gentleman at some stage of their police 

career. Tom was best known for his role as Superintendent of 

the Police College at Chelmer.To Tom and all our friends and 

family members who have gone to their eternal reward, we 

respectfully say, ‘rest in peace, friend and colleague, for the 

sun has now set’. We will remember them. 

HERVEY BAY BRANCH ANNUAL LUNCHEON 

The Hervey Bay branch Annual Luncheon saw a good roll-up 

including local and visiting members, QPCU representatives, 

a local councillor, and QPS representatives from North Coast 

Region. President Grahame Gronow welcomed all to the 

luncheon. 

A round of speeches, good raffles, and an appetising lunch 

provided by the Hervey Bay RSL all contributed to an enjoyable 

time. Of course, the opportunity to catch up with old mates 

was an essential part of proceedings, and contributed to the 

overall success of the day. 

A few pics from the day 

Best wishes to all. 

Mick 

Mick O’Brien 

State President QRPA Inc. 

RETIRED POLICE SUPPORT GIN GIN POLICE FAMILY 

Members of Bundaberg branch were pleased to present a $300 

cheque to Senior Constable Dan Lukan of Gin Gin police from 

money they raised at their Charity Police Bowls Day. Dan’s 

infant daughter Gracie is suffering from a rare condition which 

requires specialist 

medical treatment 

and care. 

The presentation 

organised by 

Sergeant Meg 

Owens took place 

at Bundaberg 

Police District 

headquarters. 

Branch President 

Bob Hayes made 

the presentation to 

Dan. District Officer 

Superintendent 

Rowan Bond 

attended and 

addressed those 

present. 

Little Grace Lukan with mum, Lucy. 


73

QRPA 

NEW MEMBERS & ASSOCIATES 

Welcomed into the Association in July were: 

Members—Lee John Melville (Brisbane), medically retired as 

PC Senior Constable at CIB Brisbane in 1988; Barry William 

Cross (Brisbane), age retired as Senior Sergeant in charge of 

Electronic Recording Section. 

Associate Member—Stanislaw Joseph (Stan) Janus 

(Gladstone), former Senior Vehicle Inspector with 

Queensland Transport. 

QRPA MEMBERSHIP CERTIFICATES 

Senior (over 65yrs and 10 yrs financial membership) 

• Norman Ronald Breen (Gympie) 

• Ernest John Richter (Brisbane) 

BIRTHDAYS—90 and over 

• Joseph Ignatius Mackel, 91 years on 05.07.12 

RECENT OBITUARIES—May They Rest In Peace 

Members —Life Member and former Assistant Commissioner 

Alan Beattie (Abe) Duncan, 21.06.12, 97 years; Member and 

former Senior Sergeant Kevin James Smith, 01.07.12, 72 

years. 

DIARY DATES 2012 

Tuesday 21 August QRPA Gympie branch Annual 

Luncheon, 

11.30 am for 12 pm, Gympie Golf 

Club, 2 Shields Street, Gympie 

Enquiries: Laurie Pointing 5483 6404 

lpointin@bigpond.net.au 

Norm Breen 5482 6270 

njbreen1@bigpond.com 

RSVP: 10 August 

Monday 10 September QRPA Annual Luncheon 

11.30 am for 12.15 pm, Broncos 

Leagues Club, Fulcher Road, Red 

Hill, Brisbane 

Enquiries: Bob Pease 0401 399 839 

arrowamusements@hotmail.com 

RSVP: 3 September 

Tuesday 16 October QRPA Darling Downs branch 

Annual Luncheon 

11.30 am for 12 pm, Futures, TAFE 

College, Toowoomba 

Enquiries: Roger Deshon 4635 8930 

eboracvm1@bigpond.com 

Saturday 20 October 

QRPA Mackay/Whitsunday branch 

Annual Dinner 

6.00 pm, The Buff’s Club, Victoria 

Street, Mackay 

Enquiries: Dennis Hansen 0428 572 

699 gungaden1@bigpond.com 

Les Campbell 0428 560 170 

les.campbell3@bigpond.com 

Michelle Sheehan 0429 895 967 

michelles11@bigpond.com 

Non-members—Former Detective Sergeant Neil Bradford 

Torrens, 9.06.12, 61 years; former officer Harry (Bluey) 

Mitchell, 10.06.12. 

Family—Kenneth Francis (Ken) Gordon, husband of police 

officer Noela Holman, service 22.06.12. 

CHANGE OF RESIDENTIAL OR EMAIL ADDRESS? 

To ensure you receive all QRPA communications, please 

advise your branch secretary or the State Secretary on 

0411 401 596 or queenslandretiredpolice@gmail.com of 

your current contact details. 

BRANCH NEWS 

BUNDABERG 

By the time this Journal goes to print, the Bundaberg branch 

(like many other branches) will have held their AGM. 

Over the past several meetings, Bundaberg members have 

been meeting for lunch at Brothers with their wives. If 

members and partners wish to join the group, they are most 

welcome. Meet in the dining room at around 12.30 pm. 

Member news: Geoff and Patsy Hosking headed to Darwin 

after news their son was involved in a boating mishap; 

hopefully it was nothing too serious. Mary Waugh has been 

spotted behind the wheel of a brand new Subaru motor 

vehicle. Ron Rooke received a visit from his ex-wife Pamela; 

Elwyn Jones said Ron was on his best behaviour during the 

visit! Members visiting Brothers Club spotted Laurie Ballin 

at his favourite poker machine; he wouldn’t let on whether 

it was a winner! 

Welfare snippets: Elwyn Jones had a scare with pneumonia 

and fluid on his lungs but has recovered, Russell Crook was 


QRPA 

given the all clear from his medical people, Merv Prove is 

out of hospital after a stroke; he will undergo rehab before 

going home, Clarrie Kelly was airlifted to hospital for a leg 

amputation, Beryl Materna spent several days in the Mater 

Hospital in Bundaberg after an operation, Ken Strohfeldt 

continues to have health problems and has more Brisbane 

trips ahead for treatment, John Milner underwent surgery at 

the Brisbane RBH for bowel cancer, Doug Hoare had medical 

tests after a mishap at home but he is going okay at present, 

and Bob Hayes does not have to see his medical man for 

twelve months: good news! 

DARLING DOWNS 

Members met at their usual venue on Thursday 14 June. 

It was noted Mick Donnelly, who was receiving radium 

treatments, plans to return to Goulburn to live. Bob Gray is 

generally well and would appreciate visitors. John Keightley 

is still recovering from serious operations. 

Planning for the Memorial Wall ceremony is underway for 

2012 with possible dates being discussed. Invitations are to 

be extended to Assistant Commissioner Wilson and local 

politicians. 

President Kev Weise advised the meeting that he attended a 

commemorative day for former Cadets that was held at the 

Police Academy at Oxley. It was a very successful day with 

a large number of people attending. Kev believed he would 

have been the senior man there, listed from March 1945. 

GLADSTONE 

Gladstone branch held their Wednesday 4 July meeting 

at the Gladstone Golf Club. Eighteen members attended, 

with 16 apologies received. The main topic of discussion 

was our recent Mystery Bus Tour on Saturday 23 June. 

Leaving Yaralla Sports Club at 9am and travelling ‘blind’, 

twenty-one members and partners headed north, stopping 

at Rockhampton’s Curtis Park for a short break and to collect 

member Ross Vidler. Ross’s Mum, Ann, was on board and 

was very happy to see him. The mystery continued as 

we travelled eastward toward the coast finally stopping 

outside the Yeppoon Water Police office at Rosslyn Bay 

Boat Harbour. We were met by Senior Constable Grant 

Kerlin who gave members a comprehensive overview of 

the capabilities of their vessel ‘Lyle M Hoey IV’ named in 

honour of Senior Constable Lyle Hoey. Lyle was deliberately 

run down and murdered while manning a road block near 

Mount Molloy on 2 November 1975. The vessel is a 22m 

aluminium catamaran built in Tasmania that patrols the 

waters of the southern Great Barrier Reef and Pacific Ocean 

from her base at Rosslyn Bay. 

After an on-board morning tea, Senior Constable Troy Welsh 

gave us a guided tour of the bridge and both officers fielded 

numerous questions. Member Peter Fitzel asked whether it 

was too late for him to rejoin as he has the ‘tickets’. President 

Mike thanked both Grant and Troy for their informative tour 

and asked that our appreciation be passed on to OIC Shaun 

Halson. The group then stopped for a delightful buffet lunch 

at the Sailing Club before returning to Gladstone. Thanks 

again to member Kevin and wife and driver Pat for the 

donation of their time and large and very comfortable bus. 

(Our thoughts are also with Pat after news of a recent fall.) 

Branch members decided they would take the Curtis Island 

Ferry for a tour of the facilities being constructed in and 

around Gladstone Harbour on Wednesday 5 September. 

Morning tea is provided and the coffee cruise takes around 

2 hours. The branch moved to subsidise costs. The Harbour 

Cruise will take the place of the September Spinnaker Park 

monthly meeting. 

GOLD COAST 

The branch held their Annual Luncheon in July and their 

next monthly meeting is on the first Tuesday in August. 

GYMPIE 

The branch will meet on the first Wednesday of October at 

the Victory Hotel, Gympie. 

HERVEY BAY 

The branch held their Annual Luncheon in June (see photos 

above) with their next monthly meeting at 11am on Tuesday 

17 July. 

IPSWICH 

Members of Ipswich branch met at Brothers Leagues Club, 

Raceview, on 13 June. Inspector Mark Clark who is presently 

on pre-retirement leave was a guest at the meeting. 

Member activity: Russell and Noelene Ladlay have been 

cruising around the Australian coastline. Ken Martin 

attended an Army Tattoo at Avalon Beach in Sydney, where 

the National Service Pipes and Drums performed. Lyle 

Firman has been fishing in the north. 

Members were reminded of the celebration of 85 years 

of service to the community by past and present Ipswich 

detectives and support staff to be held in August. Guest 

speakers include retired AC Terry McMahon QPM, Southern 

Region AC Paul Wilson, Mayor of Ipswich Paul Pissale, and 

Commissioner Bob Atkinson APM. 

A sympathy card was sent to Harry Holzheimer on the recent 

death of his wife. A floral tribute was forwarded on the death 

of Ted Roberts’s wife. It was noted that John and Joy Raatz 

are still not in their house following the floods. 

Mr Peter Calcott, Regional Manager of National Senior 

Australia, provided an interesting talk on the seniors’ 

movement. 

LOGAN/BEENLEIGH 

There were plenty of members attending the June meeting 

which meant that guest speaker Philip McCracken had a 

large audience. Phil spoke about the trials and tribulations 

of restoring a 1965 Ford Mustang, which was extremely 

interesting. It is thought interest levels were so high because 


75

QRPA 

the vehicle is an Old Classic, just as most attending were 

‘Old Classics’! 

At the meeting, Darryl Murtha was fined for a name tag 

breach! 

Logan/Beenleigh branch has made donations to Blue Care 

Respite, Springwood ($600), and to Teenage Adventure 

Camps Queensland ($500). Big thanks are extended to 

members for their support with raffle ticket sales, which 

enables the branch to make these donations. 

A closing thought from the Branch: They haven’t found a 

way to tax us for laughing yet, and let’s hope they never do. 

It could get expensive. 

NEAR NORTH COAST 

Twenty-two branch members met at Suttons Beach, 

Redcliffe, for the May meeting. 

Mike Huddlestone and wife Glenys were welcomed to the 

meeting. Mike and Glenys now own a motel opposite the 

Redcliffe Hospital and live on site. Members discussed 

options regarding this year’s Annual Christmas Luncheon 

and on a show of hands, it was decided that Bramble Bay 

Bowls Club would be the venue. 

Peter Berger and wife Hilary have again taken to sailing the 

ocean blue. Welfare news noted that Wal Taylor’s health 

is getting worse. Warren Smithers is not 100% and usually 

tries to attend meetings held closer to his home. 

ROCKHAMPTON 

The branch held its AGM and monthly meeting on 

Wednesday 4 July. The AGM saw office bearers re-elected 

for another term, including Barry Self as President, Dennis 

Smith as Secretary, and Patricia Smith as Treasurer. 

lot better and his heart has not been giving him any more 

problems; he still plays bowls regularly. 

TOWNSVILLE 

The branch held their AGM and monthly meeting on 4 

July at the Townsville RSL. State President Mick O’Brien 

attended both meetings. The elections saw Trevor Errington 

installed as the new President, while John Urquhart and 

John Cran continue in their roles of Secretary and Treasurer 

respectively. Vice-President Bob Loveridge presented a 

QRPA plaque to outgoing President Brian Bensley, and 

thanked Brian for the time and effort he has put into the 

position over the past decade. 

It was noted that branch life member Ossie Cislowski had 

been admitted to the Good Sheppard Hospice. 

VAN DIEMENS LAND 

Branch members met at Riverside Hotel, Launceston on 

Saturday 23 June for their AGM and a monthly meeting. 

The AGM saw most office bearers returned to their roles for 

another twelve months, including Andy Beasant as President 

and Secretary, and Jim Byrne as Treasurer. 

The AGM weekend ended after a fine breakfast on the 

Sunday morning. A great time was enjoyed by all. 

VDL branch has a number of members who have suffered 

health problems: Herman van Cauwenberg, Juli Hobbs, 

Geraldine Byrne, and even Andy Beasant have had stays 

in hospital in recent weeks. V-P Ian Johnston unfortunately 

was sick the night before the AGM and was unable to attend. 

Best wishes to all for a speedy return to good health. 

Our next meeting is planned for Sunday 26 August at Ross. 

There will be a ‘bring and share’ main course. Hosts Steve 

and Vale will provide bread and snacks. 

Welfare officers for the Rockhampton area are Noel 

Boardman and Barry Self, and for the Yeppoon area: Cavill 

Heywood and Tom Young. 

At the meeting, Cavill Heywood confirmed there will be a 

BBQ at the beach on 23 September. On the welfare front, 

Noel Boardman advised he was feeling pretty good after an 

operation to repair a left carotid artery valve, Norm Tomlin 

advised he has been diagnosed as suffering from a problem 

with his nervous system (CMT) for which there is no known 

cure. 

The branch meets on the first Wednesday of the month. 

SUNSHINE COAST 

The branch held their Annual Lunch in April which was 

attended by 83 people. The food was of the usual very high 

standard, which was attested to by the fact that not a single 

complaint was received! All who attended had a great time. 

Barry Shaw continues on the road to recovery; he has 

recently had an interstate trip. Clarrie Blissner is also a 


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