Queensland Police Union Journal March 2011

MARCH 2011 

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE QUEENSLAND POLICE UNION 

What Lies Beneath 

A LIFE CUT SHORT 

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GENINS0311

cover story Page 32 


For more than 20 years, the central Queensland town of 

Gladstone was untouched by murder. However in the early 

hours of February 17, 2008, that was shattered along with the 

community’s sense of safety when an outsider took the life of one 

of the town’s daughters. 

Read the story of the investigation into the rape and murder of 

Kathryn Louise Daley on page 32 

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then permission to reproduce is withdrawn unless permission 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 

General Presidents Message 

General Secretary’s Message 

Assistant General Secretary’s Message 

Metro North Region 

North Coast Region 

Southern Region 

Central Region 

Metro South Region 

South East Region 

Notice of Election & Nomination 

Darling Downs Flood 

Tropical Cyclone Yasi 

The National Police Service Medal 

Skirmishing the Youth 

Climbing for a Cause 

High Profile Crimes That Reshaped the Law in QLD 

Letters to the Editor 

Police Health 

QRPA 

Advertising (07) 3259 1989 

Letters and articles for inclusion in the Queensland Police Union 

Journal should be addressed to: 

The Editor 

Queensland Police Union Journal 

PO Box 13008 George Street Brisbane QLD 4003 

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

Contents 

Page 

2 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

12 

14 

16 

19 

22 

26 

41 

44 

46 

52 

56 

58 

61 

EMAIL: journal@qpu.asn.au WEBSITE: www.qpu.asn.au 

Deadline: Editorial Copy - typed or on disk to be submitted by the 

12th day of the month prior to publication. 

General President 

General Secretary 

Asst General Secretary 

EXECUTIVE MEMBERS 

General Vice President 

and Northern Region 

Far Northern Region 



South Eastern Region 




HQ & COC Region 

UNION STAFF 

Industrial 

WHS 

Executive Secretary 

Ian LEAVERS 

Mick BARNES 

Denis SYCZ 

Mick Gerrard 

Denis FITZPATRICK 

Bill FELDMAN 

Des HANSSON 

Bob SMITHSON 

Darren Lees 

Shayne Maxwell 

Tony COLLINS 

Paul MULLEN 

Stephen MAHONEY 

Chris STEPHENS 

Rosemary 

FEATHERSTONE 

Janice GADEN 

Finance 

Allan SUTTON 

Solicitor 

Calvin GNECH 

Wendy 

MACDONALD 

Legal 

Barrister (Retained) Troy SCHMIDT 

Editorial Coordinator and Simon Tutt 

Media/Government Relations 

Journal Editor 

Paula Doneman 

IT Admin 

James JOHNSTON 

Membership 

Kaye ELLIS 

Carly Beutel 

Reception 

Melissa LindNer 

COMMITTEES 

Executive Committees and Committee Members 

Legal 

M. Gerard (Chair) 

D. Lees 

D. Fitzpatrick 

D. Hansson 

WPH&S 

Rules 

Conference 

D. Fitzpatrick (Chair) 

B. Feldman 

T. Collins 

S. Maxwell 

T. Collins (Chair) 

B. Smithson 

D. Hansson 

P. Mullen 

S. Maxwell 

B. Smithson 

Training 

Communications 

Membership Services 

Finance 

Women’s Consultative 

M. Gerard 

P. Mullen 


B. Feldman 

D. Hanson 

T. Collins 


M. Gerard 

D. Hanson 

T. Collins 

S. Maxwell (Chair) 

P. Mullen 

D. Lees 

B. Smithson 

I. Leavers (GP)(Chair) 

M. Gerard (VP) 

B. Feldman (Treasurer) 

D. Hansson (Chair) 

Members Women’s 

Branch Officials 

General President, General Secretary and 

Assistant General Secretary are ex-officio 

members of all committees. 

Queensland Police Union 

PO Box 13008 George Street Brisbane Qld 4003 

Phone 07 3259 1900 Fax 07 3259 1950 

Queensland Police Union Journal March 2011 1

General President’s Message 

IAN LEAVERS 

This month has been another busy month at the Police Union. 

On the twelve month anniversary of the appointment of CMC Chair, 

Martin Moynihan, I responded to Mr Moynihan’s interview in 

a Queensland Sunday paper by declaring the article 

“breathtaking hypocrisy”. 

In the article, the CMC accuses police of 

being soft on discipline of other 

officers, and the article canvasses 

issues such as fixed maximum terms 

for the Commissioner of Police, the 

accusation that it was inappropriate for 

Deputy Commissioner Kathy Rynders to 

consider disciplinary findings after 

a decade. Many senior government 

positions have fixed terms.” 

FACT: If anyone can comment on 

possibly being in a job too long, it may 

be Mr Moynihan. Mr Moynihan spent 

almost 25 years as a Judge before 

retiring from the court and now a few 

“ It seems these days that not a week goes 

by without a police officer being so seriously 

assaulted that they are put in hospital by 

an offender. ” 

having previous findings appealed by 

the CMC, the accusation that there is a 

lack of support for police reporting 

other police, and the inefficacy of the 

police discipline system and the 

implication that the Police Union needs 

to do more. 

I responded to these accusations by 

stating, “Not only is the article 

factually incorrect, it borders on being 

fanciful.” 

“For the CMC to suggest that they are in 

some way exempt from the Police 

discipline system is laughable. They are 

an integral part of the police 

discipline system and they must assist 

both the police union and the police 

service to reform the system to ensure 

real change, not wipe their hands and 

pretend to judge like a modern day 

Pontius Pilate”. 

1. Insinuation made in article 

about 12 month anniversary of the 

appointment of CMC Chair Martin 

Moynihan: 

That Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson 

has been in the job too long, noting 

provocatively that “Commissioner 

Bob Atkinson has been in power for 

months short of age 70, (many years 

older than Commissioner Atkinson), he 

has taken on the position of Chair of the 

CMC. 

(Irrespective of our views on how long 

the Commissioner has been in the 

role, it is not up to the CMC to dictate to 

police who should be the Police 

Commissioner) 

2. Insinuation made in article about 12 

month anniversary of the 


Moynihan: 

The Sunday Mail asked why Mr 

Atkinson had appointed Ms Rynders, to 

hear discipline matters given the CMC 

had appealed against her findings in the 

past. 

FACT: Mr Moynihan, as a former judge 

knows that all judges have their 

decisions on occasion appealed to 

higher courts and the Court of Appeal, 

with the Court of Appeal also on 

occasion overturning decisions made 

by juries. 

No person subsequently questions 

the appropriateness of judges to 

continue hearing matters even when 

their decisions are overturned, yet a 

double standard appears to exist when 

a decision made by police does not 

“accord” with the wishes of the CMC. 

3. Insinuation made in article about 12 

month anniversary of the 


Moynihan: 

Mr Moynihan said more police would 

come forward if they felt they would be 

supported by the system. ``(Police 

Union president) Ian Leavers is always 

saying to me . . . the honest police get 

tarred with the same brush, so I keep 

saying to him, `if that’s their concern, 

if they step up when they see things 

going on, then they can contribute to 

that not happening’,’’ Mr Moynihan 

said. 

FACT: In a unique situation, both Police 

Union president Ian Leavers and 

Queensland Council of Civil Liberties 

spokesperson, Terry O’Gorman are on 

record saying the police discipline 

system needs an overhaul and that the 

CMC has a role to play. 

Both organisations are willing to 

work with the CMC to reform the 

police discipline system, but to date 

the CMC have appeared to be more 

interested opining about the parlous 

state of this police discipline system 

rather than working with stakeholders 

for real change. Further, the police 

union supports all officers in discipline 

hearings and those who wish to come 

forward. 

4. The CMC has repeatedly called for 

better processes, yet, as has been 

confirmed by the article in a 

Queensland Sunday Paper, any police 

officer being investigated by the 

CMC appears to have a better chance 

at being informed of the progress 

or outcome of that investigation by 

reading the paper, rather than first 

being informed privately. 

New National Police Service 

Medal announced 

The Australian Government announced 

that The Queen signed Letters Patent 

instituting a new award within the 

Australian honours and awards 

system to accord “recognition for the 

unique contribution and significant 

commitment of those persons who 

have given ethical and diligent service 

as a sworn member of an Australian 

police service.” 

This new award is to be known as the 

National Police Service Medal (NPSM). 

2 

Queensland Police Union Journal March 2011

The operable date for the new medal is 

30 October 2008, as that is the date 

on which the Queen initially gave inprinciple 

approval for the award. The 

medal is only awarded once and there 

are no clasps awarded for additional 

periods of service. 

The NPSM will be awarded to a all 

sworn members of Australia’s police 

forces who is or was a member on or 

after 30 October 2008; and in the 

opinion of that person’s Commissioner, 

gave ethical and diligent service; 

and has given full-time or part-time 

service as a member of 1 or more 

Australian police forces for a period of 

at least 15 years or periods totalling at 

least 15 years. 

A Commissioner may waive the 

minimum duration of service necessary 

to qualify for the NPSM if a member 

was unable to continue serving because 

of death, injury or disability which 

occurred as a result of their police 

service. But the other conditions must 

still be met - service must have been 

“ethical and diligent”, and must include 

at least one day on or after 30 October 

2008. 

Whilst the NPSM is not an award to 

recognise long service, it does 

recognise the unique contribution given 

to the community by sworn members of 

Australia’s police forces. 

Long and diligent service has been 

recognised since 1975 by the National 

Medal. The National Medal and 

clasps will continue to be awarded to 

recognise eligible long and diligent 

service. 

In the Government’s Press Release 

announcing the medal they recognised 

the PFA as the key proponent of the 

creation of the award. Medal and press 

release attached. 

Our renewed calls for jail terms for 

those who seriously assault police 

The incident happened about 3:45am, 

and you can guarantee that most 

people “out and about” at this time of 

the night are affected by alcohol and/or 

drugs. 

To stop this wanton alcohol fuelled 

violence, three things need to happen. 

Mandatory sentencing of these violent 

offenders who assault police and 

emergency services workers, more 

police on the beat, and winding back 

hotel licensing hours. 

While we are getting some support on 

the first two, the third issues of 

winding back trading hours, if only to 

3am has been met with lukewarm 

support from both sides of parliament, 

when this is the easiest and cheapest 

thing to do of all three. No doubt there 

must be an election in the wind and 

no-one wants to upset those young 

voters who drink ‘til they drop! 

Winding back licensing hours treats the 

cause not the symptom, but since 

when does common sense prevail? 

We know minimum sentences for those 

who assault police and emergency 

services workers work. We’ve seen a 

30% reduction in assaults on police in 

Western Australia when they introduced 

this legislation. 

Oh, and Police Minister Neil Roberts 

even popped his head up to add this 

gem to the debate, “Police Minister 

Neil Roberts says Australian and 

international studies show mandatory 

sentencing does not deter offenders. In 

opportunistic crimes such as those 

committed in the heat of the moment 

often people are affected by alcohol or 

drugs. 

They’re simply not thinking of the 

consequences when they lash out. 

We’ve increased the penalties, the 

courts are applying those penalties in 

appropriate cases and that’s where the 

matter needs to be dealt with.” 


State Government finally 

makes a police commitment, but 

luckily WE read the fine print. 

Another sign there must be an election 

in the wind, the State Government has 

FINALLY made a police commitment! 

Before you fall off your chair, we need 

to read the fine print. 

First, the commitment. The Premier’s 

announced a new Police Beat for 

Burleigh Heads. OK, all good here. 

Of course the Queensland Police Union 

supports the establishment of a Police 

Beat at Burleigh Heads. This is a 

commonsense decision by the Premier 

and her Government and I appreciate 

any additional resources that she 

allocates to police, particularly on the 

Gold Coast, which is the tourist, party 

and nightclub capital of Australia. 

I know the local member, Christine 

Smith, has called for this Police Beat 

for a while and this decision is long 

overdue. 

So... the fine print... Where’s the money 

coming from? That’s right, from another 

police redevelopment that is just as 

worthwhile but perhaps doesn’t attract 

as many votes as a shiny new police 

beat. While I welcome any new police 

resources, taking the money earmarked 

for the Burleigh CIB upgrade for the 

new police beat does not seem to make 

a whole lot of sense. 

I know the Police Union’s South Eastern 

Region representative, Bob Smithson 

agrees that the reduction in the 

allocation of funding for the Burleigh 

Heads CIB refurbishment seems to be 

short sighted, and ‘robbing Peter to pay 

Paul’. 

We will not rest until this Burleigh CIB 

refurb budget is fully reinstated. With 

a new state budget just around the 

corner, this is what we’ll be pushing for. 

It seems these days that not a week 

goes by without a police officer being 

so seriously assaulted that they are put 

in hospital by an offender. 

Gone are the days when the most you 

would have received is a cut or some 

bruises, now fractured skulls and 

broken bones are par for the course. 

Two of our members were assaulted in 

Fortitude Valley last Friday night, and 

one of them was in hospital until the 

following afternoon. 

It seems the only time the government 

will increase a penalty is when they 

receive a monetary gain, however when 

it comes to protecting police and 

introducing other criminal offences, 

(and maybe locking up some young 

thugs, or sending them home an hour 

or two earlier from the nightclubs), all 

of a sudden the government backtracks 

and says deterrents don’t work, so we 

have Neil Roberts’ answer of, “Let’s 

not do anything while police continue 

to be put in hospital...” We’ll keep you 

informed of any progress... 

Field Officer for North 

Queensland 

As many of you are aware, last year 

I gave a commitment to our state 

conference that I would implement 

my vision that we need to continually 

progress the Union as an organisation 

and have a permanent base in North 

Queensland. To this end, the QPU 

Executive have agreed with and endorsed 

my vision for a North Queensland based 

Field Officer for the Queensland Police 

Union to be based in Townsville. 



This position will service North 

Queensland, Far North Queensland, 

south to Mackay and the Whitsundays, 

and western Queensland to Mt Isa and 

the Queensland border. 

I have not taken this decision to 

employ another staff member lightly. I 

believe we need to do this to properly 

service and benefit the membership 

and Townsville is the logical location, 

considering its geographically 

central position for all of Northern 

Queensland, and that it is the capital 

of commerce for North Queensland. 

Further, many Government 

Departments, both State and Federal, 

are based there, as well many other 

unions already have a permanent field 

officer based there also. 

I have seen it in my travel throughout 

Queensland, talking with police that 

it is imperative that we have a 

permanent base in north Queensland 

when so many other Unions are already 

well established there. 

We pride ourselves on our pledge of 

offering the best service of any union 

to our members and this is the logical 

extension of the pledge. 

As always, please contact us 24/7 if you 

have a query or an issue that we 

can help you with. 

CMC’s Palm Island “findings” 

Finally this month, perhaps the most 

contentious issue of all, the CMC’s 

announcement on the Palm Island 

investigation and review. 

The CMC released their “findings” of 

the review of the review of the events 

that occurred on Palm Island, and they 

came across as spoilt brats who 

haven’t got their own way. 

For those who may have joined the job 

in the last 6 and a half years, you 

may not be entirely familiar with the 

events that commenced this 

investigation, because that is how long 

this has been going on. 

6 and a half years! 

In a nutshell, the CMC recommended 

the QPS consider disciplinary 

proceedings against 6 officers. The 

QPS considered it and decided that 

disciplinary proceedings were not 

warranted. End of story. 

However, in “CMC land”, if they ask you 

to “consider” something, what they are 

really meaning is that you should “do 

it” if you know what’s good for you... 

In this case it was former Deputy 

Commissioner Kathy Rynders who 

thoroughly and diligently considered 

the matter and decided that managerial 

guidance was all that was necessary. 

The CMC’s response was that they were 

“astounded”. The CMC’s glib press 

release is attached as well as Kathy 

Rynders’ 410 page report. 

Kathy Rynders’ report link is here: 

www.police.qld.gov.au/resources/ 

internet/documents/ReportPublic.pdf 

 

Regardless of how some of us may feel 

about other decisions made by Kathy 

Rynders, she was always thorough and 

fair and this 410 page report is yet 

another example of her methodical 

approach. 

For the CMC to say they were 

“astounded” and that it is “almost 

incomprehensible that the police 

service has decided that there is no 

case for these officers to answer,’ is an 

outrageous slur on all police. 

Further, the CMC could have pursued 

this matter further if they thought 

there was a case. There wasn’t a case, 

but rather than saying that, the CMC 

have said the legislation is insufficient 

to allow them to proceed, even 

when the QPUE, the QPS and the State 

Government all say the CMC could have 

proceeded if they wanted to... 

All police deserve to be innocent until 

proven guilty, not for the CMC to 

pre-judge long before there has even 

been an assessment of the evidence, 

but this is the approach we’ve become 

all too familiar with when dealing with 

the CMC. 

The CMC justify their narrow minded 

view by adding: ‘Six years ago an 

Indigenous man “who was not suffering 

from any injury” arrived at a police 

station and died shortly after of “a 

massive compressive force to the front 

of his body” while in the custody of 

police. 

The Doomadgee family, Palm 

Island community and the general 

public had a right to expect that the 

police service would - at the very least - 

investigate Mulrunji’s death rigorously, 

impartially and thoroughly.’ 

What the CMC appear to be saying is 

“Someone has to pay! It may as well 

be the police.” The CMC have now 

proven once and for all they are neither 

an impartial, unbiased or transparent 

organisation. 

They appear to be hellbent on 

victimising police. 

Now that we know this, we have to 

operate on the basis that everything we 

do as police will be heavily scrutinised 

and analysed. 

Kathy Rynders’ decision in this matter 

was a common sense decision by the 

Police. 

There was never any evidence 

of misconduct despite the CMC’s 

insinuations. 

There are no winners from this entire 

Palm island matter, and to think the 

CMC forced everyone to court 

again because they threatened the 

Commissioner, only for the CMC to 

lose and pay our over $200,000 in 

other parties’ legal costs and now that 

they say there’s a legal loophole after 

threatening all parties is bizarre. 

This type of gross incompetence if it 

was another government department 

would be investigated by the CMC, 

however when it’s the CMC themselves 

that are incompetent we just accept it 

as fact. 

The Police Union completely supports 

the actions of all police involved in 

this matter from Commissioner Bob 

Atkinson, Deputy Kathy Rynders down. 

This is truly a rare occasion! 

The reality is, if the CMC had actually 

experienced life “in the field” 

they’d realise that Palm Island is not like 

the Brisbane CBD. There are no 

restaurants on Palm Island, there are no 

taxis on Palm Island. There were no 

other ways at the time to be on Palm 

Island. 

It was appropriate in the time, place and 

circumstances for the officers to 

have conducted themselves in the way 

that they did. 

We do acknowledge that while things 

has changed in recent years, and 

different protocols are now applied to 

some internal police investigations, 

investigative practices in 2004-2005 

have been improved and refined as they 

always have been. 

The police complaints and disciplinary 

system is broken and must be fixed. 

4 



Neither the police nor the public have 

any confidence in the current police 

disciplinary system 

No one knows where they stand, even 

the CMC don’t know where they stand. 

The CMC had been given an 

opportunity to take over the Palm Island 

investigation at a very early stage but 

declined to do so. They’ve simply 

been blaming and criticiing the police 

department ever since. 

The legal fraternity has no confidence in 

the CMC either. 

Kathy Rynders, who is now retired and 

can speak freely, has hit the nail on 

the head when she describes the CMC 

as “disgraceful, biased and 

incompetent”. It seems we all think this 

except for the current State 

Government! 

After 6 and a half years, a result came 

out in the end and this was after 

thorough investigation. 

For the CMC to say they were not happy 

because it was not their 

predetermined result shows us all just 

how far the CMC has slipped into 

irrelevance. 

Stay Safe 

Ian Leavers 

General President 

0419 786 381 


General Secretary’s Message 

MICK BARNES 

NEW SUPERANNUATION INCENTIVE 

I AM pleased to advise that at a recent meeting, the QPUE Executive 

approved an incentive program for financial members to be reimbursed 

$50 (fifty dollars) should they receive comprehensive financial 

planning advice from QInvest. 

Initially, this membership program will 

only be available to members aged more 

than 55 years, however in 2012 that will 

lower to all members more than 50 years 

of age with the reimbursement available 

every three years. 

In consultation with professionals from 

QSuper and QInvest, the proposal will 

allow members to receive personalised, 

comprehensive advice to assist them 

in maximising their superannuation 

outcomes. 

conflict of interest when the financial 

planners were receiving a commission 

or kick-back from the sale of products to 

clients to whom they had given 

that advice. 

This has never been the case 

with QInvest who receive no such 

commissions or kickbacks. QInvest offer 

services in all major Queensland centres. 

In the near future, all eligible members 

will receive a letter outlining the 

membership service and how it can be 

“ One recommendation stemming from 

The Ripoll Report was that financial advisers 

should place the interests of their clients 

ahead of their own.” 

Three years was chosen as a mean 

period for which members should visit 

their circumstances and strategies 

specific to their needs. As QSuper 

members, police officers already enjoy 

a high contribution from QSuper to 

their QInvest session with one of their 

financial planning professionals. 

In 2009, following the collapse of many 

schemes such as Storm Financial, 

the Ripoll Report was presented to 

the Australian Parliament on financial 

products and services in this country. 

One criticism was the provision of 

financial advice. 

A recommendation stemming from the 

Ripoll Report was that financial advisers 

should place the interests of their clients 

ahead of their own. A concept that 

certainly at the very least fell under a 

accessed. The superannuation industry, 

its investments and the members’ needs 

are dynamic. 

It is for this reason that the QPUE 

Executive have identified the value for 

its members to get involved in their 

superannuation allowing them to make 

educated decisions if and when required. 

MARCH – WOMEN IN THE UNIONS 

Not only will March see the celebration 

of International Women’s Day, but also 

a QPUE branch Official Training Course 

targeted at female officials. 

I urge all of our members to support 

women within our membership to step 

forward and become involved with the 

QPUE and represent all members in their 

workplace. Currently our females are 

under-represented in union official ranks. 

It is our intention through our training 

program to facilitate further training 

later this year. If you’re interested then 

do not hesitate to contact your Regional 

Representative or myself. 

ARBITRATION UPDATE 

Many thanks to our Industrial Team, led 

by Steve Mahoney, and our members as 

they prepare for our hearing before the 

Full Bench of the Queensland Industrial 

Relations Commission. 

We are set to have our pay claim heard 

in arbitration and many of our members 

are assisting in the provision of 

statements and preparing for workplace 

inspections across the state by the Full 

Bench and all parties. 

This is a lengthy process and we are 

being supported by the Queensland 

Council of Unions in our endeavour. 

Do not hesitate to contact me if you 

wish any specific update or have 

any questions. 

Stay Safe 

Mick Barnes 

General Secretary 

0411 453 335 

mbarnes@qpu.asn.au 

6 


Assistant General Secretary’s Message 

these poor people but really it does 

make us look just a little bit silly, does 

it not? 

DENIS SYCZ 

It’s not only this e-mail but I understand 

there are many every day, that whilst 

not up there for ingenuity, probably 

state the bleeding obvious just as much 

as this little gem. 

NOT a day goes by that I don’t see weird and wonderful things come 

past my desk, and recently I was sent an e-mail that is doing the 

rounds on how to lace up your boots. 

There were many questions that sprang 

to mind upon receipt of this e-mail, and 

sadly I didn’t get the author’s name 

forwarded along with the attachment. 

But to see it is to believe it, and so much 

so that the person that forwarded me the 

message stated it something like this: 

“Have you seen this? Apparently it is 

NOT a joke. Tom Malloy would have 

had kittens with a policy like this.” 

So I opened the attachment and low 

and behold what did I see? (see right) 

politically correct and so inward-looking 

that we’ve become ineffectual? 

I thought that in these enlightened 

times with recruiting such a rigorous 

process, and recruits having to attain 

levels of education not even thought of 

in the past, that we would recruit people 

smart enough to lace up their boots and 

then even be able to tie them. 

I even suspect that this guide was done 

in good faith to correct a problem for 

QPS footwear 

1. The diagram outlined is provided to ensure there is uniformity in the of lacing QPS 

issue foot wear. All recruits are to comply with this lacing method of the footwear. 

I think the QPS have really got to have a 

look at the overkill they produce in their 

everyday workings. Things like this are 

just a little bit too much of the micromanagement 

mentality that pervades 

the halls of the good ship QPS. 

What would happen to you if you got it 

wrong? Would you have to wear thongs 

or self-report with a 466? 

Denis SYCZ 

Assistant General Secretary 

See, I have no problem with useful 

advice, I in fact encourage it. But 

sometime things don’t really need to be 

stated, as in this case. 

I suppose it’s just a sign of the times 

but when you think about it, is this what 

we’ve really become, an organisation so 

Outside of the boot 

Right boot front view 

Top 

Bottom of the Laces 

Outside lace goes over 

the top of the inside 

lace 

Start with laces 

underneath 

Left boot front view 

Top 

Bottom of the Laces 

Outside of the boot 

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. 



Rogers v R. I will keep you posted as the 

appeal progresses. Rest assured, this 

matter is far from over. 


PRIVATE PROSECUTION 

In recent days, I have had numerous phones calls regarding the 

private prosecution for assault against Constable Ben Arndt of City 

Station. I will explain what is happening, as you can understand the 

union is not going to let this matter rest. 

I understand the concerns of many 

of our frontline officers in the City 

and Fortitude Valley as this case 

has ramifications for all Queensland 

Police. The support for Const Arndt 

is overwhelming and, can I say, he 

has conducted himself with dignity 

throughout the whole saga. 

making of the arrest, and the obstruct 

charge must also be overturned. 

One of the factors argued for the 

complainant was that the force used by 

the police was excessive. This argument 

was rejected by both the original 

Magistrate and the District Court. 

“As you can understand, the union is not going 

to let this matter rest.” 

The QPUE has also sought the 

assistance of senior counsel to assist in 

drafting proposed legislation for Good 

Faith Protection for Police, and will, in 

the near future, present the proposed 

legislation to the government. 

“Stay Safe, Play Safe” 


Regional Representative 


0438 112 741 

On 8 Feb 2011, a reserved decision in 

a private prosecution against Const 

Arndt for common assault was 

handed down. 

Const Arndt was convicted on the 

basis he used excessive force during 

the course of an arrest made by his 

partner. The original matter involved 

the complainant being arrested for 

disobeying a move on direction and 

obstructing police. 

The complainant was originally 

convicted in the Magistrates Court, and 

that conviction was upheld on appeal to 

the District Court. The convictions were 

finally overturned some 18 months later 

in the Court of Appeal, which found 

the original move on direction was 

not reasonable in the circumstances (a 

direction to leave the toilet blocks for a 

much shorter period to allow cleaning 

may have been reasonable and lawful). 

The court found it followed that as the 

direction was so unreasonable, the 

officers could not have been acting in 

the performance of their duty during the 

The Court of Appeal did not consider it 

(having found for the complainant on 

another basis). However one Appellant 

Justice did make comment in relation 

to force used, observing the difficulty in 

making assessments on the actions of 

the officers with regard to the 

CCTV footage. 

In convicting Const Arndt, the 

Magistrate found he honestly but 

mistakenly believed the application 

of force was in the performance of 

police duty. However, the force used 

was excessive in the circumstances. 

The Magistrate found the Court of 

Appeal decision had overturned the 

findings of the original Magistrate and 

District Court Judge in relation to the 

lawfulness of force used, and it was 

open to her to find the force used 

was excessive. 

The QPUE Solicitor has sought advice 

from senior counsel and is lodging an 

appeal in relation to this issue. The 

matter involves consideration of the 

application of the High Court decision in 

8 



the QPS hierarchy and many male 

colleagues showing their support. The 

QPU is a major sponsor of the event 

and, as the chair of the Women’s 

Committee of the QPU Executive, I will 

continue our support to increase female 

representation within the union. 

DES HANSSON 

ALL HAIL SAINT ANNA OF FLOOD 

As I write this, Yasi has hit north Queensland and all I can say is, 

can we please get rid of Bligh as the weather forecaster? Yeah, I 

know her spin doctors highly recommended the free press coverage 

associated with the floods, and she is pinning her re-election hopes 

on her so-called wonderful leadership during that crisis, but enough 

is enough.. 

Anyway, be careful out there. 

Des HANSSON 

NCR Rep QPUE 

0412707434 

I didn’t see Bligh show any compassion 

when she kicked our brother 

Queensland unions in the guts and sold 

off the family jewels: QR, the ports, 

the water, electricity. Nor did I see 

any compassion for our hard-working 

colleagues at Oxley Academy. 

They are living and working in cheap, 

aging, dormitory-style accommodation 

and temporary buildings, in amongst 

the gravel and mud, as a result of our 

Premier stopping funding for the new 

academy and slowing recruiting down 

to a trickle to save a few dollars. 

Saint’s weather warnings? I would 

have thought the tears and the halo 

were enough for Saint Anna without 

our fearless non-partisan leaders 

taking a role in some spin doctor’s 

choreographed version of the Bold and 

the Beautiful meets Hurricane Katrina. 

Bring back the Thunderbirds, they were 

more fair dinkum, and had a wider 

range of facial expressions. 

I had a look at the OPMs and nowhere 

could I find a reference to standing 

beside a premier struggling for 

popularity. 

“ Bring back the Thunderbirds, they were 

more fair dinkum, and had a wider 

range of facial expressions. ” 

Saint Anna shed no tears when she 

stated that there would be no new 

taxes, but we’re all bleeding from 

parasitical utility bills skyrocketing. 

Not to mention the rate rises from the 

forced council amalgamations. Between 

the hikes in rates and water bills, I’m 

paying at least an extra couple of grand 

a year. 

Taxes have many different names. On 

the bright side, I suppose she got a few 

of her Labor mates fat cat jobs with 

astronomical salaries running the water 

and electricity mobs. Well done. 

And another thing, what about the 

separation of powers? I thought law 

enforcement was supposed to be kept 

separate from government. How come 

we have the Police Commissioner 

and Deputy Police Commissioner 

standing behind Saint Anna like tangled 

puppets from the Thunderbirds, 

shifting eyebrows and expressions 

at appropriate times in sync with the 

Good to see the courts are backing up 

the great work of our troops catching 

looters. I noticed a few of those 

thieving bastards got a harsh reality 

check with a stern dose of community 

service as their punishment. What a 

great deterrent. They won’t go thieving 

again - they’ll be too busy laughing. 

Anyway, I like many others have 

volunteered again to help our 

colleagues through these tough times. 

I applaud all our members who have 

stood up, without press conferences 

and tears, to help out our mates during 

these tough times. Keep up the good 

work. 

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 

I attended a lunch for International 

Women’s Day on March 8, along with 

our union President Ian Leavers and 

General Secretary Mick Barnes. The 

event was well-attended with around 

300 people turning up including 



Darren Lees 

MOTHER NATURE FLEXES HER MUSCLES 

Troops, since my last article, which was based around the rain 

in our state leading into and over the Xmas period, what we have 

experienced in particular in the Southern Region and in the far north 

can only be described through the use of a number of adjectives. 

The two that come to my mind when I 

think about what we have experienced 

are “surreal” and “catastrophic”. 

It has often been the subject of friendly 

banter from members in Toowoomba 

and indeed the Toowoomba people in 

general, that if we ever had a Tsunami 

type event around the coast we would 

be okay here due to the fact we are so 

high up in the scheme of things. Well, 

my friends, that all changed on a horrible 

afternoon on the 10th of January, 2011. 

I don’t think it requires me to go into all 

the details. I am sure we all understand 

how widely and extensively the so-called 

“inland tsunami” has been broadcast 

across all forms of media, and you would 

probably have to have been living on 

another planet not to have seen some of 

the images from Toowoomba, Murphy’s 

Creek, Grantham and other parts of the 

Lockyer Valley. 

I was not at work when this event 

happened, but I can recall watching 

the news that afternoon feeling sick to 

my stomach about what I was seeing. 

I think most of us around our region 

and indeed the state have probably had 

funny feelings about what we saw and 

I can specifically recall feeling strange, 

like I did during the 9/11 terror attacks 

in the USA. I honestly thought I was 

watching some sort of news report from 

some third world country or some sort 

of computer-based product for a recent 

movie set. All the time I was saying to 

my family, “This cannot be Toowoomba 

and the Lockyer Valley region. Surely 

not.” 

“ I have spoken to some older generation people 

who were around in 1974, who said that while 

the Brisbane River may not have peaked at the 

1974 levels, they believe this was a worse flood 

in many ways. ” 

Now that time has allowed all the events 

to sink into our minds I can only feel 

a sense of helplessness and sadness 

for the good people of Toowoomba, 

Murphy’s Creek, the Lockyer Valley, 

Grantham, Ipswich and other parts of 

our region and state whom we serve as 

police officers. Many of them have lost 

cars, homes, property, furniture and 

something that can never be replaced, 

loved ones and family members, which 

really to me is unbelievable. To think 

that the very force of Mother Nature 

can turn so cruelly upon any of us at 

any time, especially in areas you would 

never believe such an incident could 

occur, is a stark reminder to all of us, in 

my opinion, that our lives are very short. 

We need to recognise that and live every 

day to the fullest, and love our families 

unreservedly. 

I would just like to leave the entire 

Toowoomba, Murphy’s Creek, Grantham 

and Lockyer Valley incident on this note, 

to express my heartfelt sympathies to 

all members of those communities that 

lost their loved ones, their homes, cars 

and property in the devastation, and 

to remind all of them that the policing 

community of our region and state are 

with you and we will continue to work 

tirelessly to do what we can to assist you 

to, in some way, shape or form, restore 

what you can to your lives. 

AND THEN THE DAM OVERFLOWED 

Ladies and Gents, if the disaster that 

was bestowed upon Toowoomba and 

the Lockyer Valley was not enough, 

only days later, we watched in horror 

as disaster update after disaster update 

led us to another scary place we did not 

want to go, the eventual downpours that 

led to the Wivenhoe Dam overflowing 

(and/or water being released). And low 

and behold our brothers and sisters 

in the Ipswich District, and then in 

Brisbane, were inundated with water to 

rival the famous 1974 flooding. 

Again the pictures of devastation could 

only be described as unbelievable. I have 

spoken to some older generation people 

who were around in 1974, who said that 

while the Brisbane River may not have 

peaked at the 1974 levels, they believe 

this was a worse flood in many ways. 

This time there was a lot more property 

damage, as opposed to land damage, as 

was the case in 1974. I certainly am not 

going to argue with them. 

What I think we can all say is that what 

Ipswich (which is a very proud city 

in itself and in fact at one stage was 

mooted as our state’s capital in the 

day) and indeed Brisbane experienced, 

is something we never want to see 

again in any of our lifetimes. Again the 

devastation was on such a massive 

scale it was really hard to comprehend. 

And to think that this is all occurring 

only weeks after other parts of our State 

like Emerald, Rockhampton, Theodore, 

Chinchilla, Dalby, St. George, Bundaberg 

(and the list goes on) all experienced 

flooding at unprecedented levels. I 

recall hearing at one stage from our 

Premier, or one of the people attached 

to the State Disaster Coordination 

Centre, outlining that around 75-80% 

10 


of our state had been declared a natural 

disaster area. That is frightening when 

you consider the size of our state. 

YASI HAS THE FINAL SAY AND BLOWS 

US AWAY 

Then came Cyclone Yasi which ripped 

through our far north like an outboard 

motor and a three-metre wide fan that 

had been placed in a small bath tub. 

The size of that cyclone was something 

to behold. My best mate lives in the 

FNR and is in the job (he knows who 

he is). He told me he even had to stock 

up on undies due to the scary nature 

of Yasi, which is a bit weird because he 

is well known for his laid back attitude 

towards most things, cyclones included. 

Again, communities in the far North 

like Tully, Cardwell and others had to 

endure the ferocity of another of Mother 

Nature’s lessons. Again, the same tale 

of woe, massive amounts of destruction, 

communities destroyed but to the best of 

my knowledge on this occasion, no loss 

of life, which is remarkable in itself. 

Again, I can see that those communities 

up north are going to be looking in 

no small way to the mighty men and 

women in the suit of blue, to assist 

in the rebuilding process, as all the 

communities in the Southern Region 

will be. They are going to need to feel 

safe and secure whilst their communities 

recover, and they cannot rely on a better 

group of men and women in my humble 

opinion. This leads me to the note I 

would like to finish my article on for 

this month. 

Troops, I was certainly one of the lucky 

ones that did not have to endure the 

agony some of you did during our recent 

natural disasters around our state. But 

I will say this - I have spent some time 

speaking to members of communities 

like Grantham during shifts I have done 

there since the disaster, and I have 

also spoken numerous times to our 

region’s Assistant Commissioner and 

Senior Executive. I have also tried to 

speak to a lot of the troops who were 

on the ground doing a myriad of duties 

from communications operators, to 

first response, to search and rescue, the 

recovering and identifying vehicles, just 

to name a few. I have also spoken to 

members in places like St. George, Dalby 

and other areas. I wanted to do this to 

get some idea of what they went through 

during the disasters we encountered, 

because I am sure many if not all of 

them have never seen destruction on 

this scale before. 

There have been some absolutely 

terrifying and sad stories which to 

be honest, leave you choking back 

tears. There have also been stories 

of unbelievable heroics and feats of 

stamina from all police working at those 

times right across our region and state 

over a lengthy period of time that leave 

you wondering how we didn’t have 

people falling over left right and centre. 

But then again, after thinking about that 

for a bit I realised something - the people 

I have the privilege of wearing the same 

uniform with across this state are a 

special bunch of people. It would take an 

atomic bomb to knock a lot of them over 

in circumstances like those they endured. 

They are people that for their own 

reasons joined a job to make a difference 

and serve their communities without 

fear or favour, knowing full well 

tragedies like we have experienced 

may well befall them at any time of the 

day or night as part of their duties. The 

message I have been given as your 

Regional Executive Representative 

on the QPUE from members of the 

community, politicians, and our own 

Senior Executive is very consistent. 

Our police are the best bar none. In the 

face of adversity, without sleep, hardly 

seeing their families whilst assisting 

others, many of them losing everything 

themselves in these disasters whilst they 

served their communities, they have 

showed a level of service and dedication 

that many people would only see in 

some sort of farfetched out of this world 

movie. But not on this occasion, it was 

real life, and it was right across a large 

number of communities in the mighty 

state of Queensland. 

To all of our members in the Southern 

Region and across this great state of 

ours, can I thank you all. I know our 

entire Executive thanks you for your 

efforts as does the QPS. To say you 


should all feel very proud of your efforts 

is really an understatement. It is really 

quite humbling for someone like me 

to be able to even be in a position to 

represent you in a forum such as the 

QPUE Executive. I can promise you one 

thing – while I can draw breath through 

my slightly rotund frame, I will not 

stop singing the praises of you all. You 

deserve for Queenslanders to know how 

lucky they are to have men and women 

of your calibre protecting them. 

I believe the QPS, in conjunction with 

the government, owe it to all of you 

to ensure any specific heroic efforts 

are recognised accordingly. I am sure 

this will occur and I would encourage 

all of you to contact your Regional 

Representatives if you have any 

information of a nature highlighting 

any of your work mate’s feats during 

our disaster period. That can then be 

passed onto the senior executive in your 

respective regions. In general, the QPS 

and Bligh government need to finally 

understand that you are all worth a lot 

more than 2.5% per year. It might only 

be a small token of appreciation for 

efforts that can never really be quantified 

over the last few months, but I am sure 

it will go a long way to assisting all of 

you to look after yourselves and your 

families for the risks you take and the 

service you deliver. 

Ladies and gents, be very proud of your 

efforts; you have a lot of supporters out 

there that cannot get by without you. 

Thanks for reading my little piece for this 

month, stay safe and continue to spend 

time with your families. 

This is the very proud, slightly rotund 

one signing off for this month. 

Keep up the good fight and 

stay safe. 

Darren LEES (Beefa) 

Southern Region Executive 

Representative 

0417 776 184 



BILL FELDMAN 

MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH 

The “Maxwell Smart” award this month must go to the QPS media – 

a poorly worded and less informative media release went out with 

respect to a Central Region senior sergeant’s dismissal from the QPS. 

The release merely (and wrongly) 

pointed commercial media outlets to an 

officer from Central Region on recreation 

leave from his home station and almost 

caused a riot in the alcohol-sensitive 

Aboriginal community he policed. 

My information is that that extra police 

had to be deployed from Rockhampton 

station to prevent an upsurge of violence 

and tension in the community caused 

by the poor investigating, and even 

poorer reporting from the commercial 

media outlets. Perhaps a little more use 

of the shoe phone may have prevented 

the foot in mouth from all media outlets 

concerned. 

It was, in my mind, an excessive penalty 

road system in Mackay after cyclones 

Anthony and Yasi, a low profile QPSmarked 

Holden Commodore sedan 

happened to traverse a couple of flooded 

causeways. 

The car bottomed out a few times on 

rough gouged road surfaces and as a 

result, developed a slight squeal when 

the driver braked. The vehicle has done 

less than 10,000 kilometres and diligent 

police officers immediately booked the 

vehicle in for a mechanical inspection. 

“ I can’t wait to have my say at the SERP 

meeting when this little nugget is bought out 

for a polish in the future. ” 

given the circumstances surrounding the 

dismissal and I will be doing my best to 

assist in forging ahead with an appeal 

against the severity of the action taken 

against a career police officer. 

After all, if the Labor government can 

fly alcohol into a dry community and no 

action be taken at all against that official 

for that indiscretion – the action taken in 

this case seems to be a sledge hammer 

on a peanut. 

DVDS 

My yearly Maxwell Smart award 

however has to go to the developers of 

the DVDS (The Departmental Vehicle 

Damage Reporting System). I was 

under the misapprehension that this 

system was designed to make the 

reporting of minor vehicle damage and 

the rectification of that damage so much 

easier than in the past. 

The cost to replace the muffler system 

Two days later, following a mechanical was $1,158.85. I am still at a loss to know 

inspection by Pioneer Holden in Mackay, why the whole system was replaced; 

the officers were advised that a Lumley’s obviously I’m just not that mechanical. 

claim was needed due to some minor 

undercarriage damage to the vehicle. 

The DVDS is dutifully completed in 

what is supposed to be a quick and easy 

method of fixing the vehicle and getting 

the vehicle back on the road. 

Below is the response from the 

overviewing officer (see photos): 

“Returned as further investigation is 

required. Standard requirements to be 

covered include alcohol testing of driver, 

circumstances of incident, investigation 

and findings, cost of the required repairs 

and or quote for same, crash history 

of driver, and recommendations into 

the investigation including any Dept or 

legislative actions.” 

“Once the investigation is completed the 

District officer or a Commissioned Officer 

should overview the file and forward to 

the district DVDS Manager Mackay who 

will then forward to the Regional DVDS 

Co-ordinator for presentation to SERP. 

“It is strongly recommended that 

photos of the damage be included in 

the report along with drug and alcohol 

testing return (QP0568), other relevant 

attachments. All correspondence should 

form part of the DVDS report and can be 

linked as a document.” 

Well, the simple suddenly became 

more complicated. The damage was a 

small dent in the muffler which bent the 

muffler system slightly upwards causing 

the heat dampener to come in contact 

with the drive shaft when the vehicle 

brakes and the front end dips. 

How and why was I to breath-test 

the driver two days after what was 

now termed an incident instead of a 

mechanical problem, I will never know. 

I did however take 300 or so 

photographs and then ran out of working 

hours that day after attaching 50 of them 

or so to the report along with the quote 

and the result of my investigation. 

I can’t wait to have my say at the SERP 

meeting when this little nugget is 

brought out for a polish in the future. 

I am forever hopeful that this timeconsuming 

reporting system will at 

least be used to highlight the type of 

damage sustained to the current vehicles 

assigned to rural and regional stations 

Following divisional patrols and being 

sent to two jobs on our less than perfect 

The damaged muffler 

A flood-damaged road 

12 



and divisions.These QPS-designated 

vehicles, which are inappropriate for the 

work of that establishment, should be 

highlighted for change. 

When questioned at a meeting about 

upgrading the QPS-marked vehicles in 

the Pioneer Valley to more appropriate 

high clearance or 4WD vehicles some 

three years ago, our previous Assistant 

Commissioner stated that it would be 

futile to submit such an application. 

Sanity may be prevailing in 2011 as 

our current Assistant Commissioner, 

perhaps from his previous time at the 

helm of Operations Support Command, 

appears to be far more rational and 

understanding when it comes to 

providing the right resources for the 

right job. 

All the Pioneer Valley OIC’s are now 

preparing reports to upgrade to more 

suitable vehicles in order for us to 

undertake the arduous patrols on our 

rough, unsealed, wet and severely 

corrugated roads, headlands and 

property driveways. 

I say this to any other OIC in the Central 

Region that while we have the ear of a 

more informed AC, they should submit a 

report to obtain the appropriate vehicles 

suited to the conditions in their area. 

As always, I am in love with any 

computer and reporting system thrust 

on us. 

Work smart, work safe – 

make it home. 

Bill FELDMAN 



This type of terrain has to be negotiated 

to perform our duties to the professional 

standard that we must maintain. 



TONY COLLINS 

CONGRATULATIONS to Ian Leavers on his victory in the recent 

election. Of the nearly 10,000 union members, just over one-third 

(3,600) voted. Ian won more than 60% of this vote and will lead the 

union for the next four years. After the previous tumultuous years, this 

should now give the union some stability. 

GORDON DOUGLAS AND 

POLICE LEGACY 

I had the privilege to attend the unveiling 

of a memorial plaque for Constable 

Gordon Douglas who was murdered 

whilst attending a domestic dispute in 

Inala in 1968. Gordon was survived by a 

wife and two children. The idea for the 

plaque germinated with Superintendent 

Tonya Carew. The logistics and a lot of 

the hard work and family liaising was 

technology, an organisation must wrap 

its processes around the technology not 

the technology around the processes. 

That statement is well documented in 

any change management text book that 

you would care to pick up and read. 

As you are aware, Tasmania now uses 

iPhones to make vehicle and person 

inquiries. Tasmania also has automatic 

number plate recognition systems. But 

“ As reported by Western Australian Police 

hierarchy, they expect a 20% reduction in crime 

and 20% increase in offender detection”. 

conducted by Sergeant Tony Maras, 

and the administration staff of Inala 

Station. The unveiling was done by the 

Commissioner and was well attended, 

by not only Gordon’s family, but also 

some of his now retired squad mates. 

Gordon’s son, Ross, spoke at the 

unveiling and he made special comment 

about how much Police Legacy had 

assisted him and his family after his 

father had died. (see right) 

Tasmania is a relatively compact state 

when compared to Queensland, so let us 

compare apples with apples. Let’s use 

Western Australia against Queensland 

as a case study. Western Australia has 

recently implemented mobile data and 

has approximately 360 devices active 

and available. Western Australia has 

gone from 800 radio inquiries a day 

to 26,200 on the in-car and handheld 

devices. As reported by Western 

Australian Police hierarchy, they expect a 

20% reduction in crime and 20% increase 

in offender detection. 

Further, the benefits to the West 

Australian Police on the ground is 

accessing the right information at the 

right time. Does that phrase sound 

familiar? It should. Western Australian 

police have full access to all national 

data from these devices, which greatly 

increases officer safety and their ability 

to manage daily risks. 

Bearing in mind that Western Australia 

is the largest single policing jurisdiction 

in the world, they have achieved equality 

for their rural officers who are now as 

well-connected and informed as their 

metropolitan counterparts. It is quite 

obvious that in Western Australia they 

have overcome their “FBI” syndrome. 

For anyone unfamiliar with that 

acronym, it stands for Forgotten 

Bastards of the Inland. 

How did all this come about and how 

much does it cost? Good question. I’m 

glad somebody asked because that is the 

response I continually get when I query, 

‘Where is our mobile data?’. We don’t 

have any money. 

The philosophy adopted by the West 

Australian Police Commissioner and 

The fact that his father’s death occurred 

over 40 years ago did not diminish the 

invaluable assistance the family had 

received from Police Legacy. If you are 

not donating to Police Legacy, maybe 

you should consider it. 

IN-CAR MOBILE DATA 

It is quite clear that Queensland is being 

left behind in the technology stakes. 

Even the technology we do introduce, 

we can’t get right. To get the benefit of 

14 


Telstra 3G is the answer. Telstra formed 

a partnership with the West Australian 

Police and instead of expanding the 

West Australian Police private network, 

they utilised the Telstra 3G network, 

saving millions of dollars. The data plan 

for this entire enterprise is $10 per unit. 

So Western Australia is spending a paltry 

$3,600 a month on its entire data plan to 

keep its officers connected. 

In terms of productivity that would 

equate to 221 inquiries for every one 

dollar spent. Well, we all know how we 

are currently operating in Queensland, 

and maverick dummy units just don’t 

cut it when compared to real mobile 

data. So, when comparing ourselves 

to Western Australia, we could but we 

would be just embarrassing ourselves 

by doing so. 

For further information and case studies 

on what I have written just go to the 

Telstra homepage and type in West 

Australia Police and be amazed and 

disappointed at the same time. 

FLOOD EFFECT ONGOING 

The effect of the flood is still being felt 

throughout Queensland. What has been 

a double blow to our members is the 

likelihood of not being eligible for any 

money from round two of the Premier’s 

Flood Appeal and being dropped like a 

school bag on a Friday afternoon by the 

insurance companies. 

What has been a greater disappointment 

is that the insurance that is offered 

through the Queensland Police Credit 

Union has not been honoured, and has 

left some of our members, who thought 

they were covered, with nothing. 

To assist these members, the QPUE is 

currently selling wrist bands to raise 

money for our flood-affected members. 

With approximately 100 of our members 

flood-affected to varying degrees, it will 

take a considerable sum to get them 

back on their feet. Please support the 

sale of the wrist bands to your family 

and friends.. 


Remember, if you have any 

problems, I am a phone call 

away. 

Tony COLLINS 

Union Representative 

Metropolitan South Region 

0414 804 472 



Bob SMITHSON 

DISASTERS IN QUEENSLAND AND ABROAD 

The major topics in the news over the past couple of months have, 

of course, been the widespread floods across much of Queensland, 

only to be followed by Cyclone Yasi in the north of the state. As I go 

to press here, we receive news of another devastating earthquake in 

Christchurch, New Zealand. 

All of the Australian States and 

Territories’ police unions have a close 

affiliation with our Kiwi counterparts, 

and our thoughts and prayers go out 

to our comrades across the Tasman. 

Each of the events I have mentioned 

above has been significant in anyone’s 

language and have impacted on just 

about every person in Queensland and 

beyond in one way or another. The 

Queensland Police Service has been 

no exception and, in fact, has played a 

major role in the disaster management 

response to these terrible weather 

events in our own state. 

We have seen many Queensland police 

officers leave their home stations and 

families at very short notice and travel 

into the affected areas to assist with 

the policing effort. It is times like this 

that the old “police culture” comes to 

the surface. 

Governments and others over time 

have tried to destroy this “culture”, 

but it is still there. Deep down we, as 

police officers, are a unique profession. 

Occasionally we like to have a bit of a 

whinge and a whine about our job, but 

at times of crisis we just seem to get 

in and get the job done, no questions 

asked. We put up with a bit of personal 

discomfort for a few days to help out 

our fellow Queenslanders. 

Thank you on a job well done to all 

the Queensland police officers, and the 

many unsworn staff, who have put their 

job before their own affairs to help out 

in these times of need. I must also give 

a word of thanks here to the police 

officers who came up from Victoria and 

New South Wales to assist us during 

the flooding clean-up phase. 

SOUTH EASTERN REGION HEALTH 

INITIATIVES 

Our members in the South Eastern 

Region should have noticed lately 

several new initiatives emerging 

regarding our general health and 

well being. 

“Thank you on a job well done to all 

the Queensland police officers, and the 

many unsworn staff, who have put their 

job before their own affairs to help out 

in these times of need”. 

Many of these campaigns have been 

promoted through the Human Resource 

Section SER. Our union’s own WPHS 

Officer, Rosemary Featherstone, 

has also been actively involved in 

supporting many of the programs. 

One of particular interest to me is the 

“Lose Yourself” project. This is simply 

aimed towards weight loss, and is being 

conducted by the Weight Watchers 

group. Our Assistant Commissioner, 

Mr Paul Wilson, kindly provided 

sponsorship funds, which were equally 

matched by our union, for 30 of our 

members to participate in the 13-week 

course. 

Expressions of interest were posted 

and a response of 39 interested officers 

applied. This resulted in the drawing 

of names from a hat to select the 30 

‘contestants’. 

As well as the 30 sponsored 

participants, A/C Wilson, our General 

Secretary Mick Barnes and I, threw 

our own money in and enrolled for 

the program. The group was split in 

two with 15 attending Surfers Paradise 

and 15 going to Logan each Tuesday 

evening for the “weigh in”. The early 

results are looking good in both 

camps and a touch of friendly rivalry is 

emerging. 

I thank the Human Resource Section 

SER, Rosemary Featherstone, A/C 

Wilson and the Union Executive for 

sponsoring such a project, and WHEN 

it succeeds, there could well be a case 

to expand such programs into other 

Regions and Commands around the 

state. I will keep readers up to date 

as the weeks roll on and the weight 

rolls off. 

DRINK SAFE PRECINCT – SURFERS 

PARADISE 

It is still only early days into the Drink 

Safe Precinct Operations, but the results 

being achieved so far by police in 

Surfers Paradise give some indication 

that an increase in police numbers may 

be having an effect on loutish alcoholfuelled 

behaviour, once commonplace 

in the streets. From the number of 

arrests being made, it would seem that 

almost any number of police would still 

be kept busy bringing the offenders 

to account. 

One very good aspect of the new 

legislation is the ability for police to 

apply to the courts to issue ‘banning 

orders’ as a sentencing option. These 

banning orders can be imposed if the 

offender is convicted of an offence 

involving the use, threatened use or 

attempted use, of violence to a person 

or property which occurred in or around 

licensed premises. 

It is pleasing to see that the courts are 

on side with these banning orders, and 

to date the number of banning orders 

imposed is pushing towards double 

figures from the Surfers Paradise Drink 

Safe Precinct alone 

We must persist with the Drink Safe 

operations and hopefully, in the not too 

distant future, the anti-social drunken 

behaviour will be eradicated from 

our streets. 

Bob SMITHSON 



16 


CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR STATION 

Please complete this form and return it to the Union Office. 

REGISTERED NUMBER: 

TITLE: Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss: 

FULL NAME: 

HOME ADDRESS: 

POSTCODE: 

POSTAL ADDRESS: 

POSTCODE: 

PHONE NUMBERS: [H] 

[MB] 

[W] 

[F] 

WORK EMAIL: 

HOME EMAIL: 

RANK: 

STATION: 

STATION ADDRESS: 

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 

Suite 75, Level 11, Northpoint 

231 North Quay, Brisbane, 4000 

Telephone: (07) 3236 2276 

Fax: (07) 3236 4219 

Email: qplegacy@bigpond.com 

Manager 

Payroll Services 

Partner One – QPS Payroll 

Level 6, GPO Box 1395 

BRISBANE 4001 

AUTHORITY TO DEDUCT 

I hereby authorise and direct you to deduct from my fortnightly pay, 

the sum of $ : 

This authority replaces all previous authorities and shall remain valid until cancelled 

by me in writing to the Queensland Police Legacy Scheme. 

FULL NAME: 

RANK: 

REG NO. 

REGION: 

STATION: 

SIGNATURE: 

Please forward this authority directly to the following address: 

18 

Queensland Police Union Journal March 2011 

The Secretary/Manager 

Queensland Police Legacy Scheme 

P O Box 13003 

GEORGE STREET Qld 4003

Queensland Police Union tHE of Employees 

Election Notice - Executive Member-Regional Representative 

The Industrial Registrar has issued a Decision, pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act 1999, that the Electoral Commission of 

Queensland conduct a casual vacancy election for the position of Executive Member-Regional Representative for Far Northern 

Region for the Queensland Police Union. The successful candidate for the position will be elected for the remainder of a four 

year term until 30 June 2013. 

Office 

No. of Positions 

Executive Member-Regional Representative 

Far Northern Region ........................................................................ 1 

Nominations close midday Friday, 29 April 2011 

Nominations open at midday on Monday, 4 April 2011. Written nominations signed by at least three financial 

members as nominators and by the nominee and complying with the Unions’ Rules must be lodged with the 

Electoral Commission of Queensland no later than midday on Friday, 29 April 2011. 

Candidates for election shall be financial members of the Union. A Nomination Form is printed with this Election 

Notice. Extra Nomination Forms are available from offices of the Union and the Electoral Commission of Queensland 

and the Commission’s internet web site; www.ecq.qld.gov.au. These forms are provided for members’ convenience. 

However, any form of nomination that complies with the Unions’ Rules is acceptable. 

Nominations may be received by means of hand delivery, post, facsimile or any other electronic means that 

includes the signatures of the nominees and nominators. Nominees should ensure that their nomination is 

received by the Commission and can be clearly read. Candidates may withdraw from the election at any point prior 

to the printing of ballot papers by giving written notice of their intention to the Commission. 

Candidate Statements 

Candidates may lodge a statement on a single A4 sheet supporting their election to each position sought. These 

statements are included with eligible voters’ ballot material. Statements must be received by the Commission no 

later than the close of nominations. 

Ballot 

If necessary, the Commission will take a secret postal ballot to determine the successful candidate for the position. 

A roll of voters is completed when nominations close and contains the names of persons who are financial members 

of the Union 30 days before nominations opened and are eligible to vote for the Region in which the voters home 

station is situated. Voting is by the First-Past-the-Post method. 

It is a member’s responsibility to ensure that the Union is advised of their correct address and other details. 

Members entitled to vote in a ballot and who will be away from their usual address at the time the ballot is taken 

may give the Commission a forwarding address at which they can receive their ballot material. 

The ballot/s will open on Wednesday, 1 June 2011 and close at midday on Wednesday, 22 June 2011. Ballot 

materials may be posted to eligible members up to two days before the ballot opens. 

JOHN COOPER-JANSSEN 

Returning Officer 

15 March 2011 

ELECTORAL COMMISSION of QUEENSLAND 

Level 6 Forestry House, 160 Mary Street, Brisbane, Qld. 

Postal Address: GPO Box 1393 BRISBANE QLD 4001 

Telephone 1300 881 665 or (07) 3035 8034; Fascimile: (07) 3221 5387 

www.ecq.qld.gov.au 


Queensland Police Union of Employees 

Nomination Form 

Nominations close at midday Friday, 29 April 2011. 

We the undersigned financial members of the Queensland Police Union of Employees, desire to nominate 

Reg No: 

Ms/Mr/Other: 

Courtesy Title, If any 

(Print the full name of the person you are nominating) 

as a Candidate for the office of Executive Member-Regional Representative representing Far Northern 

Region. 

Reg. No. Station Full Name Signature 

Consent to Nomination 

I, accept nomination and am prepared 

(Print your name as you would like it to appear on the ballot paper) 

fully to comply with the aims, object and Rules of the Queensland Police Union of Employees and otherwise 

faithfully serve the best interest of my members if elected to represent them. 

Address: 

Postcode 

Telephone: (Home) 

(Business) 

(Mobile) 

Facsimile: 

E-mail: 

Signature: 

Date: 

ELECTORAL COMMISSION of QUEENSLAND 

Level 6 Forestry House, 160 Mary Street, Brisbane, Qld. 

Postal Address: GPO Box 1393 BRISBANE QLD 4001 

Telephone 1300 881 665 or (07) 3035 8034; Fascimile: (07) 3221 5387 

www.ecq.qld.gov.au

EB6 Update 

EB6 

Update 

Enterprise Bargaining Update 

Members will be aware that we are preparing for the Full Bench Arbitration in the Queensland Industrial Relations 

Commission. The parties have attended several preliminary hearings in the Queensland Industrial Relations 

Commission and have set down dates for inspections and hearings. 

Inspections are as follows: 

Sunday 27 March 2011 

Monday 28 March 2011 

Tuesday 29 March 2011 

Wednesday 30 March 2011 

Thursday 31 March 2011 

Friday 1 April 2011 

Saturday 2 April 2011 

Travel to Cairns 

Mareeba, Atherton, Yarrabah 

Cairns 

Mt. Isa, Cloncurry 

Academy Westgate, Policelink 

Ferny Grove, Fortitude Valley (11pm) 

Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach 

Hearings are set down for 14 days between 19 April and 17 May with 12 members giving evidence over the 

course of the hearing. 


Darling Downs Town Moved With The Flow 

Darling Downs Town 

Moved With The Flow 

By Senior Constable Justin Bower, Miles Police 

The small rural community of Condamine on the western 

Darling Downs has never featured so highly in the news as it 

did through December and January when the population was 

evacuated twice within 13 days due to flooding. 

to Dalby. By 9.30pm the town was 

devoid of life except for police and 

local SES controllers. Police secured 

a makeshift measuring tape to the 

verandah of the Condamine Hotel so 

that they could continue to read the 

river height as it went beyond the 

previous record levels. The existing 

river markers simply did not go high 

enough. On the first night as the river 

continued to rise, police slept in one 

of the local teacher’s houses in an 

otherwise empty town. 

SES Moving a cow onto a hotel’s verandah 

Condamine is a small town 

37 kilometres south of Miles on the 

Leichhardt Highway within the Miles 

Police Division. The town consists of 

about 80 houses, 12 businesses and 

a population of around 150 people. 

This is a brief précis of how the events 

unfolded during the floods. 

After experiencing very heavy rainfall 

in the preceding days, the town of 

Condamine was completely isolated 

by the 27th December 2010. 

Our home town of Miles was also 

cut off by floodwaters at the same 

time, but the general opinion was 

that houses in Miles would be largely 

unaffected. Condamine however was 

to be a different story. The Condamine 

River continued to rise and indications 

were that river levels might exceed 

the previous 1942 flood record of 

14.25m. 

On the morning of 30th December 

2010, Sergeant Ben Wiltshire (OIC 

Miles) was dropped into Condamine 

by helicopter to assess the situation 

and meet with the towns people. After 

conferring with the DDC at Dalby, 

the decision was made to issue an 

evacuation order and preparations 

were made for residents to be airlifted 

from Condamine to an evacuation 

centre in Dalby. Sergeant Derek Brady, 

Senior Constable Dan O’Hara, and 

Senior Constable Scott Pogan were 

also airlifted in to assist. 

A total of 86 residents were 

subsequently evacuated by army 

Blackhawk helicopter from Condamine 

Upon waking the next day, the scale 

of the inundation was evident. Police 

and SES conducted patrols of the 

township, using boats and heavy 

machinery, and began the job of 

assessing the damage to property. 

A number of residents from rural 

properties on the Condamine River 

were also collected in the SES flood 

boat and transported to safety. 

Most pets had not been allowed on 

the aircraft the previous night so 

police and SES started feeding the 

animals left behind. A large portion of 

the work done by police in this initial 

phase was done in waist-deep water 

under quite adverse conditions. It 

was later discovered that people had 

been working in water containing the 

effluent from local septic tanks. 

On New Year’s Day, myself and 

Constable Dan O’Brien were flown 

in to relieve the others. It was only a 

small helicopter so we were unable to 

carry swags and had only basic items 

22 



Sergeant Ben Wiltshire, Senior Constable 

Scott Pogan, Sergeant Derek Brady and Senior 

Constable Dan O’Hara 

of clothing due to weight restrictions. 

Fortunately, the police that we took 

over from had to leave their swags 

behind for the same reason. After 

landing at the football field, we 

received a briefing from Sergeant Ben 

Wiltshire and took up residence at the 

Condamine Cods’ Football Clubhouse 

which was to be our command post 

and sleeping quarters for the next few 

days. The clubhouse was on slightly 

higher ground and the whole town to 

the west of the clubhouse was now in 

the flow of the Condamine River. The 

river had peaked at 15.25m. 

Conditions were very basic. There 

was no clean water apart from 

what the SES had stored in drums. 

There was no effective telephone 

communications as the Telstra tower 

backup batteries had run out. Ergon 

Energy had switched the power off to 

the town. The only food available had 

come from the local service station 

when it lost power, and was being 

stored in a six-metre refrigerated 

shipping container that was running 

on a generator. 

We were very fortunate to have the 

local SES controller and a few of his 

crew on the ground in Condamine. 

Most of these blokes worked for a 

local earthworks contractor so their 

skills with driving heavy machinery 

and using equipment were very 

handy. Even though our primary 

policing role was to provide security 

for the unoccupied homes and 

businesses, it soon became clear 

that we could be of assistance 

performing a number of other jobs 

while isolated inside the town. In 

between our routine tasks such as 

QFRS portable habitat (tent city) 

patrolling, gathering river height data 

and providing regular reports to the 

DDC at Dalby, we assisted the SES 

with jobs such as the collection and 

burning of rubbish. Many residents 

had made contact with the SES and 

requested that they enter their homes 

and empty the contents of the fridges 

so they were not left rotting inside 

while the houses were unattended. 

After reporting the working conditions 

back to the DDMG, arrangements 

were made for a QAS paramedic to be 

flown in to provide support in case of 

illness or injury. There were a number 

of things that warranted the need 

for an on-site paramedic including 

the isolation and the possibility of 

an accident or a snake bite. Snakes 

were very prevalent where we were 

working and sleeping, and had to be 

‘dealt’ with on a number of occasions. 

Another thing that started to become 

a problem for those working in the 

water constantly was foot rot or 

trench foot, and specialist supplies 

were flown in to treat these disorders 

as they developed. QAS later placed 

two paramedics in Condamine for the 

duration of the event, and Queensland 

Health also placed nursing staff on the 

ground to assist. 

The next few days saw numerous 

agencies including council and Ergon 

enter the town to try and re-establish 

basic services of drinking water and 

power. Communications were vastly 

improved once a portable generator 

was set up on the Telstra tower and 

mobile phones could be utilised. 

While we could keep fuel up to the 

portable generator, we had phones. 

Aerial photo of the Condamine 

We were subsequently replaced after 

a few days and returned to Miles. A 

number of other police from various 

locations including Dalby, Chinchilla, 

Toowoomba and Logan were sent to 

relieve in Condamine throughout the 

course of the two floods and provided 

valuable assistance. Miles is only a 

small country station and needed 

relief from the Roma District during 

this time. It is also worthy of note that 

there were staff working at times in 

both Condamine and Miles that had 

friends, family and houses impacted 

by the floods in other places, so their 

commitment to their duties in our area 

was that much more commendable. 

By 6th January, the decision was 

made to return the evacuees 

to Condamine so the clean-up 

could commence in earnest. The 

evacuees from the Dalby centre 

were transported by bus to the Miles 

airstrip, and helicopters were used 

to ferry them and others who had 

sought accommodation locally back 

into Condamine. A total of 37 people 

were flown in that day, with a number 

of others making their way back into 

Condamine on the SES flood boat 

over the still swollen river. 

The community then commenced 

the massive job of cleaning up and 

returning to their homes. On the first 

day that volunteers were allowed 

into the town, there were somewhere 

between 500 and 800 people who 

turned up to assist. A combined 

effort with volunteers, council, SES, 

QFRS and Rural Fire Brigade saw an 

enormous amount of work done in a 

short time. It looked like everything 

was returning to normal and it was 

all over. Everyone had taken a bit of a 



breather and we were getting ready to 

return to a bit of normality. 

We will of course all remember the 

afternoon of January 10, 2011 and 

the devastating scenes that started to 

emerge from the Toowoomba area 

in relation to the flash flooding. I was 

working that evening 2pm to 10pm, 

and we had also experienced severe 

weather and storms. Condamine had 

received another 75mm of rain and 

there was up to 200mm north 

of Chinchilla. 

The Condamine River had jumped 

about two metres in two hours and 

the alarm bells started to ring again. 

It was not long before we received 

information that the water that was 

coming down through Chinchilla 

during the evening may be similar 

to the Toowoomba flooding. The 

decision was made for police from 

Miles to close the Warrego Highway 

west of Chinchilla, and for officers 

to wake residents up in Condamine 

and start making them aware of the 

situation. The people of Condamine 

had only been back in their town for 

a grand total of four days at this point 

in time. 

It was, of course, not easy to explain 

to people that the river was rising 

again, and that they may have to leave 

the homes that they had just cleaned 

up and moved back into. Between 

9pm and 1am we door-knocked the 

entire town and advised them of the 

situation. People were advised to 

place their vehicles on the western 

Senior Constable Justin Bower and Constable Erin 

Kill being briefed by a Blackhawk crew member 

side of the bridge so they would have 

transport the next day if they had to 

be boated over the river. Some people 

chose to leave straight away, while 

others worked through the night and 

put as much of their gear as high up 

as possible ready for the next day. I 

left Condamine at about 1am as the 

water was lapping at the bridge, and 

the police remaining inside the town 

closed the road. 

By morning, the bridge was again 

under water. The first flood had, 

however, taught us all a number of 

valuable lessons and we were better 

prepared. For instance, the council 

went into Condamine and removed 

all the pumping equipment from the 

water treatment plant and placed it 

up high so instead of having to repair 

them when the water receded, it was 

merely a matter of bolting them back 

in place and turning them on. 

There was no mandatory evacuation 

the second time. People left after 

consultation with the police. No 

need for any airlift this time - the few 

residents left were boated over the 

river. Those without their own local 

arrangements were accommodated at 

an evacuation centre in Miles. Some 

were accommodated by a local gas 

company in their workers camp. 

The town of Condamine was again 

devoid of life except for SES and 

police and it was to remain like 

that for some time as we waited for 

floodwaters to arrive and peak from as 

far away as Warwick. Throughout this 

Senior Constable Dan O’Hara 

whole period police maintained a 24 

hour presence inside the town. 

On the 19th January 2011, myself and 

Constable Erin Kill were flown back 

into Condamine by Blackhawk. On the 

same day the QFRS portable habitat 

was flown in by Chinook helicopter. 

QFRS set up the tent city to house 

any evacuees that could not stay in 

their own homes, and all the other 

agencies set up in Condamine again. 

Late that afternoon the residents were 

again brought back into Condamine. 

Some residents returned by boat, or 

by ADF helicopters. The army also 

arrived on the outskirts of town that 

afternoon and set up camp at the local 

rodeo grounds. 

The next morning, the army entered 

the town through the floodwaters 

to the south in their ASLAV’s along 

with numerous QFRS, SES, Rural 

Fire Brigade and council staff. The 

second clean-up began. The army set 

up a portable water treatment plant 

to provide clean water until council 

was able to establish a drinking 

supply. Around 70 soldiers provided 

extra manpower for the clean-up 

operations. The army also took the 

pressure off the local SES who had 

been operating the flood boat over the 

Condamine River for the last 23 days, 

and took over transporting residents 

and workers over the swollen river in 

the ASLAV vehicles. 

The second clean-up did not seem 

to take as long. Some people were 

better organised, some people simply 

did not have anything in their houses 

as they had lost everything in the 

first flood. Police from a number 

of stations including Miles, Dalby, 

Chinchilla, Toowoomba and Logan 

had provided a 24-hour presence in 

the town of Condamine for a total of 

23 consecutive nights from the 30th 

December 2010 to the 22nd January 

2011. To this date, there has not been 

a single report of theft or looting from 

the residents of Condamine during 

those dates that the town was affected 

by flood. 

The staff from Miles Station wish to 

thank all those who came to assist 

during the floods. 

24 


Sciaccas Lawyers and Consultants 

Official lawyers for the Queensland 

Police Union of Employees 

Visting Queensland Wide. 

• Workplace Accidents and Injuries 

• Workers’ Compensation Claims 

• Workers’ Compensation Appeals 

• Workers’ Compensation Reviews 

• Motor Vehicle Accidents 

• Superannuation Claims 

Call toll free 1800 658 525 

www.sciaccas.com.au 

ICON Place, Level 4, 270 Adelaide St, Brisbane 

For all enquiries, please contact our Partner, Ryan Heath, 

directly on 07 3867 8839 or email r.heath@sciaccas.com.au 


Tropical Cyclone Yasi Pounds North Queensland 

Tropical Cyclone Yasi 

Pounds North Queensland 

By Paula Doneman 

As the helicopter flew over the 100km stretch of beach, Sergeant 

Rod Stanley could not see a trace of green in any of THE trees that 

lineD the coast from Cardwell to Kurramine Beach. 

Mission Beach, between Cairns and 

Townsville, around midnight.” 

Sgt Stanley said Tully had about four 

hours warning that the eye of the 

cyclone had moved south of Cairns, 

and Tully and Cardwell were likely to 

bear the brunt. 

Tully Heads 

The foliage had been decimated 

by up to 300km an hour winds 

from Cyclone Yasi battering the sugar 

town of Tully in the early hours 

of February 3. 

“There was not a bit of bark or a leaf 

left anywhere. There were sheets 

of iron, boats and trailers strewn 

everywhere. Some of the houses were 

flattened and others looked okay,’’ 

Sgt Stanley said of the damage he 

surveyed from the air. 

During more than 20 years of being 

stationed in north Queensland, Sgt 

Stanley has now been through five 

cyclones. 

“One of them was a category four but 

this was the first time we’ve reached 

a category five. It was pretty intense. 

I have been stationed at Tully for a bit 

over a year, and prior to that I was in 

Cairns. 

“This sort of weather does not deter 

me from staying here as cyclones are 

a part of life in north Queensland. At 

least there are warnings for cyclones, 

unlike the poor people of Christchurch 

and Grantham. We can prepare for 

it and hopefully (Yasi) is as bad as it 

gets,’’ he told the Journal. 

Cyclone Yasi, which originally 

was expected to impact Cairns the 

hardest, wreaked havoc across 450km 

of north Queensland between Cairns 

and Ayr. It also travelled inland, 

dumping torrential rain on cities as 

far west as Mt Isa, to communities in 

South Australia. 

North Queensland had prepared well 

for Yasi, setting evacuation centres, 

warning residents living in its path to 

move to safety, evacuating hospitals 

and moving cars from streets. 

“The cyclone crossed the coast at 

“As the eye of the cyclone passed 

over, we had an hour and a quarter 

of stillness. We still had power and 

phones just prior to the eye reaching 

us and were monitoring the BOM 

(Bureau of Meterology) site, tracking 

the eye as it moved through Mission 

Beach and in our direction. There was 

a break in the rain and wind as the 

eye passed over and we went outside 

to evaluate the damage before it hit 

again from the other direction. It got 

very quiet,” he said. 

Winds reached up to 300km an hour, 

the rain was horizontal and Tully 

residents listened as it smashed 

houses, trees and anything in its wake. 

“All the preliminary work had been 

done. The day before the cyclone, 

we had door-knocked people on the 

beachfront, advising them to evacuate 

due to the danger of a possible fivemetre 

storm surge. The vast majority 

of residents left but there were a few 

who flat-out refused to go. They were 

re-visited on the afternoon of the 

cyclone, and some reluctantly went 

and others were steadfast. 

Those who stayed were worried 

about the security of their homes, 

while others didn’t believe the storm 

surge would be an issue. One of the 

residents who stayed behind told one 

of our officers if it happens again, they 

won’t hesitate to leave as they had a 

horrible experience,’’ Sgt Stanley said. 

26 


may have lost his home but he was 

relieved that he still had his photos 

and his car.’’ 


Police and emergency services went 

out to at first light to survey the 

damage, with the winds still hitting 

at around 100km an hour, and were 

greeted with scenes of destruction. 

Mobil Service Station Tully 

On the night of the cyclone, one of the 

residents who stayed behind called 

police asking to be rescued. However 

a decision had been made that all 

police were to stop all patrols and 

outside duty, and return to the safety 

of their stations. 

“We were told to remain where we 

were. We could not put ourselves in a 

position to be leaving the station and 

rescuing people,’’ said Sgt Stanley 

who was in the Tully police station. 

Asked whether police felt helpless 

with calls of that nature, Sgt Stanley 

said officers find it frustrating when 

people are given advice to move to 

safety but refuse to do so. 

“You think, well, what can you do. The 

same thing happened in Cardwell with 

people demanding to be rescued but 

it was just impossible,’’ he said. 

“There was one guy at Tully Heads 

who was extremely appreciative 

police had advised to evacuate 

because it gave him time to prepare 

and take his car and valuables. He 

Mission Beach 

About 30 per cent of the town 

sustained structural damage, many 

homes lost their roofs and the 

region’s banana crops were flattened. 

“It looked like a bomb had exploded 

- trees were down, signs bent. Andy 

Campbell and I went for a drive and 

there were four or five house roofs 

that had landed on the main street. 

We were driving around doing welfare 

checks”. 

“We were extremely lucky there were 

no injuries except for a couple of 

residents who hurt themselves during 

the clean-up. One in four houses 

and businesses sustained significant 

damage but the most graphic was the 

loss of trees. Tully is usually a lush, 

green place,” he said. 

On Wednesday night following Yasi, 

seven people were evacuated from 

Tully Hospital after the township 

lost power. 

An officer from Cairns’ Water Police 

organised for a helicopter to direct 

police to homes and businesses which 

had been severely damaged 

Tully 

or destroyed. “The helicopter would 

lead us in to the properties where 

we would check to see if there 

was anyone injured or dead. It is 

absolutely incredible that we had no 

loss of life.’’ 

Sgt Stanley said the community’s 

recovery was slow but had been made 

easier with the help of the Army 

and SES. 

“We also have had a lot of assistance 

from police all over the state which 

was greatly appreciated. A few of us 

worked the first week and then were 

able to take a break to clean up our 

own places as other police came in 

and replaced us. 

“Everyone at Tully station has 

sustained damage. A couple of 

officers have rural properties which 

will take months to fix. One officer, 

who lives at Silkwood, was cut off 

by trees that had fallen down around 

his property and we visited him by 

helicopter and kept in touch by phone. 

“All of his furniture was wrecked after 

the wind blew out all of his windows. 

Another officer has at least $100,000 

water damage to his house after he 

lost part of his roof.’’ 

He said there was a long road to 

recovery.“I think there are still places 

without power, South Mission Beach 

is a bit of a ghost town, the caravan 

park is still closed and lumps of coral, 

car parts and iron have washed up on 

the beach.’’ 

Sgt Stanley said police did a 

wonderful job under extremely 

adverse circumstances. 

“Everyone had damaged houses but 

were back at work as soon as they 

could be. We had some officers who 

couldn’t work because of kids or 

families but were washing the clothes 

of the visiting officers. 



Main street, Tully 

“There was a lot of selflessness 

among colleagues and members of 

the public. There was a lady at the 

petrol station who was upset…she 

had lost everything and had nothing 

to cook with, and a lady, who didn’t 

even know her, offered her a gas 

cooker and her last three butane 

cylinders.’’ 

CAIRNS 

THE day the cyclone was due to hit, 

Senior Sergeant Denis Fitzpatrick was 

called off holidays to run the Comms 

centre in Cairns. It was his last shift in 

far north Queensland for 

Sen-Sgt Fitzpatrick, the outgoing 

QPU Executive Regional 

Representative for Far Northern 

Region. He was recently 

promoted to Inspector in Brisbane. 

Preparations were well in place as 

the city braced itself for the force of 

Cyclone Yasi. Thousands of residents 

fled the city or sought the safety of 

evacuation centres. 

“We had everything fully secured and 

all interceptor positions and all radio 

channels fully manned for the entirety 

of the cyclone because of the support 

we had from Brisbane. 

All the staff who were rostered on 

during the day stayed on, and those 

who couldn’t get in, stayed where 

they were. 

“Because of the early predictions 

that placed Cairns in the eye of the 

cyclone, you could not expect every 

staff member to work because they 

had families and houses to take care 

of – that expectation is not placed on 

them by the police service,’’ he said. 

“Through the course of the day there 

was great fear and trepidation as the 

predictions were that Cairns, or just 

south of it, would take a direct hit 

from Cyclone Yasi. If we had been hit 

it would have brought a tidal surge 

and a severe inundation of Cairns. 

“There was a great deal of fear in the 

voice of people ringing, fear of the 

unknown. This was the biggest and 

most powerful cyclone in our history, 

a category 5, and it caused a lot of 

concern for the public and people 

managing the disaster. 

“First we opened all the evacuation 

centres early in the morning and had 

a lot of calls from the public about 

where the centres were and what they 

should take for the duration of the 

cyclone, as in things like food 

and bedding.” 

“The officer-in-charge of Cairns 

organised for police to attend the 

centres, to check off names on the 

manifest so we could account for 

people’s whereabouts. 

Tully Station 

“One of the major shopping 

complexes at Earlville opened around 

28 



8am and within an hour there were 

1,600 people there.” 

Sen-Sgt Fitzpatrick said police doorknocked 

certain areas in the northern 

beach suburbs where inundation was 

expected and recommended residents 

evacuate. 

“We went house to house, some 

residents chose to stay, and they 

completed paperwork saying 

they completely understood the 

circumstances. Days before the 

cyclone, the MIR decided to evacuate 

the hospital and patients were sent 

south to Mackay and Brisbane. 

“Everything was arranged before 

Yasi’s arrival at midnight. The other 

focus was to bring police off the road. 

That decision was made at 7pm,’’ he 

said. 

“However, the eye of the cyclone 

crossed the coast well south of the 

city. Cairns dodged a bullet. There 

was a great deal of debris and 

some damage to old structures, but 

overwhelmingly, we dodged a bullet.’’ 

“What stood out on the night 

was the fact that civilian staff and 

communication operators willingly 

gave up their time to support the QPS 

in disaster. We were also grateful 

for the support of staff sent from 

Brisbane,’’ he said. 

Tully Heads 

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K 

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What Lies 

Beneath 


“AT THIS MOMENT THERE ARE 6,470,818,671 PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. SOME ARE RUNNING SCARED, 

SOME ARE COMING HOME, SOME TELL LIES TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAY, 

OTHERS ARE JUST NOT FACING THE TRUTH, SOME ARE EVIL MEN AT WAR WITH GOOD, 

AND SOME ARE GOOD STRUGGLING WITH EVIL. SIX BILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, 

SIX BILLION SOULS, AND SOMETIMES ALL YOU NEED IS ONE.” 

Kathryn Louise Daley’s favourite quote from the American TV series, One Tree Hill. 

She painted it onto the t-shirt she was wearing the night she was murdered. 

Like all predators, he went to 

higher ground to scout for a victim. He 

lay in wait in a dark, dead end street 

at the top of the hill, sitting in a nondescript 

car equipped with a kill-kit of 

a large serrated knife, bindings and a 

groundsheet. He had been drinking for 

several hours, perhaps for some dutch 

courage. For years, Grant Westley 

Meredith had always kept his distance 

from the women and schoolgirls he 

stalked and secretly filmed. 

His gratification was only achieved 

by watching child pornography and 

dressing in women’s and children’s 

clothing he had stolen from charity 

bins. But tonight the 30-year-old was 

going to quench his depravity. In the 

corner of his eye he saw her - a pretty 

young woman, dressed in jeans and 

a t-shirt, making her way alone to the 

petrol station where locals would get 

the greasy food-fix they craved after a 

big night out. 

She was distracted as she texted her 

ex-boyfriend about how much she 

missed him. She, like other twentysomethings 

in Gladstone, often 

walked home from clubbing as it 

was safe. 

It was a town where basically 

everyone knew each other. There 

had not been a murder within the 

city limits for more than 20 years but 

Meredith was about to change that in 

the most brutal way. 

Hell was about to descend on Kathryn 

“Kat” Daley as she walked into the 

ambush. 

As the temperature soared to the 

mid-30s and the humidity thickened 

on the afternoon of February 17, 

2008, Sue Daley was really worried. 

She could not contact her 21-yearold 

daughter, the elder of her two 

children. It was not unlike Kat to stay 

out for the night but she could always 

be contacted. 

Kat’s mobile phone was switched off 

and after calling several of her friends, 

Mrs Daley could not track her daughter 

down. By mid-afternoon, Mrs Daley 

filed a missing persons report at the 

Tannum Sands police station. 

Police began making inquiries and 

tracing Kat’s last movements. At 

first they thought Kat was fine as 

friends said they had received an 

MSN message that morning from 

her saying she had a great night out. 

However, it soon emerged that her 

best friend Aimee “Maisy” Butler 

had used Kat’s account to send 

the message. 

Kathryn Louise Daley on her 21st birthday 

Police established that the last known 

contact from Kat was just before 

4.30am when she texted her ex- 

32 



Photograph Meredith took of himself in the garage 

of his Gladstone rental property in the weeks after 

Kat’s murder 

boyfriend and then spoke with Ms 

Butler to say she was walking to the 

Mobil Station and would meet 

her there. 

On Monday Kat failed to show for 

her 6am shift at Queensland Alumina 

Limited where she worked as a fourthyear 

apprentice electrician. It was out 

of character for Kat who had recently 

been crowned the state’s “apprentice 

of the year”. Two hours later Detective 

Senior Constable Chris Lindsay and 

Plain Clothes Senior Constable Wayne 

Butcher were given Kat’s case as they 

started their shift at Gladstone CIB. 

The detectives began firming up 

Kat’s last movements as the popular 

21-year-old’s friends, family and work 

colleagues called everyone they knew 

to find her. 

“At first we thought it was a standard 

missing persons case but when she 

didn’t turn up for work we knew that 

something was amiss,’’ Detective 

Lindsay told the Journal. 

At 1pm, Detective Lindsay received 

a call through Communications 

that Kat’s body had been found in 

bushland by two railway workers 

inspecting tracks at Callemondah, on 

the southwestern outskirts 

of Gladstone. 

“I had never seen anything like it; it 

still sticks in my mind today. We knew 

it was Kat, she was dressed in 

Meredith photographing himself wearing a dress 

a white t-shirt and jeans. I could see 

the tattoos on her wrist that her mum 

had told us she had done three days 

before at midday on Friday, February 

15. They were chinese symbols which 

meant eternal and forever,’’ he said. 

From the crime scene, investigators 

learned that her killer carried her 

there as there were no drag marks or 

injuries to her feet. Her wrists were 

tied together, and after repeatedly 

and viciously raping her, the killer had 

redressed her without her underwear. 

She had a blow to the head and 

was almost decapitated. She was 

killed at the scene but most likely 

raped elsewhere. A number of Kat’s 

belongings were missing – her driver’s 

licence, her silver Nokia mobile 

telephone, a credit union keycard, and 

a pair of Billabong thongs. 

The killer left traces of DNA including 

semen which revealed he had a low 

sperm count, from either possibly 

heavy cannabis use or a vasectomy. 

Forensic examination also found 

traces of the killer under Kat’s 

fingernails, on one of her palms, 

her clothing and on the black cotton 

ties used to bind her hands behind 

her back. The piece of pink bra and 

unidentified female DNA found on 

the waistband of the victim’s jeans 

initially led police to suspect the killer 

may have had a woman accomplice. 

Their concern was given further 

weight when their investigations 

uncovered photos taken of Kat earlier 

Grant Westley Meredith 

in the night at the Players Nightclub 

which showed she was wearing a 

purple bra. 

“On analysis of the crime scene, we 

thought there may have been a female 

accomplice because of a piece of pink 

bra which didn’t belong to the victim. 

It was foreign; it had been brought 

into the crime scene,’’ said Homicide 

Detective Senior Sergeant Glen 

Farmer from Operation Golf Alcove. 

“When we were looking at the 

generation of suspects we had to 

consider the motive. We were looking 

at a sexual motive as the victim had 

been redressed, her underwear was 

gone and her fly was left undone. 

“For a particularly brutal assault, the 

fact that the victim’s clothing was 

more or less intact, and had no grass 

stains or signs of a struggle, indicated 

Photo of Meredith taken at Rockhampton 

Watchhouse on January 25 this year after he was 

jailed for life for the rape and murder of Kat Daley. 



of fear within the community and 

because of the severity of the crime, 

the community really worked with us. 

We kept them engaged, constantly 

calling for information, and they did 

everything they could to assist us,’’ 

Detective Farmer said. 

Investigations into the final hours of 

Kat’s life revealed that on Saturday 

February 16, she, Ms Butler and 

friends had spent part of the night at 

home drinking to save money. She 

and Ms Butler had also made t-shirts 

for a Valentine’s Day party at Players, 

one of Gladstone’s two nightclubs on 

the waterfront. 

34 

Bushland where Meredith dumped the body of Kathryn Louise Daley 

the killer had bound her hands prior to 

the attack, and that the rape took place 

at another location where he used a 

protective covering on the ground. 

“Obviously there was a sexual motive 

and we were looking at a male and/ 

or female suspect, and that didn’t 

resolve until the conclusion of the 

job when Meredith was arrested and 

we executed a search warrant on his 

house where we found garbage bags 

of women’s clothing. Then it all made 

sense,“ Detective Farmer said. 

(The unidentified female’s trace DNA on 

the waistband of Kat’s jeans belonged 

to a teenage girl who lived in Gladstone 

but was unknown to the victim.) 

The other concern looming with 

the unidentified male DNA was that 

Gladstone was an international 

port and it was possible the killer 

could have been from overseas and 

already left. 

The location of the crime scene also 

indicated that a local resident was not 

involved as they were not likely to 

dump a body 30 metres off a dirt track 

known to be a popular thoroughfare 

for fishermen accessing a nearby 

river, and QRail employees working 

on train engines. 

The suspect pool potentially was 

enormous. Investigators also pulled 

Queensland Police Union Journal March 2011 

all financial transactions from ATMs 

around the time of the murder, and 

all records for accommodation, as 

anywhere between 3,000 and 4,000 

people stay nightly in Gladstone. 

They were either “fly-ins” for work or 

holiday makers. CCTV footage was 

also seized from businesses and city 

cameras. 

Kat’s mobile phone records were also 

pulled to help track her movements. 

Detectives said investigators also 

checked VICLAS (Violent Crime 

Linkage Analysis System) for any 

similar crimes. The system produced a 

report of three local juveniles who had 

held a knife to a girl’s throat as they 

forced her to eat a “Warhead” lolly. 

“They were still around town and 

we had to speak to them because 

of the connection of the knife to the 

throat– that was the degree and depth 

we went to in our investigation,’’ 

Detective Farmer said. 

“We had a daughter who had been 

snatched from her parents in a very 

violent way and it was extremely 

traumatic for them. The previous 

murder in the district was domesticrelated, 

at Calliope (20 kilometres 

southwest of Gladstone) in 1995, 

and Kathryn Daley’s murder was a 

gruesome crime by a stranger. She 

was a well known and respected 

girl. There was a heightened sense 

CCTV footage showed they arrived 

at the club just after midnight. They 

danced and socialised for several 

hours. Around 4am, patrons were 

ushered out at closing time. Kat 

chatted with people and friends 

outside the club as she waited for 

Maisy. 

Then she decided to go with a male 

friend who then stopped at a kebab 

stand. Kat walked on alone along 

Flinders Parade. 

Witnesses told police that at around 

4.15am they saw Kat, dressed in jeans, 

a white t-shirt and thongs, walking 

by herself along Lord Street and 

using her mobile phone. She told two 

women she was walking home to New 

Auckland, where she rented. 

At 4.23am she sent a text to her 

ex-boyfriend, with whom she had 

recently broken up, about how much 

she missed him. 

Almost immediately after, she spoke 

to Ms Butler on the phone and told 

her she needed to go to the toilet and 

would meet her at the “24’’ – a local 

term for the 24-hour Mobil Service 

Station on Dawson Road. 

Ms Butler told police she sounded fine 

and could not hear anyone in 

the background. Kat received a text 

from her ex-boyfriend and then sent 

one again at 4.26am. She was not 

heard from again.

Kathryn Louise Daley 

It is around this time that police 

believe she was abducted, as she 

walked into a cul-de-sac at the top 

of a hill and took a shortcut through 

bushland to get to the Mobil. 

As the investigation progressed and 

the community of Gladstone reeled 

from the shock of such a gruesome 

crime, that shattered their feeling of 

safety, Meredith kept up his façade of 

a quiet computer technician who kept 

to himself. 

The day after the murder, he returned 

to work for Rio Tinto at the Yarwun 

Site, on Gladstone’s outskirts. He 

was a loner who rarely smiled as 

he was ashamed of his rotten teeth 

caused by long-term drug use. He 

rarely socialised and had moved 

from Sydney to Queensland in 2007, 

landing a job in Mt Isa mines as a 

process technician. 

A friend had convinced him to move 

to Gladstone and investigators would 

discover he fabricated his resume to 

land a job for Rio Tinto later that year. 

“We also found that while Meredith 

was at work and conversations started 

up about Kat’s murder, in the tea 

room, he would join in the discussion 

and comment on how bad the crime 

was,’’ Detective Lindsay said. 

DNA PROFILE 

“We were relieved in the MIR that we 

had a DNA profile but at the end of the 

day Gladstone is a major port to the 

world and the killer could be overseas. 

We checked the national DNA 

database and it came up negative. 

We then discovered that NSW, at that 

point in time, did not have an MOU 

with the database, and we sent a 

request to NSW police to check their 

database,” Detective Lindsay said. 

Two months into the investigation, 

a match with an unknown male was 

found on the NSW database. The 

profile was taken from blood left at 

the crime scene of an unsolved break 

and enter in the Sydney suburb of 

Bradbury in 2001. A joint taskforce 

was established with NSW Police 

Strike Force Dardanelle and Operation 

Golf Alcove. 

On April 19, a door knock was 

organised in the area surrounding 

the house that was broken into on St 

John’s Road. This strategy was used 

to try and identify potential suspects 

for the break and enter. 

Police were looking for any persons 

of interest who had lived in the area 

around November 2001 and had since 

moved or spent time in Queensland. 

In a twist of luck, relatives of a NSW 

detective on the taskforce had lived in 

the avenue parallel to St John’s Road 

for several years. 

One of the relatives immediately 

nominated Grant Meredith, whose old 

family home backed onto the house 

where the break and enter occurred. 

The relative described Meredith 

as a known cannabis user who 

had apparently moved to Mt Isa in 

Queensland to work in the mines. 

His criminal history revealed he first 

came to NSW police attention in the 

early 1990s for street and driving 

offences. In 1996, a woman he had 

become obsessed with took out a 

restraining order against him after he 

ran her car off the road. Detectives 

from Strike Force Dardanelle spoke 

to the woman who told them she had 

gone to school with Meredith and they 

had kissed once. 

He then became obsessive, ringing 

her day and night. He stalked her 

and tailgated her car. He wanted to 

take her to the school formal but she 


refused. His obsession ended with 

him running her off the road. He tried 

to enter her car. 

The woman claimed Meredith’s 

relatives had warned her he was 

taking medication for a “temper 

problem”, and that Meredith had told 

her he was “playing life and death at 

her expense”. 

Meredith’s criminal history is 

peppered with low level violence and 

he was the subject of several street 

checks. After being found in a car 

with two associates, he was charged 

with possess illegal drug (cannabis). 

In 1997 and 1998, he was the victim 

of assaults, the latter involving a 

group of men who chased him to 

his front door. In 2002, NSW police 

found cannabis and a bong in his 

car, along with satchels containing a 

white powder, and cannabis seeds in 

Meredith’s wallet. 

A year later, Meredith’s home in 

Cedar Avenue, Bradbury, was broken 

into days after the family moved out. 

Fittings, airconditioning parts and 

garden ornaments were stolen. 

In 2004, police investigating a series 

of break and enters stopped Meredith 

who was driving around in his car in 

the early hours of the morning. He told 

officers he was out driving because he 

had been fighting with his wife. 

NSW Roads and Traffic Authority 

records showed he moved to 

Queensland in 2006. Subsequent 

police inquiries with Meredith’s 

family confirmed he had moved to 

Queensland, where he was working in 

a computer room at a mine, and that 

he would only ring them. 

NSW detectives then contacted 

Meredith and told him they were 

investigating a serious offence 

in Queensland, not mentioning 

Gladstone, and that it was connected to 

a break and enter at Bradbury in 2001. 

During the conversation, Meredith 

nominated several people he believed 

could have been responsible for the 



which was provided through a lease 

with his employer, Rio Tinto. 

Inquiries in Queensland led detectives 

to a new Ford XR8 sedan leased 

by Meredith, purchased after Kat’s 

murder. The car yard where he 

purchased the car provided police 

with financial papers showing 

Meredith lived at a rental property 

in Emmadale Drive in New 

Auckland, Gladstone. 

The cabin at Kin Kora Caravan Park where 

Meredith lived at the time of the murder 

break-in, and admitted to smoking 

pot. He had a general conversation 

about his employment with Xstrata 

Mines and the long distance between 

Rockhampton and Mt Isa. 

He told the detective he still lived in 

Mt Isa. Detectives then spoke with 

a long-time friend of Meredith in 

Sydney who confirmed he moved to 

Gladstone from Mt Isa. 

The friend also told of how they used to 

smoke cannabis together but Meredith 

had stopped because mining company 

employees were subject to regular drug 

testing. He said Meredith rented a house 

in Gladstone with a female flatmate. 

He said Meredith never had a 

girlfriend, could be rude and lost 

his temper, but would not elaborate 

further. To his knowledge, Meredith 

owned a Hyundai Excel, a Nissan 

Pathfinder and a new model Ford 

Meredith 

However, the car was registered to his 

previous address in Mt Isa as was his 

driver’s licence. 

The lowset brick veneer home was 

placed under surveillance to confirm 

Meredith lived there. Investigators 

discovered Meredith lived in one 

bedroom and the second room was 

rented by a woman, further fuelling 

police concerns that their suspect had 

an accomplice. (She was later ruled 

out of any involvement in the murder.) 

Detectives Lindsay and Farmer said 

a check of the investigation logs for 

Meredith’s name showed he was 

staying in a cabin at the Kin Kora 

Caravan Park at the time of Kat’s 

murder. His name was one of several 

thousand on accommodation lists of 

people staying in the Gladstone area 

at the time of Kat’s murder. 

“We had his name from around day 

three of the investigation. We were 

in the process of going through the 

accommodation lists. He was living in 

a cabin at the caravan park. 

“It goes to show the importance of 

securing information of who is around 

at a location at a particular time. 

Regardless of the DNA profile, 

Meredith would have been spoken 

to,’’ Detective Farmer said. 

CLOSING IN 

ON April 24, investigators conducted 

a covert search of Meredith’s house 

to obtain DNA samples to cross-check 

against the “unknown male’’ profile 

found at the crime scene of Kat’s 

murder. Five days later, investigators 

Police cordon off the crime scene 

received the news they wanted to hear 

– the DNA belonged to Meredith. 

At 5.50am on Saturday May 3rd, 76 

days after Kat was brutally raped and 

murdered, detectives from Operation 

Golf Alcove arrested Meredith as he 

left for work. 

For the next three days Detective 

Lindsay and Homicide Detective 

Sergeant Peter Robb interviewed 

Meredith, did a walk-through, as well 

as searched his house and car. 

When they sat down for an interview 

on Saturday afternoon, Detective 

Lindsay asked if there was anything 

Meredith could help them with for 

their investigation. 

“Yes…I did it,’’ Meredith replied. 

When questioned further, he said he 

had been drinking and had a limited 

memory of the crime. 

Meredith said he felt “hollow” while 

sitting in his white Hyundai Excel, on 

a hill in the cul-de-sac which Kat had 

walked through to reach the Mobile 

service station. 

“I only remember flashbacks, 

I don’t remember much at all, I 

remember being at a friend’s 

house in the morning… 

“I remember having her in the car 

driving along, um, Hanson Rd out 

towards Rockhampton, then coming 

back. I remember coming back to a 

house near the power station, over 

the bridge, um, I remember being 

36 


in town a couple of times but I don’t 

remember everything,’’ Meredith told 

the detectives. 

Detective Lindsay was struck by 

Meredith’s cold demeanour that was 

devoid of emotion. 

Her property was in the same bag 

containing the murder weapon, 

still covered in her blood, and sex 

toys. Parts of a pink and white bra 

were also found in his home, which 

matched the bra found at the 

crime scene. 


his colleagues and drove instead,” 

Detective Lindsay said. 

“He then returned to Gladstone and 

at 8.10pm, bank records showed he 

bought a bottle of bourbon and a 

packet of Winfield Blue cigarettes. 

“He was really quiet and he never 

smiled because he had a complex 

about his teeth which had rotted from 

so much drug use,’’ he said. “Even 

when he was being sentenced, he 

stared straight ahead and didn’t make 

a comment when the judge asked if he 

wanted to say anything.” 

While Meredith confessed to 

murdering Kat, he was sketchy and 

selective in remembering the details 

of the crime. 

“He kept that final bit of information 

about the rape and murder to himself 

- something he could relish. He 

certainly had a selective memory, 

and part of his defence was that he 

must have done it because he had the 

gear, the knife and Kat’s property,’’ 


Meredith then accompanied the 

detectives to his house at Emmadale 

Road. There they found a bag 

containing Kat’s underwear – which 

were stretched from Meredith wearing 

them – and his other “trophies”: her 

mobile phone, licence and keycard. 

Asked whose blood was on the 

large knife protruding from the bag, 

Meredith replied: “I can only think of 

one person”. 

“We also discovered bags and bags 

of clothing belonging to women and 

children in his bedroom, and the 

pink bra then made sense. He was a 

cross-dresser and had taken photos 

of himself dressed in female clothing, 

performing various sex acts on 

himself with different instruments,’’ 


Forensic examination of his computer 

uncovered thousands of child 

pornographic images, mostly of girls 

aged between five and 12 years old 

being sexually exploited with men 

and dogs. Police also uncovered 

disturbing photographs Meredith had 

taken of schoolchildren walking home, 

female joggers and women he stalked. 

“We learned that during the day, 

before the murder, Meredith drove to 

Rockhampton for a work function. The 

Broncos were playing a pre-season 

match. He didn’t go on the bus with 

“He drank the bourbon at a friend’s 

house until midnight, left there and 

went to another friend’s house until 

about 2am. Meredith then said one of 

his memories was sitting in his car on 

a hill looking over at a tall building in 

the distance.’’ 

“He had a desire to kill and it was a 

matter of Kat being in the wrong place 

at the wrong time. We believed he 

selected her at random as she was on 

her own. There was no evidence to 

suggest he knew her.” 

“There is no doubt Meredith was 

a sexual deviate. Kat was a strong 

woman who worked in a male 

dominated blue-collar industry and 

she would have fought back if she 

could. Our theory is that she was 

looking down as she was texting and 

he has approached from behind and 

hit her in the head. 

This either knocked her unconscious 

or stunned her enough for him to tie 

her hands behind her back and get her 

into the car,’’ he said. 

“By the time Kat comes to, she would 

not have been able to fight back.” 

Meredith told police he remembered 

driving along Port Curtis Way 

and seeing Kat sitting in the front 

passenger seat with her eyes open,” 


Meredith told investigators he 

couldn’t remember talking to Kat but 

recalled reaching the Bruce Highway 

at the Mount Larcom turn-off before 

turning his car around. He then 

stopped at the NRG Powerhouse in 

Gladstone but did not know why he 

was there or why Kat was scared. 

The street where Kat was last seen alive. Up to the left past the white ute was where she walked into 

Meredith’s ambush 

Meredith claimed his next memory 

was travelling back along Red Rover 

Road before arriving at his cabin in 



30cm long. Who knows what he 

was going to do with that. Was he 

getting ready to kill again?” Detective 

Farmer said. 

ON January 25 this year, Meredith 

appeared before the Rockhampton 

Supreme Court where he pleaded 

guilty to the murder and rape of 

Kathryn Louise Daley. 

Justice Duncan McMeekin jailed 

Meredith for life on the murder 

charge, 12 years for rape, and two 

years for possession of 

child pornography. 

Entrance to the Players Nightclub 

Kin Kora Caravan Park. “He couldn’t 

remember killing Kat or how she came 

to be out of his car,’’ Detective Lindsay 

said. 

When he woke up the next day, 

Meredith told detectives, he knew 

he had done something wrong but 

didn’t know the details. 

Then while cleaning his Hyundai a 

few days later, he found a Just Jeans 

plastic bag containing a bloodied knife 

and Kat’s keycard and mobile phone. 

It was as this point Meredith thought 

he had murdered Kat. 

Using Meredith’s version of events 

surrounding Kat’s murder as a guide, 

investigators began to review CCTV 

footage obtained from local 

Gladstone businesses. 

They constructed a timeline and also 

compared it to Kat’s location using 

her mobile telephone records. The 

analysis of her phone records helped 

investigators with the time of death 

and shows she was walking where 

Meredith said he was sitting in his car. 

His electronic card showed he was 

absent for 25 minutes around the time 

Kat’s body was found. 

“Meredith never spoke about specifics 

so we had to fill in the blanks. He kept 

the intimate details of the offence 

to himself and they will remain his 

secret. They are his moments to 

treasure, in his mind,’’ Detective 

Farmer said. 

The footage first captured Meredith’s 

car at about 4.33am when he driving 

outbound along Hanson Road, past 

the Mobil fuel Depot. It was then 

recorded at around 5.30am, when 

his car was travelling along Red 

Rover Road. 

The investigators’ timeline established 

it took 28 minutes for Meredith to 

travel between the Mt Larcom turnoff 

at the Bruce Highway and return. 

This left 30 minutes unaccounted 

for prior to him heading back towards 

the crime scene where Kat’s body 

was found. 

Another record showed her phone 

was giving off a signal at the Mt 

Maurice telephone tower which was 

near the crime scene. 

At the time of his arrest, Meredith had 

not only moved house but bought a 

new car, leaving the Hyundai parked 

at the back of his residence. 

Meredith’s work records show he was 

on days off between February 13 and 

17, returning the day after the murder. 

“In his new car we found a ground 

sheet and two knives, one in the door 

and one in the central console, about 

Kathryn Louise Daley 

38 



OVERVIEW 

Jon Wacker, who was the central 

region’s crime coordinator at the 

time, said Operation Golf Alcove was 

an example of a perfect investigation 

where the efforts of all those 

involved, particularly the scientific 

and forensic officers at the crime 

scene, were an integral part of 

the investigation. 

“From the time her body was located, 

the preservation and examination of 

the crime scene, which was in very 

harsh bushland and hot conditions, 

was crucial. The forensic and 

scientific officers were very thorough, 

including fingerprinting trees,’’ said 

Superintendent Wacker, who is now 

with the Ethical Standards Command. 

“This investigation ran for 76 

days and relied heavily on a close 

working relationship between Central 

Region police, the State Homicide 

Investigation Group and NSW Police 

Strike Force Dardanelle. 

“This murder really hit the Gladstone 

community hard, and the victim was 

a local girl who was very well known 

and liked. She came from a good 

family and had a good upbringing. 

She was a female making ground in 

a male, blue-collar industry and had 

recently won apprentice of the year. 

“We knew we were in for a long haul 

but we were always confident of 

catching the killer as we had a DNA 

profile of an unknown male (taken 

from the victim),’’ he said. 

Inspector Artie Van Panhuis, North 

Coast Regional Forensic Services 

Co-ordinator, said the Kat Daley 

investigation was an exceptional 

example of overall team work between 

investigators, the intelligence team 

and forensic examiners over two 

states, resulting in Meredith’s arrest. 

Left to Right: Sgt Matthew Russell, OIC at Gladstone Intelligence; Det Sgt Allan Cook and Det Snr Const Chris 

Lindsay of the Gladstone CIB who, along with the team from Operation Golf Alcove, were awarded the Silver 

Award for Operational Excellence. 

“The success of Kat’s investigation 

ultimately was solved through 

Meredith’s DNA being located on 

her clothes. However, all forensic 

options were considered, including 

fingerprinting trees and sampling 

foliage for pollen analysis. Forensic 

officers worked tirelessly, in stifling 

conditions, in protective suits, for two 

days to examine the primary scene. 

“The DNA profile obtained from the 

body was (eventually) linked to a 

volume crime sample collected by 

a NSW forensic officer examining 

a burglary scene. (At the time) 

NSW was not yet involved in 

cross-boundary release of DNA 

information and legal procedures 

were entered into to obtain the 

relevant information. 

“Investigators and forensic officers 

obtained covert samples from 

Meredith’s residence to compare 

against the scene profiles. A mass 

screening from interviewed persons 

was also conducted resulting in 

178 FTA reference samples being 

collected and profiled. In total, 762 

examinations were conducted on 

814 forensic exhibits by 42 forensic 

officers, ‘’ Inspector Van Panhuis said. 

He said the investigation established 

case precedents in numerous ways, 

however reflected on the ultimate 

success of the NATA accreditation 

process and the forensic procedural 

direction in which the QPS has 

progressed. 

“Our mobile data technology, 

sampling techniques, forensic scene 

management and review process 

leads the nation in forensic capability 

and capacity. It further reflects the 

need to fully investigate volume 

crime reports, taking into account the 

propensity for offenders to progress 

to more serious crimes in the future,’’ 

he said. 

DNA samples had to be collected from 

males and females as Kat had been in 

the nightclub dancing and socialising. 

“We (investigators) had to test 

friends and anyone who came into 

contact with her,’’ Insp. Van Panhuis 

said. “This (case) was really solved 

with the help of the touch DNA that 

forensic officers collected. We knew 

someone like this would not have 

started with murder and most likely 

had committed other crimes.’’ 


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Repayments have been calculated over a 7 year term and based on QPCU’s new car loan interest rate only. Repayments include a Loan Funding Fee, Bill of Sale Registration Fee and Revs Search 

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CAR0311

y Mr Mark Burgess - Chief Executive Officer of the Police Federation of Australia 

National Police Service Medal 

The National Police Service Medal: 

Just Recognition for Australia’s Police 

On 2 March, the Australian Government announced that the Queen signed Letters Patent 

instituting a new award within the Australian honours and awards system to accord 

“recognition for the unique contribution and significant commitment of those persons who 

have given ethical and diligent service as a sworn member of an Australian police service”. 

This new award is to be known as the National Police Service Medal (NPSM). 

The operable date for the new 

medal is 30 October 2008, as that is the 

date on which the Queen initially gave 

in-principle approval for the award. 

The medal is only awarded once, 

and there are no clasps awarded for 

additional periods of service. 

The NPSM will be awarded to any 

sworn member of Australia’s police 

forces who is or was a member on 

or after 30 October 2008; and in the 

opinion of that person’s Commissioner, 

gave ethical and diligent service; and 

has given full-time or part-time service 

as a member of one or more Australian 

police forces for a period of at least 

15 years or periods totalling at least 

15 years. 

A Commissioner may waive the 

minimum duration of service necessary 

to qualify for the NPSM if a member 

was unable to continue serving 

because of death, injury or disability 

which occurred as a result of their 

police service. But the other conditions 

must still be met - service must have 

been “ethical and diligent”, and must 

include at least one day on or after 30 

October 2008. 

Whilst the NPSM is not an award 

to recognise long service, it does 

recognise the unique contribution 

given to the community by sworn 

members of Australia’s police forces. 

Long and diligent service has been 

recognised since 1975 by the National 

Medal. The National Medal and 

clasps will continue to be awarded to 

recognise eligible long and diligent 

service. 

In the government’s press release 

announcing the medal, they recognised 

the PFA as the key proponent of the 

creation of the award. 

THE MOVEMENT BEHIND THE 

NEW AWARD 

Almost since the Police Long Service 

and Good Conduct Medal was replaced 

by the National Medal in 1975, police 

associations and unions have been 

advocating the reintroduction of a 

police-specific service award. 

The PFA made submissions to both 

the 2006 and 2008 Australasian 

Police Commissioners’ Conferences 

proposing the new medal. As a 

result we received the support of all 

Commissioners, with Queensland 

Commissioner Bob Atkinson being 

given specific responsibility to 

liaise with the PFA on behalf of 

Commissioners. 

After having also received support 

from the current government in 

the lead up to the 2007 election, we 

prepared a submission to the then 

Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, which 

he endorsed. He then approached 

the Queen to have the new award 

established. The concept received 

in-principle support from Her Majesty 

Queen Elizabeth II on 30 October 2008. 

Since that date there has been a 

series of meetings between the 

parties to further develop the concept, 

the introduction and transitional 

arrangements, as well as the final 

design of the new award. These 

meetings have included the PFA 

representing state, territory and 

federal police associations and unions; 

officials from the Department of Prime 

Minister and Cabinet; the Office of the 

Special Minister of State and Cabinet 

Secretary; their Ministerial Advisors; 

Police Commissioners Bob Atkinson 

(QLD) and Andrew Scipione (NSW); 

Detective Sergeant Vince Pannell 

(AFP) and Federal Agent James 

Cheshire (AFP). 

The meetings, and more significant 

out of session discussions, saw the 

production of many reviews and 

position papers by the PFA for the 

consideration of both government 

and the Commissioners. It was during 

these meetings that it was agreed that 

the Prime Minister would again go 



to Her Majesty to seek approval for a 

variation of the original in-principle 

agreement. It was also agreed that 

the new award be the National Police 

Service Medal and that it would 

not to be a service medal but rather 

that it recognise the commitment of 

individuals to policing in Australia. 

This would also mean that the NPSM 

would be awarded in addition to 

the National Medal to Australian 

police. This approval was received 

and formally announced by the 

government on 19 May 2010. 

Two Federal Ministers who deserve 

special recognition for their support 

during this process are the Minister for 

Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor and 

the former Special Minister of State 

and Cabinet Secretary, Senator Joe 

Ludwig and their respective staff. As 

the process bogged down in red tape 

and Honours protocols during this 

period, these two Ministers ensured 

that negotiations were maintained, 

and that a final outcome acceptable 

to all parties was achieved. All police 

officers are indebted to their efforts 

and persistence. 

THE DESIGN AND ORDER OF WEAR 

During this process I was contacted by 

Inspector Rick Steinborn of the New 

South Wales Police Force who had, in 

his own time and at his own expense, 

designed a proposed medal for our 

consideration. As discussion with the 

various interested parties continued, 

and various changes were made, 

Inspector Steinborn incorporated those 

changes at every step. 

Rick’s design (attached) has now been 

formally endorsed by the Queen as the 

NPSM’s design. It will be finished in 

cupro-nickel. The St Edward’s Crown, 

representing the Sovereign whom all 

Australian police officers ultimately 

serve, is located on the suspender 

bar. The front (obverse) of the medal 

features the Federation Star located 

inside an unbroken circular chequered 

band, known as ‘Sillitoe Tartan’. The 

Federation Star represents the national 

scope of the medal, while the Sillitoe 

Tartan is the internationally recognised 

symbol of policing. The unbroken 

band surrounds the star, signifying the 

unity and cooperation between each 

of the individual state, federal and 

territory police forces who together 

protect the entire Commonwealth. 

The back (reverse) of the medal 

has two sprays of golden wattle, 

the national floral symbol, located 

immediately below a raised horizontal 

panel on which the recipient’s details 

can be engraved. The words ‘FOR 

SERVICE AS AN AUSTRALIAN POLICE 

OFFICER’ appear in capital letters 

around the inside of the outer rim. 

The ribbon, like the medal device, was 

also further developed as a result of 

discussions between the parties after 

the in-principle approval was received. 

The final ribbon design accepted is that 

developed by Federal Agent James 

Cheshire of the AFP. The medal ribbon 

draws inspiration from police awards 

under both the Imperial and Australian 

awards systems. 

The ribbon has a central panel of three 

stripes of dark blue, gold and dark blue. 

The central panel is flanked by white 

panels, each bisected by a thin red 

stripe. Blue and gold are Australia’s 

heraldic colours, commonly used in 

the ribbons of Australian medals, 

while the blue and white are colours 

traditionally associated with police and 

police awards. The thin red stripes 

represent the ever-present hazards 

experienced in service as an Australian 

police officer. 

Both Inspector Steinborn and Federal 

Agent Cheshire will be formally 

recognised as the Medal and Ribbon 

designers and should be congratulated 

for their efforts. 

The NPSM is an official award in 

the Australian honours and awards 

system and as such, is worn on the 

left breast when in uniform or civilian 

attire. In the order of wear, the NPSM 

is positioned before all long service 

awards and immediately after the 

Civilian Service Medal 1939-1945. This 

is in recognition that the award is not 

a long service award and is made only 

to sworn police officers who have 

provided ethical and diligent service for 

the entirety of their police career. 

CONCLUSION 

The National Police Service Medal is 

a tangible acknowledgement by the 

Australian government of the unique 

role that police officers play in the 

preservation of peace, the protection of 

life and property, and the maintenance 

of law and order throughout Australia. 

The new medal demonstrates 

community support for the work done 

by the 55,000 police members who 

place their own safety at risk to protect 

the quality of life, security and freedom 

of all Australians. 

The PFA will continue to work with 

Government and the Opposition 

parties in relation to just and equitable 

recognition for Australian police. 

We will continue to advocate for the 

introduction of meritorious service 

awards, an equivalent to the defence 

conspicuous service awards, for the 

establishment of an Honours and 

Awards Tribunal to be a standing 

advisory and assessment group in 

relation to police and emergency 

services awards, and to have National 

Police Remembrance Day declared a 

national day of significance. 

The creation of the National Police 

Service Medal comes about after 

many years of hard work by a great 

number of people, but I think that it is 

particularly noteworthy that the medal 

was achieved principally through 

the efforts of the PFA, the ‘National 

Voice of Policing’ representing 

55,000 Australian Police Officers, 

and was developed and designed 

by operational police officers from 

different jurisdictions working together 

for a common purpose - a principle 

which is at the very heart of policing in 

Australia today. 

For further details on the NPSM go to 

the PFA web site www.pfa.org.au 

42 



NATIONAL POLICE SERVICE MEDAL (NPSM) 

Obverse 

Reverse 

Medal Design; 

The medal will be finished in cupro-nickel. The St Edward’s Crown, representing the Sovereign whom all Australian police 

officers ultimately serve, is located on the suspender bar. The front (obverse) of the medal features the Federation Star located 

inside an unbroken circular chequered band, known as ‘Sillitoe Tartan’. The Federation Star represents the national scope of 

the medal, while the Sillitoe Tartan is the internationally recognised symbol of policing. The unbroken band surrounds the 

star, signifying the unity and cooperation between each of the individual state, federal and territory police forces who together 

protect the entire Commonwealth. The back (reverse) of the medal has two sprays of golden wattle, the national floral 

symbol, located immediately below a raised horizontal panel on which the recipient’s details can be engraved. The words 

‘FOR SERVICE AS AN AUSTRALIAN POLICE OFFICER’ appear in capital letters around the inside of the outer rim. 

Medal Ribbon; 

The ribbon has a central panel of three stripes of dark blue, gold and dark blue. The central panel is flanked by white panels, 

each bisected by a thin red stripe. Blue and gold are Australia’s heraldic colours, commonly used in the ribbons of Australian 

medals, while the blue and white are colours traditionally associated with police and police awards. The thin red stripes 

represent the ever-present hazards experienced in service as an Australian police officer. 



Skirmishing the 

Youth 


“Considering that over 20 events have been run on a budget of just $5500, which 

has had a targeted audience pool of about 1,350 attending youth, the value for 

money coupled with strategic message delivery has proved the Skirmishing the 

Youth project a success in the Charleville District,’’ Sen-Const Maguire said. 

to the problem of youth boredom 

and inactivity in Charleville and 

the increasing number of crimes 

committed by youths under 17 

years of age, such as trespass and 

underage alcohol consumption. It 

is proving to be an exceptionally 

effective diversionary activity with the 

number of youth crimes committed in 

Charleville falling from 126 in 2008- 

2009 to 56 in 2009-2010,’’ Sen-Const 

Maguire said. 

JUVENILE crime has almost 

halved in the Charleville district under 

an initiative by two Queensland police 

officers. The Skirmishing the Youth 

program has reduced offences in the 

district by 56%, and has provided a 

platform for police to identify at risk 

youth aged between 13 and 16 years 

of age. Charleville police officers 

Senior Constable Mick Maguire and 

Sergeant Clint Ryan are the architects 

of the program, which launched 

in September 2009 in response to 

juvenile crime. 

“Myself and Sgt Ryan had to come 

up with a project to showcase as 

part of the QPS Positive Practices 

Management Program, and we 

wanted to start a vehicle in Charleville 

to get a message across to all 

juveniles,’’ Sen-Const Maguire said. 

“Charleville is the largest town in 

South West Queensland with a 

population of 3,300 servicing a rich 

pastoral area. The recent years 

of drought have been difficult for 

the town, bringing a decrease in 

population and the withdrawal of 

many youth services and activities, 

including the skating rink, movies 

and discos. “This has left Charleville 

youth bored and despondent, and in 

turn has led to an increase in youth 

offences. The police station has also 

experienced change with many of 

the personnel moving and new staff 

being appointed. A number of the 

new officers, under the leadership of 

Sgt Ryan and myself, wanted to not 

only become part of the community 

but also assist with the youth problem 

and increase positive police/youth 

interaction,“ 

Sen-Const Maguire told the Journal. 

“It was developed in direct response 

Traditional Police Blue Light discos no 

longer interested youth as they once 

did, given the ready availability of 

music online, so the officers involved 

searched for an activity they believed 

would be attractive to the local 

young people. 

They identified laser skirmish as 

a likely activity, as it is safe and 

physically active. They encouraged 

the establishment of Charleville Laser 

Skirmish and once it was established, 

they entered into a partnership with 

the business owner. (This company 

has also received recognition as the 

first ‘Laser Skirmish’ owned and 

operated by an Indigenous business 

woman.)The game design has been 

created in such a way that it forces 

the youth participants to utilise team 

work, communication and physical 

fitness. The development of these 

core skills is an additional major 

benefit. So far the project has been a 

conduit for police and stakeholders 

to reach juveniles on issues such as 

healthy eating, protective behaviours, 

44 



Sgt Clint Ryan and Snr-Const Michael Maguire were highly commended in the State Government’s awards for Fair Communities. The award is for initiatives which 

promote safe and caring communities. 

healthy lifestyle, fitness, effective 

communication and team work. 

“It is the start of a whole mentoring 

program in Charleville with at risk 

youth, and at the moment we are 

moving into the second phase 

where we are taking youth away on 

heritage walks. These youths have 

been identified through the skirmish 

program as people we need to target,’’ 

Sen-Const Maguire said. 

“Youth boredom in Charleville is a 

major factor in juvenile crime – there 

are no malls, cinemas or Time Zones. 

There is really nowhere for them to 

hang out.’’ Skirmish is held on Friday 

and Saturday nights which police 

found were key times of juvenile 

offending during which crimes 

such as trespass, willful damage 

and alcohol-related offences were 

being committed. “We tire them out 

rather than them hanging around the 

streets,’’ he told the Journal. 

“What we mainly do is police-run 

events under our rules and we 

supervise. We ask all service providers 

to come along and bring an article 

or brochure and chat to the kids to 

see what they are about and for the 

kids to talk to youth services. We had 

one prolific offender who would walk 

away from us. We thought we were 

annoying him but he had hearing 

difficulties,’’ he said. 

Sen-Const Maguire said partnerships 

with the local community and service 

providers, including Charleville Laser 

Skirmish, the Department of Child 

Safety, local schools, the Murweh 

Shire Council and businesses, were 

central to the success of the project. 

Local youth are able to play free 

of charge as a result of grants and 

sponsorships from local businesses 

obtained by Sgt Ryan and Sen-Const 

Maguire. The Charleville team have 

been able to use the popularity of 

Skirmishing the Youth to modify the 

behaviour of the at risk youth. Anyone 

involved in criminal or anti-social 

behaviour is not able to participate in 

the game. 

Sen-Const Maguire said this was 

having a major deterrent effect. In 

one case, a prolific offender who 

came to the attention of police on 

almost a weekly basis was initially 

banned from attending Skirmishing 

the Youth events as he was not able to 

comply with the rules. The strict rules, 

which are spelled out at the beginning 

of each event, include no hats, no 

swearing and no bullying.The youth 

has not re-offended since December 

2009, following his initial banning. 

Sen-Const Maguire said children are 

encouraged to support each other as 

a way of fostering an environment 

of good sportsmanship. The activity 

also serves to break down the 

barriers between the police and the 

community. At the end of each event, 

police compete with teams that the 

children put together. The team that 

tags the police the most wins a prize. 

These prizes have been supplied by 

local businesses including South 

West Healthy Living, Civic Video 

and most of the organisations that 

support Skirmishing the Youth on that 

day. Sen-Const Maguire and Sgt Ryan 

have been approached by the AFL in 

north Queensland to take the project 

around communities in Cape York, 

and the Skirmish events are being run 

in Cunnamulla. A continuation of the 

project is commencing in August 2010 

which involves the at risk, disengaged 

indigenous youth. The project will 

take the youths to traditional lands 

and provide instruction on Aboriginal 

art, history and land conservation. 

This will be targeting youth year 6 to 

year 10. This emerging project is a 

follow on and whole of community 

action plan which was facilitated by 

the Skirmishing the Youth project. 

The program has also triggered a 

boost in public confidence in police 

at Charleville with a recent survey 

showing an overall increase in 

residents’ satisfaction jumping from 

69% in 2008-2009 to 76% in 2009-2010. 

Stakeholders such as officers from 

Child Safety have indicated to police 

the project is providing them with 

opportunities to interact with the 

clients in a fun, social setting, which 

allows them to do the preventative 

aspects of their job in much more 

effective way. 

Sen-Const Maguire said that since 

2009, that they have held several 

events which attracted around 100 

kids each time including skirmishing 

provided for youth at the Charleville 

State High School while their parents 

attended an information evening 

about cyber bullying. 

By linking the activity with the 

presentation, parents, who would not 

have normally attended, were able 

to do so knowing that an activity had 

been organised for their child. 

This is an activity that is well 

supported by the youth, and is both 

professionally operated, and highly 

sought after project for community 

events. “Considering that over 20 

events have been run on a budget 

of just $5,500, which has had a 

targeted audience pool of about 1,350 

attending youth, the value for money 

coupled with strategic message 

delivery has proved the Skirmishing 

the Youth project a success in the 

Charleville District,’’ Sen-Const 

Maguire said. 


Climbing for a cause 

Climbing for 

a Cause 

by Detective Sergeant Allan Cohrs 

A former Queensland police officer is determined to become the 

world’s first breast cancer survivor to conquer Mt Everest. Sharon 

Cohrs, along with her husband, a Cairns detective, Mrs Cohrs wants to 

raise awareness and $250,000 for breast cancer. 

View of Cho Oyu (8200m) from Base Camp 

I am a Detective Sergeant in the 

Cairns Drug Squad and have been a 

serving Police officer for more than 20 

years. My wife, Sharon Cohrs, was 

also a police officer for more than 10 

years until she resigned in 2002. 

In 2007, at the age of 36, six 

aggressive tumours were found in 

Sharon’s left breast and she was 

diagnosed with invasive breast 

cancer. Since this time Sharon has 

had a double mastectomy, removal 

of her lymph nodes, chemotherapy 

and is currently undergoing breast 

reconstruction. 

Sharon is now an Ambassador 

for the National Breast Cancer 

Fund, a committee member for the 

Queensland Cancer Council as well as 

a member of the Face of Relay for Life 

2009 (Cairns). Sharon is also the Relay 

for Life Face of Hope International 

Representative and is inviting the 

people of Australia to follow her story 

and support her journey. 

Sharon is a young breast cancer 

survivor who plans on being the first 

breast cancer survivor in the world to 

summit Mount Everest in 2011, and in 

doing so, raise awareness and $250,000 

towards breast cancer research. 

Climbing 

Sharon and I have always had an 

inherent fascination with the sheer 

beauty and remoteness of the 

Himalayas. It was its ruggedness 

and simplicity that attracted us in the 

first place. We were so drawn by the 

people and breath-taking scenery, we 

have taken a number of expeditions, 

and climbed several stunning 6000 

metre-plus peaks. 

Life in the mountains is so basic 

– there are no everyday luxuries, 

but you are presented with the 

opportunity to discover yourself, 

identify your strengths and 

46 



Retreating From Cho Oyu After 2nd Avalanche Walking Into Ama Dablam Base Camp Summit Of Ama Dablam 

weaknesses and evaluate what is 

important in your life. 

In 2007, we were about to embark 

on another adventure, this time to 

South America to climb Aconcagua, 

being the highest mountain outside 

of Asia. It was during this time, while 

Sharon was in bed writing a letter, 

that she discovered a small lump 

in her left breast. We got an urgent 

mammogram, which actually did not 

detect the lump, followed by an ultrasound 

and needle biopsy. Sharon and 

I fearfully awaited the results. 

A few days later, Sharon received 

the dreaded call: “You have breast 

cancer.” What now? We had no idea 

what to do, who to speak to or what 

was involved. We were fortunate 

enough to find a brilliant surgeon who 

clearly told us exactly what Sharon 

had ahead of her, and whose manner 

was so calming that it almost put you 

at ease. 

Before we could comprehend the 

true extent of what was happening, 

Sharon underwent a lumpectomy of 

her left breast and auxiliary lymph 

node removal, which discovered three 

invasive tumours. On the upside, her 

lymph nodes were clear. A few days 

later, Sharon was back in hospital 

to have her left breast removed, 

during which a further three invasive 

tumours were found. 

Sharon showed amazing strength 

during her treatment, and was 

determined to beat cancer. Nothing 

was going to get in her way; there 

were posters of mountains plastered 

throughout the house, and she was 

more determined than ever to get 

back to climbing. We had no idea at 

this stage of her prognosis or future, 

but setting a goal was her way of 

staying positive and focused on what 

was important in life. 

Each chemotherapy treatment was a 

major set-back. Sharon would rebuild, 

eventually walking for up to an hour, 

before the dreaded chemicals were 

pumped through her body, setting 

her back to square one. The obvious 

physical pain was difficult to witness, 

and the thought of a needle being 

inserted via the port-a-cath in her 

chest was a horrible memory that I 

will never forget. Sharon is now in 

remission, and her life is measured in 

five-year periods. 

Returning to the Hills 

In April-May 2009, some four months 

after Sharon’s last surgery, we were 

able to head back to the mountains 

on a small expedition to Baruntse 

(7129m) and Mera Peak (6450m) in a 

remote area of Nepal. This was an 

important test as there were a number 

of hurdles to overcome. 

Predominantly, the heightened risk 

of lymphodoema, combined with 

the weakness in the arm from the 

lymph node removal, how her breast 

implants would respond to altitude 

and whether other aspects of cancer 

treatment would affect Sharon’s 

performance, were all elements 

we had to consider. We spent over 

a month in the mountains, and 

successfully summitted Mera Peak 

and the south summit of Baruntse. 

Our Proudest Moment – Ama 

Dablam 

In November 2009, we travelled 

back to Nepal to climb Ama Dablam 

(6812m), a technically challenging 

mountain close to Mt Everest. This 

mountain was chosen primarily to 

fine-tune all of our climbing skills, 

while at the same time putting us in 

good stead for the Everest climb 

It was minus 20 degrees while we 

were lying inside our tent, having tried 

to sleep at Camp 3 on Ama Dablam, at 

an altitude of 6300m. 

The most difficult challenge at this 

time was not so much taking on the 

arduous summit push, but finding the 

motivation to get out of the sleeping 

bag. 

After an epic tussle to get our boots 

and harness on in the confines of a 

small dome tent, we finally crawled 

out of the vestibule to greet the bitter 

cold morning. This was certainly not 

the first time we had been at altitude, 

but it certainly felt the coldest. 

After six hours, we finally reached the 

summit on the morning of the 5th of 

November, 2009. Sharon had proven 

that not only was she back to good 

health but that she was also capable 

of tackling the technical, demanding 

mountains, and succeeding. 

I could never have envisaged that 

after a tough and emotional battle 

fighting cancer, Sharon would be 

standing on top of one of the most 

beautiful mountains in the world. 

Cho Oyu Expedition 2011 

My wife and I recently returned from 

another climbing expedition, this 

time attempting to summit Cho Oyu 

(8200m) in Tibet, which is the sixth 

highest mountain in the world. 



Sharon And Allan In Tibet 

We were unable to achieve our goal 

due to adverse weather conditions, 

including high winds and far too 

much snow. On our final push for the 

summit, after having reached around 

7000m, we received information 

that another avalanche had struck 

at around 8000m, resulting in six 

climbing Sherpas, who were setting 

the route for the summit, being swept 

off the mountain. 

At first it was all bad news, and 

information circulating down the 

mountain was that fatalities had 

occurred. After an extensive search, 

all climbers were found alive, albeit 

suffering broken bones and bruising. 

This was our third push up the 

mountain, with similar results to the 

previous attempt, where we were able 

to spend the night at 7400m. Although 

another avalanche had taken nine 

Tibetan Mountain guides higher up on 

the mountain. Again, miraculously, 

no lives were lost, and rescuers 

managed to get everyone safely off 

the mountain. 

After weighing up the conditions, we 

decided that the best option now was 

to retreat, as the conditions were far 

too dangerous, and the likelihood of 

serious injury or death was too high. 

There was little or no chance that 

another team of Sherpas would risk 

their lives by crossing the unstable 

snowfield and summit plateau, nor 

would we expect anyone to do so. 

This was our final preparatory 

climb before taking on Mt Everest 

in 2011. Although we did not reach 

the summit, the expedition was still 

a success. We were able to test our 

physical capability and ability to 

acclimatise and comfortably function 

at high altitude, particularly without 

the use of supplementary oxygen. 

Sharon’s Challenge 

Sharon aims to summit Mt Everest 

this year, and in doing so, becomes 

the first breast cancer survivor in the 

world to do so. Sharon is a focused 

woman, who possesses incredible 

determination and strength, and 

hopes to give inspiration to ordinary 

people as well as those who are still 

fighting their battle with cancer. 

Having gone through Sharon’s battle 

with breast cancer every step of the 

way, life certainly takes on a new 

perspective, and highlights what is 

important in life. Since Sharon’s 

remission, it has been full steam 

ahead, leaving nothing to chance, 

making the most of life and taking 

advantage of every moment. Life is 

precious. 

We depart for Everest this month 

and will be on the mountain for 67 

days. This will allow us sufficient 

time to acclimatise while gradually 

gaining altitude on the mountain. 

We plan on making the final summit 

push in mid to late May, depending 

on the weather, the timing of the 

jet stream winds and of course our 

health. There will definitely be 

some extremely painful days ahead, 

struggling with the intense cold, 

uncomfortable conditions, fatigue, 

hunger and illness. But on the 

upside, being in the company of our 

Nepalese Sherpas, who have been 

climbing with us for some time, we 

will witness one of the most stunning 

panoramas in the world. It makes it all 

worthwhile. 

The Police Family 

Apart from the support from family 

and friends, the QPS has provided 

us with unbelievable assistance, 

both in relation to ongoing work 

commitments, and time spent 

at home caring for Sharon. This 

support extended from upper 

management, including Assistant 

Commissioner Andy Henderson, 

Assistant Commissioner Katarina 

Carroll, to retired Detective Inspector 

John Harris, Detective Inspector Mick 

Dowie, Detective Senior Sergeant Kev 

Goan and Detective Sergeant 

Gary Hunter. 

Det-Sgt Hunter also arranged a 

fundraiser, and we were treated to a 

week at the Sheraton on the Park in 

Sydney, with fine dining at the Aria 

restaurant and a Harbour Bridge 

climb. It was a special time, and a 

wonderful gesture all made possible 

by police from the Far North Region. 

I would also like to thank all the 

wonderful people of the QPS who 

have offered kind words and support 

over the last few years. It really does 

make a difference and we will always 

be thankful for this during what was a 

difficult and emotional time. 

Recovering 

Recovering 

You can follow our climb at 

www.climbingforacause.com.au and 

www.himalayan-ascent.com where 

we will be posting a daily blog from 

the 27th of March through to June 

2011. You can also post your words of 

encouragement and support, which we 

will certainly need and appreciate. 

48 


Don’t break 

the safety 

chain 

Report all health 

and safety hazards 

If you identify a work-related hazard – report it in the 

on-line Health and Safety Hazard Management System 

Safety & Wellbeing 


Workplace Health and Safety Representative 

Name 


Alcohol & Drug Awareness Unit 

Queensland Police union of emPloyees 

Phone number 


Queensland Police Union Journal March 2011 49 

Alcohol & Drug Awareness Unit

Health and safety 

reporting is easy 

Queensland Police Intranet 

Incident/injury Notification and Reporting System 

Health and Safety Hazard Management System 

To report an incident 

Click on 

‘Incident/injury Notification 

and Reporting System’ 

An incident is an unplanned event resulting 

in, or having the potential for, death, 

injury, illness, damage or other loss. 

To report a hazard 

Click on 

‘Health and Safety Hazard 

Management System’ 

A hazard is a source or situation 

with the potential for harm, in terms 

of human injury or ill health. 



Workplace Health and Safety Representative 

Name 

50 


Alcohol & Drug Awareness Unit 

Queensland Queensland Police Union Police Journal union March 2011 of emPloyees 

Phone number 


Alcohol & Drug Awareness Unit

PUBLIC HEALTH 

Division of the Chief Health Officer 

PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY EMERGENCY RESPONSE WORKERS 

The main physical health risks for emergency responders are injury 

(including from falls and snake bites), superficial skin infections, 

sunburn and, in following weeks, mosquito born infections. 

All responders should avoid: 

• unnecessary direct contact with floodwater 

• wear appropriate personal protection including sturdy enclosed 

footwear, loose long 

• sleeved shirts and trousers, sunscreen, hat and sunglasses, and 

• practice high levels of personal hygiene, washing or sanitising 

hands frequently and 

• especially prior to eating (or smoking, should they smoke). 

If any personnel sustain an injury, first aid should be applied and 

medical attention sought as usual. 

TETANUS VACCINATION 

It is important for everyone to know their tetanus vaccine history and 

to stay up to date. Due to high rates of vaccination and good wound 

management, tetanus is rare in Australia and historically, has not 

been a problem after floods or other natural disasters. 

Vaccination against tetanus is part of the National Immunisation 

Program, involving a primary course of three doses of vaccine 

(usually given at 2, 4 and 6 months of age) and boosters at 4 years, 

15 years and 50 years of age. Boosters used to be given every 10 

years, so some adults will have had many doses of vaccine. Some 

adults will also have received a tetanus booster if they have had the 

booster for pertussis (whooping cough), which also contains tetanus 

vaccine. 

The public health advisory on tetanus 

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/cho/documents/phadvisorytetanus.pdf 

provided for SES personnel applies to all responding agencies. 

It contains detailed advice about assessing each individual’s level of 

protection against tetanus and identifies who might need a booster. 

Generally, most members of the community will have had three doses 

of tetanus-containing vaccine in childhood, and most adults will have 

had one or two doses of tetanus vaccine, either as a routine booster 

or following an injury. It is anticipated that most personnel should not 

need a booster. Some adults are unsure of their vaccination status. 

They should consult with their health care provider for vaccination 

histories. Alternatively, the emergency response workers can contact 

13 Health, who will assist the individual determine if they need 

tetanus vaccination. 

Adults who sustain injuries deemed to be tetanus prone should 

receive a booster dose of tetanus vaccine if it is more than 5 years 

since they had their last dose. Wounds that favour the growth of 

tetanus include open fractures, deep penetrating wounds, bites, 

splinters and wounds contaminated with soil, dust or manure. 

If any volunteer has not completed a three dose primary course of 

tetanus vaccination, they will not be made immune by a single dose 

of tetanus vaccine. In this situation, the volunteer should consult their 

usual health practitioner to be brought up to date and discuss this 

matter with their deployment agency. A full three dose course takes a 

minimum of two months. 

If other staff or volunteers have had a three dose primary course of 

tetanus vaccination but have not had an adult booster, then a booster 

is recommended prior to deployment. 

HEPATITIS A 

Hepatitis A is not a risk for emergency responders, even if they do 

come into contact with sewage-contaminated floodwaters. Hepatitis A 

virus is only present in sewage if hepatitis A is circulating in the 

community – and it is not. 

Hepatitis A is rare in Queensland (39 cases reported in 2010 for the 

whole state) and most cases are acquired overseas by unvaccinated 

travelers. The National Health and Medical Research Council do 

recommend hepatitis A vaccination for sewage workers, as a 

precautionary measure, as these workers have long term regular 

exposure to concentrated sewage. This is not the case with 

emergency workers and thus does not negate the advice above. 

MOSQUITOES 

Mosquito-borne infections may emerge as a problem once mosquito 

breeding escalates. Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus 

infections both cause inflammation and pain in multiple joints, fever 

and rash. Personnel who become unwell with such symptoms should 

seek medical attention, although there is no specific treatment. 

A number of different mosquitoes that transmit these viruses and 

breeding sites include salt marshes, permanent bodies of fresh water, 

and containers close to homes and human activity. To prevent 

mosquito bites, Queensland Health recommends tropical strength 

repellent containing the chemical DEET (diethyltoluamide or 

diethylmethylbenzamide) or repellents containing the chemical 

picaridin. Users should always read the label and follow the 

manufacturer’s guidelines regarding re-application and use. 

Personnel should also sleep in screened areas or use mosquito nets; 

wear long, loose clothing outdoors, use cockroach surface sprays 

indoors in dark places such as behind cupboards and under beds; 

and use other mosquito control products such as coils. Dengue will 

not occur unless a person acquires it in an area affected by dengue 

(currently Townsville and tropical countries overseas). Queensland 

Health conducts surveillance for dengue and will advise response 

agencies and communities if there is a risk of dengue in flood 

affected areas of central and south-west Queensland. At this time, 

there is not. 

FOOT CARE 

In the event of prolonged contact with water, the most likely foot 

conditions are macerated skin (softening and whitening) and 

infections, including fungal infections. The following advice will help 

prevent and treat foot problems: 

• when possible, air-dry and elevate your feet as often as possible 

• exchange wet shoes and socks (non-cotton socks are best) for dry 

ones as often as possible and at least daily 

• thoroughly clean and dry feet after showering 

• don’t wear socks when resting or sleeping 

• don’t wear overly restrictive footwear 

• check feet at least once a day for infections or other symptoms 

• obtain medical advice if there is evidence of infection or other 

concerning symptoms 

There have been queries about the occurrence of ‘trench foot’. 

Immersion foot occurs when the feet are constantly wet for long 

periods of time. The most well known and severe type of immersion 

foot is trench foot. Symptoms include tingling, pain and swelling. 

The development of trench foot typically requires both wet and cold 

conditions and is unlikely at water temperatures 18 0 C and above. A 

warm water version of trench foot can occur and is known as Paddy’s 

foot. The development of Paddy’s foot usually requires constant foot 

immersion in water for 2 days or more. Immersion foot is unlikley in 

Emergency Responders if the above advice is followed. 

MANAGEMENT OF ABRASIONS AND SIMPLE CUTS 

Rinse the abrasion or wound under flowing clean water; remove any 

debris using clean or sterile gauze (should be some in first aid kits). 

Use an antiseptic such as Betadine. If there is embedded dirt, Savlon 

may be used as it contains an antiseptic and a surfactant to help 

remove debris. 

Don’t scrub at embedded dirt – if there is a lot, seek medical advice. 

Cover the cleaned wound with an appropriate non-stick sterile 

dressing. Change the dressing according to the manufacturer’s 

instructions. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 

A range of useful fact sheets on preparing for and recovering from 

disasters is available at: 

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/healthieryou/disaster 


High Profile Crimes That Reshaped The Law In Queensland 

High Profile Crimes 

That Reshaped 

The Law 

In Queensland 

PART 2 

Part 2 of an 11-part series of articles by QPUE Solicitor Calvin Gnech on our state’s high profile crimes that have 

become landmark legal decisions and shaped the manner in which Queensland Police conduct investigations and 

the way courts interpret the law. 

GABE WATSON AND DIONNE LACEY 

The Gabe Watson case has obviously triggered a lot of 

interest amongst police in regard to the prosecution’s 

position at sentence when considering an appeal. 

Police become frustrated when a Magistrate makes 

what are believed to be inappropriate sentences and/ 

or findings of guilt and there is no support by the QPS 

to pursue an appeal. Decisions by a Magistrate are 

appealed via section 222 Justices Act 1886, so it must 

be remembered anything appealed from the District 

Court, like the cases of Gabe Watson’s and Dionne 

Lacey, does not operate under section 222. 

Facts surrounding THE Gabe Watson case 

Watson and his wife Tina were married on 11 October 

2003 and honeymooned in Australia. Watson was a highly 

experienced scuba diver however his wife was not. On 22 

October 2003, they participated in a dive at Townsville that 

others had advised against Mrs Watson doing, as she had 

not done an orientation lesson. Watson agreed to be her 

‘diving buddy’ and look after her. 

Some six minutes into the dive, Mrs Watson indicated 

she was in trouble whilst some 15 metres down, on the 

sea bed. Watson’s mask was dislodged along with his 

deregulator at this time, he decided to surface and Mrs 

Watson sank away from him. It took Watson one to three 

minutes to ascend. 

After a coronial inquiry in November 2007, Watson was 

committed to stand trial for the murder of his wife. Watson 

was charged that on 22 October 2003 at the Yongala 

shipwreck near Townsville he murdered Christina Mae 

Watson. Later, through what has been readily described 

as a plea bargain, the Crown Prosecutor informed the 

learned primary Judge that the Crown accepted the plea to 

manslaughter in full discharge of the indictment. 

Gabe Watson 

The basis of that plea was criminal negligence under s 

290 of the Criminal Code, which provides: 

“When a person undertakes to do any act the omission to 

do which is or may be dangerous to human life or health, 

it is the person’s duty to do that act, and the person is 

held to have caused any consequences which result to the 

life or health of any person by reason of any omission to 

perform that duty.” 

The applicable maximum penalty was life imprisonment. 

Section 290 arose because the respondent, an 

experienced diver, had undertaken to act as the “buddy” 

of his wife, who was inexperienced: he failed to perform 

his duty towards her and thereby contributed to her death. 

His Honour, the sentencing Justice, then set out 

particulars of the criminal negligence based on his plea 

and conviction: 

“The Crown alleges against you that you failed to 

carry out your duty to her in a number of significant 

ways. I accept that you failed to do so in the following 

respects: you failed to ensure that when the deceased 

had encountered difficulties she had a supply of oxygen 

available to her, and, in particular you failed to share your 

52 



The Attorney-General Appeal 

On Appeal the Crown now submitted that the sentence 

should be varied by imposing a seven year head sentence 

with eligibility for parole after two to two and a half 

years. The Attorney-General urged the Court of Appeal 

to approach the determination of the appeal on the basis 

of the unfettered discretion provided for by s 669A of the 

Criminal Code, as follows: 

“(1) The Attorney-General may appeal to the court against 

any sentence pronounced by – 

(a) the Court of trial; … 

Tina Watson’s body in the background with Gabe and 

Tina Watson (inset) 

oxygen supply with her; having released the deceased to 

recover your face mask and oxygen supply, you did not 

then take hold of her again or stay with her, or follow her 

as she sank; you did not attempt at any time to inflate her 

buoyancy control device or remove the weights which 

divers often carry to assist them to descend. … you failed 

to make any reasonable attempt to take the deceased to 

the surface. I therefore accept that you are guilty of the 

very serious departure from the standard of care which 

was incumbent upon you with the result that your conduct 

is deserving of criminal punishment.” 

The Prosecutor submitted that a head sentence of six 

years imprisonment would be appropriate, before 

mitigating factors were taken into account. It was 

conceded after mitigation this head sentence may be 

reduced to five years. The Crown therefore submitted the 

sentence should not be less than five years suspended 

after serving 18 months. 

Watson was sentenced on 5 June 2009 to four and a half 

years imprisonment, suspended after one year (for an 

operational period of four and a half years). There was 

community outrage and the Attorney-General appealed 

under s669A(1) of the Criminal Code. 

and the Court may in its unfettered discretion vary the 

sentence and impose such sentence as to the Court seems 

proper.” 

That provision was amended in 1975 to add the word 

“unfettered”. The court nevertheless continued to 

construe the section on the basis that to succeed in such 

an appeal, the Attorney-General must show error in the 

exercise of discretion by the sentencing court, as covered 

in House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499, and that should 

an appeal be allowed, the court would be constrained 

to impose a sentence towards the lower end of the 

appropriate range (cf. R v Dinsdale (2000) 202 CLR 321, 

341).[1] 

Ultimately the Court of Appeal found unanimously that 

they were not restrained by the prosecutor’s submission 

before the trial justice and there was no need to establish 

error on behalf of the trial justice. The authority for this 

came from R V Lacey; ex parte A-G (Qld.)[2] 

Facts surrounding THE Dionne Lacey Case 

On the evening of 6 May 2007, in a home unit in Nerang, 

the appellant, Dionne Lacey, shot and killed another 

young man, Kevin Palmer. Seconds before the killing, the 

appellant’s elder brother, Jade Lacey, used the gun he was 

carrying to shoot Mr Palmer in the thigh. The victim was 

within two or three metres of Jade Lacey when he fired 

and was within a few metres of the appellant when the 

fatal shot was fired. 

Dionne & Jade Lacey 

Gabe and Tina Watson 

After a 14-day trial, the appellant was found not guilty 

of murder but guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 



ten years imprisonment. In determining the sentence, 

the primary judge reduced the 12- year term which he 

regarded as appropriate, by taking into account 733 days 

served by the appellant in pre-sentence custody in respect 

of another offence. 

The Attorney-General Appeal 

to establish an error by the trial justice as the Court of 

Appeal must act in conformity with the principles relevant 

to the exercise of judicial power. 

It must be remembered that section 222 appeals under 

the Justices Act are somewhat different and the above 

authorities do not strictly apply. 

There were a number of grounds for appeal in this matter 

but here we are strictly considering the issue surrounding 

Attorney-General appeals. 

The Court of Appeal, four justices to one, concluded the 

previously accepted approach (that there must be an 

error by the trial judge[3]) was opposed to the undoubted 

intention of the Parliament as enacted” in s 669A in its 

current form. 

In these circumstances, the Court should not adhere 

to that erroneous approach but must apply the law as 

enacted by Parliament. 

The Court in exercising its discretion must have regard to 

the sentence imposed below, but come to its own view as 

to the proper sentence to be imposed. 

Therefore, the Attorney-General appeals do not need 

Kevin Palmer’s funeral 

54 


award 

winning 

home 

loans * 

o u 

t s 

t a n d 

i n g 

v 

Home Loan 

l u e 

a 

6 .79% 1 

7 .06% 

p.a. Interest rate p.a. 

Comparison rate 

QPCU Classic Plus home loan 



*Award winning refers to QPCU’s Canstar Cannex 5 star rated home loan. 1.Applies to loan amounts of $250,000 or more. WARNING: This comparison rate applies only to the examples above. 

Different amounts and terms will result in different comparison rates. Costs such as redraw fees or early repayment fees, and cost savings such as fee waivers, are not included in the comparison rate 

but may influence the cost of the loan. Comparison rate schedules are available at all our branches or online at www.qpcu.com.au Terms and conditions are available on request. Fees and charges are 

payable. Normal lending criteria applies. The comparison rate displayed is calculated based on a loan amount of $150,000 over 

Queensland 

a 25 year term. 

Police 

Interest rate 

Union 

current 

Journal 

at 10 December 

March 

2010 

2011 

and subject 

to change without notice. Queensland Police Credit Union Limited ABN 79 087 651 036 AFSL No. 241413. 

55 

CLASSIC0311

Letters To The Editor 

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: pdoneman@qpu.asn.au 

Dear Editor, 

I am writing to let you know the 

outcome of the QPU’s 2008 referral 

to use lawyer and partner Ryan 

Heath from Sciaccas Lawyers and 

Consultants. Mr Heath and his team 

were outstanding. 

Mr Heath was consistent, efficient 

and very professional. I lodged a 

Common Law Claim against Work 

cover with his assistance. My case 

was far from straightforward and had 

a number of obstacles to overcome 

but as I lost my career and a job 

I loved because of a work-related 

incident, I felt I had nothing to lose. 

Mr Heath was able to think outside 

the box and because of his ability, we 

had a successful outcome that was 

reached before going to the Supreme 

Court. 

Mr Heath communicates well, he 

is extremely knowledgeable, and 

I found his manner comforting, 

especially during difficult times. He 

can be relied upon and I would highly 

recommend him as a lawyer and 

Sciaccas as a law firm. Mr Heath, his 

personal assistant Emily Baker, and 

Counsel Dominic Murphy (barrister), 

did a brilliant job. As a team they 

are quite impressive and I am very 

confident that the same outcome 

would not have been reached if it 

wasn’t for the calibre of their ability 

and determination to look after their 

client. 

I would also like to thank the QPU 

for their support. It made a huge 

difference to the outcome I received. I 

am now able to move on with my life. 

Thanks again. 

Your Sincerely, 

Angie Buhk 

Previously Senior Constable Angie 

Buhk, 9142 

Noosa Heads Police, Sunshine Coast 

District Intelligence Office 

Dear Editor, 

I read with interest the first ‘Letter 

to the Editor’ and the ‘Profile on 

Mark Love’ in the November 2010 

edition. Unfortunately, this is a 

story you hear from police all the 

time. Bob Atkinson talks about a lack 

of supervision, or a problem with 

recruiting, but fails to mention other 

things that have been destroying the 

QPS during his reign, that emanate 

from the top, not the bottom. It 

seems like a top priority in the QPS 

is to cover-up issues, in any way 

possible that may embarrass higher 

management, even at the expense 

of operational police. As long as 

embarrassing issues are shelved 

for upper management, they do as 

they are told no matter what and 

emulate their masters, word for 

word, they will get promoted up. In 

the end of course, you have a culture 

of woeful management, leadership, 

supervision and accountability. This 

is how like-minded types, who have 

no focus for operational policing, 

rise to the top. It must be frustrating 

for police who have been promoted 

up by hard work. Paying homage 

to, and knowing the right people 

and handshake, is everything. 

Unfortunately, their focus is not on 

operational policing or the people 

that do the most difficult job in our 

organisation. 

Funny how words like transparency, 

accountability and empowerment 

are part of the curriculum for the 

lower ranks but only throw-away 

lines for some senior police. This 

type of hypocrisy is driving many 

experienced and good, honest police 

to seek employment outside the 

QPS. Do they care?...No, no, no, as 

long as they can get a bigger slice 

of the superannuation pie and think 

they are better than the lower ranks. 

Egotism rules. A lack of proper 

resources and support for operational 

police is not on their radar. But most 

coppers with a bit of service know 

how the QPS really runs anyhow, 

who am I kidding? ‘Stepping up’ 

and addressing these issues is what 

is needed, otherwise the future will 

be the same for the rest of us. Let’s 

just hope the next commissioner will 

endorse an approach that focuses on 

policing, that is not centred on public 

perception and archaic traditions, but 

on operational needs and operational 

police. Pretending to, and setting up 

systems to justify such an approach 

when the reality is quite different, will 

be nothing short of an insult to the 

men and women who do the most 

difficult job, their support staff, and 

the people of Queensland. 

Ken Carroll 

Sergeant, 9771 

MDP 

Dear Editor, 

After 23 years of being a cop I’ve pulled 

the pin and resigned. Please accept this 

letter as advice that I am no longer a 

member of the QPUE. I don’t intend 

to have a long rant. I’m sure by now 

everyone knows the shortcomings 

of the “job” or rather those precious 

managers who won’t listen to those 

with more experience but less MDP. 

Thankfully the mates, true mates that 

I’ve made for life and the mates who’ve 

saved my life are gifts that far outweigh 

any negatives of the last few years of 

my 23 years of policing. 

Some advice to the rank and file, 

support this union. Get involved. If 

you don’t have a branch at your station 

or workplace find out why and get 

represented. I often heard the phrase, 

“The union doesn’t do anything for 

me”. If you truly believe that, then 

it’s your fault, not the union’s. If you 

56 


don’t like the way things are working 

get off your butt and create change. 

Complaining and whinging won’t 

improve your working day, active 

unionism will. 

For members considering leaving the 

QPS and are worried about what sort 

of work is out there, especially if you 

have no other trade other than “being 

a cop”, don’t fret. I was offered a range 

of jobs (some crap but some good) 

since leaving, with a common thread 

being, “You’re an ex-cop, this job will 

be easy for you”. I left the job as a 

Sergeant Supervisor on OSA with the 

resulting disrupted family and social 

life. My new position in corporate 

training pays me a nice salary, not as 

much as OSA but more than Sergeant 

3.5 base wage, however, I no longer 

work nights, evenings, weekends and 

public holidays. I don’t have to put up 

with abuse and threats anymore from 

grubs or management. I have a mobile 

phone with unlimited private use, fuel 

card and flexible work hours. Heck, I 

even get bonuses! 

Now for a shameless plug. If you’re 

thinking about retiring and want to pick 

up a few civilian qualifications before 

you go have a look at my employer’s 

website www.conwalassociates.edu. 

au or email me at stephen.thomson@ 

conwalassociates.com.au for a chat. 

You’d be surprised at what you can do 

in life after the job. 

Stay safe and don’t dog on your mates, 

you might need them to save your life 

one day. 

Stephen “thommo” Thomson 

Dear Editor, 

After the walls of water had torn 

through Murphy’s Creek, some 

residents pooled their food as most 

were not stocked or prepared for 

this disaster. On Friday, the 14th 

of January, I spoke to my mother 

who lives in Murphy’s Creek. She 

informed me that the food situation 

was a matter of concern which upset 

me greatly. 

I spoke to Gail and Bill Feldman 

about the situation and they informed 

me that their son, Constable Luke 

Feldman, would be on duty in that 

area for a few days. Gail and Bill 

organised Luke to take a food parcel 

up to Grantham which was gratefully 

picked up by my mother. 

It’s little stories like this that are 

uplifting and I hope many more are 

told. I feel proud of the civilians, 

armed forces and in particular, 

the police, who encounter difficult 

situations in these trying times. 

Yours Faithfully 

Deborah Ridge 

Scottsdale, Tasmania 

Dear Editor, 

I was unfortunate enough to become 

involved in an attempted intercept of 

a motorcycle in April 2009. The rider 

who failed to stop for that intercept 

went on to tragically kill himself on 

a bad corner shortly after. I am now 

writing to the Police Union Journal to 

express my thanks and appreciation 

for the support of the union through 

what has been a difficult time, 

approaching two years. In that time I 

was investigated by Ethical Standards 

Command and required to provide 

evidence at a recent coronial inquest. 

The findings of that Inquest have 

at last provided me some closure. 

Those results can be found at 

http://www.courts.qld.gov.au/ 

collinson-cm-20110216.pdf 

This incident really demonstrated to 

me how our split-second decisions 

on the road are analysed at great 

length by others. At the time of the 

event, I immediately made contact 

with my local union rep from the 

Sunshine Coast, Des Hansson. I 

can’t thank him enough for the 

thorough and immediate support 

and response. He arranged legal 

representation to attend the Ethical 

Standards Command interview 

shortly after the incident. The officers 

from ESC were decent and thorough, 

and although I am yet to hear the 

result of their investigation, I feel the 

Coroner’s findings have exonerated 

me. The legal support continued with 

representation at the inquest and 

Letters To The Editor 

I thank my legal team for their top 

quality advice and support. 

My condolences go out the family 

of Clay Collinson, his father was 

decent enough to shake my hand at 

the conclusion of the inquest, and for 

that I am very appreciative. 

To officers contemplating pursuits, 

I must say I have to agree with the 

union’s policy of advising against 

pursuits. It is so easy for it to all go 

bad and we are provided very little 

protection for any errors made in our 

split-second decision-making. 

John Latham 

Senior Constable 

Whitsunday Water Police 




by Peter Shanahan, Police Health Chairman 

When forgetting becomes more 

frequent……. 

Dementia essentially is the 

progressive deterioration in a 

person’s functioning, with a loss 

of mental ability severe enough to 

interfere with normal activities of 

daily living, lasting more than six 

months, not present since birth, 

and not associated with a loss of 

consciousness. 

Dementia can happen to anybody 

Most people with dementia are older, 

but it is important to remember 

that most older people do not get 

dementia. 

Dementia is not a normal part 

of ageing. 

Dementia can happen to anybody, 

but it is more common after the age 

of 65 years. People in their 40s and 

50s can also have dementia. 

The most common early symptoms 

Early symptoms of dementia are 

subtle and may not be immediately 

obvious. Common symptoms of 

dementia include: 

• Progressive and frequent 

memory loss 

• Confusion or impaired 

orientation 

• Personality and behaviour 

changes 

• Apathy and withdrawal 

• Loss of ability to perform 

everyday tasks. 

• Decreased attention & increased 

restlessness 

Types and causes 

Dementia is a group of symptoms 

caused by gradual death of brain 

cells, by specific brain diseases. 

There are different types of Dementia 

these include; 

• Alzheimer’s disease 

• Vascular dementia 

• Dementia with Lewy bodies 

• Fronto Temporal Lobar 

Degeneration (FTLD) 

• Parkinson’s disease 

• Alcohol related dementia 

• AIDS related dementia 

• Huntington’s disease 

Diagnosis is important 

If you suspect a family member or a 

friend may be showing early signs of 

dementia, it is important to confirm 

dementia with a doctor. 

A diagnosis of dementia may rule 

out other conditions that can be 

mistaken for dementia. 

It will also enable treatments 

and planning for the future to be 

discussed whilst allowing support to 

be arranged to assist both the person 

with dementia and their family. 

However if the family member or 

friend will not go to a doctor or 

the doctor is unwilling to take your 

concerns seriously, seek advice on 

how to deal with this from 

Alzheimer’s Australia. 

Is it dementia? 

There are a number of conditions 

that have symptoms similar to 

those of dementia. By treating these 

conditions, the symptoms will often 

disappear. 

These include: 

• Some vitamin deficiencies and 

hormone disorders 

• Depression 

• Medication clashes or 

overmedication 

• Infections 

• Brain tumor 

Can dementia be inherited? 

This will depend on the cause of the 

dementia, so it is important to have 

a firm medical diagnosis. Most cases 

of dementia are not inherited. 

What can be done to help? 

At present, there is no prevention 

or cure for most forms of dementia. 

However, some medications and 

alternative treatments have been 

found to reduce some symptoms. 

Support is vital for people with 

dementia and the help of families, 

friends and carers can make a 

positive difference to managing the 

condition. 

What to do after diagnosis 

Plan ahead – while the person can 

still legally sign documents, get 

enduring powers of attorney to 

manage financial affairs and medical 

decisions, and for guardianship. 

Get information – find out about 

dementia and what lies ahead. Being 

informed will give you more sense of 

control. 

58 




Seek support – Many people find 

it helpful to talk through what a 

diagnosis of dementia means and 

how they can make adjustments. 

Practical help – organise help in the 

home, respite care, day trips and 

stays at day centres, which can all 

make a positive difference. 

Caring for someone with dementia 

can be very rewarding. It can also be 

difficult, exhausting, lonely and – at 

times – overwhelming. Carers may 

have to deal with many different 

feelings as the needs of the person 

with dementia change over time. 

Support groups 

There are a large number of local 

support groups throughout Australia. 

Many people find enormous 

comfort and practical assistance 

from attending these meetings with 

others who know what it is like to 

care for, and live with, a person with 

dementia. 

Carer support groups bring together 

carers, relatives and friends of 

people with dementia, under the 

guidance of a group facilitator. This 

is usually a health care professional 

or someone with first-hand 

experience of caring for a family 

member. 

For tips on reducing the risk of 

dementia visit Mind your Mind 

website. 

http://mindyourmind.org.au 

Salary packaging a novated lease is a great way to get more out of your pay packet. 

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• Total simplicity. We’ll show you how – five minutes and four questions is all it takes. 

Invest just a few minutes of your time. Talk to RemServ and find out 

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• Call us on 1300 73 14 29 

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A few minutes of your time could 

sAve you thousAnds on your next cAr. 

Things you need to know: We have made assumptions in our calculations 

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Please refer to your employer’s Salary Packaging Information Booklet 

available from www.remserv.com.au or by calling 1300 73 14 29. 


Use it or Lose it ... not with Police Health 

Not all is lost! 

With Police Health 

if you don’t use all 

your annual maximum 

benefits, the amount 

you didn’t use is 

available to you the 

following year. We 

call this our Rollover 

Benefit and it applies 

in most service types. 

For full details refer to our website 

How much does your fund pay? 

Service description 

Police 

Health 

Benefit 

80% of cost 

up to 

Your 

current 

Fund 

Chiropractic 

subsequent consult $39.80 ? 

Physiotherapy 

subsequent consult $53.20 ? 

Dental 3 surface 

amalgam filling $134.40 ? 

Dental full crown 

veneered - indirect $1,219.20* ? 

Spectacles - frames $90.00 

Progressive lenses $258.20* 

* Subject to annual maximums and Rollover Benefit 

? 

Call Police Health now and 

find out how you too can 

… enjoy the benefits. 

Call 1800 603 603 

www.policehealth.com.au 

Insurance provided by Police Health Limited ABN 86 135 221 519 

Premiums may be paid through QPS payroll, direct debit or by renewal notice.

QRPA 

QRPA News – MARCH 2011 

Website: www.qrpa.asn.au 

Email: queenslandretiredpolice@gmail.com 

MESSAGE FROM 

THE Q.R.P.A. STATE PRESIDENT 

M.J. (MICK) O’BRIEN 

The roll-out of the Queensland Police Service Medal continues 

apace. On two occasions at meetings in Police Headquarters, 

Assistant Commissioner Paul Doyle has presented medals to 

our retirees. I am concerned that there are still a good number 

of retirees, members of the QRPA and otherwise, who have 

not yet made application for the medal. Please do so as soon 

as possible and encourage others to do the same. It is your 

medal from the state that says thanks for your lifetime of 

police work for the people of Queensland. 

We have again renewed our agreement with QPCU who 

continue their generous sponsorship of QRPA. One small 

change is that branches will now apply to the State Treasurer for 

their funds for the annual luncheons/dinners to be transferred 

to the branch account. QPCU will still arrange the supply of 

promotional items that help to swell the raffle money raised 

for Police Legacy. QPCU will also provide each branch with a 

roll-up banner which will be more convenient and portable 

and allow the banner to be displayed at branch functions. The 

Marketing Manager, Ms Karyn Kelly is working with Stephen 

Coulter and State Secretary Jillian Steinkamp to produce our 

quarterly newsletters in a colour format at no extra expense 

to the Association. The Board and Management of QPCU are 

very supportive of QRPA and value their association with 

our members. Whilst some already do, I would like to see 

all Branches acknowledge the generosity of QPCU through a 

letter to their Board as a matter of courtesy. 

The annual luncheons have already started with the Redland 

Bay Branch heading the field. This year unfortunately we will 

be without the leadership of their founding President, the 

late Terry Walker. The Van Diemen’s Land Branch will hold 

their function in June. President Andy Beasant tells us that 

many Queensland members are calling in to visit on their trips 

through Tasmania. They are all made very welcome. 

We have lost a few more of our members, and family 

members, this year already as they are called to their reward. 

One of my workmates, Bob “Biggles” Doneman passed 

away quietly in February following a long illness. Many will 

remember Bob as one of the men who kicked off the Police 

Air wing. Bob also worked as a Duty Inspector at Police 

Communications in Brisbane for a few years. I am sure all 

of us who had the opportunity to fly with Bob or Ron Rooke 

in the Cessna 180 still have strong memories of those trips, 

some of which were very exciting for one reason or another. 

Those blokes certainly knew their art and at times I am 

sure they delighted in seeing the looks on our grey faces as 

they piloted those small aircraft over such long distances. 

President Bob Hayes of Bundaberg Branch is again 

planning the annual Police Legacy Bowls Day at Bargara. 

Check with Bob or Secretary Grannie Pearce, and see 

if you can muster up a team to take them on. Don’t forget 

the very successful Legacy Bowls Day at Wavell Heights 

Club in Brisbane, as this huge fundraiser for Legacy 

will once again be looking for your continued support. 

There have been some changes in the branch executives as 

the year progresses. I would like to repeat here my thanks 

and appreciation to Darryl Murtha who has stepped down 

as Secretary of the Logan Beenleigh Branch owing to the 

pressure of his business commitments. Darryl and President 

Max Maloney were single-minded in their determination to 

create the new branch for the association. The branch has 

continued to grow and find more retirees to come and join 

them. The success the branch is enjoying is a fine reward for 

Max and Darryl for the commitment they have shown that has 

now cemented the branch into the association and into their 

own communities. Darryl will remain a member whose many 

talents I am sure will be called upon as the branch continues 

to expand. 

Take care and please remember to keep in touch with your 

colleagues who are not enjoying the best of health. Give 

them a call or even a visit. I am sure they will appreciate 

your thoughtfulness. 

God Bless 

M.J. (Mick) O’Brien, State President QRPA Inc. 


QRPA 

IT’S NOT TOO LATE 

The Leukaemia Foundation World’s Greatest Shave is on 

between March 10 and 12 ,2011 and it’s not too late to show 

your support for Redlands Branch member, Dave Stannard 

who will be parting with his hair for charity. 

Dave took the opportunity to discuss his intention to shave 

for the cause with the late Terry Walker, and is hoping QRPA 

members will sponsor him either in memory of Terry or some 

other person who is suffering or has been struck down by 

these diseases. 

The World’s Greatest Shave will not only see Dave lose his 

lovely locks for the cause but also the great bushy beard he 

currently sports. Dave’s 16- year-old granddaughter is joining 

him in the venture to raise funds. 

You can still support Dave and this very worthy cause by 

making a donation online at https://my.leukaemiafoundation. 

org.au/davestannard?langPref=en-CA or post a cheque to Dave 

Stannard at 4 Ashwood Circuit, Birkdale 4159. Remember to 

include your name as all donations over $2 are tax deductible. 

Former Assistant Commissioner Bill Anderson, former Sergeant Ted Bones, 

Assistant Commissioner Paul Doyle, former Inspector Les Schulz and former 

Constable Peter Wise 

FLOODS & YASI TAKE THEIR TOLL 

Much has been published in the media about the havoc wreaked 

by the Queensland Floods and Cyclone Yasi. QRPA members 

have not been entirely immune to the effects of these events. 

Members of Ipswich Branch answered a call to arms on 

20 January when they attended the North Booval home 

of John and Joy Raatz which suffered major structural 

damage from the surging waters of the Bremer River. 

Although reasonably unscathed, Wendy and Gordon 

Thomas spent a frightening night at home in Townsville 

when Yasi unleashed her ferocious winds. Articles from 

the Ipswich event and from Wendy & Gordon Thomas 

will appear in the March edition of the QRPA Newsletter. 

MORE MEDAL AWARDS 

Assistant Commissioner Paul Doyle of Ethical Standards 

Command made presentations of the Queensland Police 

Service Medal (QPSM) to four QRPA members before 

the start of the meeting at Police Headquarters held on 

Monday 7 February 2011. Recipients were former Assistant 

Commissioner William George Anderson, former Inspector 

Leslie Lloyd Schultz, former Sergeant Edward Patrick 

Bones and former Senior Constable Peter Frederick Wise. 

Another medal presentation took place at the Redlands Branch 

Annual Luncheon on 22 February 2011. Assistant Commissioner 

Ann Lewis of Metropolitan South Region presented former 

Sergeant Les Wilson with his QPSM with a 25-year clasp. 

Members who have not yet made application for the 

QPSM can access an information pack and an application 

form from the QRPA website at www.qrpa.asn.au. 

You can also make enquiries with your local Branch Secretary. 

Former Sergeant Les Wilson and Assistant Commissioner Ann Lewis 

CHANGE TO BRANCH EXECUTIVE MEMBER 

Logan/Beenleigh Branch advise they have a new Secretary: 

Terry Ahearn, 0404 494 877, tjahearn@bigpond.com 

A big THANK YOU goes to the outgoing and Foundation 

Secretary, Darryl Murtha, for his contribution to the Logan/ 

Beenleigh Branch. [See further on this in Branch News, 

Logan/Beenleigh and the State President’s Message] 

BRANCH NEWS 

Bundaberg 

QPSMs are on hand in Bundaberg for Darcy Joyce, Dave 

Costello, Bob Elliott and Grannie Pearce for presentation at 

ceremonies this year. The new District Officer, Rowan Bond, 

has taken up duty and the Bundaberg Branch hope to meet 

with him soon. Rowan was a strong supporter of QRPA in 

his former district, Mackay. 

The retired Police Bowls team got off to an early start in 2011 

to compete in the President’s Day at East Bundaberg Bowls 

Club in early February. The team will doubtless bring their 

skills to the fore when the Branch holds its Police Legacy 

Bowls Day at the Bargara Bowls Club on 9 May 2011. 

Golden wedding anniversaries were celebrated by Gordon 

and Heather Storer and by Geraldine and Graham Caesar. 

Congratulations to both couples on this milestone and to John 

Francis who celebrated three score years and ten in February. 

62 


QRPA 

It seems John may be able to claim the pension. 

On the welfare front, President Bob Hayes has consulted a 

Brisbane specialist; Mary Waugh has undergone surgery on 

her right eye and is slowly recovering; Col Kellermeier has 

been returned to the Bundaberg Base Hospital but recovery 

is not going too well. Other members experiencing a few 

problems include Clarrie Kelly, Ron Rooke and Elwyn Jones. 

Darling Downs 

The Branch held its first meeting for 2011 on 10 February at 

the West Toowoomba Bowls Club. Attendees included Howie 

Connors from Townsville Branch. Three prospective new 

members, Louis Geist, Fred Gillam and David Lynch were 

welcomed to the meeting as guests. 

Members were advised that Bob Grey will attend a future 

meeting when his strength is better. The Branch Secretary 

was in contact with family members for Taylor Lavery-Wilson 

and John Keightly. In both cases, recovery is progressing. 

The Darling Downs Branch has QRPA shirts for sale for its 

members. Contact should be made with Roger Deshon, 

Branch Secretary. 

The branch plans to meet at the Stock Exchange Hotel on 10 

March 2011. 

Far North Queensland 

Eight members and a guest attended the quarterly meeting/ 

lunch held at the Brothers Leagues Club on Friday 28 

January. Dell Stubbins was the lucky winner of a $25 Coles 

voucher which netted $18 for Police Legacy. The passing of 

Life Member Jack Ferguson was observed. The next Branch 

meeting was held in the Graziers Restaurant, Balaclava Hotel, 

Mulgrave Road Cairns on Friday 25 February 2011. 

Gladstone 

Branch President, Mal Nichols, left the following greetings 

for all (before he went on holidays): ‘To all of you who wait 

to see what your retired former Gladstone colleagues have 

been up to we apologise for our non-appearance in the last 

journal. It gets so busy in retirement that we missed the 

COB deadline by “that” much. 

The Gladstone Branch met for the last time in 2010 on 7 th 

December with our Christmas break-up meeting held at the 

Calliope Central Bowls Club. We had 31 members, associates 

and visitors attend with 20 apologies. Some members were 

flood bound on their properties following the recent rain. 

After some smooth talking we managed to get member 

Arnold Mossman a day release from the Mater Hospital 

where he is currently receiving chemotherapy. Arnold 

thoroughly enjoyed his day with us and thanked members 

for their concern and visits throughout his illness. Arnold also 

picked up a couple of the multi-draw prizes including a large 

bowl of chocolates which would have made him a favourite 

with the nurses on his return to the Mater that afternoon. 

A well laid out table of goodies with morning tea followed the 

meeting and after that a seriously contested ‘Bare Foot Bowls 

Tournament’ was held. Skipper Mike Fox’s team were narrow 

winners - allegedly - although an appeal may be lodged by the 

Vales’ team. A great social day was had by all with many tales 

being told with the Calliope Central Bowls Club being a great 

meeting venue. 

The President’s Award for Dedication went to member Athol 

Snelling. Athol is a resident of Monto and due to recent rains 

his normal shortcut through the Boyne Valley Road was 

impassable. Determined to get to the luncheon, Athol drove 

to Biloela and then to Calliope. The journey took him over 

three hours and he arrived as the last of the dinner plates 

were being collected up. Sharon gave him a box of Christmas 

goodies for his troubles. 

Our next meeting being our A.G.M. is on 1 st February at 

Yaralla Sports Club at 11.30am. 

Gold Coast 

Branch Secretary, Des Sorensen reports: It is pleasing to 

report our annual Christmas buffet held at the Twin Towns 

Services Club was an outstanding success. Fifty guests 

attended compared with sixty three in 2009. Two police 

widows attended as our guests, and two QPCU Board 

members also attended. 

Assistant Commissioner Paul Wilson attended and presented 

the Queensland Police Service Medal to two members, Boyd 

Barrett and Alan Barnes. The Police Chaplain and Vilma 

Makin (Simplicity Funerals) were also our guests. 

John Meskell, John Fox, Hayden Stokes and Neil Raward 

were responsible for the door and raffle ticket sales and 

Neil Raward chaired the proceedings for the day with our 

President welcoming all present. Thanks go to Dave Stonely 

who was our resident Santa Claus. 

Sadly I have to report the death of one of most respected 

members, former Assistant Commissioner for Crime, Tony 

Murphy, who passed away on the 21 st December 2010. Tony 

will be remembered as one of the most brilliant detectives 

ever produced by the Queensland Police Force. I know 

you all join with me in extending our deepest sympathy to 

Maureen and family. 

John Clarke has been re-admitted to the John Flynn 

Hospital for an indefinite period. It appears that the 

medical profession is baffled by his condition and that 

he requires constant hospitalisation. I’m told that he still 

has his sense of humour and would like to hear from 

old work mates. Ross Rigney is still battling ill health. 

Guest speaker for February was Police Chaplain, Father 

Columba McBeth-Green who told of his career and other 

exploits including playing the bagpipes at the Edinburgh Tattoo. 

I was recently contacted by our old mate Senior Sergeant 

Murray Underwood,the officer-in-charge of Runaway 

Bay, to set a date for our annual pilgrimage to that station. 

Our last meeting at Runaway Bay was in lieu of our May 

meeting. On behalf of our branch I have submitted an 

application to Head Office suggesting that the QPRA 

adopt a uniform name tag similar to that used by the 

police. At different functions that I have attended I have 

noticed that every branch has a different badge, some 


QRPA 

round, some square and some ‘Mickey Mouse’ lookalike 

badges. We all belong to the one association and I 

believe that we would look much more professional if we 

adopted a standard design. I have received feedback that 

my application is receiving “favourable consideration”. 

Gympie 

The Gympie Branch has welcomed three new members 

recently. They are (former Sergeant) Del Sprenger, 

(former Inspector) Bill Sprenger and (former Senior 

Sergeant) Arthur Jamieson. 

Hervey Bay 

Members of Hervey Bay Branch met early in the year with 

a branch meeting held on Tuesday 18 January 2011 at the 

Hervey Bay RSL. It was noted travellers Neil and Dorrel 

Healey had returned from their trip around Australia, Geoff 

and Robyn Cartner had returned from a trip to Ireland where 

they visited family and Denver Marchant and Marilyn are still 

on their six-month trip to England. 

Weather events washed out two attempts for the branch to 

hold a BBQ at Ron Beaton Park on the Esplanade; the branch 

was to make a further attempt on 18 February at 11am. 

Welfare news noted June Close had a fall while walking 

the dog; Bev Sprenger broke both arms in a very bad fall 

at home; Cynthia Guteridge is still having health problems 

and undergoing further tests in hospital; Joy Newman is 

recovering from an illness; Vic Burgess had stomach surgery; 

Dot Barlow has muscular problems; Roger Barlow has 

undergone tests; Margaret Bradshaw had a lung infection. 

HBB extended special congratulations to Gordon and June 

Close who celebrated their 60 th 

wedding anniversary on 

January 20. The branch will meet on Tuesday 15 March 2011, 

11am at the Hervey Bay RSL. 

Ipswich 

Extreme weather conditions did not deter two Ipswich Branch 

members from attending the January 12 meeting. Better 

weather improved attendances at their meeting on 9 February 

2011. John Raatz addressed the meeting on the devastation 

caused to his residence during the recent floods and expressed 

his sincere thanks for the work of the volunteers. Ipswich 

Branch will invite the volunteers from ‘Manpower’ to a future 

meeting where the thanks of the branch can be extended. 

Jack Paff reported on the proposed QRPA memorial for 

Browns Park in North Ipswich. Architectural plans have 

been drawn. 

Logan/Beenleigh 

Our February 17th meeting again had a big roll out with 

another new face, John Lyttle who applied to join our 

branch. We welcomed John and hope to see him at 

many future meetings. On a sad note it was announced 

by President Max Moloney that Secretary Darryl Murtha 

had tendered his resignation owing to his work load in his 

private business venture. After nominations were called, 

Terry Ahearn was elected as Secretary and new member, 

Brian Button, elected as Vice-President. 

We take this opportunity to thank Darryl for his work within 

the branch over the past 12 months, and prior to that, as a 

driving force when he and Max worked tirelessly to form our 

branch and to make it the success that it is today. Darryl will 

remain an active member and continue to contribute to our 

branch. Thank you again Foundation Secretary. 

Our membership continues to grow with 42 members and 

seven social members. Not bad considering the branch was 

only formed officially on 11th February 2010. This is causing 

our name tag supplier Frank Blake some extra work. He is 

busier that an elf at Christmas, but he is the wrong stature to 

be confused with an elf. We are looking forward to a successful 

second year of operation with plans underway for more 

functions and interesting outings for the benefit of members. 

Near North Coast 

Members of the Near North Coast Branch also got an early 

start to the year with a meeting held on 17 January 2011 at 

the Bribie Island RSL. There were 18 members in attendance. 

Welfare news noted that Glenda Campbell was in a nursing 

home in St George that was evacuated during recent 

flooding. Glenda’s daughter was able to move her to a Roma 

nursing home in plenty of time. 

Des Kelly is now good; Warren Smithers is progressing 

okay; Meryl Maier had a stroke and was in Redcliffe Hospital; 

Bernie Lewis is not keeping the best of health; Lexi Waterfield 

is healing nicely after a fall; Jack Gibbison is on the improve 

after a fall on green moss due to bad weather; Wal Taylor is 

making a good recovery after surgery. 

Jack Gibbison received his Veteran Certificate from Branch 

President Col Guy for 10 years membership with the Near 

North Coast Branch. The Branch will meet at Suttons Beach 

on 21 February and again at the Caboolture Sports Club in 

March 2011. 

Redlands 

The Redlands Branch meeting on Tuesday 25 January 

2011 was held at the Redlands Sporting Club. It was 

noted Alan Manteit had another bout of surgery on his 

face and is progressing well although sadly he lost an 

eye; Don McLeod is undergoing surgery in the Wesley; 

John Maher has recovered from a bout of kidney stones— 

John reckons he had so many the Brisbane City Council 

rang him for a load to help stem the recent floods. 

January birthdays were celebrated by Len Reidlingner, 

Elton Mitchelson, Barbara Petie, Linda Maher and Phil 

Weightman. Planning for the Annual Luncheon on 22 

February was underway. John Maher, Dave Stannard, Peter 

Hewitt and Ron Ehlers regaled members with a round of 

jokes while the raffle draws produced many happy winners. 

64 


QRPA 

Rockhampton 

February 2 saw members of the Rockhampton Branch meet 

for the first time in 2011 at the Cambridge Hotel. President 

Barry Self presented Norm Tomlin with his Queensland 

Police Service Medal. A Senior Member’s Certificate has been 

received and framed for presentation to Laurie Meyer at his 

home in the near future. 

A Certificate of Appreciation for presentation to Police 

Chaplain Horst Sauer had been received for presentation 

to him at a Social BBQ to be held at Dennis and Pat Smith’s 

residence on Sunday 6 February. The branch decided to 

hold their annual dinner on Monday 14 November 2011 

and to advise members and other branches. 

Welfare items include Life Member Max Watson still having 

blood tests; Norm Tomlin had four days in hospital suffering 

dizziness; Athol Jordan has suffered several mini strokes 

(seizures) from a chest infection; Pat Lawton had a fall and 

was hospitalised – he suffers bouts of vertigo and is still under 

treatment; Stan Lean is receiving treatment for ulcerated 

cancers; Barry Self, Kev Cocks and ex- mayor Lee Taylor 

visited Kel Weeks, who enjoyed meeting up with old friends 

but he is not physically well. A beautiful flowering orchid 

donated by fancier Terry Connolly as a raffle prize was won 

by Noel Boardman. 

Sunshine Coast 

Arrangements have been made for Deputy Commissioner 

Ian Stewart to present QPSMs to several Sunshine Coast 

members on 26 April 2011. This presentation is in addition 

to the ceremony planned at the Maroochydore RSL in March. 

Charmaine Blissner has a badly broken ankle and spent a while 

in the Toowoomba hospital. Clarrie and Charmaine were at 

Murphy’s Creek helping their son Shane when the accident 

occurred. They had just put their house on the market so the 

injuryhas come at a very inconvenient time for them. 

Joan and Roly Dargusch are enjoying a trip to the ‘Shaky 

Isles’. They will be back later in the month. It is hoped they 

have an enjoyable time. Julie and John Walker have arrived 

in Wollongong in their travels around Australia. Shortly 

after they left, Julie’s brother died and they had to return to 

Kilcoy. Condolences go out to her on this sad occasion. 

Townsville 

It seems Townsville Branch members have uncovered an 

interesting coincidence. The branch meeting scheduled 

for February had to be cancelled because the RSL was 

undergoing a refurbishment. It seems the day the meeting 

would have taken place was the day Yasi decided to visit 

Townsville, wrecking everyone’s plans. 

Like many people in Townsville at the time, Secretary John 

Urquhart was without power from the Wednesday to Sunday 

night and, of course, without television or computer. It is 

rumoured he exhibited withdrawal symptoms! 

Mackay/Whitsunday 

Branch members finished the 2010 year with a meeting 

on December 18 with good attendance. Nearly all stayed 

to share Christmas lunch and a few drinks including their 

newest member, Craig Joy, and oldest member, Tom 

Butcher. Thoughts went out to Dennis Doring who spent 

the festive season battling cancer up in Townsville. 

Dennis Hansen is planning a few ‘away’ meetings in 2011 

and has also started an investment club (lotto) for the 

branch. There was a good roll up to the first meeting in 

2011 where a membership application was received from 

Kym Boxall (former SA Superintendent). The branch is 

becoming quite cosmopolitan with representatives from 

four states. Although receiving lots of rain, Mackay has 

avoided the worst of the cyclones with no flooding to speak 

of. The next Branch meeting is at 11am on 19 March 2011 

at the Sarina RSL. 

Van Diemen’s Land 

Members of the VDL Branch were joined by Queensland 

members Alan and Rosie Nicol at their meeting on Sunday 

20 February 2011. President, Andy Beasant, advised he 

met with Tasmanian Police Commissioner, Darren Hine, 

and presented him with his QRPA Honorary Membership 

Certificate. 

Andy advised that Mick O’Brien was planning on attending 

the Annual General Meeting which will be held on Saturday 

18 th and Sunday 19 th June 2011 at the Great Lake Hotel. 

Arrangements regarding breakfast in the guests’ kitchen 

of the hotel were discussed. Anyone planning on attending 

should advise Andy. 

The branch plans to next meet at the SES Building, 128 

Mornington Road, Mornington on Sunday 17 April 2011 

at 11am. 

MEMBERSHIP 

1 New Members -Approved February 2011: 

Former Inspector Brian Dinte; former Senior Constable 

Brian Button; former Senior Sergeant Jim Wagner, former 

Inspector Bill Sprenger; former Sergeant Del Sprenger; 

former Senior Sergeant Arthur Jamieson; former Sergeant 

Ted Dale. 

2 New Associates -Approved February 2011: 

Noelene Ladlay, spouse of member Russell Ladlay; Muriel 

Robb, widow of police officer S/Sgt Leigh Robb; Chona Dinte, 

spouse of new member Brian Dinte; Marilyn Button, spouse of 

new member Brian Button. 

Certificates Awarded (Feb 11) 

Veteran Certificate: 

3 Douglas William Jones 

4 Leonard Roy Bracken 

Over 90s 

5 Albert Ernest Maier—93 years on 13/1/11 

6 Frederick Stanley Hass—93 years on 14/1/11 

7 John William Ferguson—91 years on 26/1/11 

8 Joseph Mackel—90 years on 5/2/11. 


QRPA 

Welfare Reports (from Brisbane meetings) 

1 Terry Channells had a medical procedure shortly 

before Christmas to assist with his heart condition. 

2 John Keightley underwent surgery on 30/12/10 in the 

PAH for fusion of three vertebrae. The surgery went well. 

3 Darling Downs Branch reports that Mick Ring was 

safe floodwise. 

4 Boyd Wilson’s grandson, Taylor Lavery-Wilson 

(son of Senior Sergeant Craig Wilson) received serious 

injuries in a road accident but is now well on the road 

to recovery. 

5 Nev Bulley recently underwent surgery for a blood clot. 

6 John Boyle presently in hospital under treatment. 

7 Janet & Tony Brady were affected in the Brisbane floods 

but are back living in their house. 

8 John Raatz suffered major structural damage to his home 

in the recent floods. 

9 TC Yasi—Les Campbell Mackay/Whitsunday advises they 

are all ok. 

10 Bill McGrath has experienced problems with his 

‘sugar’ condition. 

11 It was noted that Jim McKenna has moved into a home 

since his wife died. 

12 Roger Lund has recently undergone major surgery. 

13 Tom Noonan has undergone bypass surgery 

Members — Life Member and former Constable Roy Leslie 

Schultz, 11/12/12; Life Member and former Assistant 

Commissioner (Crime) Anthony Murphy, 20/12/10; Life 

Member and former Sergeant 2/C Victor Francis Bott, 

21/12/10; Life Member and former Senior Sergeant Vivian 

James Andrew Neilsen, 23/1/11; Senior Member and former 

N.T. Superintendent Anthony Charles Peberdy Sillman, 

7/12/12; Member and former Sergeant 2/C Walter Ernest 

Fraser, 18/1/11. 

Non-members — Former Senior Constable James Joseph 

Hanlon, 26.11.10; former Police Officer Bryan Maxwell 

McKenzie; former Police Officer Colin Edward Ward; former 

Senior Constable George Ronald (Ron) Walker, 18/12/10; 

former Sergeant 2/C William Frederick Douglas 9/1/11; 

former police officer Reynolds Melvold, 28/1/11; former 

Inspector Leonard Robert Albert (Bob) Doneman, 2/2/11. 

Family — Joan McKenna, 2/1/11, wife of former Life Member 

and former Inspector Jim McKenna; Hazel Grant, widow of the 

late life member and former Inspector Gordon Grant; Karen 

Lee Post, 8/1/11, daughter of former member Thomas Barrett 

(Barry) Williamson (dec’d); Bernice Cheers, 16/01/11, wife 

of former police officer Les Cheers; Barbara Maud Costello, 

18/1/11, widow of former Constable 1/C Vince Costello. 

Obituaries – May They Rest In Peace 

Observed at the February 2011 SMC meeting 

66 


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Queensland Police Union Journal March 2011

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