January 2000 Volume 81 Number 1 "serving the protectors"
The Last Shift

Dear Peter

There is life outside of the police.

In fact there is so much of it that until now I have not found time to write to formally advise you that I wish to terminate my membership of the Police Association.

My last day of service was October 8, 1999.

I am now very busy and very happy learning my new “trade” as a Yates Garden Care franchisee and planning to make just enough income while thoroughly enjoying making other people’s gardens more beautiful.

One of the reasons I joined the job 35 years ago was that I wanted to work outside. Well apart from the half a dozen best years of my career riding a motorbike for a living I didn’t achieve a lot of that for long.

I would be pleased to be able to use the journal to make it clear that the reports of my ill-health when I retired were greatly exaggerated. I chose to retire early so as to preserve my health, not as the media would have had it because I was chronically ill. I am actually in pretty good shape for the shape that I am in.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my police career and the job was very good to me. I miss the comradeship but there is a fair bit of the way I spent my time in the past couple of years that I won’t miss.

I reckon that from time to time I was fortunate to be able to work with you or Andy and others at the association to solve problems for members and to make the job a bit better and I am grateful for that.

Thank you for your personal support.

I think that policing is perhaps the most challenging and rewarding career that a person could have and it is an industry that will be increasingly important to all of us in the future. I am proud to have been a small part of it for a while. Through the journal I wish all members of Australia’s best police service the very best of fortune and my thanks for 35 great years.

Lastly, do you reckon you could do something about stopping police members I meet in the street calling me “boss” or “sir” and get them to remember my first name; after all I am just the neighbourhood Yates gardener now.

Best wishes
Bob Howie

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association effective October 20, 1999. I have suffered from Parkinson’s disease for a number of years and, as a result, I have taken the option of early retirement. I have enjoyed my 33 years and leave SAPOL with good memories and the experience of a unique comradeship. I thank members of Major Crash and, in recent times, Records Division for their friendship. I also offer my thanks to those in the association who have worked for the benefit of members.

Lindsay Cremin
Senior Constable
FOI Unit

Dear Andy

I am writing to tender my resignation from the Police Association of SA effective November 16, 1999. I have been offered a position with a biotech company which is more in line with my tertiary qualifications. I wish to express my gratitude to the PASA for the support and professionalism it has shown to me in dealing with issues affecting my employment with SAPOL.

I was proud to be a member of SAPOL and associated with all the people I had worked with at Sturt LSA and the members of the Negotiators Unit and wish them all the best working in a job where their skills and professionalism are underestimated and very often unrecognized by their employer. Having had the opportunity to leave SAPOL to study and return again it was glaringly obvious that it was high time corporate got in touch with who is their driving force. It is frustrating to see the amount of time and money spent on over-administration of researching small problems which could be fixed in a much shorter and inexpensive manner giving regard to what the workers need and want.

I heard a quote which came out of a meeting where a SAPOL manager’s response to the behaviour of some SAPOL members to change was: “But that is a classic change management text book reaction” - ironic. I thought that spoke volumes of the SAPOL corporate style today.

Anyway, all the best and please consider me when you are going to have a beer - I would love to join you.

Kind regards
Ben South
Sturt Investigations

Dear Peter

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association of South Australia, effective November 25, 1999, that being my last day of service due to my resignation from “the job”.

To the members of course 79 (January ‘82 - December ‘83) and the many friends I have made over the past 17 and a bit years in SAPOL, I sincerely wish you all the best for the future.

I thank the association for the hard work it has done over the years, particularly with pay and conditions. Keep up the good work and look after the members because I think they’ll need it. Goodbye and good luck, guys and gals.

Gavin Litton
ex-FCC 211/4
Elizabeth LSA

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the Police Association due to my retirement from SAPOL to take effect on January 12, 1999.

I thank the association for all of its support during my service and wish you and all your members my best wishes for the coming years.

Dean Hannaford
Detective Sergeant
SX LSA Investigations

Dear Andy

Please accept my resignation from the association effective December 1, 1999, this being my last day of service with SAPOL.

Rest assured it was not the TJF factor which has influenced my decision to resign. My family and I are moving to Queensland to enjoy a different lifestyle.

I wish to thank all those members who I have enjoyed working with for the last eight years, especially team one, Northern Motorcycle Section.

Yours faithfully
Paul Worthy
Senior Constable 530/8
NOSM

PASAweb   Index & Search   Top of Page   Comments   Email to Editor

The Police Journal Online is an official publication of the Police Association of South Australia and is published monthly. Editors of kindred publications can seek permission from the Editor to re-publish any Police Journal Online article. Copyright 1999  The Police Association of South Australia sustance