July 2002 Volume 83 Number 7 "serving the protectors"
Tears flow for gentleman Sobby
By Brett Williams

When seasoned traffic cops broke from the guard of honour they had formed for Senior Constable Bob Sobczak last month, their tears flowed. One of their own had died in the line of duty, and they could no longer contain their overwhelming grief.

Outside St David’s Catholic Church at Tea Tree Gully, some embraced, while others comforted one another with quietly spoken words of support.

Some veteran officers would later say they had never, in all their years’ service, seen police officers pour out such emotion so openly.

Snr Constable Sobczaks’s sergeant, and commander of the pall-bearers, Simon “Spud” Murphy, said the emotional outpouring spoke of “the level of feeling (for Bob)”.

Snr Constable Sobczak – a husband and father of four – was killed on May 26, when his police motorcycle and a car collided head-on in the Adelaide Hills.

In a eulogy at his funeral service four days later, Snr Constable John Stallard spoke of “Sobby” as an officer and a gentleman, who had helped make SAPOL a better place to work.

He told of an incident that showed Snr Constable Sobczak had “treated others as he wished to be treated”. A man he once arrested for traffic offences later hugged him in appreciation.

“He (the man) also pleaded with him to let his mum know he would be late home,” Snr Constable Stallard said. “And Bob did, because he knew the importance of family.”

After the service, police pall-bearers carried Snr Constable Sobczak’s coffin to a waiting hearse. Motorcycle officers then led a formal cortège to Centennial Park for his burial.

On its way, the cortège passed by Snr Constable Sobczak’s last post, Holden Hill police station. Officers standing to attention lined the footpath at the front of the station and saluted as the hearse passed.

Other police paid another tribute at the cemetery with an honour guard, which led to the grave site.

Snr Constable Stallard, a long-time friend and former neighbour to Snr Constable Sobczak, said after the service that he had been a man of good humour with an infectious laugh.

“He would never laugh at you,” he said. “He would always laugh with you, and once it started there would be no stopping. It was just always a good time to be with Bob. You would forget whatever fears and woes you had.”

Snr Constable Stallard had said during the service that Snr Constable Sobczak had “…lived for the road and what was on it”. “It was his workplace,” he explained. “He loved his bikes and cars.”

But, at the same time, those who worked with Snr Constable Sobczak knew he took no risks on the road. Sergeant Murphy – who attended the accident scene – said: “This guy was so careful, and so reserved in his actions and judgement. He was the most careful rider you can imagine, and out of the blue he gets killed.”

Snr Constable Sobczak, who was born in Woodside and raised in Loxton, joined the police force as a 19-year-old in 1969. By 1973, after short stints in the country, he had moved into traffic policing. He remained in the traffic field for the rest of his career, and Holden Hill police station had been his post since 1989.

Police Association president, Peter Alexander, said Snr Constable Sobczak had represented “everything good in policing”. He also spoke of the trauma his workmates would face, and said they should talk about their lost colleague and their relationships with him.

“I think that’s good for them, and good for his memory,” he said. “It’s also good for his family to be aware that a lot of people have shared in their loss.”

Mr Alexander suggested that, only through good luck, had more deaths in the line of duty not occurred in recent years. Senior Constable Gordon Loft was the last officer killed when a drunk driver ran him down on Gorge Rd, Athelstone, in 1991.

Snr Constable Sobczak is survived by his wife, Julie, and children, Renee, Luke, Kara and Cain.

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