PASA honours retiring members

Forty-eight retiring police officers and their spouses attended a dinner held in their honour at the Radisson Playford Hotel, North Terrace, on June 27.

The dinner – supported by the Police Credit Union – is part of an annual PASA tradition dating back some six decades.

Once the guests had taken their seats, the Band of the SA Police made a striking entrance, playing J.P. Sousa’s Liberty Bell March.

The band then took the audience on a lighthearted trip down memory lane to the Swinging Sixties – the era when many of the retirees commenced their police careers. The band performed Quincey Jones’ Soul Bossa Nova, the theme from the Austin Powers movies, while an Austin Powers impersonator – hideously true-to-life with thick spectacles and buck-teeth – entertained guests by twisting and grooving around the room.

Band members paid an affectionate tribute to their recently retired colleague, percussionist and drum-major Des “Blue” Clark, by inviting him to join them once more for an encore.

During Clark’s 42 years’ police and musical career, the Band of the SA Police won international fame, performing overseas at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Royal Tournament in London.

PASA secretary, Andy Dunn, opened the formal part of the evening, welcoming guests of honour Police Minister Kevin Foley, Opposition police spokesman Robert Brokenshire, Police Commissioner Mal Hyde and Deputy Commissioner John White.

PASA president, Peter Alexander, in his welcoming remarks, paid tribute not only to the retiring police, but also to their wives and partners who had supported them throughout their careers. He especially thanked those retired police who had sacrificed time to serve PASA as delegates or committee members.

Commissioner Mal Hyde, in his speech, said that the retiring police officers’ dinner was a night “not just of reminisces but also of recognition”.

He reminded guests that the longest-serving member present at the dinner had served 44 years in the police – which was longer than a quarter of the lifespan of the 165-year-old SA police service.

Mr Hyde expressed his pride in SAPOL’s “first class” reputation. He referred to this year’s government services report in which SA police rated first in a number of categories (and equal first in only one category). These categories included professionalism, public satisfaction with service, honesty and ethics.

The State Treasurer and newly appointed Police Minister, Kevin Foley, praised police for their courage in the face of stressful situations, and the trust and high regard in which they are held by the public. These qualities, he said, “are an outstanding tribute to the leadership of the police and the membership and rank-and-file of the entirety of the police.”

Mr Foley thanked police, not just in his capacity as a police minister, but on behalf of his predecessors and also as a private citizen. “Thank you,” he concluded, “for keeping me and my family safe.”

The Police Credit Union chairman, Peter “Spoggy” Graham, spoke of the longstanding relationship between PASA and the PCU. Since PASA gave birth to the PCU 32 years ago, the PCU has grown to be the fourth largest credit union in SA and among the top 20 in the country.

Peter Alexander made special presentations on behalf of the Police Association to the 48 retirees.

Among the recipients were a number of pioneers in various fields of police work.

Ken Gunn – former member of the now defunct Special Branch – recalled going out among the first mixed patrols.

John Mulvihill set up Neighbourhood Watch in Glenelg, for which he received an award for his “outstanding contribution to community-based policing”.

Alec Hope played a major role in pioneering new forensic techniques and computer technologies in police work.

The state’s longest-serving detective, the legendary Chris Chamberlain, was recognized for his outstanding work. Graduating as a junior constable in 1959 and becoming a detective in 1965, he successfully solved many of the state’s most notorious major crimes involving homicide, child-murder, rape and armed robbery.

Well-known radio identity, Tony Pilkington, took a prominent part in proceedings, moving from table to table, interviewing retirees about memorable episodes from their careers.

Former detective chief inspector, Peter Campbell, recalled how in 1964 – not long after he had graduated from Fort Largs – he was baffled by receiving a radio message that reported that some lions were on the loose near Cavan. Certain that he must have misheard, Campbell queried the transmission and asked for clarification. The radio officer crisply spelt out: “Lima, India, Oscar, November, Sierra – LIONS!!”

Lions had indeed escaped from a nearby circus and had mauled to death their keeper when he had tried to capture them. Campbell’s police car was the first on the scene, and police marksmen were called in to tackle the danger.

Barry Huffa joked that no matter where you travel in Australia, you can never get away from your police colleagues. Once, he and his family were on a skiing holiday on Mount Hotham, Victoria. One day, when they were at the top of the mountain, all geared up and ready to ski off, Huffa caught sight of the last human being he expected to find in such a remote location – his PASA representative, Dave Paxon. Huffa greeted an equally astonished Paxon with the words: “What are you doing about our wage claim?!”

Brian Brealey recalled a humiliating incident in 1963 – his first year after graduating from Fort Largs. He was standing in the middle of Victoria Drive, near the university, directing traffic, when the protruding door handle of a passing car caught his fly and ripped his trousers.

Brealey desperately tried to cover up and make himself decent, while onlookers laughed at his plight. Just then, a couple of nurses walked by. One of them called out to him: “We’re not worried about the rip in your trousers. We just want to know: what are you doing after work?”