August 1999 Volume 80 Number 8 "serving the protectors"
Association Feels Loss of Former Presidents
By Brett Williams

he recent deaths of former Police Association presidents, Dudley Noblet and Bill Teague, have saddened both the retired and serving police communities.

Both men’s ceaseless devotion to police officers’ industrial interests in the 1960s and early ’70s earned them great respect from their colleagues. They were also known for their distinguished 41-year police careers with SAPOL from the mid-1930s to the late ’70s. Each retired as a sergeant.

Mr Noblet, who died of leukemia on Thursday, February 4, aged 80, is also remembered for his service with the AIF during World War II. He returned to SAPOL in 1946.

Police Association president, Peter Alexander, described him as a quiet, sincere man who cared about other police officers. He said that, in 1964, Mr Noblet had been prepared to “make himself prominent” as PASA president to better serve police.

“I always found that he had great compassion and a great understanding of people,” Mr Alexander said. “He never had a great ego and would always talk about other people - not about himself.”

Mr Noblet’s presidency ended in 1967. He retired from SAPOL in June, 1977. He is survived by his children, Louise and Greg, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Mr Teague, who died of heart failure on Monday, May 18, 1998, aged 79, had spent much of his career as a country policeman. From 1949, he served in Maree, Peterborough, Milang and Burra before returning to Adelaide in 1967. He served one term as PASA president in 1968 and a second in the early ’70s.

Former PASA committee member, Eddie Trotter, served under Mr Teague’s presidency. He said Mr Teague had been “a staunch member of the committee” before winning office as president.

“He wanted a good, strong membership,” Mr Trotter said. “He was looking for the best for everybody.

“He mixed with everybody, too - from the highest to the lowest. He had a good knowledge of people and a good approach. It didn’t matter what status they had within the community, Bill could talk to them.

“So he had the advantage that he could approach members of Parliament privately and talk to them.”

Beyond his service to PASA, Mr Teague was also a member of the Police Club committee and a Police Credit Union board member.

His last two metropolitan postings from 1968 were Burnside and Unley police stations. He was, at that time, the only police officer to be officially farewelled by the Burnside Council.

He retired from SAPOL in March, 1978 and moved to Woolgoolga in New South Wales. He is survived by his wife, Celia, sons John and Peter, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Mr Alexander said that, as presidents, both men had played crucial roles in negotiations which brought about the first police officers’ award in January, 1970. “That was a significant change under their leadership,” he said.

“It was the first time police were able to get some protection of their conditions under an award.

“I think it’s important that current members are aware of those who came before them and paved the way.

“We tend to take for granted the things other generations attained for us. The passing of these two fellows brings that back to us. We owe them a lot.”

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