Stations: Burwood ( 9 Division ), Gosford ( 30 Division ), Lake Macquarie, Toronto
Awards: NSW Police medal for Diligent & Ethical Service – granted on 13 February 2007
Service: From 16 February 1996 to 6 September 2007 = 11+ years Service
Born: 2 November 1970
Died: 6 September 2007
Age: 36
Cause of Death: PTSD leading to suicide – hanging
Funeral date: 12 September 2007
Funeral location: Lake Macquarie Memorial Park, Ryhope
Cremated: with his ashes laid to rest on Mount Sugar Loaf, Newcastle
Memorial: NSW Police force Service Memorial Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, D8 ( right wall )
[alert_red]Scott is NOT mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_red]
FURTHER INFORMATION IS REQUIRED RE THIS MEMBER.
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Funeral details were first published in the Newcastle Herald on 10 September 2007
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NSW Fallen Police facebook page:
Hey Scottie
Thinking about you today mate can’t believe it’s been 7 years since the unbearable became too much. Always wish some miracle intervention had happened but alas, it did not & your decision to leave was made.
Mate so many fun shifts together over the years along with the bad ones & the complete shit fights. You always had my back at a job. Somehow we always managed a laugh irrespective of how bad the job was. Seeing you off was a tough day.
Always remembered Senior Constable
You take care now
I’m sure our paths will cross again one day.
Cheers to you!
Peter GouldA fine epitaph for a fallen brother. RIP Scott Gray. Well done Dave Wilkinson.
Like · Reply · 4 · Yesterday at 2:18pm
Dave WilkinsonThanks Peter
Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 2:27pm
Clare HeissThis is just beautiful to see you honour Scott with these words. As the sister of a police officer who also took his life on duty, I can imagine the family would feel so comforted to see this post also. RIP Scott, you are in good company xx
Like · Reply · 5 · Yesterday at 2:33pm
Janet HillRIP Scot!
Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 2:33pm
Junelle DohertyWhat wonderful words. Well said. Amen !
Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 2:34pm
Dave WilkinsonThank you Clare for saying so just find it hard that it really still is a taboo topic. Especially when you here management talk it up for the media but in reality they don’t give a damn
Like · Reply · 5 · Yesterday at 2:36pm
Clare HeissExactly Dave, that’s why our family and others will continue to speak out for those that cannot – until they are honoured as they should be on the Wall, and so the Police Force acknowledge their deaths as well as their lives. #onewallforall
Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 2:40pm
Mac McGillicuddyBeautiful words Dave Wilkinson. Vale S/Con Scott Gray.
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 2:40pm
Michelle MadirazzaRIP Scott Gray!
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 3:11pm
Keith BrennanRIP brother
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 3:31pm · Edited
Kimberley GalvinA beautiful post and so lovely to see that Scott is close at heart even though some years have passed. As a Police widow to suicide this shows me love and comfort. What a great mate you are.x
Like · Reply · 4 · Yesterday at 4:01pm
Dave WilkinsonThank you for your kind words Kimberley
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 7:48pm
M-ark W-aspeeWell said mate… RIP brother in blue…
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 4:03pm
Frank SkinnerWell done
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 4:18pm
Sharon Johnson NicholsRIP Scott
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 4:26pm
Paul GlockRIP.
Like · Reply · 1 · Yesterday at 5:14pm
Mark KitchenerI never knew you Scott but I hope you Rest in Peace and thank you for your service.
Like · Reply · 2 · Yesterday at 5:23pm
Andy Peverillwell said brother I am sure no one will speak of me like that. Rest in Peace Scott
Like · Reply · 3 · Yesterday at 5:35pm
Dave WilkinsonYour getting stronger everyday Andy & not going anywhere so nobody will need to speak about you wink emoticon
Like · Reply · 3 · 13 hrs
Kel NightingaleWell said Dave. The ‘real’ Police family will always remember the other forgotten heroes. Rest in peace brother in blue
Like · Reply · 3 · Yesterday at 7:44pm
Stuart NorrisRip Scott
Like · Reply · 1 · 22 hrs
Val TurnerR.I.P.
Like · Reply · 1 · 15 hrs
Amanda StevensonRIP Scott
Like · Reply · 1 · 15 hrs
Karole Westmay you be resting in peace and the golden rays in heaven shine on you
Like · Reply · 1 · 6 hrs
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Suicide attempts
| 25/11/2014
Known NSW POLICE SUICIDE ATTEMPTS
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INCIDENT ONE
Suicidal officer with a gun, but this time tragedy averted
Les Kennedy and Ben Cubby May 1, 2007
THE desperate officer arrived at Earlwood police station yesterday afternoon via a rear courtyard, got his service pistol, returned to his car and put the gun in his mouth.
But a crucial phone call saved him. Minutes earlier, the officer, a 39-year-old senior constable with the highway patrol, had phoned a fellow officer in despair.
This call, about 2.15pm, generated immediate confusion, as police prepared for a siege. Soon the area around Earlwood’s highway patrol headquarters was cordoned off and swarming with about 50 police, including members of the State Protection Group and an armoured van.
Negotiators were brought in, as hundreds of onlookers crowded the Earlwood shopping strip.
After a “delicate and sensitive” stand-off lasting nearly three hours, the negotiators persuaded the officer to surrender at 5.05pm.
“The fact that there was some contact with another officer – perhaps it was a cry for help by the officer that has prevented this from ending tragically,” a police official told the Herald last night.
The acting Assistant Commissioner, Frank Mennilli, confirmed the phone call had probably saved the situation, but could shed no light on why the officer, a married man who had been in the force for 20 years, might want to take his life.
At least seven NSW police officers have committed suicide since 2001, five of them in a police station. More police have died from suicide while on duty than anyother cause.
Last month the Police Commissioner, Ken Moroney, expressed his concern at the rate of suicides and the need for commanders to recognise symptomsandintervene. He said senior officers would be trained to recognise psychological distress. “It may be that by taking an early intervention role we can lead people into the right programs,” he said.
Mr Moroney added that many police had been reluctant to seek help about personal problems while coping with the pressures of their job.
Officers at Sutherland and Menai are still struggling to explain why a new recruit, Constable Greg Norman Lundberg, 29, fatally shot himself while working alone in the station at Menai in January. He left no note and did not appear depressed to his colleagues.
At Chatswood police station in November 2005, Detective Senior Constable Patrick Clearyshot himself dead before colleagues arrived for work.
And in August 2004, Detective Sergeant Steve Leach killed himself with his pistol at police headquarters at Parramatta.
Following yesterday’s stand-off, Mr Mennilli said outside Earlwood police station: “There was a telephone call made
to another officer and the police responded to that telephone call.”
The officer was taken into custody and his health and welfare needs will be assessed.
The NSW Police Force has been rocked by the actions of another apparently suicidal officer.
This time a high-ranking officer is in a coma hospital after trying to commit suicide in a hotel room, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Superintendent Paul Nolan, 54, was recently suspended from the force because he is under investigation by the Police Integrity Commission.
He was found unconscious about midnight on Tuesday.
The nature of the PIC investigation is unclear.
This latest incident comes after Commissioner Ken Moroney last week expressed concerns about mental health issues among the force, publicly telling his officers that it was “OK to cry“.
In January, 29-year-old Constable Greg Lundberg committed suicide with his pistol in Menai police station due to personal problems.
Last month a 39-year-old senior constable barricaded himself inside Earlwood police station and threatened to take his life.
Earlier this month, 27-year-old Constable Nathan Hearps from Quakers Hill plunged to his death from a Surry Hills apartment block, News Ltd reports.
From Berrick Boland – Saturday 11 June 2016 – 8.21pm
Hi Member and Guests,
Have just got off the phone with 2 ex police and friends of our member, M………..I………… of P……………, she has been admitted by Ambulance to ……………… hospital last night after calling Lifeline and then the Ambulance.
She has apparently stated to her friends at the hospital today, she took 2’300 mgs of the pain killer Lyrica prescribed for her back injury received while on duty with the NSW Police force, she has been using a walking cradle for the last 2 years.
She further stated to her friends, she had researched the effects of overdosing on Lyrica on the internet and ascertained a certain dose would leave her in a vegetative state and she didn’t want that, it was death or nothing, when she had reached swallowing at least 8 from her memory, she stated to have a floating sensation and her family and niece’s started to flash in her mind and she started to get scared, she called Lifeline and told them, she states they told her to get off the phone and call an ambulance, which she did, the ambulance arrived and conveyed her to ………………. hospital, where she remains in a stable condition.
Apparently her blood pressure was extremely high and they needed to stabalise that last night fearing a stroke and she has agreed at this stage to remain in hospital until further specialists can see her after the long weekend on Tuesday.
The main reason given to her friends, EML Insurance were pushing her to visit another IME which she says was unnecessary and she only receives $440,00 pw, and couldn’t afford the $100.00 taxi fare,EML insistedshe pay up front and they would reimburse her later?.
Admin.
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INCIDENT FOUR
Struggling ex-cops given a lifeline in NSW
By AAP
Detective Senior Constable Allan Sparkes was a celebrated rescue hero and recipient of the highest honour for civilian bravery when he decided to end his life.
“It was October 4, 1998. I kissed my wife and goodbye and went to work with my revolver. I pulled one of the bullets out and had a look at it for a few seconds, before putting it back in,” he told a roomful of the state’s top brass at the launch of a support program on Wednesday.
“Then I walked off to the bathroom to shoot myself.”
A colleague walked in just in time, taking the gun out of his hands and helping him home.
Only a few months earlier, Mr Sparkes became one of only six Australians to win the Cross of Valour after risking his life to rescue an 11-year-old boy washed down a drainpipe during flash flooding.
He almost drowned in that rescue, and the trauma from that added to a lifetime of exposure to brutal crimes and accident scenes, pushing the “strong, tough” policeman to the brink.
However, the moment that hit him the hardest was when he was discharged from the police force against his own will.
“To receive a phone call saying you’re out, that was probably one of the most damaging experiences I’ve ever endured,” he said.
“I had to find my worth again, to prove to myself that I was still a man, a husband, a father capable of protecting and looking after my loved ones.”
Now a motivational speaker and Black Dog ambassador, Mr Sparkes says a program such as Backup for Life, launched by the NSW Police Force on Wednesday, would have helped struggling policemen like him recover from trauma suffered in the line of duty.
The program aims to support retired cops who struggle with isolation and a lack of purpose, as well as their psychological and physical scars.
The launch comes days after revelations that a culture of shame and silence towards mental health and PTSD issues still abounds in the NSW Police.
Police Minister Troy Grant acknowledged the cultural issues but said the force was still evolving in its processes for dealing with trauma.
He drew upon his own experiences “dancing with shadows” during his 22-year policing, saying if he hadn’t received professional help he wouldn’t have made it through.
The NSW government has contributed $2 million to the program.
* Former NSW police officers seeking support can contact 1800 4 BACKUP
* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
4th NSWPF Dog to be killed ‘ on duty ‘ since formation of the Squad in 1932.
The fourth Police Dog killed ‘ on duty ‘ was Police Dog Carts, who died after being stabbed during a police operation at Corrimal Surf Life Saving Club on December 9 last year. Last Wednesday, 18-year-old Nemanja Vukadinovic, of Balgownie, was sentenced to 18 months’ jail for fatally stabbing Carts.
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Location of Event: Corrimal Surf Life Saving Club
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Like his namesake, hero police dog ‘Carts’ slain on duty
By Gemma Jones
The Daily Telegraph
December 10, 200712:00AM
A POLICE dog named after a slain officer was stabbed to death yesterday morning after successfully cornering a fleeing suspect.
Senior police yesterday paid tribute to veteran Police Dog Carts, who was raised by police and named after murdered officer Constable David Carty.
Carts and his handler Senior Constable Brett Williams, were called to Corrimal Surf Life Saving Club north of Wollongong just after 3am yesterday following reports of a break in. Two offenders allegedly fled the scene when police arrived, with officers apprehending one of the men. The second alleged offender, an 18-year-old Balgownie man, fled and was chased by Carts into nearby bushes and cornered.”It will be alleged Police Dog Carts was stabbed with a sharp implement and later died in a veterinary hospital from his wounds,” a police spokesman said yesterday. “On this occasion, Carts was not wearing a vest as there was no indication of those people on the premises having any weapons.”
Special stab proof vests were brought in after Police Dog Titan was stabbed to death three years ago but Carts was not wearing one because it was believed the alleged offenders were unarmed.
Titan was the first police dog to be stabbed in the line of duty. His killer Luke Graham Curtis was last year sentenced to seven years jail over the killing.
Chief Superintendent Wayne Benson said Carts had served NSW Police with honour and in his final act had secured the arrest of an alleged offender.
“Without doubt he served with honour, he has performed his task, that was what he was trained for and tragically he has died,” Supt Benson said.
He said Carts death also highlighted the terrible loss of Constable Carty who was murdered at Fairfield in 1997.
“The death of David Carty still lives on in all our memories and whether it is this incident or any other, it is just the nature of police work,” Supt Benson said.
Carts’ first handler Sen-Constable David Williamson last year paid tribute to the special connection between his charge and Constable Carty when he took Carts to a memorial service.
Both alleged offenders were charged with aggravated break and enter and take conveyance without consent of owner.
Carts‘ alleged killer was also charged with kill or seriously injure animal used for law enforcement and use weapon to resist arrest. He was refused bail and will face court today.
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Gabriel CONDON
| 25/11/2014
Gabriel CONDON
aka Gabe
New South Wales Police Force – Retired
[alert_yellow]Regd. # 7238[/alert_yellow]
Rank: Probationary Constable – appointed 31 March 1952
Sergeant 1st Class – appointed 1 December 1978
Inspector – retired
Stations: Wollongong early – mid 1970’s
Service: From pre 31 March 1952 to ??? = ? years Service
Awards: No find on It’s an Honour
National Police Service Medal – presented to his wife, Patricia ( Pat ), at Lake Illawarra Police Station on Thursday 8 September 2016.
Buried at: Wollongong Memorial Gardens, Berkeley Rd, Berkeley, NSW
CONDON, Gabriel March 17, 2007 peacefully at home of Kiama Downs, formerly of Dapto. Dearly beloved husband of Pat (nee Chapman), loved father and father-in-law of Graham, Gary and Marie, Andrew and Jacqui, beloved grandfather of his grandchildren.
Aged 74 Yrs.
A quiet achiever, in all his endeavours, performed above and beyond the call of duty.
Gabe’s funeral service will be held in The Chapel, Stan Crapp Funeral Home, Cnr Manning & Farmer Streets, Kiama on Thursday March 22, 2007 at 1pm.
In lieu of flowers donations are invited to Kiama Lions Club. A collection box will be provided.
Illawarra Mercury, Tuesday March 20, 2007
Gab was an Inspector at Wollongong many, many years ago and, in his later part of life, was suffering from Parkinsons Disease.
I spoke with Gab about 8 months ago, on the phone, and he was extremely hard to understand because of the disease.
A police constable found shot dead in a station in Sydney’s south is believed to have killed himself.
The 29-year-old constable was found about 1pm (AEDT) today with a gunshot wound inside Menai police station, but the death is not being treated as suspicious.
Police said the officer was from the Sutherland Local Area Command and was alone in the building at the time.
“He’s an officer who had served with us for some 18 months, and will be sadly lost,” Deputy Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione told reporters.
“We can ill afford to lose anyone from this organisation, but particularly one as young as this man makes it a double tragedy.”
Mr Scipione said the officer died from a gunshot wound to the head and his service revolver was found next to his body.
A report was being prepared for the coroner and officers were being offered counselling.
His death is being investigated by a critical incident team.
Further details about the officer have not been released as family members are yet to be notified.
A POLICE constable with less than18 months‘ experience in the force shot himself dead inside a one-man station on Sydney’s southern outskirts yesterday.
What caused so much anguish in the mind of the 29-year-old officer for him to take his life is now the subject of an investigation by a critical incident team comprising detectives from the homicide squad, the coroner’s investigation unit, St George police and police internal affairs.
But the acting Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione, who attended the scene of the shooting in the tiny Menai police station at the Menai Marketplace shopping mall, said the death was not being treated as suspicious.
The officer, attached to the Sutherland police area local command, was found dead in a toilet cubicle inside the station, which is manned 24 hours by a single officer on rotation.
The death brings to at least five the number of police officers who have killed themselves at a police station since 2001. All were found by colleagues.
Mr Scipione said police from Sutherland made the discovery at 1pm when sent to investigate why the officer, whose name has not been released, had not responded to several calls from colleagues.
Mr Scipione said the officer had sustained a single gunshot wound to the head. His 9mm-calibre Glock semi-automatic service pistol was beside his body.
Mr Scipione said: “It is a very sad day for the NSW Police Force today. Today we learned of the sad loss of an officer … he is an officer who has served with us for some 18 months … We can ill afford to lose anyone from this organisation. But particularly someone as young as this man makes it a double tragedy.
“We are advised that there is a single gunshot wound to the head but at this stage these matters are the subject of an investigation. I can indicate that his service firearm was found at the scene.”
Mr Scipione said colleagues had spoken to the constable on the phone several times during the morning as part of routine checks.
He said the officer had been stationed at Sutherland since graduating from the academy in 2005. “We don’t know what it is that [has] caused the events of today to unfold. I would not suggest to you, though, that there is anything suspicious.”
Police said the station had external and internal surveillance cameras, from which film had been taken to examine the officer’s movements. The station was fitted with an alarm system, and officers working alone there wear an emergency alarm on the wrist.
Last night police were trying to contact the constable’s next of kin to inform them of his death. It is believed they live on the South Coast.
Tragic rookie told police he had tried to take his life
Alex Mitchell January 21, 2007
THE young policeman who killed himself at a single-person station had a troubled mental health history.
When Greg Norman Lundberg entered the NSW Police Academy at Goulburntwo years agohe wrote on the application form that he had previously tried to take his own life.
He successfully completed his training, graduated as a constable and was armed with a Glock semi-automatic service pistol.
And last year he was given his first major assignment: to manage the one-officer station at the Menai Market Place shopping centre.
On Sunday, January 8, (Saturday, January 7) the 29-year-old constable was found in the police station’s toilet with a single gunshot wound to the head. His Glock pistol was lying next to him.
Senior police are furiousthat Lundberg was “thrown in at the deep end” by his superiors and maintain that the service failed in its duty of care towards him.
A detective said applications for gun licences under the Firearms Act 1996 were rejected regularly if the applicanthad a history of self-harm or mental illness.
His death is now being investigated by the critical incident team comprising senior detectives drawn from the homicide squad, the coroner’s investigation unit, St George police and the force’s internal affairs.
They have taken possession of the station’s closed-circuit TV tapes showing Lundberg pacing up and down in a highly agitated state.
They have also learnt that neighbouring police spent an hour and a half trying to contact him by phone and radio before driving to Menai to find out what was wrong.
A report will be sent to the State Coroner who will decide whether to hold a public inquest.
Police facilities at Menai have a chequered history. About 15 years ago a fully operational, fully staffed station was opened on the Old Illawarra Road but a few years ago it became the headquarters of the dog squad.
Menai was then given a single-officer shopfront station in the shopping market.
Following Lundberg’s death, community leaders said they would reopen the campaign for a fully staffed station to handle the increasing level of street crime and antisocial behaviour.
The Police Association of NSW declined to comment on the incident while the investigation was continuing.
Probationary Constable – appointed 27 January 1989
Senior Constable – death
Stations: Windsor, Penrith HWP ( 9 years ), Manning Great Lakes LAC ( from April 2005 – 31 July 2007 ) Forster HWP – death
Service: From? ? 1988 to 31 July 2007 = 19+ years Service
Awards: Police Valour Award – presented on 7 August 2007 ( posthumously ),
Region Certificate of Appreciation,
State Emergency Service Medal.
No find on It’s An Honour
Born: 5 July 1967
Died on: Tuesday 31 July 2007
Cause: Died from injuries received, as a pedestrian, whilst Off Duty, saving the life of another
Event location: Manning St, Tuncurry
Age: 40
Funeral date: Monday 6 August 2007
Funeral location: Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Taree
Buried at: Manning Great Lakes Memorial Gardens Portion: Mon Row: B129
Memorial: 1/ NSW Police Force Service Memorial Wall, Sydney Police Centre, Surry Hills, D30 ( left wall )
2/ Manning Great Lakes – Manning 206 HWP vehicle bearing personalised number plates
[alert_green]PAUL is mentioned on the NSW Police Force Service Memorial Wall at the SPC
D 30 Left Wall[/alert_green]
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The Daily Telegraph 31 July 2007
Pedestrian cop killed in smash
AN off-duty policeman has died after being pinned between his car and a second vehicle which crossed to the wrong side of a road on the NSW mid-north coast, police say.
Senior Constable Paul Morris, 40, died on Wharf Street, Tuncurry about 12.55pm (AEST) today after he was struck by the car, NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney said.
Mr Moroney said a second off-duty officer, a 36-year-old woman, was also injured in the incident but had been treated and released from Tuncurry Hospital.
“We understand at this time that a motor vehicle approached from the opposite direction and, for reasons yet to be established, it appears to have mounted a median strip,” Mr Moroney told Southern Cross Broadcasting.
“It has travelled onto the incorrect side of the road and struck Senior Constable Morris, who was pinned beside his vehicle. He was killed by his injuries.”
The incident was witnessed by fellow officers, police said in a statement.
Mr Moroney said the policeman was a single man who was “close friends” with his female colleague.
The driver of the other vehicle had been taken to hospital in a state of shock, he said.
Mr Moroney and Deputy Commissioner Andrew Scipione were tonight on their way to Tuncurry.
Police Minister David Campbell offered sympathy to the families of the two officers.
Highway patrol officers “held back tears” as NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney offered them support over the death of an off-duty colleague in a freak car accident.
One witness told police Senior Constable Paul Morris died as he pushed his girlfriend, an off-duty officer who was injured in the incident, out of the way of an out-of-control car on the NSW mid-north coast on Tuesday.
Snr Const Morris, 40, died on Wharf Street, Tuncurry, about 12.55pm (AEST) after he was struck by the reversing car that pinned him to his own vehicle, police said.
A 36-year-old woman, who was in a relationship with Snr Const Morris, was also injured in the incident but had been treated at Manning Base Hospital and discharged.
Mr Moroney and Deputy Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione rushed to Tuncurry late on Tuesday to console local officers, some of whom saw the fatal collision.
Tony Ritchie, spokesman for the commissioner, said Mr Moroney and Mr Scipione also visited Snr Const Morris’ parents on Tuesday night to offer their support.
“There was a gathering of highway patrol officers in another house,” Mr Ritchie said.
“They walked through, shared the comfort, shook hands and watched as big men held back tears as they talked about friends.
“Same with the parents, they offered what comfort they could.”
Mr Ritchie described the collision near the Bellevue Hotel, a favourite haunt of off-duty police, as “freakish”.
He said it appeared the car that hit the officers, described as a silver Subaru station wagon by one witness, became locked in reverse as it tried to park.
Another witness told police the car’s tyres were smoking as it veered out of control, he said.
“(Snr Const Morris) was standing on a median strip, he was just about to walk across the road to get into his car,” Mr Ritchie said.
“He had to literally walk across one lane to get into his car and (another) car in some bizarre way somehow locked itself into reverse and comes veering across one lane … over the median strip and knocked him further across the road into his car.
“(The car) could have been one foot either way, six inches either way and (Snr Const Morris) would have said ‘Gee, what was that all about’.”
Mr Moroney’s spokesman said police were still looking for witnesses but one had told them Snr Const Morris tried to save his girlfriend.
“One of the witnesses said he’s pushed her out of the way as the car’s come across the road,” he said.
“But (the witness was) looking the other way, mind you, and it was all in a split second.”
Mr Ritchie said police were still considering whether it was appropriate to charge the driver of the Subaru, who was also injured in the incident.
THE distraught girlfriend of a policeman who died while pushing her from the path of an out-of-control car has described how the hero officer’s actions saved her life.
Tracey Fergus was yesterday suffering physical injuries and a broken heart after the death of Senior Constable Paul Morris, her boyfriend of four years.
As the couple crossed the main street of Tuncurry, on the NSW mid-North Coast, on Tuesday afternoon a car suddenly reversed towards them.
Sen-Constable Morris tried to push Ms Fergus, who is also a police officer, out of the way, but both were struck by the vehicle.
The off-duty highway patrol officer took the full force of the car and died at the scene from massive injuries.
“That was Paul, he tried to push me out of the way as best he could,” a shattered Ms Fergus told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.
“He was the best person in the world. He had a heart of gold.”
Nursing visible injuries from the incident, Ms Fergus smiled as her boyfriend’s family told of his three great loves – his girlfriend, his family and his fishing. “I sometimes wonder if fishing might have come first,” Ms Fergus said with a smile.
Just three weeks ago, Ms Fergus organised a surprise 40th birthday party for Sen-Constable Morris.
“I didn’t know whether he’d kill me for organising it or if he’d be OK about it,” Ms Fergus said.
But there was no mistaking how the policeman felt about the gesture.
The officer’s mother Marie Morris revealed: “He said to me afterwards ‘Mum, she is the best thing that has ever happened to me’.”
The investigation into the incident continued yesterday, with crash unit officers from Newcastle closing off Manning St in the town centre while they retraced the pair’s movements.
Sen-Constable Morris and Ms Fergus had been to a shop and were on a median strip waiting to get back to their car when the accident happened.
“It looks as if he’s been reversing back and somehow he’s come spearing across and hit the two officers, who were standing on the median strip,” a police spokesman said.
The 61-year-old male driver of the car was assisting police with inquiries late yesterday.
A full police funeral will be held for Sen-Constable Morris next week.
“He was a terrific policeman and he had the best group of workmates you could ever have,” his mother said.
The officer’s grieving colleagues visited his family after the accident, as did Police Commissioner Ken Moroney and Deputy Commissioner Andrew Scippione.
Workmates struggling to come to terms with the popular officer’s death have been offered counselling.
REST IN PEACE SENIOR CONSTABLE Paul MORRIS
31 July 2007
NSW POLICE FORCE
A DEVOTED partner, professional colleague and great mate is how Senior Constable Paul Morris will be remembered.
His three great loves in life were his partner Tracey, his family and his fishing, although not necessarily in that order – his brother Peter revealed at his funeral service.
Hundreds of people attended the full police funeral at Taree’s Our Lady of Rosary Catholic Church including Commissioner Ken Moroney, Deputy Commissioner Andrew Scipione and colleagues from Sydney and the Manning Great Lakes.
The Manning Great Lakes highway patrol officer was killed in a freak traffic accident in Tuncurry last Tuesday.
In an act of bravery, the off duty officer who was standing in Manning St with his partner Senior Constable Tracey Fergus, jumped in front of her, protecting her from an out of control car which had crossed the median strip.
He bore the the brunt of the impact and later died at the scene.
Senior Constable Morris joined the NSW Police Force as a trainee in 1988 and later assigned to Windsor following successful training. He moved into the highway patrol sector and this included a nine year period with the Penrith Highway Patrol. He successfully transferred to Manning Great Lakes Command in April 2005 where he continued his role in keeping the road toll down.
Commissioner Moroney said Senior Constable Morris’ death was a tragic loss.
“Senior Constable Paul Morris was the type of professional police officer the NSW Police Force could not afford to lose.”
He added he was honoured to confirm Senior Constable Morris had been appointed a posthumous commendation for bravery in recognition of his actions in Tuncurry last Tuesday when he put his own life on the line to protect his partner Senior Constable Tracey Fergus.
“I pay a special tribute to his partner Tracey and parents Bill and Marie for the dedication and support they unreservedly gave to Paul throughout his career. I offer my deepest sympathy on his tragic and untimely death.”
Peter told the congregation his brother’s death had left a huge hole in their lives.
“We have lost our best mate,” he said.
“While he may not be here in body he will be here in spirit.
“He had one of the biggest hearts. Paul you are our hero and we won’t forget you.”
A message read on behalf of Tracey gave a true picture of her life partner.
“He was a true gentleman. He was my soul mate. Not a day went by when he didn’t have a smile on his face or come out with a cheeky one-liner.
“It’s not often in a lifetime you meet a man like Paul Morris.
“Thank you for honouring him.”
Local Area Commander Superintendent Peter Thurtell said Senior Constable Morris was a true professional, working hard to keep local roads safe.
“Paul was our friend and he will always be.
“Paul was our colleague and he will always be.
“He was the essence of what is good about policing and he will always be.”
“Tomorrow and beyond the police family will now turn its attention to Tracey.
“This is, I believe, how Paul would have insisted it be.”
Senior Constable Paul Morris posthumously received the Certificate of Service, Region Certificate of Appreciation and State Emergency Service Medal.
ON crutches and visibly injured, Tracey Fergus yesterday recalled the golden heart of her hero boyfriend who sacrificed his life to save hers.
The injured policewoman smiled bravely as she accepted a police valour award for Senior-Constable Paul Morris at his funeral service.
He was killed last Tuesday while pushing Ms Fergus out of the path of an out-of-control car. The couple had been crossing the main street in Tuncurry, on the mid-North Coast, when a car driven by an elderly man veered towards them.
Police Commissioner Ken Moroney told mourners at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Taree that it was the quick-thinking actions of Sen-Constable Morris in pushing Ms Fergus out of way that saved her life.
“He is awarded for his selflessness and courage and for the swift and evasive action to remove his partner out of harm’s way,” Mr Moroney said.
In tributes farewelling the officer, the congregation heard of Sen-Constable Morris’s love of life, his family, his friends and his job in highway patrol – a role he carried out for 19 years.
“He was a highly regarded and respected man who served the community with courage, honour and distinction,” Mr Moroney said.
Despite her injuries, Ms Fergus smiled graciously as she accepted the Police Commissioner’s Commendation for Courage medal on Sen-Constable Morris’s behalf.
In a eulogy read on her behalf, Ms Fergus said Sen-Constable Morris was a gentle, loving and caring man who had a heart of gold.
“Paul was a true gentleman not a day went by when he didn’t have a smile on his face,” Ms Fergus wrote in the eulogy.
Superintendent Peter Thurtell described Sen-Const Morris as the “consummate professional” with an love of highway patrol.
“His colleagues looked forward to working a shift with him because they could be guaranteed hard work as well as good fun and lots of laughter,” Supt Thurtell said. “He is the essence of what is good about policing and he will always be.”
At the end of the funeral service, Sen-Constable Morris’s coffin was driven through a guard-of-honour, formed by officers who gathered to to farewell their colleague.
In a tribute to the highway patrolman, the procession was lead from the church by his former police car, Manning 206.