Police Journal June 2021

JUNE 2021

“We went up into a ditch and slid into this pole.

I’m looking at it, thinking: ‘That’s me! I’m gone!’ ”

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Frozen take-away meals

Take-away menu: Monday – Friday 11am – 2pm

Curry meals with rice: Butter Chicken Chef’s Vegetable Curry Spaghetti Bolognese with parmesan cheese

$10 each or 6x for $50 Lamb lasagne with parmesan cheese

single serve $10

Please remember to adhere to social distancing rules between dining groups.

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Vegetable Curry with rice

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Spaghetti Bolognese with parmesan

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Police Burger with chips

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Chicken Salad

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Schnitzel with chips and your choice of sauce (gravy, dianne, pepper or mushroom)

Chicken $18 Beef $18

Add parmigiana topping $3 Chef’s famous beer battered chips served with gravy or garlic aioli Small $4 Large $7 Garlic bread

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ADVERTORIAL

Real stories from our police member community...

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died for 15 minutes. When I woke up in hospital from an induced coma, I had lost 20 years of memory. I was asking for people no one knew. My wife and two sons, who were 10 and seven at the time, were sitting at the end of my bed and I didn’t know who they were. I also didn’t remember I had bowel cancer.

“So, we’re married?” I asked. And she said: “Yes.” “And those are our kids?” I asked. “Yes,” she said.

“Well,” I said, “I did pretty well for myself, didn’t I?” Over time, I began to remember things.

I remembered the love I had for my wife, so I asked her to marry me a second time.

The cancer and chemotherapy were quite easy, but the memory loss I struggled with. The doctors told me I’d suffered a heart attack after an allergic reaction to the chemotherapy drug, affecting the electrical signals from my brain to my heart.

So, within the space of six months, I had been diagnosed with bowel cancer, lost 20 years of memory, and had my colon removed.

I was a regular, healthy, fit 37-year-old with no prior health issues. I never smoked, hardly drank, and I exercised every day.

Most of my memory came back within six weeks, but I still struggle from time to time.

I’m just so grateful for the care I’ve received.

Thanks to both Police Health and WA Police, I didn’t wake up to debilitating medical bills. The wait for radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the public system is six weeks. Through Police Health, I received my treatment within 24 hours.

It’s not always easy to see the need for private health until someone close to you goes through a life-threatening and life-changing experience.

It’s not always easy to see the need for private health until someone close to you goes through a lifethreatening and lifechanging experience.

Jade and his family have claimed over $111,000 in benefits from Police Health since joining the fund in 2008.

“With two active boys who regularly need new mouthguards, orthodontic, physiotherapy and other health services, we need this generous level of coverage,” he says.

“I know anything can happen.

There’s not much you don’t see as a police officer. I’m never leaving Police Health.”

Jade Andrew Lay, WA Police sergeant, ex-detective June 2021

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EDITOR

Whenever we’re permitted to dig a little deeper into the lives of Police Association members, we discover that some of them come from extraordinary backgrounds. Constable Naomi Tillett was one of the most successful rally-car co-drivers in Australia.

In some of the most exotic cars, she competed in and won major tarmac rally events in both Australia and New Zealand.

She tells us about the thrills, the big money, and the risk of serious crashes.

Tillett had a bad one of her own; and she once had to perform amateur surgery on a fellow competitor who crashed in Targa Rotorua.

We were concerned not to impose on Dave Hannah or put him under any extra strain as he struggled with cancer in his last weeks. But he was determined to turn up at the Police Association and be completely open in an interview about his plight.

Through his story, Dave wanted to encourage others to become much more health conscious and alert to the signs of major illnesses.

What happens when we suffer more than one infection at a time?

Dr Rod Pearce explains that “what starts out as a simple problem can be life-threatening”.

Police Association president Mark Carroll explains the success of the campaign to bring about increased recruitment of PSOs. And, in Jobs you never forget, Sergeant Ange Jamieson tells us about an upset priest, a fatal stabbing and a concealed shotgun.

Brett Williams brettwilliams@pj.asn.au

Publisher: Police Association of South Australia Level 2, 27 Carrington St, Adelaide SA 5000 T (08) 8212 3055 F (08) 8212 2002 www.pasa.asn.au Editor: Brett Williams (08) 8212 3055 Design: Sam Kleidon 0417 839 300 Advertising: Police Association of South Australia (08) 8212 3055 Printing: Finsbury Green (08) 8234 8000 The Police Journal is published by the Police Association of South Australia, 27 Carrington St, Adelaide, SA 5000, (ABN 73 802 822 770). Contents of the Police Journal are subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the Police Association of South Australia is prohibited. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor. The Police Association accepts no responsibility for statements made by advertisers. Editorial contributions should be sent to the editor (brettwilliams@pj.asn.au).

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Police Association

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President 10

Relief in sight from the burden of COVID duties Letters 30

Police compassion for suffering animals Industrial 32

Formal recognition owed to police for covid-19 duties Health 35

The threat of multiple infections Motoring 36

Hyundai i30 Elite sedan / Nissan Patrol 4x4 large SUV Banking 39

Looking to buy your first property?

Legal 41

The billion-dollar Gates divorce

Books 42

Cinema 44

Wine 47

On Scene 50

Jobs you never forget 54

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12 Racer She could have become a cop a little earlier in life, but Naomi Tillett was busy winning races as a professional rally-car co-driver.

20 How hearts went out to Dave And, with the time he had left, Dave Hannah wanted to acknowledge all those who had given him their love and care.

26 The award for police, by police The National Police Bravery Award is one of the most coveted prizes in policing, and we’ll soon know who the recipient is for 2021.

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COVER: Constable Naomi Tillett (portrait photography by Steve McCawley) set against the background of Targa Tasmania 2016.

June 2021

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COMMITTEE Julian Snowden

Chris Walkley

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Michael Kent Treasurer

Bernadette Zimmermann Secretary

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Leonie Schulz

Police Association of South Australia Level 2, 27 Carrington St, Adelaide SA 5000 www.pasa.asn.au

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Daryl Mundy Vice-President

P: (08) 8212 3055 (all hours) E: pasa@pasa.asn.au Membership enquiries: (08) 8112 7988

Trevor Milne

Samanda Attard

Darren Mead

POLICE JOURNAL

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS

PRESIDENT

Brett Williams Editor

Nicholas Damiani

Mark Carroll

EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES Sarah Stephens

Anne Hehner

Jan Welsby

FINANCE Tegan Clifford Assistant Finance Officer

Wendy Kellett Finance Officer

INDUSTRIAL Andrew Heffernan Member Liaison Officer

Nadia Goslino Grievance Officer

Steven Whetton Assistant Secretary

OFFICE

POLICE CLUB

Shelley Furbow Caitlin Brown Reception Executive Assistant

Bronwyn Hunter Manager

June 2021

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Police Association of South Australia

REPRESENTATIVES Superannuation Police Dependants Fund Leave Bank Country housing Commissioner’s Office Health Safety & Welfare Advisory Committee Legacy Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Intersex members

Mark Carroll and Michael Kent Bernadette Zimmermann Andrew Heffernan Andrew Heffernan Steven Whetton Julian Snowden Nadia Goslino and Andrew Heffernan

DELEGATES & WORKPLACE REPRESENTATIVES Metro North Branch Elizabeth Gawler Golden Grove Holden Hill Northern Prosecution Parks Salisbury

Shane Dragon Andrew Wearn Darren Quirk Matthew McCarthy Tim Pfeiffer Matthew Sampson Stuart Smith

Country North Branch Coober Pedy Kadina Peterborough Port Augusta Port Lincoln Port Pirie Whyalla

Glenn Batty Gavin Moore Nathan Paskett Peter Hore Mark Heading Gavin Mildrum Paul Velthuizen

Crime Command Branch Adelaide DOCIB Forensic Services Fraud Intelligence Support Major Crime Port Adelaide South Coast

Alex Grimaldi Jason Tank Adam Gates Sam Agostino Stephen Foenander Alex McLean Scott Mitchell Scott Milich

Metro South Branch Adelaide Hindley Street

James Cochrane Dick Hern

Metro South Branch continued Netley South Coast Southern Prosecution Southern Traffic Sturt

Country South Branch Adelaide Hills Berri Millicent Mount Gambier Murray Bridge Naracoorte Renmark

Police Journal

Joe McDonald John Gardner Nicholas Patterson Robert Martin Stephen Angove Michael Hutchinson James Bentley

Operations Support Branch Dog Ops Academy Comcen Comcen Human Resources Mounted Ops STAR State Tac/Op Mandrake Traffic

Bryan Whitehorn (chair) Melanie Smith Allan Dalgleish Ian Mitchell Eugene Wasilenia Sonia Wellings Andrew Suter Duncan Gerrie David Kuchenmeister

Officers Branch

Les Buckley

Women’s Branch

Kayt Howe (chair) (no delegates)

ATSI Branch

Brendan White (chair) (no delegates)

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Paul Clark Andrew Bradley Sallie McArdell Joshua O’Dwyer David Handberg

Critical Incident Response Industrial staff on call 24/7 and ready to support you

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Working for you P: (08) 8212 3055 (all hours) www.pasa.asn.au

P PRESIDENT Mark Carroll

Relief in sight from the burden of COVID duty T

he SAPOL strategy of continually conscripting police officers into COVID-19 roles was never one with which the Police Association agreed. We accepted that it was somewhat justified at the outset of the pandemic but insisted that it was inappropriate as a long-term measure.

Members were stationed in medi-hotels around the clock and assigned to surveil business operators and their customers to monitor QR-code compliance.

Officers in regional areas were, at times, also diverted from their duties to observe QR compliance. And, in other circumstances, police had to escort and guard overseas fruit pickers. Guarding international students was also in the planning.

Those members not assigned to COVID duties were left short-staffed and struggling to respond to public need on the front line.

Of great concern to the association was that, at times, more police were on duty in medi-hotels than in some police districts. Front-line resources in the districts were, as we saw it, at critical point.

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Our position was, and remains, that COVID duties were simply not roles for sworn police officers.

So, we considered it inappropriate for members to be standing guard in hotel lobbies while critical police matters demanded their response on city streets and in local neighbourhoods.

Our position was, and remains, that COVID duties were simply not roles for sworn police officers.

In July 2020, the Police Association indicated to SAPOL that its deployment strategies were unsustainable and that, ultimately, officers would suffer serious physical and mental ill health.

Regrettably, it was the case that, every day, members did indeed inform the association of the personal cost to them and their families.

We kept in constant contact with members about cancelled leave, the everchanging shifts, the hundreds drawn away from the front-line and the resulting shortfall in first-responder numbers.

So, what we outlined to SAPOL and the government was a range of sound, practical solutions, among which were to: • Recruit more police officers.

• Recruit officers who had retired or resigned within the previous two years.

• Offer incentive payments to officers prepared to volunteer for COVID duties outside their normal roles.

• Recruit up to 200 SAPOL protective security officers (PSOs), who specialize in the protection of critical state infrastructure.

Shifting responsibility for COVID duties to SAPOL PSOs was an obvious solution. With their expertise in guarding critical state infrastructure, PSOs were clearly far better suited to medi-hotel duties than were police officers.

But no move to institute any of our recommendations came about until this month.

In early June, we launched a campaign to bring about funding for the implementation of our recommendations.

We received overwhelming public support for our position, and the SA government responded almost straightaway.

Premier Steven Marshall announced the allocation of funding for 114 extra SAPOL protective security officers, relieving many members of COVID duties.

This will also include extending the employment of the existing 54 PSOs gained this financial year, taking the total to 168 extra PSOs. While we would have preferred to see this outcome sooner it is nonetheless pleasing.

Still, we will closely monitor the follow-through on this government commitment and see that it plays out as promised.

The onus is, after all, on the government to fund and resource its police, who put themselves in harm’s way for the sake of community safety.

Honouring thousands of years’ service

Still, we will closely monitor the followthrough on this government commitment and see that it plays out as promised.

The Police Association Retiring Members Dinner remains one of the most important social events on our calendar. Each year, with the support of the Police Credit Union, the association stages this grand, formal event to acknowledge and honour its most recently retired members and their thousands of years’ service.

It was a great disappointment to all of us that we had to postpone our 2020 dinner owing to the coronavirus. Back then, the virus had just recently emerged and restrictions on public gatherings soon followed.

But we never intended to allow the careers of last year’s retirees to go uncelebrated. Paying them the formal tribute they deserve was always going to happen as soon as it was possible.

So, in what I believe to be a first, our Retiring Members Dinner will this year be a double, honouring the retirees of both 2020 and 2021.

Over the two financial years – 2019-20 and 2020-21 – a total of 192 members have retired from policing, each having served the SA community for decades.

The longest-serving retiree of 2019-20 was former detective senior sergeant Sid Thomas (58 years) and of 2020-21 former detective inspector Jim Carter (54 years).

It will be, as it always is, my pleasure to attend the dinner and simply be in the company of the hundreds of great servants of policing.

A worthy contributor lost Senior Constable First Class Dave Hannah gave the Police Journal a penetrating interview, which has produced an equally penetrating story (How hearts went out to Dave, page 20).

I was so impressed by his attitude in the face of such a serious, terminal illness as cancer. Dave could easily have just shut the world out and rightly devoted all his energy to his own needs.

But he told his story for, among others, his police colleagues. It was clear that, even as he suffered, he still had room for them – and their wellbeing – in his thoughts.

The Police Association was proud to represent Dave. He was a long-time member and a worthy contributor to policing.

I am certain his family and friends still feel the pain of losing him but hope they draw some comfort from the high regard in which others held him.

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By Brett Williams

Naomi Tillett stood as one of the best and most awarded professional rally-car co-drivers in Australia. But the time came for a career change, and she chose policing.

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o-driving the Lamborghini Huracan in the 2014 Targa New Zealand had Naomi Tillett in her element. It was not so much the expensive car, the speed, or the adrenaline rush that excited her.

Rather, it was the sense of team and teamwork.

In the Lamborghini, she relished the way in which she and driver Tony Quinn, a multi-millionaire businessman and motorsport enthusiast, had to rely on one another.

With a stack of wins behind them, as driver and co-driver, they had long proved a highly successful partnership.

Tillett, then 40, had competed in one form of racing or another since she was 12 and had never had a crash. That kept her in line with an edict her mother, Marie, had issued years earlier.

“Well, you give it one year and, if you ever have a crash, you’re out!” was the edict. No problem there.

But on the tarmac in the 2,250km Targa New Zealand, the Lamborghini crashed at high speed. It was day two of the six-day rally after Tillett and Quinn had won three stages.

“We went up into a ditch and slid into this pole,” Tillett explains.

“I’m looking at it, thinking: ‘That’s me!

I’m gone!’

“But all four wheels gripped, and we went into this little culvert and landed in a paddock – wheels down, unhurt.”

Although lucky, Tillett certainly knew just how badly injured such a crash might have left her. It was a reality she and Quinn had seen in Targa Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand in 2012.

A Subaru Impreza, which Kiwi brothers Stuart and Bret Scoular were driving, crashed into the parapet of an underpass at around 150km/h.

Tillett and Quinn had just been about to overtake the Impreza in their Nissan Skyline.

But now, with their two fellow competitors in peril, possibly even dead, they reacted instantly, stopped their car and sprang into action.

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Tillett clambered into the wrecked Impreza through its smashed windscreen. She found Stuart Scoular in the very back of the cabin where the impact of the crash had thrust him. The concrete parapet had penetrated the car and near severed his now trapped right foot.

Tillett had to act with lightning speed if Scoular, who was conscious and talking, were to survive. Her first move was to prop up his head to be sure he could breathe.

“His seat was pushed into the right rear wheel well,” she recalls, “and his foot was trapped underneath the car.

I could see a lot of blood and could feel that his leg was shattered, and I called for the first aid kit.

“I applied a tourniquet to his leg to stop the bleeding but, to save his life, I had to cut through his Achilles tendon and (amputate) his foot.”

1. In the Lamborghini Huracan during Targa Tasmania in 2013. 2. The crashed Subaru Impreza in Targa Rotorua, New Zealand.

3. Emergencyservices workers rip the roof off the Impreza.

4. Competing in Targa Tasmania in 2010. 5. Tillett in her last race as co-driver to Tony Quinn in Targa Tasmania in 2017.

6. Winning Targa Tasmania in 2011.

It was a gut-churning job few could have undertaken, and Tillett had to do it with a pair of ambulance scissors from the first aid kit.

“But you do what you need to do to save a life,” she says. “That’s the camaraderie. I’ve been in quite a few situations where I’ve been the next car and you’ve got panic everywhere, but you’ve got to stay calm.

“I don’t know how I switch off from the panic, but I do it quite well. You just deal with the situation at the time, manage what you have to manage, and then you can fall over the next day.

It’s okay.”

Tillett herself never suffered more than a broken rib in her 17 years as a professional rally-car co-driver. That happened in Canberra where she was playing mentor to a young male driver in a Pajero.

“We came into a corner,” she says,

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“and we couldn’t actually see that there was an embankment on the right. He cut in on the corner, flipped us over, we caught fire, and I broke a rib. And that’s really the only injury I’ve ever done.

“I’ve been injured on the road rather than in rally accidents. I’ve had tendons stripped from my spine in a rear-ender, yet I’ve had rally incidents where we’ve barrel-rolled numerous times and I’ve come out unscathed.”

Tillett concedes that rally-car driving is “a very dangerous sport”, and that she warns others to “think twice before you get into a (rally) car”. Even she cannot always pinpoint what entices her to get back into the co-driver’s seat.

“If you’ve seen the stuff that I’ve seen out there, you do ask yourself why,” she says. “But it’s a passion. It feels natural.

It’s a disease, I call it. You’re so driven to do it again because you had such a good time last time.”

“His seat was pushed into the right rear wheel well and his foot was trapped underneath the car. I could see a lot of blood and could feel that his leg was shattered…”

hat passion has, for Tillett, translated into great success. Since 2009, she has won Rally Tasmania, Targa Tasmania twice, Targa New Zealand three times, Targa Rotorua twice, Targa Wrest Point, and Targa Bambina (NZ).

She rightly considers 2009 her most successful year, when she achieved four of those 10 outright wins in all but the Wrest Point and Bambina rallies.

And another three outright wins came in 2010 – Wrest Point, Bambina and Targa New Zealand. That brought her tally to seven in just two years.

In all those victories she was codriving a Nissan R35 Skyline. But Tillett has competed in more makes of cars than she can remember. Among them is everything from the Mini Copper S and Brock Monaro up to the Lamborghini Huracan, Porsche GT3, and McLaren GT. The cars, the thrills, the wins and, of course, the teamwork, have brought Tillett a lot of pleasure. But the other side of that coin has been plain hard work.

“We (Tony Quinn and I) did seven Targas in a row in New Zealand,” Tillett says, “and they’re all six days long.

They’re not little rallies like you see here in the hills. You’re travelling around 2,500kms.

“Your logistics are just so huge.

And don’t ever think it’s not hard work.

You’re up at 5:00 every morning and then you’re in the car for 14 hours a day.”

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“If you’ve seen the stuff that I’ve seen out there, you do ask yourself why.

But it’s a passion. It feels natural. It’s a disease, I call it. You’re so driven to do it again because you had such a good time last time.”

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Of all her special moments in professional racing, the standout to Tillett is her 2009 Rally Tasmania victory. It was her first with driver Tony Quinn, and the pair had beaten seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Jim Richards.

The wow factor in standing on the winners’ podium with such a revered figure in motorsport still holds today, 12 years later.

Naturally, moments like that are easy for Tillett to recall, but her beginnings remain strong in her memory too. Her first involvement in racing came about through her now ex-husband whose family was “right into rallying”.

“We used to go every weekend and just get into the cars and do khanacross and motorkhanas and then it developed into rallying. We bought a car and worked our way into competing ourselves, as husband and wife.

“We spent a lot of time dreaming about famous race cars we’d like to have.”

As a 20-year-old, Tillett was driving in events at club level in a KE35 Toyota Corolla. In 1996, she won outright as a driver in her class in a Pedders Club rally, a real navigation event with maps.

“I started back in the day when the maps were as big as the cockpit of the car,” she says. “You had five minutes before the race to know exactly where you were going. Later, we progressed to pace notes in South Australia.”

In her time, Tillett has raced on dirt, on tarmac and in the Australasian Safari, and has even put herself to the test in jet-sprint boats.

Given all her exploits as a rally-car driver and co-driver, Tillett might well qualify as the ultimate adventurer.

She speaks of living her life by the quote attributed to Formula 1 great Juan Fangio: “To finish first, you must first finish.”

“You’ve really got to have the guts to give something a go,” she says.

“So that’s what I've done.”

Indeed, on the rallying scene, she has given just about everything a go.

Since taking on event management at the age of just 17, she has organized races like the Australian leg of the World Rally Championship in Perth.

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In that role, she interacted with some of the sport’s biggest names, like Australians Ed Ordynski and Neal Bates and, from New Zealand, the now late Possum Bourne.

And be it event manager, clerk of the course or steward, Tillett has continued to take on roles beyond co-driving.

For two years, she committed all her available time to planning the 2021 Nissan Datsun Nationals, which she ran as event director. Held at McLaren Vale over the four days of Easter, the race featured 244 cars.

“Not ever in its existence, in 50 years, has it seen that number of cars,” she says. “It was very successful.”

Straight after that, Tillett was off to The Bend Motorsport Park for another clerk-of-the-course job. And, in the 2021 Adelaide Rally in March, she competed as co-driver to a new driver.

7. Competing as guest co-driver to actor Shane Jacobson in Targa Tasmania earlier this year. 8. Standing on the McLaren with Tony Quinn after Targa Tasmania in 2016.

9. Celebrating after Targa Tasmania 2011.

10. On the Riana stage of Targa Tasmania in 2017. 11. In the Monaro with Jacobson earlier this year. 12. Running repairs to a borrowed $60,000 Possum Bourne Subaru which almost crashed in the 2011 SA Rally Championship in Wirrabara Forest.

13. Tillett driving in a Southern Districts Car Club Khanacross event.

ut even in her life before professional rallying, Tillett never waited for opportunities or good fortune to fall into her lap.

Born in Adelaide, she did not start out living the average childhood. Her father was an engineer who worked in the mining industry which meant that, from time to time, the Brumby family had to move home.

The first move for two-year-old Tillett was to the remote Western Australian town of Rawlinna, which she remembers as “the middle of nowhere”. And, there, her early education was by School of the Air. Later, as a six- and seven-year-old, came moves to Coober Pedy and Robe, where the family stayed until returning to Adelaide.

Back here, Tillett attended Aberfoyle Park High School where, as a student, she met her future husband. It was also where she first thought seriously about a police career.

But, once out of school, Tillett took on an apprenticeship in hairdressing and, before long, was thinking as an entrepreneur.

She could “see where the money was being made” and so, in 2000, set up a hair and beauty salon and a stationery business.

She had married the previous year and was soon to fall pregnant.

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“I started in Clarendon in the general store,” she says. “I had one tiny little room but then built the business up quite quickly. I moved down the hill to Happy Valley and had six staff there.”

That success came on top of other challenges Tillett had taken on in just the previous year. One was a job with TAFE as a part-time trainer in hair and beauty. Another was her own hair and makeup business focused on weddings.

But, even as a 10-year-old, Tillett had had a head for business. Back then, she used to make and sell soap baskets at a 20-cent profit. That, at the time, was “a big deal”, which led her to believe in the principle of taking opportunities when they knock.

And from her father, the engineer, and her mother, the bookkeeper, she drew plenty of inspiration.

“My parents were very dedicated business owners,” she says. “You could see how much effort, and the hours, they put into their business, and they were rewarded for that.

“My mum says I’m a menace because I’m always doing something new, filling my time with projects.”

Proving her mother right, Tillett ventured into other fields in 2006 when, as a 32-year-old, she became a marriage celebrant and a funeral director and mortician. It was work she loved.

While she thrived as an entrepreneur, however, she was still driving and co-driving rally cars and organizing race events.

In 1999, she had competed in the South Australian Rally Championship, as she had in the previous two years, in a KE35 Toyota Corolla.

In Rallye Burnie in 2003, she had “so much fun” competing in a 1960 Mini Cooper S. Then, in 2004, Tillett “did well” in Targa Tasmania as a rookie in a Datsun 1600.

In 2006, she won two rounds of the South Australian Rally Championship with driver Jack Monkhouse in a Mitsubishi Evo 6.

“You can’t be unfit in the car.

If you are, your mental capacity to concentrate for 14 hours a day isn’t there. You just have to be in prime fitness.”

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14. Tillett in a Porsche GT3 giving her full concentration in Targa Tasmania 2017. 15. Just before her graduation parade in May 2014. 16. Tillett (third from right) on the parade ground with her course on graduation day.

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he only circumstance that ever kept her away from motorsport was her pregnancy in 2001. But, five months after the birth of her son, Lachlan, in 2002, Tillett was back in the game, acting as secretary of Rally South Australia.

“The level of commitment was extreme,” she says, “plus I was running a full-time business with staff and looking after a young family.”

If Tillett was to relieve some of that pressure, she always had options.

One was to sell her hairdressing business. Another was to give up, or reduce her involvement in, racing.

She decided to sell the business after her 11-year commitment to it and make the move into full-time racing.

“Every two weeks,” she says, “I was away somewhere in Australia, New Zealand or overseas for two weeks.”

Tillett told her mother – who just wanted her daughter to succeed in hairdressing – that, in full-time racing, she could get further ahead financially.

That opportunity was not in driving but rather co-driving.

“If you’re a driver it’s a very expensive sport,” Tillett explains.

“But if you’re a top co-driver, there’s not one race where you wouldn’t walk away with 10 grand.

“The driver, or the business the driver works for, pays you that.”

And to earn her money, Tillett had to keep herself as fit as any other professional sportsperson. That meant Pilates and cardio workouts in the gym on the treadmill.

“You have to have a very strong core,” Tillett says. “As a co-driver, you don’t have the ability to brace yourself on a steering wheel or with pedals.

“You’ve got the foot plate in front of you, and you’re strapped into a seat, so your core and your neck have to be strong.

“You can’t be unfit in the car.

If you are, your mental capacity to concentrate for 14 hours a day isn’t there. You just have to be in prime fitness.”

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p until she was 39 and the mother of an 11-year-old, Tillett had never given up hope of a career in policing. She acted on that strong interest she had had in high school and applied to join SAPOL. That led to a position with Course 6/2013.

The attraction for Tillett was the broad offering of jobs within one large organization and the same kind of camaraderie she had enjoyed in racing.

And advice from family members, who had served as cops, assured her that police work would suit her.

“It’s been everything I expected,” she says. “Everything. I can’t imagine doing anything else. There’s no disappointment for me in policing at all.”

Not even the grisliest scenes in police work have caused Tillett a moment’s regret over her career choice. But, as a patrol officer – before her current role in the Communications Centre – she did find some jobs tough to confront.

She particularly remembers her first suicide by hanging. Sent to a check-onwelfare job at an Edwardstown address,

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“It’s been everything I expected. Everything. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

There’s no disappointment for me in policing at all.” she and her partner found the lifeless body of a 23-year-old man. He had hanged himself from a ceiling fan in his living room.

“Everything was absolutely to the book as far as the psychology of a suicide,” she says. “All the bills were paid and on the table. It was all matter of fact: ‘This is what I’m going to do.’

No reason for it other than just: ‘I’m a bit lonely.’ You just go: ‘Wow!’ ” In another check-on-welfare job, Tillett and her partner detected a strong, bad smell outside a Kingswood house. They found what appeared to be the cause of the odour when they peered through a rear open doorway and spotted a dead dog.

But they checked further and, through a rear window, could see several cats inside the house in a sunroom.

“And, in there, I’ve seen this lady,” Tillett recalls. “We went in, and I’ve gone: ‘My God, this lady’s been here for over eight weeks.’ And the cats had eaten her face, hands and feet. It was just a horrific, nightmare scene.”

Today, Tillett remains involved in motorsport, still does some hairdressing, and is still a registered marriage celebrant. But her career focus is solely on policing, in which she hopes to make her way as a Major Crash investigator.

“I’ve always wanted to go there,” she says. “I love traffic-related things because I’m interested in cars and how a crash has happened.

“I’ve done the Major Crash course and I can actually see myself in that role.” PJ

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How hearts went out to Dave Senior Constable First Class Dave Hannah gave a special interview in the final weeks of his life. Critically ill and, at times, shedding tears, he was determined to acknowledge those who had supported him.

By Brett Williams

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ave Hannah found his terminal cancer almost human-like in the way it tormented him with reminders of its presence. He once described how, at times, when he felt reasonably well, the disease had tapped him on the shoulder and said: “Hey, mate, I’m still here.”

Hannah took that as a warning not to get too hopeful just because he felt physically okay for much of 2019.

“It just says: ‘Don’t forget, Dave, I’m here,’ ” he told the Police Journal last July. “That always brings you back down to earth, and you can’t forget it.”

Indeed, as Hannah undertook that conversation, his life was ebbing away more quickly than he could have known. And just nine weeks later, on September 25, the cancer finally claimed him. The police officer, husband, father and grandfather was 51.

By his own admission, he was an emotional bloke. He certainly struggled with emotion during the Police Journal interview, through which his police officer son, Chris, supported him.

But Hannah “thought it good to share” his story as a warning to others.

“I know it’s a cliché nowadays, but just don’t take things for granted,” he said. “If you’ve got pain or illness or sickness, just go and do something about it. Get it checked because you just don’t know. You just do not know.”

Hannah had acted in line with that advice back in 2018. He was finding it impossible to shake a persistent cough and so consulted his GP. A subsequent X-ray and CT scan revealed pneumonia in his left lung and a blood clot in his right lung.

Most concerning of all, however, was a lesion in his left lung. The chances were high that further tests would show that it was cancer.

“When I found out (how high the chances were), I went into a bit of a meltdown,” he said. “Then, I went through the biopsy and the testing, which wasn’t pleasant; and it doesn’t matter how much you tell yourself: ‘It’s probably nothing.’ ”

“They’d opened me up and found evidence of cancer on the wall of my heart.”

When Hannah later consulted with a respiratory physician, he got the crushing news. The biopsy had shown that his lesion was indeed cancerous. Even with the support of his wife, Simone, by his side he felt, and continued to feel, “bowled over”.

“I didn’t know what stage it (the cancer) was, what kind of treatment I was going to be able to take, anything,” he said. “I just didn’t know what to do, how to think, how to do anything.”

Hannah then underwent a PET scan which indicated the possibility of cancer in his right lung. To be certain, he had to undertake another test known as a bronchoscopy.

It showed that possibility to be a reality: cancer in the right lung.

At least it seemed to be a reality.

It turned out that a typo in the accompanying report had led to confusion over left and right. The right lung was free of cancer.

But the left lung needed surgical action, and the plan, which daunted Hannah, was to remove it.

“It’d be a long recovery and not pleasant,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, I could rid myself of it (the cancer).

“So, I went for surgery and, when I woke up just afterward, I still had my lung. They’d opened me up and found evidence of cancer on the wall of my heart.

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“So, because there was no guarantee of the cancer not being anywhere else, they left the lung in place.”

Then, under the care of an oncologist, Hannah began a course of chemotherapy. He found it “unpleasant”, but the treatment eventually got him fit enough to return to work at Mandrake Intel where he put in half-days.

Even those reduced on-duty hours tired him, but he persisted until he got back to working full-time.

His chemotherapy continued, too, and after three months it had shrunk the tumour in his left lung considerably.

But Hannah never got out of touch with reality. He spoke of medical specialists telling him “in no uncertain terms” that no cure was possible.

“It was just a case of controlling it,” he said. “And it had shrunk, so the oncologist put me on maintenance chemotherapy. That was just one drug every three weeks, and things started to resemble some sort of normality.”

And, for Hannah, that sense of normality existed throughout most of 2019. He felt as if he had turned a corner and noticed that the tapping on his shoulder was far less frequent.

“I was happy,” he said. “Got myself a caravan and went travelling, was working full time, and things seemed to be going all right.

“But, in December 2019, a routine scan found that the cancer now appeared on my spine, and I’d had no sign of it. No pain, no nothing.”

Hannah had, however, suffered frequent build-ups of fluid in his chest throughout 2019. On at least three occasions, doctors drained him of around four litres of it in hospital.

But, to attack the spreading cancer, Hannah had to resume full chemotherapy and, soon after that, endure radiotherapy. And to add to his burden, he took a fall at home in January 2020 and smashed his hip.

The damage necessitated a full hip replacement.

Then came more bad luck when his body reacted badly to his chemotherapy drugs. He wound up in hospital, where he had to undergo blood transfusions almost 24 hours a day for a week.

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“A lot of coppers have come up to me and said how good a man he (my father) is.

The whole GoFundMe page, and the camaraderie of police, is just something that you can’t really describe.”

Dave Hannah at home with wife Simone, son Chris and grandson Xavier.

And, as all that physical strain overwhelmed him, Hannah struck trouble with his new hip. It popped out of its socket so he, again, had to undergo surgery to replace it.

Long stretches in hospital came with an impact on Hannah. Indeed, he had “a bit of a crash”. He felt physically and mentally drained, struggled to walk, and had to have physiotherapy.

“It was pretty tough going home, for myself and particularly my wife,” he said.

“She’s had to pick up the pieces when I haven’t been able to do anything. She’s had to look after me and put up with my emotional state and physical state.

“My wife’s gone through so much.

She’s very strong. She’s my rock. She’s been the cornerstone of everything since my diagnosis. She won’t allow me to curl up in a ball. She makes me get off my arse and get things done.

“God, I miss it! I miss it so much.

I’ve been back a couple of times and seen my old team, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get back.”

“I’m just concerned there’s a breaking point. So, I try my best not to go over the top with her (emotionally), but sometimes she’s the only one there.”

And Hannah got that rock-solid support from Simone and his sons and daughters-inlaw after a bone scan found that the cancer had continued to spread. It had invaded his ribcage, hip, shoulder blade and collarbone.

“It caused the collarbone to break,” he said. “I was in fair a bit of pain with all that, so I went through another week of radiotherapy. While that’s done a good job, my hip, groin and breastbone still have spots of cancer.

“It’s causing me more pain and I have to go back for more radiotherapy starting on Monday (July 27, 2020).”

As the Police Journal interview rolled on, in a quiet back office at the Police Association, emotion at times overcame Chris Hannah. But he fought through it and spoke of the pain of seeing his father struggle and decline.

When news of the cancer diagnosis had emerged, he was undertaking his recruit training with Course 28/2017.

“That was one of toughest times when I was at the academy and found out,” he said.

“I was towards the end of my course and graduation was coming up.”

Chris, who had just become a father, was sleep-deprived and trying to study every night for his final exams.

“Then, to hear the news just before I was graduating was a tough way to finish at the academy,” he explained.

“All year, I was looking forward to being in uniform next to the old man at the academy, and I didn’t know whether that was going to happen. Would he be in hospital getting his lung removed?”

But Hannah made it to his son’s June graduation in 2018.

“I was so happy to have him there in his uniform,” Chris said. “He sat next to me on the parade ground.”

Chris tried always to remain positive but did at times feel cheated and bitter. He made the comparison any cop would be likely, and entitled, to make.

There was his caring, well-liked father on whom nature had imposed a death sentence.

Then there were criminals who seemed always to enjoy good health as they inflicted nothing but violence and other harm on society.

To Chris, it was unjust, and tough to absorb.

“I know there are other good people going through this as well,” he said. “I know we’re not alone in that sense, but you do sometimes wonder: ‘Why us?’ ” Hannah could himself see the injustice of his predicament. He had not been a smoker since the 1980s and was not an excessive drinker.

“I’ve done nothing,” he said. “Nothing for this to come on. It just decided that it wanted me.

And what’s fair about that? There’s nothing fair about that. None of it’s fair to anyone, not to me, or an elderly person, or a child.

“And I fully appreciate the fact that I’m no orphan. There’s people out there who are suffering far worse than I am, and my heart goes out to them.”

But plenty of hearts went out to Hannah.

Chief among them was that of his cousin-in-law, Brevet Sergeant Sam Attard. She understood the crisis Hannah and her cousin, Simone, were facing.

Attard had herself confronted the same challenge 18 years earlier when cancer beset her first husband. Sturt detective Michael Nasalik died in December 2002 at the age of 36 (His toughest-ever challenge, Police Journal, December 2002).

“I guess that was always in the back of my mind,” Attard says. “You straightaway feel like you can empathize with the family, but I didn’t want (my hardship) to be the focus at all.

“I just wanted to be there to support them in my own way, without having it come back (and focus) on me.”

Although she knew Hannah was not the type to seek either sympathy or charity, Attard set up a GoFundMe page for him. She had found out that the cost of some of the treatments he had to undertake was as high as $15,000.

Still, she had to work hard to convince Hannah to agree to her plan. She “sold it to him” by insisting that people would want to donate not out of sympathy but rather the simple urge to help a mate and colleague.

“And, if that’s their way of helping you,” she told him, “just let them do it.”

Hannah agreed, and the page – which would raise almost $22,000 – went live on July 22. The next day, discussion came up about it in his Police Journal interview.

“Sam Attard, God bless her,” he said.

“She put that GoFundMe page up yesterday and I just felt completely overwhelmed.

I never envisaged that I’d have a GoFundMe page.”

Chris kept watch on the page and delighted in the powerful response it drew.

“There’s people I work with who’ve never met my father and are donating,” he said. “And big amounts as well. I’m so thankful for it.

“A lot of coppers have come up to me and said how good a man he (my father) is. The whole GoFundMe page, and the camaraderie of police, is just something that you can’t really describe.”

And Hannah came to value the police environment more than he had at any other time in his career. After seven months off work, since January last year, he had longed to be back at Mandrake Intel.

“God, I miss it!” he exclaimed. “I miss it so much. I’ve been back a couple of times and seen my old team, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get back.”

Hannah thought of the support his colleagues gave him as “second to none”.

“I’ve been in this job for 33 years,” he said. “You meet a lot of people – people who have my respect and are good friends.

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“I can’t thank people enough in my workplace for the flexibility they allowed me. It was fantastic that I was allowed to come back on a part-time basis.

“I reached out to Leave Bank, too, and they’ve been equally as flexible and helpful.”

Even managers, like chief inspectors Amit Sareen and Scott Collins and Inspector Jarrod Ayres were among others to whom Hannah was grateful.

“All three have been supportive when I wanted to work part-time and work from home,” he said. “They went to bat for me each time.”

The compassion others offered Hannah lifted his spirits. But some of his mental anguish no one could relieve.

Tougher on him than anything was “the thought of not being around” with Simone and his children for much longer.

He spoke of his sons, Chris, Daniel and Liam, as his best mates, and his grandson, Xavier, as “my favourite”.

There were the simple pleasures he knew he would miss out on, too, like travelling in the caravan he and Simone bought a few years ago. It was a passion they shared.

And talk of all he was to leave behind brought tears to his eyes.

At the time of his Police Journal interview, Hannah was on blood thinners and taking around 14 tablets a day. And, every three weeks, he was undergoing intravenous immunotherapy.

The routine came with side effects and was, of course, a burden. But Hannah understood that its purpose was to “hold the cancer back a little bit”.

From his words, it was clear that he had accepted the reality of his situation. But it was also clear that, deep in his heart, was still a measure of hope.

“My oncologist seems, and I guess they have to be, always on the positive side,” he said. “We’ll get there…”

But time for Hannah was more limited than he knew.

And the great lament for him was the way he was to leave the world. “I just didn’t want to go out like this,” he said.

Hannah died in hospital on September 25. PJ

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With grandson Xavier.

Given that Dave Hannah died before the scheduled publication of his story, the Police Journal sought input from his family as to running this feature posthumously.

Chris Hannah indicated that he and his family welcomed the story as a tribute to their husband and father.

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The award for polic by police

By Nicholas Damiani

NOT

MANY AUSTRALIANS GET UP IN THE MORNING AND WONDER WHETHER THEIR LIVES WILL BE IN DANGER. Nor do many get up wondering whether they will have to try to save someone’s life.

But that’s the reality front-line cops face on every single shift. And they do it to protect people they have never met before.

So, who better to judge and recognize that bravery than their own peers?

Since 2018, the Police Federation of Australia National Police Bravery Award gives officers the opportunity to vote for a colleague to receive one of the most prized individual honours in police work.

At the last event, in 2019, NT senior constable Linda Farrand received the award.

Her courage and quick thinking in the face of incredible danger saved the life of a suicidal man teetering on the edge of a clifftop.

She would otherwise have spent a quiet evening at home with her family but instead had to confront this risky negotiation job. And for the on-call police negotiator, it was a job which might have cost her life.

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She located the distressed man on the Darwin Esplanade and negotiated with him for seven hours. With backup, she restrained the man and escorted him to a safe distance and called for medical assistance and further backup.

WA cop Stephanie Bochorsky — the inaugural winner of the award in 2018 — saved the life of a toddler and her older sister, whose father was setting them on fire.

The off-duty senior constable was relaxing at home alone, watching television in her pyjamas on a Friday night, when she heard a commotion coming from the neighbour’s house around midnight.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that followed: a three-year-old girl on fire in her cot.

Sen Const Bochorsky would later say that she felt there was a higher force at work that night and that she was the right person to deal with the unthinkable — a father, meant to be his family’s protector, trying to kill his own kids.

Like so many on- and off-duty police officers across the country, senior constables Farrand and Bochorsky chose bravery over comfort. They chose to save the lives of others, risking their own in the process.

They did it to uphold the fundamental premise that underpins Australia’s way of life – the rule of law.

They were not looking for an award or for their names to be up in lights. But they likely agree with the view of many, that cops don’t expect to hear the words “thank you” too often, especially from those who need police assistance the most.

The PFA promotes the National Police Bravery Award as “an award for police, by police”. It illustrates the irrefutable: that the freedom and safety of every-day Australians hinges on the bravery of officers like senior constables Farrand and Bochorsky. PJ

The 2020 awards ceremony was not held owing to COVID-19 restrictions. Members can now nominate an individual for both the 2020 and 2021 awards. Nominations close on June 30, 2021. Both awards will be presented on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra. More information is available on the PFA website.

ice, They chose to save the lives of others, risking their own in the process.

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1. WA police officer Stephanie Bochorsky who won the inaugural National Police Bravery Award in 2018.

2. NT police officer Linda Farrand who received the award in 2019.

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24/7 online access to all services

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BIG SAVINGS! Police Association Members’ Buying Guide Facebook Group

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See the full list of offers on the Members’ Buying Guide on PASAweb (pasa.asn.au) or the Police Association app.

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The Police Association has created a new Facebook group to advise you more effectively and efficiently of savings and special offers for you and your family.

This is a closed group for members only.

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Letters to the editor can be sent by: Regular mail Police Journal, PO Box 6032, Halifax St, Adelaide SA 5000 Email editor@pasa.asn.au Fax (08) 8212 2002 Internal dispatch Police Journal 168

L LETTERS

Police compassion for suffering animals SA police officers and RSPCA SA have a long and proud association in our joint responsibility to enforce SA’s Animal Welfare Act. It’s a relationship our inspectorate, in particular, values deeply.

In the course of this vital work, taking action on behalf of animals that are suffering and at risk, the compassion felt by SA police officers for the victims of the cruelty and/or neglect has been obvious.

Knowing that so many animal lovers exist within police ranks, I hope that some of these officers and their families can help us get through a current challenge.

We are in urgent need of foster carers for 100 animals at our Lonsdale shelter.

Most are adult cats, but we also have some larger dogs – some whose owners are before the courts on cruelty charges.

Many people are not aware of our foster care network. RSPCA SA is in the midst of a shift in our animal-care model from shelter-based to foster. It stems from the knowledge that animals thrive best in a loving home environment.

Despite best-practice care provided by our staff and volunteers, many animals do not cope within a shelter environment and, as a consequence, their behaviour deteriorates. This, in turn, impacts on their ability to be rehomed.

Animals require foster care for a range of reasons. Aside from needing respite from the shelter, they might be too young to desex, recovering from illness or surgery or requiring adjustment to family life.

Foster care is a chance to be a bridge to forever homes for these vulnerable animals.

Animals bring so much to our lives and are especially therapeutic for children.

Caring for animals teaches children about kindness, compassion and empathy – all human qualities we want to see more of in our community.

We have made it as easy as possible to become a foster carer. When someone registers online through our website, they can view the animals seeking foster care. Once an animal comes home, all food, litter (for felines), crates, veterinary supplies and equipment (such as leads) is provided.

Foster carers have ongoing support from the veterinary and behaviour teams, and the duration of care depends on the carer’s availability and the animal’s needs.

Every year, we take in around 8,000 animals and rehome nine out of every 10.

We’re proud of this outcome, but it’s only possible with the support of our foster carers.

These wonderful individuals tell us it’s one of the most rewarding things they do. Yes, it can be sad to say goodbye at the end but, as one long-time foster carer put it: “We are the journey, not the destination. Goodbye is our goal.”

Police Journal readers can find out more about our foster care programme on our website (https://www.rspcasa.org.au/support/foster-care/) We look forward to welcoming SA police officers and their families to this big-hearted network.

Kind Regards Sarah Dudley RSPCA SA Foster Care Coordinator 30

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1 Dogs available for adoption and awaiting foster care: 1. Moose: six-year-old male blue heeler X. 2. Callie: three-year-old kelpie X.

2

Still celebrating after 61 years Course 71 commenced training at Thebarton barracks in November 1959 and graduated in April 1960.

The course consisted of 13 members.

In April 2016, we held a reunion at the Police Club. That was the 56th anniversary of our graduation and nine members attended. They had remained in the job until retirement.

All are now well over 80 years old.

Three members left the job early and can’t be located. Only one member (Grant Redden) has, as far as we know, passed away. The remaining nine continue to enjoy good health.

On April 21, 2021, we celebrated the 61st anniversary of our graduation.

Eight out of the nine members turned up to the reunion.

It does emphasize that the bond forged in policing can last many years after retirement.

All the course members, except me, were only 20 at the time of joining the police. I was almost 29 when we joined, and this month turn 90.

We might be the longest-surviving group which can still celebrate its graduation. If not, we must be up there close to the front.

According to the Australian Department of Health, our nation in 2016 had 303,000 confirmed flu cases with 1,255 deaths, and never was there a mention of pandemic.

The public is tired of the propaganda and the fear that is pushing people toward QR code compliance which is the conditioning for the nationwide vaccine passport.

This should concern every one of us with children and grandchildren, as anything in the future could be added to this passport. The huge impact this passport will have on families, police force and businesses will be too devastating to imagine.

We hope that common sense will prevail in what we can only describe as very troubling times.

I thank Police Association president Mr Carroll for standing up for his members and the community of South Australia.

The Posttraumatic Stress Clinic at Flinders University is currently offering a treatment programme for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for military members, veterans, and first responders.

The therapy is available to eligible participants in two formats, either faceto-face in the clinic located at Flinders University, or via Telehealth using Zoom, a webcam-based application. Therapy is conducted weekly.

The programme at Flinders University offers up to 25 individual therapy sessions of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) to military members, veterans, or first responders.

CPT is an evidence-based therapy that involves examining how beliefs about trauma might affect recovery from traumatic experiences and developing alternative ways of thinking to promote recovery.

This programme is not examining whether CPT is an effective therapy.

CPT is already a well-established, front-line treatment for PTSD. Instead, the programme is investigating whether the addition of some elements that make it more individualized for the person receiving help might enhance the effectiveness of CPT. The therapy is provided free of charge.

Participants are asked to complete three assessments (interview and questionnaires) before treatment, after treatment, and three months after treatment, in addition to smaller, weekly questionnaires.

The Posttraumatic Stress Clinic at Flinders University is an established clinic that has been providing evidencebased treatment for PTSD for more than 10 years to the general community and first responders.

We are looking to continue our work helping people to recover from PTSD. Further information about the clinic is available on our website (www.flinders.edu.au).

Yours sincerely Karen Edwards President Woman’s Christian Temperance Union SA

Blake Quinney Provisional Psychologist/ Posttraumatic Stress Clinic traumaunit@flinders.edu.au

Cheers Phil Day

Real crime-fighting the role for police The members of our organization wholeheartedly support and agree with Mark Carroll, that our police officers in South Australia are the bravest and finest in our community. They are trained for the most humble of jobs to the most horrendous of events that the average person would never be able to comprehend.

Having some dealings with Major Crime following my son’s death in 2010 in Thailand, I have the highest respect for these men and women.

For our officers to be basically doing the role of a shop assistant or security guards, is absolutely appalling, and a concern for every citizen in our community who relies on them to protect us and assist us from real crime and dangers.

We are also tired of hearing the word “pandemic” because 910 COVID-19 deaths in our country can never be classed as a pandemic. These figures have even been disputed by many experts, as have also the worldwide statistics, due to age and other serious underlying health conditions.

Therapy for first responders

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Steve Whetton Assistant Secretary Police Association

I INDUSTRIAL

Formal recognition owed to police for COVID-19 duties M

embers have undertaken duties which, during the COVID-19 pandemic, have caused them social dislocation, anxiety and frustration.

The Police Association is seeking the incorporation of proper remuneration and recognition for those members in the Police Officers Award.

To that end, members have supplied statements to explain the implications of performing duties such as border patrols and compliance checking, as well as their roles at medi-hotels and on the APY Lands.

Front-line members indicated that they had worked weeks of overtime and felt overwhelmed. This came about, they explained, because either staffing issues or COVID-19 duties had prevented them from conducting investigations into victim-related matters.

One member conducted compliance checks on former Ruby Princess cruise ship passengers affected by COVID-19.

The member forced entry into one address to assist a man whose illness had rendered him unable to get off the floor for three days.

At another address for a compliance check, the member arrested the resident under the Mental Health Act. A few days later, the member felt ill and subsequently followed a direction to have a COVID-19 test and isolate.

He tested negative and was forced to use personal leave for the period of isolation.

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Continual roster changes left members feeling socially isolated and compelled to rely on others to perform family tasks they would themselves have normally undertaken.

Poor communication SA Health contacted members who had worked at Peppers Hotel after October 31, 2020 and directed them into immediate self-isolation. The advice to each member was to stay in a specific area of his or her home, cook separately and, if possible, use a different bathroom.

The lack of, or conflicting, information from SA Health and SAPOL caused considerable frustration.

SA Health directed members working at the hotel to isolate there; and family members who delivered spare clothes to those members also got directed to self-isolate for 14 days.

SA Health directed two members to isolate after one allowed the other to stay at his home address after completing overtime at the hotel.

Universities, schools and other workplaces directed the partners and children of members to isolate owing to the close-contact factor. Family members had to use their own personal leave (if available) from their respective workplaces.

Confronting the impact The impact of pandemic duties and isolation is not always obvious.

“On the second day of our quarantine, my wife had a positive test result on a pregnancy test,” one member said.

“This was exciting news but, due to being quarantined for an unknown amount of time, we were unable to book in to see the doctor to confirm the lifechanging news.”

Another member said: “(My daughter’s) anxiety has increased as a result of my absence. It was unknown when I was going to be working as the shifts changed so often.”

One member, whose shift was to begin at 6pm, received a call at 4:30pm when she was directed to drive to Bordertown to perform border compliance. Completely lacking was information as to the duration of the duty, accommodation, and items to take.

Operational equipment was not always readily available, as identified by a member who conducted roving border compliance patrols in the South East.

“I was only equipped with a firearm, two magazines and OC (defensive) spray and was not issued with a ballistic vest, ECD (taser) or body-worn camera,” she said. “If a high-risk incident occurred, I was not fully equipped to deal with the matter, nor would it be operationally safe.”

Management postponed or cancelled members’ annual leave. That came with a direct impact on members’ partners, who had scheduled leave and/or booked accommodation and travel.

SAPOL directed members working the medi-hotels to undertake five-week rotations with extended shifts.

The deployment required COVID-19 testing on the last day of duty as well as days 4, 10 and 14.

Members had to undertake the invasive COVID-19 test on their rostered days off or annual leave. Any leave interstate compelled members to submit an exemption which SA Health

denied, leaving members to pay GP gap fees interstate.

One member on leave in the Northern Territory had to travel up to 800km away from his family to comply with a COVID-19 test.

Members endured four-and-a-halfhour waits at COVID-19 testing stations.

In some cases, isolated members had partners undergoing major surgery with the fear that they could not be with them to provide support should they be isolated.

Continual roster changes left members feeling socially isolated and compelled to rely on others to perform family tasks they would themselves have normally undertaken.

Paringa deployment At the first Paringa deployment, at the Paringa Football Oval, members wound up not in motel accommodation, but rather half-size shipping containers called “humanihuts”. Mobile toilets were situated up to 100 metres away.

Inside the huts, which measured twoand-a-half metres by five metres, were two bunk beds each with a mattress on the top bunk and luggage storage below.

Owing to the grossly inadequate conditions, members requested to return to Adelaide but were directed to reside in the huts to ensure eight hours’ break between shifts.

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One bunk bed collapsed under a member, causing her soft-tissue damage.

Bunks were then removed but that required members to sleep on the ground.

A hazard and incident report was submitted for the injury and inadequate accommodation. And, after accommodation proved inadequate on two more occasions, members were given the option of overtime to return to Adelaide.

Out of their sense of duty, members felt obliged to volunteer for the Paringa medi-hotel deployment, which demanded six-day absences from home for a three-month rotation.

Members believed that management would have directed them to undertake this duty had they not volunteered.

Escort for fruit pickers In line with a specific direction, members escorted fruit pickers from the Adelaide Airport to Paringa, resided the night and returned to their workplaces the next day.

On another occasion, members received repeatedly changing advice as to their 11:30am start time. Contact came at: • 9:14am with advice of a one-hour flight delay.

• 12:06pm with advice of a 2:30pm start.

• 1:58pm with advice of a 5pm start.

Out of their sense of duty, members felt obliged to volunteer for the Paringa medi-hotel deployment, which demanded six-day absences from home for a three-month rotation.

Apy Lands APY Lands members were asked to complete longer deployments to protect the vulnerable Aboriginal community. Some deployments exceeded three weeks.

Among the issues this caused members were: • Delays in ongoing medical treatment.

• Food spoilage in their respective homes.

• The care of family members, livestock and pets.

• The inability to maintain dietary regimes.

• Compromised nutrition from living on rations as cooking facilities were limited at worksites.

• The inability to exercise owing to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Police Association intends to continue to lobby for member recognition by virtue of the Police Officers Award.

Got something to say?

Got a comment about a story you’ve read? Do you have strong views on a police issue?

Is there someone you want to acknowledge? Know of an upcoming social or sports event? Whatever the subject, put it in a letter to the editor.

Regular mail Police Journal, PO Box 6032, Halifax St, Adelaide SA 5000 Email editor@pasa.asn.au Fax (08) 8212 2002 Internal dispatch Police Journal 168

June 2021

33

THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR. In South Australia*...

Police Health’s Rolling Extras is

Police Health’s Rolling Extras is

$94.10 CHEAPER*

$15.20 CHEAPER*

per month than BUPA’s Top Extras 90.

per month than Medibank’s Top Extras 90.

And Police Health pay an average of

And Police Health pay an average of

67.99% MORE*

53.05% MORE*

in benefits!

in benefits!

Not even the best marketing, special offers or gimmicks can hide the evidence. Police Health is the best health cover for police officers and their families.

Call it in – 1800 603 603

Police Health Limited ABN 86 135 221 519 A restricted access not-for-profit Private Health Insurer © 04/05/2021 * These Extras premium and benefit illustrations have been calculated from the government’s Private Health Information Statements based on a family policy in South Australia, with no Australian Government Rebate on private health insurance and no Lifetime Health Cover Loading or other applicable discounts. Benefits are based on a selection of services, so comparisons may vary with other funds, other items and preferred provider arrangements. The government’s Private Health Information Statements can be found at www.privatehealth.gov.au. Effective date 1 April 2021.

H

Dr Rod Pearce

HEALTH

The threat of multiple infections C

hronic conditions – also referred to as chronic diseases, noncommunicable diseases or long-term health conditions – are generally characterized by their long-lasting and persistent effects.

They are not usually immediately life-threatening and tend to develop gradually. But, if you get two or even more infections at once, what starts out as a simple problem can be lifethreatening.

If you saw a doctor, you used to get told: “You just have a virus” and not to worry. But, since testing for coronavirus has become fairly routine, we have further insight into what virus you might have.

Laboratory testing for multiple viruses (multiplex PCR-based respiratory viral panels) is more automated and the usual viruses tested are influenza (A or B), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, rhinovirus, enterovirus, and human metapneumovirus.

Dual infection is probably less than 5 per cent of the viral infection but the significance of this depends on the infection, and pre-existing multimorbidity.

Setting aside our lack of historical information about the impact of COVID-19 on top of these infections, we have a long history of winter infections filling up our hospitals.

Influenza is an important one because it can be lethal on its own, and we know that, for people with pre-existing illnesses, the added stress of influenza on the body can kill. Pregnancy is also a condition making these infections potentially lethal.

The common cold “virus” is probably the rhinovirus. Rhinoviruses cause up to 40 per cent of colds, and this virus family has at least 100 distinct virus types in its group.

Inflammation of the nose and sinus and inflammation of throat and lungs causes the irritation, and the body fighting the infection can make you feel unwell.

Then you are more at risk of getting another infection, either from the bacteria that live inside your nose and lungs already (pneumococcal particularly) or other infections floating around, particularly during winter.

During a normal winter, we expect to see extra children in the hospital wards, particularly with RSV. A simple rhinovirus can make a child unwell and then a secondary infection with RSV can be life-threatening.

Other infections, such as Ross River Virus (RRV), might be normal during summer. That’s because any infection that can be a primary infection, making you sick, can be life-threatening, or predispose you to getting sick from a pre-existing illness, or give another virus a chance to take hold.

The potential lethality is more about the disease itself, but the combination of infections and multimorbidity is additive, and infections not usually lethal can cause death.

To manage these risks, our approach is to look at staying healthy, prevention of getting an infection, treatment, and then life support while waiting for the body to recover.

Staying healthy is about doing the things we need to do to be in the best state of health.

To manage these risks, our approach is to look at staying healthy, prevention of getting an infection, treatment, and then life support while waiting for the body to recover.

Diabetes with good sugar control reduces the risk of getting infection and improves the body’s immune response.

New programmes for chronic lung disease and asthma mean lung infections are less severe and oxygen desaturation is less likely.

Giving up smoking still is one of the best interventions. And avoiding mosquito bites stops the spread of RRV. Then the interventions of social distancing and masks and handwashing have taught us that we can stop multiple infections. In 2020, we had the lowest influenza rates ever recorded.

We have treatment for influenza but not for RSV, RRV or COVID-19. We have vaccines for COVID but not yet for RSV, even though they are being developed.

June 2021

35

Model Hyundai i30 Elite sedan.

Pricing Elite $30,790 plus ORC.

Drivetrain 2.0-litre (117kw) four-cylinder petrol with six-speed auto transmission.

Standard features Wireless phone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bose eight-speaker audio with subwoofer, leather trim, three drive modes (Normal, Eco and Sport) and 64-colour mood lighting.

Economy 7.0L/100km.

M MOTORING Jim Barnett

Nissan Patrol 4x4 large SUV The upgraded Nissan Y62 Patrol is big, heavy and thirsty but presents a compelling argument against RAM 1500 and Toyota’s outgoing 200 Series, particularly for towing.

Patrol is available in two wellequipped spec levels, each sporting a big 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine coupled to a seven-speed auto with manual mode.

Entry Ti list price is $78,910 while Ti-L sells for $93,365 (plus ORC). This makes Ti-L around $30,000 cheaper than a 200 Series Sahara.

Upgrades include a bold new front end, revised front and rear LED lighting and new 18-inch alloy wheels. Safety gets a boost with an improved suite of crashavoidance and driver-assistance technologies.

Patrol looks big outside and feels 36

Police Journal

enormous inside with seating for seven or eight (model dependent) in three spacious leather-trimmed rows. Secondrow (60/40) seats recline or fold forward providing access to the third row. Trizone air conditioning covers all seat rows.

The way the third-row seats fold into the floor is not completely flat and slightly hinders the enormous cargo space.

The central eight-inch colour touchscreen – which looks lost in the big dash – displays satellite navigation and a decent camera system with bird’s-eye view and clear reversing view for easy tow-ball hook-up.

While Ti is very well equipped for the price, Ti-L is simply luxurious. Its extras include power tailgate, heated and cooled front seats, central cool box for

drinks, sunroof, and two eight-inch entertainment screens (rear of front-seat headrests) with Bluetooth headphones and remote control.

DRIVING As well as push-button entry and start, Ti-L features an eight-way poweradjustable driver’s seat and poweradjustable steering. The driving position is very commanding.

Patrol’s big 298kW V8 engine is silky smooth and generally very quiet. Take care planting the foot: you’ll unleash a monster, accelerate rapidly and hear a sweet V8 soundtrack.

It makes 560Nm of torque, which ensures heavy towing is a breeze. Also featured are auto 4x4 for on road, selectable high and low range for off road, and mode settings for sand, snow

Big plus enormous

DESIGN AND FUNCTION

DESIGN AND FUNCTION Anyone in the market for a smaller car, and with no need for an SUV, would be crazy not to look at the new Hyundai i30 sedan.

It is available in four spec-levels, and prices range from $24,790 to $37,290 (plus ORC). Active features a 2.0-litre petrol four with six-speed manual or optional auto transmission while Elite has the same motor with the auto standard.

Sporty N-Line comes with a punchier 1.6-litre turbo four with six-speed manual or seven-speed DCT transmission while N-Line Premium (1.6 turbo) has the DCT as standard.

A close look at mid-spec Elite reveals a superb-looking car which is far bigger than its small-sedan designation suggests.

Elite features a bold front end. Its wide aggressive grille seamlessly blends into the headlights. It has a long, low, wide stance, its profile more reminiscent of a fastback coupe. Its angular rear end includes a boot-lip spoiler and bulging rear guards.

and rock. Ground clearance of 273mm, a rear diff lock, Hill Descent Control and Hill Start Assist add to the o f f- r o ad credentials.

P a t r ol ’s new suspension, improved d a mp er s and Hydraulic B o dy Motion Contr ol s y s tem pr ov ide excellent ride on all surfaces and ensure this big, heavy vehicle remains surprisingly flat in corners.

Inside, its spacious and superbly fitted out. Elite has nicely crafted grey perforated leather seats. All seating positions are very comfortable with rear passengers scoring both headroom and legroom more akin to a large sedan.

The boot is sizable (474 litres), there’s a full-size spare, and dropping the rear 60/40 seats reveals an enormous cargo space measuring around 1,900mm long by 1,000mm wide.

Elite features a comprehensive suite of driver-assistance and crashavoidance technologies including collision alert with pedestrian and cyclist detection, autonomous braking and lane-steering assistance.

DRIVING Smart-key, with push-button entry and start, features along with remote engine-start. The tallest drivers are catered for with the driver’s seat providing a decent (manual) range of adjustment.

Crazy not to look

Hyundai i30 Elite sedan Elite’s dash features two 10.25-inch screens. One replaces the standard instrument cluster with four (driverselectable) LCD digital displays, which provide speedo, tachometer, sat nav and driver-assistance information.

The central 10.25-inch programmable touchscreen features sat nav, DAB+ radio, reverse camera and soothing “soundsof-nature” images with accompanying audio (snow, fire, ocean).

Elite is a pleasant car to drive. Its capable 2.0-litre four provides sufficient power (117kW) to do anything asked of it.

It’s smooth and remains quiet except at high revs. The six-speed auto goes about its business with a minimum of fuss. For more power, however, there’s the 150kW N Line turbo four.

Aussie input ensures ride and handling are well sorted. The car remains smooth and compliant on rough surfaces and corners with confidence.

Model Nissan Patrol 4x4 large SUV.

Weights Kerb mass 2,812 – 2,861kg, GVM 3,500kg, braked towing 3,500kg, GCM 7,000kg.

Fuel Tank capacity 140 litres, 14.4 litres/100km (ADR combined test), minimum 95 RON unleaded.

Safety Front and rear parking sensors, around-view monitor with moving object detection, six airbags (curtain to all three rows). Monitoring for tyre pressure, blind spot, lane departure and forward collision. Autonomous emergency braking.

Warranty/service Five-year unlimited km warranty, capped-price servicing first six services.

June 2021

37

#

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with a Platinum Member special NO PACKAGE FEE Saving you $420 Lock in our lowest ever 3 Year Fixed Rate, it’s easy to apply and you could save thousands!

Call 1300 131 844, email us at platinum@policecu.com.au, head online to policecu.com.au/platinum or visit a branch.

Police Credit Union Ltd (PCU) ABN 30 087 651 205 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 238991. Terms, conditions, fees, charges and lending criteria apply. Full details upon request. Interest rates current as at 06/05/2021 and subject to change. Maximum Loan to Valuation Ratio is 90%. Owner Occupied and New lending only with a minimum amount of $150,000. Interest Rate reverts to the Discount Variable Rate after the fixed rate period. Excludes Business Banking &/or Commercial loans and loans to a Trust or Self Managed Super Fund. Comparison rate is based on a secured $150,000 loan over 25 years. WARNING: This comparison rate is true only for the examples given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees and other loan amount might result in different comparison rate. PCU reserves the right to withdraw or amend product features at any time. Please consider if the product is right for you. #No further discounts apply.

Paul Modra Executive Manager Member Value and Distribution Police Credit Union

B BANKING

Looking to buy your first property?

W

ith international travel indefinitely stalled and property prices at an all-time high, you might be considering investing your savings into your first house.

You might already have chatted to family or friends about it or done your own research and heard all the relevant terms being mentioned. So where do you start?

First, you need to know how much you can borrow Your income, regular expenses and deposit amount will influence how much you can borrow to purchase a property.

To estimate your borrowing power, use the How Much Can I Borrow calculator on our Police Credit Union website (policecu.com.au/calculators).

This calculator can help form a realistic idea of what you’ll need to include in your budget and the cost of repayments.

Stamp duty When you purchase a new home, you must pay stamp duty which is a mandatory government tax on all properties purchased. (See more information on stamp duty at www.revenuesa.sa.gov.au).

To get a good idea of what stamp duty can cost, jump on the Police Credit Union website and use our stamp duty calculator.

Remember, stamp duty can differ greatly between purchasing a block of land versus buying an existing property.

Compare the comparison rate of a product carefully to avoid being slammed with hidden monthly fees or big application fees.

Lenders’ mortgage insurance or a family guarantee Typically, you need a 20% deposit to guarantee your success in securing finance for a property. However, lenders’ mortgage insurance (LMI) or a family guarantee can be useful if you have less.

A family guarantee (also known as a family pledge or a guarantor) can be immediate family members, such as parents or siblings, who have enough equity in their properties and can offer part of this equity as security for your loan, which can help increase your borrowing power.

LMI is insurance the lender takes out to protect itself against any loss that might be incurred if you are unable to repay your loan. It’s a one-off additional payment that’s calculated based on the size of your deposit and how much you can borrow.

LMI covers the lender, not you (or any guarantor), even though the lender will usually pass on the cost of LMI to you. LMI is not mortgage protection insurance. It is a separate and additional cost to consider.

At Police Credit Union, we can offer some great home loan products if you have a 10% deposit and if you take out LMI or have a family guarantee.

Consider the comparison rate When you see an interest rate advertised for a home loan, you should also see a comparison rate. The comparison

“Police Credit Union helped me through the journey of buying my first home, helping me to understand every detail required to make this first and biggest purchase I’ve ever made. I’m so thankful for all their help.”

Jeremy, Platinum member, November 2020.

rate reflects the actual annual interest rate, together with the loan amount, the term of the loan and the required repayments. It also includes many of the fees and charges associated with taking out the loan.

Making sure you find the right rate and product to suit your needs can mean finding significant savings. Compare the comparison rate of a product carefully to avoid being slammed with hidden monthly fees or big application fees.

As police officers, Platinum members at Police Credit Union have access to an exclusive range of benefits including home loans1 with no monthly fees, no annual fees and no package fees, an additional saving of $420.

What grants are available for first home buyers?

In South Australia, first home buyers can receive up to $15,000 for the purchase and construction of a new home valued up to $575,000. Find out more about grants and eligibility on the Revenue SA website.

Got your budget sorted, considered the grants available and found your dream house?

Now for the right home loan We offer Platinum members personal one-on-one banking with our designated relationship managers across the state. Glenn Lewis, Christian Greco and Ryan Mountford have years of experience and can come to you.

Continued page 46 June 2021

39

Free Legal Service for Police Association Members, Their Families & Retired Members.

Leading Adelaide law firm, Tindall Gask Bentley is the preferred legal service provider of the Police Association, offering 30 minutes of free initial advice and a 10% fee discount.

To arrange a preliminary in-person or phone appointment contact PASA on (08) 8212 3055

DISCIPLINARY & ADMINISTRATIVE LAW • ICAC

• Police Complaints

• Coroner's Court

• Equity & diversity

• Criminal Law

Sam Joyce

Luke Officer

Gary Allison

Amber Sprague

Wendy Barry

Dina Paspaliaris

John Caruso

Giles Kahl

Rosemary Caruso

Michael Arras

INJURY COMPENSATION • Motor accident injury compensation

• Public liability

• Workers compensation

• Superannuation claims (TPD)

FAMILY & DIVORCE Matrimonial, De Facto & Same Sex Relationships • Children’s Issues

• Property Settlements

• Child Support matters

• “Pre Nuptial” style Agreements

BUSINESS & PROPERTY • General business advice

• Business transactions

• Real estate & property advice

• Commercial disputes & dispute resolution

WILLS & ESTATES • Wills & Testamentary Trusts

• Advice to executors of deceased estates

• Enduring Powers of Attorney

• Obtaining Grants of Probate

• Advance Care Directive

• Estate disputes

Adelaide • Reynella • Salisbury • Mt Barker • Murray Bridge Gawler • Pt Lincoln • Whyalla • Perth (WA) • Darwin (NT)

tgb.com.au • (08) 8212 1077

Nour Harb Lawyer Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers

L LEGAL

The billion-dollar Gates divorce N

ews broke in May that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda had officially filed for divorce.

Death and divorce are life events that intertwine in ways beyond the emotional – your estate planning.

As an estate planning lawyer, when I read or hear about divorces in the media, my mind immediately turns to the repercussions and complexities divorce has on estate planning. Unfortunately, they are often overlooked.

This billion-dollar divorce is a timely reminder to ensure your estate planning is up to date.

If Bill and Melinda were fortunate enough to live in South Australia, they would be confronted with some different scenarios.

I’m now formally divorced so what happens to my will if I die before updating it?

There are laws which stipulate what happens to the provisions in your will if you are formally divorced, but then die before updating it.

Essentially, divorce treats your former spouse as if he or she had died on the day the formal divorce order was made.

For example, imagine Melinda Gates’ will includes a gift: “I give my house to my husband, Bill Gates, if he shall survive me, otherwise to my children, Rory Gates, Phoebe Gates and Jennifer Gates.”

The divorce would mean that Bill would be treated as dying before Melinda and the gift of the house would

pass to Melinda’s children, Rory, Phoebe and Jennifer Gates.

While at the outset this might appear to be a favourable outcome to Melinda, some assets and situations it might not be suitable for are: • Superannuation.

• Underage beneficiaries.

• Executors/administrators.

• Blended families.

• Trusts.

• Jointly owned assets.

• Asset protections.

• Stepchildren or ex-partners’ family members being included.

What happens to my estate if I die before my divorce is finalized and I don’t update my will?

Bill and Melinda have announced their divorce, and with an asset pool of their magnitude, I am sure it will take many months, if not years, for their divorce to be formalized.

If Melinda dies before her divorce from Bill is finalized, her estate will be distributed in accordance with her last will, which would likely give all her assets to Bill.

This will be the case even if Melinda or Bill have moved out of the family mansion and have started court proceedings.

Using this as an example, if Melinda’s will stipulates: “I give my estate to my husband, Bill Gates, if he shall survive me, otherwise to my children, Rory Gates, Phoebe Gates and Jennifer Gates.”

Even if you are in the early stages of your separation, it is important to get the right advice on where your assets would go in the event of your passing.

Then the estate will be given to Bill, regardless of what Melinda’s wishes or intentions are.

This could mean that her (almost) ex-husband, Bill, would receive the entirety of her estate.

It could also mean that Bill, Melinda’s almost ex-husband, might receive a large portion of her superannuation, too.

We had a client who had been separated from his wife for 10 years.

This client had finalized a property settlement through the Family Court but was never formally divorced.

His wife died suddenly, and her entire estate, including her superannuation, went to our client. Clearly, this is not what his wife would have wanted and, had she only put a will in place, the outcome would have been very different.

What happens to my estate if I re-marry?

Unlike divorce, a new marriage completely revokes an existing will, unless it is drafted in contemplation of that new marriage.

Let’s say that a few years after Melinda has divorced Bill, she meets Shane Warne at a charity gala. Melinda and Shane fall in love and marry in a low-key ceremony on a sprawling estate in the Adelaide Hills.

Continued page 46 June 2021

41

B E BOOKS

The Husband Poisoner Tanya Bretherton Hachette Australia, $32.99

After World War II, Sydney experienced a chillingly calculated crime wave. Women who had lost wartime freedoms headed back into the kitchen with sinister intent, and the household poison thallium, normally used to kill rats, was repurposed to kill husbands and other inconvenient family members.

Yvonne Fletcher disposed of two husbands. Caroline Grills cheerfully poisoned her stepmother, a family friend, and her brother and his wife.

Thallium is colourless, odourless and tasteless. Victims were misdiagnosed as insane malingerers or ill owing to other reasons. And once one death was attributed to natural causes, it was all too easy for an aggrieved woman to kill again.

This series of murders struck at the very heart of domestic life. It’s the tale of women who looked for deadly solutions to what they saw as impossible situations.

The Husband Poisoner documents the reasons behind the choices these women made.

Win a book or in-season movie pass!

For your chance to win one of the books or an in-season pass to one of these films (courtesy of Wallis Cinemas) featured in this issue, send your name, location, phone number and despatch code, along with the book and/or film of your choice to giveaways@pj.asn.au

42

Police Journal

The Art of Death

David Fennell Zaffre, $29.99

London’s latest art installation is a real killer.

An underground artist leaves three glass cabinets in Trafalgar Square that contain a gruesome installation: the corpses of three homeless men.

With the artist promising more to follow, newly promoted detective inspector Grace Archer and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, must race against time to follow what few clues a savvy killer has left.

As more bodies are exhibited at London landmarks and live streamed on social media, Archer and Quinn’s pursuit of the elusive killer becomes a desperate search.

But when Archer discovers that the killer might be closer than she originally thought, she realizes that he has his sights set firmly on her.

He is creating a masterpiece. And she will be the star of his show.

The Mind of a Murderer Dr Richard Taylor Wildfire, $32.99

A glimpse into the darkest corners of the human psyche.

“Whodunnit doesn’t matter so much, not to a forensic psychiatrist. We’re more interested in the ‘why’ ”.

In his 26 years in the field, Richard Taylor has worked on well over 100 murder cases, with victims and perpetrators from all walks of life.

In this memoir, Taylor draws on some of the most tragic, horrific and illuminating of these cases – as well as dark secrets from his own family’s past – to explore some of the questions he grapples with every day.

Why do people kill? Does committing a monstrous act make someone a monster? Could any of us, in the wrong circumstances, become a killer?

Taylor presents us with the most important challenge of all: how can we find common humanity, even in the darkest of human deeds – and why it is so vital that we try?

The Spiral

Iain Ryan Echo, $29.99

Erma Bridges’ life is far from perfect, but entirely ordinary.

After years of dedication to academic research, her career is falling apart, all because of a mysterious workplace complaint.

So, when she is shot twice by Jenny – a vindictive colleague who has seemingly disappeared – her quiet existence is shattered in an instant.

With her would-be murderer dead, no one can give Erma the answers she needs to move on from her trauma. Why her?

Why now?

Panicked, overworked and on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Erma begins her quest for the truth – and a dangerous journey into the heart of darkness.

As a web of brutality unfurls around her, Erma uncovers a dark series of crimes on campus and discovers a side of herself unimaginable within the polite world of academia.

June 2021

43

B E

C E

BOOKS

CINEMA

Shiver

Allie Reynolds Hachette Australia, $32.99

After Milla is invited to a reunion in the cosy resort where her snowboarding career peaked, she drops everything to go. She would rather forget the events of that winter, but the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can’t seem to let go.

The five friends haven’t seen each other for 10 years, since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. But, when an icebreaker game turns menacing, they realize they don’t know who has really gathered them there.

In an isolated lodge high up a mountain, amid a looming snowstorm, the secrets of the past are about to come to light.

Imagine Agatha Christie set in the Alps and you have Shiver. If you can’t trust your friends, who can you trust?

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard June 24

Post Mortem

Gary Bell QC Raven, $29.99

Can Rook keep his criminal past a secret when facing the most dangerous case of his life?

Thirteen men have died in a London prison. Barrister Elliot Rook QC, who risks losing everything if his secret criminal past is revealed, must defend Charli Meadows, the vulnerable single mother accused of smuggling the deadly tainted drugs inside.

But just as Rook becomes suspicious of those closest to Charli, a note arrives at his flat – threatening violence if the trial is not called off.

While Rook battles to defend Charli and protect himself, his young protégé, Zara Barnes, is fighting for her livelihood.

In a few short weeks, only one tenancy at the legal chambers will be available to the ever-multiplying mass of pupils. Determined to make it hers, Zara takes on her biggest solo case yet.

44

Police Journal

The world’s most lethal odd couple – bodyguard Michael Bryce and hitman Darius Kincaid – are back on another lifethreatening mission.

Bryce is forced into action

by Kinkaid’s volatile wife, international con artist Sonia Kinkaid, as they get in over their heads in a global plot by a vengeful and powerful madman.

Cast: Salma Hayek (Sonia Kinkaid), Ryan Reynolds (Michael Bryce), Samuel L Jackson (Darius Kincaid), Richard E Grant (Seifert), Antonio Banderas (Carlo), Morgan Freeman.

In The Heights Coming soon

Usnavi, a bodega owner who looks after the aging Cuban lady next door, pines for the girl working in the neighbouring beauty salon and dreams of winning the lottery and escaping to the shores of his native Dominican Republic.

Ultimately, he and the residents of the closeknit neighbourhood get a dose of what it means to be home.

Cast: Anthony Ramos (Usnavi de la Vega), Melissa Barrera (Vanessa).

Jungle Cruise July 29

A rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking s k ip p e r Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr Lily Houghton.

Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities – possessing the power to change the future of medicine.

On the way, the pair encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces lurking in the beauty of the rainforest.

Cast: Dwayne Johnson (Frank), Emily Blunt (Lily Houghton).

Space Jam: A New Legacy July 15

NBA champion LeBron James goes on an epic adventure alongside timeless Tune Bugs Bunny.

When James and his young son, Dom, are trapped in a digital space by a rogue AI, James must get them home safe by leading Bugs, Lola Bunny and the whole gang of notoriously undisciplined Looney Tunes to victory over the AI’s digitized champions on the court.

It’s Tunes versus Goons in the challenge that will redefine James’ bond with his son and shine a light on the power of being yourself.

The ready-for-action Tunes destroy convention, supercharge their unique talents and surprise even “King” James by playing the game their own way.

Cast: Zendaya (Lola Bunny, voice), Sonequa MartinGreen (Kamiyah James), Don Cheadle (Al-G Rhythm), Jim Cummings (Tasmanian Devil, voice).

June 2021

45

B

L

BANKING

LEGAL

From page 39

From page 41

They can help guide you through the buying process by providing free property reports, helping you understand how much you can afford to borrow and what your repayments could be.

Send our relationship managers an e-mail at platinum@policecu.com.au and they’ll work with you to find a feature-packed home loan.

Whether you’re a first home buyer, or a current property owner looking for the right loan rate to refinance your existing home loan, we’re here to help every step of the way.

Find all our helpful calculators, competitive rates, along with our great range of products, including our lowestever 3-Year Fixed Rate Home Loan, on our website at policecu.com.au/platinum or call us on 1 300 131 844.

Assuming Melinda does not update her estate planning, she will die with no will. This means Melinda will die intestate.

The consequence of dying intestate is that the government will decide where Melinda’s assets go. Her estate will be shared between Shane and her children, or grandchildren, in varying amounts.

If there are beneficiaries under the age of 18, their entitlements will be held in trust by the Public Trustee.

Shane will be in charge of Melinda’s estate as her spouse, which could be upsetting for her children.

It is unlikely that Melinda, Shane and her loved ones, would be happy with this outcome.

Death and, to a lesser extent, divorce are often out of our control.

What is in our control is ensuring that our estate planning is up to date.

Estate planning is a highly specialized area of law, which requires careful consideration for your specific needs and circumstances. There is no one-sizefits-all.

Even if you are in the early stages of your separation, it is important to get the right advice on where your assets would go in the event of your passing.

Ensuring your estate planning is up to date at the earliest opportunity provides your loved ones with certainty and peace of mind.

Please act if you think that your estate planning needs reviewing. It could mean the world to the loved ones you leave behind.

Police Credit Union Ltd (PCU) ABN 30 087 651 205 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 238991. Terms, conditions, fees, charges, lending and membership criteria apply. Full details upon request.

All information correct as at 01/05/2021 and subject to change. PCU reserves the right to withdraw or amend product features at any time. 1Excludes Business Banking &/or Commercial Loans and loans to a Trust or Self-Managed Super Fund. No further discounts apply. The information provided herein does not take into account your personal needs, objective and financial circumstances.

Please consider your circumstances before deciding if the product is right for you.

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W WINE

2018 Manser Dad’s Block Shiraz This was a perfect season with the fruit enjoying optimal ripening to ensure full flavour development and balance of acid and tannins.

The fruit was crushed and de-stemmed, fermented on skins for eight days and plunged three times a day for maximum extraction of colour and flavour.

It was then put to bed in a combination of three- and four-year-old American Oak.

Manser Family Wines Adelaide Hills, South Australia manserwines.com.au

There’s so much on offer here: blueberry, spice and a hint of eucalyptus. This wine will see improvement up to and beyond 10 years in the cellar.

2018 Manser Block 4 Shiraz This is full frontal Shiraz sourced from Manser’s four-acre block on top of the hill. It sits in full sun and gets super ripe and rich.

Manser takes this fruit and, after processing, leaves it on skins for nine days before pressing out. This ensures maximum flavour extraction and colour.

It is then put to sleep in a combination of new French oak (20 per cent) and old American oak barrels.

The finished wine is full of black and blue fruits with a rich, warming long finish. Cellar to 2035.

Award: Gold, Hong Kong.

2019 Manser One Mad Moment McLaren Vale Shiraz Grenache This is Manser’s one and only McLaren Vale red. It is 50/50 Shiraz and Grenache.

The Shiraz was picked mid-March and crushed, de-stemmed and fermented on skins for seven days.

The Grenache had a gentler ride, soft-pressed, fermented on skins for eight days and stored in old oak.

It is flavoursome, showing chocolate, spice and a sweet, earthy palate finishing with powdery tannins and length.

Enjoy now or cellar up to 10 years.

Award: Bronze, London June 2021

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If you have moved, in either the recent or distant past, please let the association know your new address. Its office does not receive notification of changed addresses by any other means.

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The association will need your new address, full name, ID number, telephone numbers (home, work and/or mobile).

Members can e-mail these details to the association on pasa@pasa.asn.au or send them by letter through dispatch (168).

Are you currently working part-time? Are you commencing or ceasing part-time work?

If your hours change, it is important that you advise the Police Association.

Your subscriptions may be affected.

Please phone (08) 8112 7988 or e-mail membership@pasa.asn.au to advise of a change in hours.

Romeos Police News Mag 1/2 Page Advert 2021.qxp_Layout 1 13/1/21 10:32 am Page 1

’ ROMEO S

Romeo’s are proud supporters of the Police Association of SA and are honoured to provide a 5% discount to all current members.

ROMEO’S

family owned • community minded

ROMEO’S

ROMEO’S Food Hall

Discount Card This card entitles this member to a 5% discount on purchases where applicable.

Discount does not apply to tobacco, epay, Blackhawk, Metro products or any Romeo’s Catalogue items. Conditions apply, see instore for further details. This card remains the property of the Romeo’s Retail Group.

SEE THE MEMBERS BUYING GUIDE TO ORDER YOUR CARD FROM THE POLICE ASSOCIATION. 48

Police Journal

Don’t miss out on A retirement function due to COVID-19

Let us host your farewell at the POLICE CLUB Register your interest now and we’ll do all the rest including: • Hosting your function at the Police Club (post COVID-19 & when restrictions are lifted) • Promoting your retirement event to members / your guests

• Managing the RSVP’s & guest payments • Gift bottle of red wine for the Guest of Honour • Packages at $10 per head for cocktail food & Friday night happy hours drinks from the bar

CONTACT PASA FOR MORE INFORMATION

(08) 8212 3055 or cb@pasa.asn.au

June 2021

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Graduates’ Dinner: Course 43/2020 Fenwick Function Centre May 21, 2021

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Teagan Plummer, Meg Simister and Brayden Marchioro Donna Patterson Kaitlin Cassidy Courtney McLeod, Nikki Banfield and Hayley Maidment Cain McDonald and Bradley Moore Morgane Szymonowicz, Lauren Arney and Nikki Banfield

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Tara Gow-Hancock and Dale Parry Georgia Kranz and Jasmine Neagle Peter Kollias and Hannah Petrevics Zach Evreniadis and Tally Cox Dimitrios and Natalie Tragos Tom McNeil

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Graduation: Course 43/2020 Police Academy, May 26, 2021

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Graduates prepare to march off the parade ground 2. Morgane Szymonowicz 3. Zach Evreniadis, Peter Kollias, Dale Parry and Charles Bullen 4. Charles Bullen 5.

Commissioner Grant Stevens inspects the course 6.

From left: Kaitlin Cassidy and Jasmine Neagle 7.

Cain McDonald delivers an address on behalf of his course 8. Lauren Arney and Cain McDonald 9. Kaitlin Cassidy embraces a coursemate 10. Nathan Nicholson, Brayden Marchioro and Troy Nicholson 11.

Meg Simister embraces a coursemate 12.

Academic Award winner Rhiannon Ireland with Police Association vice-president Daryl Mundy

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Jobs you never forget I was first on scene at a car-versuspedestrian accident on Portrush Road in 2008. The pedestrian, an 85-year-old woman, had been struck at an incredibly high speed, with her body thrown about 40 metres. She was crossing the road from her home to attend Sunday mass. After ascertaining that she was deceased, a priest from the nearby Catholic church approached me. He was incredibly upset, and I had to hold him back from entering the crime scene as he wanted to anoint her body. It was quite distressing to hold him back and negotiate with members of the church. My partner arrested the driver whose breath analysis was four times over the limit. He was imprisoned for four years.

This job and the name of the deceased have always remained with me.

In 2010 I was tasked to a group of about a dozen Sudanese youths fighting on Grenfell St. Information was that a member of the group had purchased a large hunting knife and was chasing a male youth. As my partner and I ran from Hindley St, I heard an update that a male had been stabbed inside a newsagency on Fleet St. We approached Grenfell St and intercepted the suspect who was running away from the scene. After tackling him to the ground and arresting him I ran to the victim. I later discovered the victim, a 14-year-old Sudanese schoolboy, had been stabbed through the heart.

The victim had collapsed, pulled the knife out of his chest and was bleeding out as I approached him. He couldn’t be saved and died at the scene.

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SERGEANT ANGE JAMIESON (Hindley St)

I conducted a search of the premises of a female I had arrested on Hindley St for trafficking ecstasy and methamphetamine in 2013. It was a small townhouse with several occupants present. They were searched and directed to sit while police conducted the search. In the lounge area, a male occupant sitting on a couch immediately in front of me continuously fidgeted on his seat. I asked him to sit still as he was making me “nervous”.

He attempted to reach for something under his seat, so I grabbed him and stood him up.

On lifting the couch cushion, I located a loaded sawn-off semi-automatic shotgun directly under where he was sitting. He was subsequently arrested and charged with seven firearms offences and received a fivemonth term of imprisonment.

“The pedestrian, an 85-year-old woman, had been struck at an incredibly high speed, with her body thrown about 40 metres.”

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APRIL 2021

Ink? Rememwabser ‘game on’ en it “He knew wh sn’t, he was wa but, when it utiful dog. a lovable, bea ple dog, He was a peo ble.” cha very approa

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Police www.pasa.asn.au

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