6 minute read
Legacy lives on
Cultural sensitivity warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that the following story contains the name and images of an Aboriginal person who has passed away.
Editor’s note: Senior Sergeant James Egan sadly passed away in November 2024, following a brave battle with illness. In the weeks before his passing, he spoke with Police Life about his career.
Editorial: Cassandra Stanghi
Photography: Stephanie Pitts-Clark, Kureng Dapel and supplied
When Senior Sergeant James Egan first walked through the doors of the Victoria Police Academy in 1985 at the age of 18, he was looking for a long-term career.
Nearly four decades on, it’s fair to say he found what he was looking for.
After a few years spent at metropolitan stations including South Melbourne, Frankston and Cheltenham, Sen Sgt Egan ventured into general duties roles in regional Victoria’s Gippsland region. It was here that he discovered his passion for country policing.
“One of the things I enjoyed most about working in the country was the fact that for any decisions you make and anything you do within the community, you can actually see the results for yourself,” he said.
“Being able to see how the relationship with the community improves as a result of your work is very satisfying.”
Sen Sgt Egan’s roles in large regional stations set him up with the skills he needed for an eventual eight-year stint as the sole police officer at Raywood in northern Victoria.
“Being the only police officer in town, your life will become very challenging without the support of your community, so you really need to have that community focus,” he said.
Another passion Sen Sgt Egan discovered in his policing career was training, an area he stumbled across completely by accident in the late 1990s.
“I was working at Traralgon at the time and a local sergeant pulled me aside at the end of an operational safety course, told me there were some instructor courses coming up and that I should think about doing them,” he said.
“It wasn’t something I’d ever considered, but I threw myself into that space to see how I’d go. I quickly discovered that I enjoy training and teaching people.”
Through several training positions at the Victoria Police Academy, Sen Sgt Egan played an important role in preparing police for pivotal operational changes, including the two-year transition to the semiautomatic pistol in the early 2010s.
Having spent about half his career in training roles, Sen Sgt Egan considered it a privilege to help police be the best they can be — a sentiment he carried into his final role as the Regional Training Officer at Moorabbin in Melbourne’s south-east.
“The most interesting part of these training roles is seeing total organisational change, and always evolving to make sure that what we’re delivering to the members who go out on the van every day is what they need to keep themselves safe,” he said.
The training package was created to educate Victoria Police employees about the historical context of the relationship between police and the Aboriginal community, improving their understanding of the rich culture and history of Aboriginal Victorians to enhance their ability to provide a culturally safe and appropriate service response.
For Sen Sgt James Egan, a proud Bangerang/Gunditjmara man and the longest serving Aboriginal Victoria Police employee, the program was also an opportunity to reflect on his own story.
“I didn’t join the job because I’m an Aboriginal man, I joined because I thought it would be a good, long-term career,” he said.
“It was the 1980s and there were a lot of issues in the relationship between my community and the police, and maybe through my own immaturity at the time I didn’t really take those into account.
“My mum, who was my greatest supporter, brought those issues to my attention. Her greatest concern wasn’t about Victoria Police as an organisation, but how my family and community would react to my new job.”
Being able to share his reflections with his colleagues through the ACAT program brought about benefits for Sen Sgt Egan beyond educating his peers about his and his community’s experiences with police.
“Delivering the program has been challenging, but I’ve actually found it pretty therapeutic, and I’ve really enjoyed sharing my culture,” he said.
Sharing my life journey through the program helps people understand that we all don’t come from the same side of the fence, but that doesn’t mean we all can’t look over the fence and see benefits from both sides.
Sen Sgt Egan’s many achievements from nearly 40 years of service are extensive, but a highlight was being among the first to be awarded the Victoria Police Aboriginal Service Medal last year.
The medal was created to acknowledge the unique duality embodied by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees who honour their heritage while serving within the police force.
For Sen Sgt Egan, he was humbled by the award and what it means for his community more broadly.
“I think the medal is representative of the journey Victoria Police is on, making really big strides towards improving the relationship between Victorian Aboriginal people and our police force,” he said.
“I was very proud to receive it and be part of history.”
Sen Sgt Egan was also recognised with the Australian Police Medal posthumously in the 2025 Australia Day Honours.
Of all the changes Sen Sgt Egan saw in the relationship between his community and his workplace over the past four decades, the most promising was the increase in Aboriginal people choosing to work at Victoria Police.
“When I came into the job, from memory I was one of three employees who identified as Aboriginal, and now we have about 150 across the state,” he said.
“At the end of the day, you can’t change things overnight so, for me, it’s about grabbing the really positive aspects of change and carrying them on.”
Southern Metro Region Superintendent Wayne Viney said Sen Sgt Egan’s lasting legacy will be recognised by the thousands of employees he crossed paths with during his long and impressive career.
“James was an outstanding mentor which was realised through his years as an operational safety instructor and right through to his most recent training position at Moorabbin,” Supt Viney said.
“Those positive aspects of change that he spoke about and brought about himself will live on for years to come.”
