Master of ceremonies

Editorial: Lane Mihaljevic

Photography: Grant Condon

He’s spent 34 years walking the halls of the Victoria Police Academy, working away in its classrooms and marching across its hallowed grounds, but Sergeant Jonathan Payne has no intention of making a late career change anytime soon.

As Victoria Police’s longest-serving drill instructor, Sgt Payne has seen more than 20,000 people arrive at the Academy as bright-eyed recruits and leave as newly minted officers.

Since becoming an Operational Safety and Tactics Training (OSTT) instructor in 1984, he’s led many of them through lessons in tactical communications, firearm use and unarmed combat, to name a few.

“OSTT instructors do the whole gamut,” Sgt Payne said.

“In my role as sergeant, I have instructional duties, but I also manage small teams of instructors who do drill and ceremonial work.”

Sgt Payne is widely known for his expertise in parade and ceremony, specialising in marching, presentation and event programming.

Sgt Jonathan Payne plays a significant role in all things drill and ceremonial at the Victoria Police Academy.

But it’s in the field of drill, a regimented style of training, where he has reached almost legendary status. It is a formative part of every officer’s experience at the Victoria Police Academy — including Sgt Payne’s.

“After working general duties for the first eight years of my career, I was looking for a change,” he said.

“I looked back on the things I enjoyed most during my time with the force and realised that being a recruit in the training environment stood out. I was really interested in how I was taught and influenced at the time.

“So, I came back to the Academy.”

It’s clear that Sgt Payne has always had, and always will have, a passion for the field of education. It’s the diverse nature of the role that keeps him in the job all these years later, along with the sense of pride that comes with being a part of the Victoria Police community.

“Every day is different. It’s fantastic,” Sgt Payne said.

But what I really love about the work is seeing students go through the Academy from start to finish and supporting them along the way.

Sgt Payne’s commitment to helping recruits is one of the main reasons he was awarded with an Australian Police Medal (APM) in January this year.

The 2021 Australia Day Honours recognised Sgt Payne for his dedication to the Victoria Police Academy and exemplary service in the field of operational safety.

His contribution to Victoria Police's People Development Command is unrivalled in the eyes of many fellow instructors, but particularly former students.

This became evident after Sgt Payne was awarded with the APM, when he received emails of congratulations from an incredible number of current officers and police veterans scattered across Australia.

He’s the first drill sergeant at Victoria Police to receive the prestigious honour, but Sgt Payne remains adamant that the APM is a reflection on the Academy as a whole.

“I see it as an endorsement of what we do here. It’s really about the influence that training has on recruits,” Sgt Payne said.

“I’ve had fantastic mentors since I first started in the job too, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t had the opportunity to work with those people.”

Sgt Payne strives to share his passion for the job with the group of instructors he manages day-to-day, following in the footsteps of his former mentors.

While many may remember him as the strict, disciplinarian instructor that kept recruits metaphorically, and quite literally, in line throughout their time at the Academy — others will recall an undertone of “theatre” behind Sgt Payne’s teaching.

“In my view, entertainment and learning are very closely aligned,” Sgt Payne said.

“I make sure that students understand what they’ve got to do, but I also put on a bit of a show to make sure they go away from their class having enjoyed the experience.”

When he’s not helping students find their feet, Sgt Payne is walking front and centre as Commander of the Academy’s Ensign Party, leading the group of officers responsible for presenting the Victoria Police Ensign at ceremonies.

The esteemed Ensign flag is the most important part of a graduation parade, signifying that all Victoria Police members both past and present will witness the ceremony.

It’s brought out by the Ensign Party at the beginning of the celebration and is held for the remainder of the event.

Sgt Payne has played a crucial part in this ceremonial process for many years, and thoroughly enjoys watching graduates perform their final drill and march in front of family and friends.

“It’s something that I will continue to look forward to for the duration of my career,” he said.

Originally designed by former Chief Commissioner Selwyn Porter in 1955, the Ensign underwent a major redesign in 2015 after Sgt Payne suggested that the flag could be more inclusive of Protective Service Officers (PSOs), a significant part of Victoria Police’s workforce.

“I felt that the existing Ensign wasn’t truly representative of the force that graduates were about to enter, so I initiated a redesign,” Sgt Payne said, adding that the lengthy process even required endorsement from representatives of the Queen.

The updated Ensign flag (pictured above) now features a silver Victoria Police emblem on one side, representative of police officers, and a gold emblem on the other, in recognition of PSOs across the state.

“I feel privileged to have been part of the project and I’m very proud of the end result,” Sgt Payne said.

It’s important to remember our history. It holds the police family together, it’s what puts us all on the same page.

The tradition of attending the Academy itself is something that Sgt Payne hopes incoming students continue to look forward to.

“The experiences I had at the Academy were some of the best I had in my career,” he said.

“I encourage recruits to be kind, self-driven and take initiative during their induction to the force.

“These are the qualities that will see you through.”