Sticking through tough times

Editorial: Jesse Wray-McCann

Photography: Brendan McCarthy

When Stawell born-and-bred Sergeant Liam McMahon made the move across the state to become Officer-in-Charge at Corryong Police Station, he planned to be in the far northeastern town for three years.

But when a catastrophic bushfire season in the summer of 2019/20 swept through the small town of Corryong and surrounding areas, Sgt McMahon’s devotion to the community he had come to love shone through as he stayed to help lead the difficult recovery process.

It was a significant sacrifice for Sgt McMahon to make, because his supportive partner and two teenage boys still lived in Stawell and he had already spent three years doing 13-hour round trips to visit them every fortnight.

But after five years in Corryong, he is back with his family, having landed a job at the nearby Horsham Police Station.

Sgt McMahon believes his time at Corryong, his first stint as a sergeant, made him a better police officer, especially in understanding the impact of mental illness.

“A lot of the policing issues we were dealing with in Corryong were directly resulting from people not coping with the trauma they've been through in the fires,” Sgt McMahon said.

“I could have easily gone back home after the fires, but when I saw what people in the community were going through, I wanted to stay around for them.”

Sgt Liam McMahon (right) with friend and Horsham police prosecutor Sgt David Cosgriff who worked as a Country Fire Authority volunteer in the 2019/20 summer bushfires in Corryong.

Sgt McMahon said the small town was deeply affected by suicides that followed the fires.

One of the resulting funerals triggered a mental health episode in a man who aggressively confronted Sgt McMahon in the middle of the main street.

Knowing that the man was struggling, Sgt McMahon tried to diffuse the violent situation and, with the help of an off-duty paramedic, was able to restrain the man and arrange mental health treatment.

“The guy was a professional deer shooter and, because I had to take his guns after the incident, he was left without a job or livelihood,” Sgt McMahon said.

After the man finished his period of treatment, Sgt McMahon went the extra step and helped organise a new job for the man, driving a water truck.

“As a country cop, if you can try and help people so they ultimately don't need to come and interact with the police as much, you've done your job, because you've led them to what they really need, which is the actual help,” he said.

After working in Corryong away from his family in Stawell for five years, Sgt Liam McMahon has returned to the area at Horsham Police Station.

Photo: Brendan McCarthy

Sgt McMahon said his own mental health troubles over the years have helped him understand what others are going through.

He was left with post-traumatic stress disorder after seeing significant trauma in his career and sought professional help before taking up work in non-frontline roles throughout Victoria Police for a time for the sake of his recovery.

“People struggle at the best of times and at the worst of times,” he said.

“It's all about just trying to understand what their situation is.”

Now, as he establishes himself as one of the experienced heads at Horsham Police Station, helping junior colleagues manage their mental health is a top priority for Sgt McMahon.

Mentoring and supporting junior colleagues is an important part of the job for Sgt Liam McMahon.

Photo: Brendan McCarthy

“The junior guys on the van, they’re faced with some pretty traumatic stuff,” he said.

“You'll sometimes see them very quiet, usually a day or two later after something has happened.

“That's something that I'll pick up on straightaway and go, ‘Hey, you're not yourself today. Are you okay?

“When you've been there yourself, you can remember what those days were like, hoping that someone was going to grab you and go, ‘Hey mate, you alright? What was it like? Do you want to talk about it? If not now, here's my number for later.

“It’s not ticking the boxes, it's about being truly empathetic, showing that you do care.”