THE INNER SANCTUM AN AUSTRALIAN SNIPER
THE TEMPO OF A MODERN SNIPER MEANS JASON SEMPLE NEEDS TO TAKE A BREAK FROM WRITING – SO WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REVISIT THE VERY POWERFUL FIRST INSTALMENT OF THIS COLUMN TO REMIND OURSELVES WHAT MAKES THIS SPECIALIST TRADE SO SPECIAL. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM JASON AGAIN NEXT YEAR.
BY JASON SEMPLE
I
t’s 10.45pm on 27 February 1998. It’s a warm evening and looks like rain. But I am not worried about the weather. I am worried about the two stab wounds I have in my chest and abdomen. Even though I am pressing my hands on the wounds, I can feel a river of blood escaping. I am in Ultimo, Sydney. I’ve been in the NSW Police Force (or Service back then) for exactly two weeks and I am lying in the gutter completely sure of my impending death. A courageous police officer, Pete Forsyth, is lying on top of me, but he is already dead – two fatal
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stab wounds to his heart. But before succumbing, Pete was in the process of giving me first aid. He was a proper hero to the very end. Unfortunately, Pete would not be the last mate I lost in the line of duty, with four more killed in the years to come. Thankfully, against all odds, I survived that night. “Never give up” as they say. From that night onwards I promised myself I would take every opportunity to improve in life. I had to make it count. I owed it to Pete, to myself and to those who worked so hard to save my life.
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