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Police Journal June 2019

Page 1


These two lawmakers… …refuse to protect law-keepers

NORTH, UPPER NORTH, FAR

Country and remote area cops are unique.

Whether having stayed put or having passed through – country and remote area policing stays forever in the blood.

For anyone who has ever worked up north, including the following:

Pedy

Andamooka and other country north stations

We’d love to see you at our inaugural Country North Reunion on Friday August 2 , from 4pm at the Police Club, 27 Carrington Street.

Cost: $20 per head for bar snacks and finger food. Drinks available from the bar.

& APY LANDS

Bookings on www.trybooking.com/470319 or phone the Club on 8212 2924

For more information and to pass on any old photos for the display on the night, contact Peter Hore 0428 540 090 or Russell Morgan 0408 022 561 or Bernie Zimmermann 0418 851 261

EDITOR

Police Association president Mark Carroll makes it very clear that the union intends never to relent in its campaign for stronger laws against assaults on police In fact, as you’ll gather from his editorial, as well as our cover image, the fight is intensifying.

And the president’s editorial leads appropriately into our main feature, which is the story of a horrific attack on Brevet Sergeant Jason Smith. As others have before him, Jason paid a heavy price as he recovered, first in hospital and then at home, from a severed tendon.

But, out in the police community, there are stories of the good things in cops’ lives, too We got two Police Association members to tell us about their involvement and successes in extreme sports And the spark that prompted each one to get involved in the first place was extraordinary

Dr Rod Pearce covers the extremely important issue of heart health He explains not only how the muscle actually works but also when and why surgery might be necessary

Police Association member liaison officer Steve Whetton commends members who have submitted hazard and incident reports about “staffing and workload intensification”.

And our 10 years on feature has moved up to 15 years. The first candidate we chose was Detective Sergeant Fiona Shepheard, a proud mother whose daughter has followed her into the job.

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).

46 12 18

12 Kicked into helplessness

Immobilized on a busy road with his kneecap completely dislodged after an attack, Brevet Sgt Jason Smith faced more danger than he’d ever known

18 Fear not a factor

Police work comes with plenty of challenges, but some cops look for even more – and they sometimes find them in extreme sports June

COVER: Premier Steven Marshall and AttorneyGeneral Vickie Chapman. Image courtesy AAP.

Andrew Heffernan Member Liaison Officer

Nadia Goslino Grievance Officer

Steven Whetton Member Liaison Officer

Michael

Allan Cannon Vice-President

Mark

Trevor Milne Deputy President

Brett Williams Editor

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS

Nicholas Damiani

Sarah Stephens

EXECUTIVE

Anne Hehner

Jan Welsby

Tegan Clifford Assistant Finance Officer

Wendy Kellett Finance Officer

Shelley Furbow Reception

Caitlin Blackney Office Assistant

Bronwyn Hunter Manager

COMMITTEE

REPRESENTATIVES

Superannuation

Police Dependants Fund

Leave Bank

Housing

Bernadette Zimmermann

Bernadette Zimmermann

Andrew Heffernan

Andrew Heffernan

Commissioner’s Office Health Safety & Welfare Advisory Committee

Legacy

Sexual Orientation, Gender

Identity & Intersex Branch

Steven Whetton

Mitch Manning

Nadia Goslino and Andrew Heffernan

Mitch Manning Samantha Strange
Chris Walkley
Daryl Mundy
Julian Snowden
Mick Casey Brett Gibbons

POLICE A S S OCIATION OFSOUTH AUSTRALIA

Police Association of South Australia

DELEGATES & WORKPLACE REPRESENTATIVES

Metro North Branch

Elizabeth Nathan Long

Gawler

Golden Grove

David Savage

Stuart Smith

Northern Prosecution Tim Pfeiffer

Northern Traffic Michael Tuohy

Parks Tim King

Port Adelaide Paula Hammond

Salisbury Tanya Leonard

Country North Branch

Ceduna Chris Lovell

Coober Pedy Glenn Batty

Kadina Ric Schild

Peterborough Nathan Paskett

Port Augusta

Peter Hore

Port Lincoln Mark Heading

Port Pirie

Gavin Mildrum

Whyalla Les Johnston

Crime Command Branch

Adelaide Alex Grimaldi

DOCIB Leonie Schulz

Elizabeth Mark Shaw

Forensic Services

Adam Gates

Fraud Sam Agostino

Intelligence Support Kevin Hunt

Major Crime Alex McLean

Port Adelaide Scott Mitchell

South Coast Sasha Lisle

Metro South Branch

Hindley Street Tim Tollenaar

Netley Paul Clark

Norwood Rebecca Phillis

Metro South Branch continued

South Coast Andrew Bradley

South Coast Phillip Jeffery

Southern Prosecution Sallie McArdell

Southern Traffic Heath Suskin

Sturt David Handberg

Country South Branch

Mount Gambier Andy McClean (chair)

Adelaide Hills Joe McDonald

Berri

Millicent

John Gardner

Nicholas Patterson

Murray Bridge Stephen Angove

Naracoorte

Renmark

Grant Baker

James Bentley

Operations Support Branch

Dog Ops

Academy

Academy

ACB

Band

Comcen

Comcen

HR

Bryan Whitehorn (chair)

Paul Manns

Darren Curtis

Tania Sheldon

Andrew Ey

Brenton Kirk

Allan Dalgleish

Kerry Rouse

Mounted Ops Melanie Whittemore

STAR Andrew Suter

State Tac/ Op Mandrake Mark Buckingham

Traffic

David Kuchenmeister

Transit Dick Hern

ATSI Branch Shane Bloomfield (chair) (no delegates)

Women’s Branch

Kayt Howe (chair) (no delegates)

Officers Branch Les Buckley

A shameful government response

Politicians who take their emergencyservices workers for granted do so at their peril That kind of disregard wins favour with no one Not the police, not victims of crime, not the community Not anyone

Yet Premier Steven Marshall and his government have so far responded to the vulnerability of police with complete indifference.

The Police Association has this year run a prominent campaign for tougher laws and stronger penalties to cover assaults against police

Most observers agree that the current laws are tantamount to a free-pass system We see offenders walk blithely out of courtrooms while the cops they have attacked languish with serious injuries

That is the very situation we have called on the state government to bring to a long overdue end. The current laws simply don’t cut it. And the suffering is not just with police officers but also their families.

Several police officers, still recovering from physical attacks, have stepped up in recent months to tell their heartrending stories publicly

Some have told of offenders who have kicked, punched and spat at them Other cops took wallops with iron bars, were driven at on the street, and had objects thrown at them

The recoveries for many have been long and arduous, and come with the added burden of intense psychological impacts

And, still, after all the punishment they have taken to protect others, every one of those officers continues to serve.

They understand the realities of police work, and of life, and do not ask for sympathy

Rather than timid, the government response needs to be emphatic. And that means writing into law a specific, dedicated offence that deals with assaults against police and other emergencyservices workers.

All they ask is for the government –which, like police, is also supposed to serve the people – to implement laws that deal appropriately with the thugs who commit these hateful attacks

Who could argue that such a request is not thoroughly reasonable? When was it ever unreasonable to ask for justice for police?

The obvious prevalence of weak and suspended sentences works against the interests of the entire community This slap-on-the-wrist version of crime and punishment favours leniency over justice and, in doing so, defies what we all know is community expectation.

By now, most South Australians have seen on news services the shocking footage of one of our members under attack in a city laneway He had recalled himself to duty to deal with three young men he saw damaging property in Rundle Mall

The vision was sickening It showed the absolute savagery of the attackers as they pounced on our member They punched and knocked him to the ground where, quite literally, they sunk the boots into his head and body.

As physical attacks go, it was one of the most brutal and cowardly ever inflicted on a police officer And the sentence for the main offender? Just 18 months’ jail

The public, with access to our Facebook page, saw the vision and was almost unanimous in its condemnation of the paltry sentence

Some, who clearly felt compelled to comment, expressed the view that, on the law enforcement landscape, assaults on police were terrifying and demanded decisive action.

That strong response was consistent with the broader public feedback the Police Association has received throughout the campaign

A poll we ran on social media earlier this year showed 98 per cent of respondents supported our quest for stronger laws and harsher penalties

But the government response –when it finally came – was shamefully inadequate

Initially, we made a personal approach to the government back in October 2018, and then another in January this year.

In return, its level of consultation was minimal

Then, in April and May, AttorneyGeneral Vickie Chapman eventually announced what she called “tougher” new penalties to protect emergencyservices workers

She highlighted the creation of a new offence of spitting on police officers

Also on the table was an extra year on maximum penalties, and the protection of emergency-services workers as a “secondary sentencing consideration”

I’ve been in and around policing for more than three decades So I know, just as well as every other cop does, that these proposed changes would, in practice, make barely a skerrick of difference.

They have no more strength than the lettuce leaf depicted in our campaign, and their deterrent factor is zero

Rather than timid, the government response needs to be emphatic And that means writing into law a specific, dedicated offence that deals with assaults against police and other emergencyservices workers

The Sentencing Act must also undergo serious change to prevent criminals from walking out of courtrooms with weak sentences or, worse, no jail time at all.

The state Opposition has proposed a bill with a far greater chance of protecting police and deterring criminals, and would-be criminals

But, frankly, we care nothing about which political party comes up with the appropriate bill The association holds firmly to its stance as apolitical

Our campaigns against governments have always been based on issues, not the political colour of the party in office

And governments, like the one led by now former premier Jay Weatherill, felt the effectiveness of our campaigning in 2015. That was when Mr Weatherill and his government legislated to strip police of their workers compensation entitlements

The Protect our Cops campaign we ran back then proved a total success It remedied the problem caused by the draconian legislation

When any government fails police officers, the Police Association will respond, oppose and, if necessary, campaign. The protection of emergencyservices workers is to us what it should be to all politicians: above politics.

In 2016 and 2017, there were almost 1,500 assaults on SA cops

These assaults cost the state more than $1 million in workers compensation payments and resulted in nearly 1,400 days of absence from duty

And those are just the stats on police officers They do not include the attacks, injuries, and workers compensation claims associated with nurses, ambos and other emergency-services workers

Sergeant Andrew Goldsmith – who fell victim to a savage attack in Hindley St and saw his attackers receive nothing but good behaviour bonds – described it best

In a recent video interview we conducted and uploaded to our Facebook page, he spoke of the government’s inaction.

Appropriate laws and penalties would reduce and, in some cases prevent, the suffering of our members and their families.

“Why,” he asked, “would anybody want to join an occupation where you might be assaulted at work, knowing that there’s not going to be any consequences for the offender?

“Why would you join?”

It’s a salient question I have no doubt that policing is still the fulfilling career it was when I took it on in 1985 But the government should heed the warnings of Sgt Goldsmith and other members. It must come up with modern legislation as a response to the growing challenges of police work. Only in that way can the government protect our members

Other emergency-services workers agree wholeheartedly and want that same protection So the government has not a hint of an excuse for failing to act decisively

The bottom line is simple: emergencyservices workers don’t have time for faint-hearted government responses . Nor do they have time for party politics. Appropriate laws and penalties would reduce and, in some cases prevent, the suffering of our members and their families

We all know that cops will always put their bodies and lives on the line for their communities So how could it be anything but fair and just to legislate in a way that compels the courts to deal appropriately with criminals who assault police?

Who more than emergency-services workers – both present and future – are entitled to that outcome?

Well, whatever the government thinks, the Police Association will not rest until it happens

Kicked into helplessness

There was no jail time for the offender who left Jason Smith severely injured, hospitalized and scarred both physically and emotionally. What Smith longs to see now is the introduction of the tougher penalties the Police Association has demanded of the government.

helplessness

By Brett Williams

COLLAPSED IN THE DARK ON BUSY NORTH EAST ROAD, BREVET SERGEANT JASON SMITH REACHED FOR HIS RIGHT KNEE – BUT FELT NOTHING . HE WAS NOT CONFUSED OR FEELING FOR IT IN THE WRONG PLACE: HIS KNEECAP WAS INDEED GONE, OR AT LEAST DISLODGED

The force of the kick he had just taken from his 183cm tall, solidly built attacker had severed his right patellar tendon His kneecap was now sitting up in his lower thigh, dangling from the tendon above

He instantly envisioned now former Sydney Swans player Daryn Cresswell and the dislocated kneecap he suffered, and thumped back into place, during a game in 1997.

Smith, then 46, momentarily wondered if he could, or should, attempt a similar self-repair job Wisely, he refrained

But, suffering pain and a level of shock and unable to stand, he tried to body-roll off the road, out of the way of traffic He feared that, in his dark police uniform at night, motorists would simply not see him

It might have seemed like a simple, obvious decision to get off the road In reality, it was remarkably clear thinking by a victim in a crisis. In any case, Smith was still highly vulnerable as his attacker, former soldier Matthew Wright, 24, continued to rampage

Smith and his partner, Matthew McCarthy, had received their first call about Wright around 9:15 that Friday night in January 2017. A woman had reported that a man had jumped into her stationary car at a set of traffic lights at Medindie.

It was Wright and, from the back seat, he demanded that the woman drive him to a police station He claimed that he was being chased

The woman, with her daughter in the front passenger seat, believed Wright to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol Complying with his demand, she headed off from just outside Scotty’s Motel

Around 9:30pm, she drove into the Holden Hill police station car park, where Wright jumped out of her car and fled.

Smith and McCarthy, who were somewhere in Klemzig, took off for the car park to check on the hijacked woman and her daughter

As they spoke with her about the incident, they also listened to updates over the police radio First, it was that a man was now running in and out of traffic on North East Road Then, according to another update, he had assaulted a restaurant customer.

It would turn out that, armed with a fork, Wright had threatened staff at a Gilles Plains Vietnamese restaurant. He had also grabbed a customer by the

throat and, in the carpark outside nearby McDonald’s, forced a driver out of his car. Smith and McCarthy took off to begin a search for what seemed a highly dangerous offender along North East Road As they approached McDonald’s at Gilles Plains, they finally spotted Wright

He was on the Gilles Plains side of North East Road, sprinting along the footpath away from a hotel security guard who was chasing him The police patrol and Wright were now headed directly toward each other.

McCarthy pulled the patrol car over to the side of the road, around 50 metres forward of the still fleeing Wright.

Smith then moved to step out of the passenger side of the car, as Wright closed that 50-metre space between him and the cops

Indeed, he came to a dead stop right in the front of the patrol car And, once there, he started maniacally slamming his hands on the car bonnet and screaming abuse at Smith and McCarthy

After the few seconds it took Smith to get fully out of the car, Wright charged toward him and started “swinging haymakers”. Smith quickly thrust his forearms up in front of his face to protect himself against several punches Wright threw at his head

“I straightaway thought of OC spray, but it was too windy,” Smith recalls “It just all happened so quickly ” McCarthy moved straight in to back up his under-siege partner and halt the attack, but Wright threw wild punches at him, too

And Smith wound up even more vulnerable as Wright grabbed his radio bungee cord and tried to drag him to the ground.

Smith simply had to respond with enough force to repel his out-of-control attacker and so threw a punch Struck in the chin, Wright let go of the cord and momentarily stepped back

“But then he started swinging haymakers again,” Smith recalls “I can remember defending a couple of punches, and then he starts kicking A lot connected with me And, by this time, we’re off the footpath and on North East Road. ”

And, then came that last, tendonsevering kick with which Wright left Smith temporarily crippled on the roadway

Above: Smith on the footpath with his knee dislodged.

“I didn’t realize what had happened,” Smith says “It was just kick and bang! My legs just collapsed, and I toppled over onto the road. ”

And, still, Wright continued his attack, which he now focussed on McCarthy.

“That was my biggest concern,” Smith says “He had taken me out and now had the opportunity to run away but chose not to Instead, he was trying to take my partner out

“It seemed to me he wanted to inflict as much carnage as he could ”

Then came a lucky break in the form of the hotel security guard who had earlier chased Wright along the footpath. He suddenly barrelled in from behind and toward Wright and, with a rugby-style tackle, took him to ground.

“Both the security guard and my partner still struggled with him, but my partner was able to throw the cuffs on him,” Smith says “And just then, back-up police arrived ”

Once Smith could see that McCarthy had Wright restrained, his severed tendon began to overwhelm him

“The pain started kicking in,” he recalls “It was probably at eight or nine out of 10. I’ve played footy for a long time, and I’ve been injured a few times. The worst I had would have been a five or six, but this one (to my knee) was right out there ”

“And I’d never felt so helpless. I was relying on other people so much, and I hated that. I’d never really had to do that before.”

But Smith soon got some pain relief from a responding ambulance crew which gave him a green whistle and braced his leg in a splint Then came his ambulance ride to the Wakefield Hospital emergency department, where he arrived around 10pm

Scans confirmed that his patellar tendon was severed and could only be reattached with surgery. Smith had to remain in the emergency department that night until a bed became available for him on a ward the next morning

Around 6:30am, he called his wife,

Belinda, to whom he had played down his injury in a phone call the previous night She and the couple’s daughters, Taleah and Sophie, then 10 and eight, made their way to the hospital and arrived there around 9am

“But,” Smith says, “no one said that they’d rolled up and, of course, my leg was exposed when they came in And, when they saw my knee, you could just see the shock in all their faces.

“My older daughter nearly fainted. The little one is a tough little thing and, when she saw it, she asked questions, but she ended up crying afterwards ”

Top left: Smith’s damaged knee bandaged after surgery; top right: bruising behind Smith’s knee; above: the scar left after surgery; above right: an X-ray of the damaged knee.

Belinda, too, felt overcome by the sight of her husband in a hospital bed with his kneecap halfway up his thigh. She and Taleah had to sit on the floor against a wall to keep themselves composed

“But the looks on their faces,” Smith says, “that’s something I’ll never forget ”

Smith underwent surgery to reattach his tendon the next day and, then, remained in hospital well into the next week After his discharge, he went home on crutches and with his leg in a brace.

Now, robbed of his mobility, he would face a long, gruelling recovery, involving strong painkilling medications Tramadol and Endone

“The pain was sometimes enough to nearly bring you to tears,” he says “Any movement at that time was painful You’re relying on painkillers to get you through They took the edge off a bit, but I didn’t want to end up getting hooked on them

“And I’d never felt so helpless I was relying on other people so much, and I hated that. I’d never really had to do that before. ”

After a month in recovery at home, Smith began to suffer the psychological effects of the attack and its aftermath

His struggle not to replay the incident over and over in his mind kept him awake at night As he lay sleepless in bed, he wondered, as most cops do after critical incidents, if he could or should have responded differently

And there was the highly disturbing thought that Wright might have killed him, or that he (Smith) might himself have had to take a life.

Even fight scenes on television came to disturb him and, ultimately, he became moody and impatient A simple accident, like a dropped glass or plate, was enough to spark his ire, which scared his children

As a countermeasure, Smith sent himself into a kind of domestic exile He took to spending his family time in an outdoor entertaining area away from Belinda and the children

“I was taking myself out of everyone’s way so they wouldn’t do something that’d make me go off,” he says.

“And straightaway, when you’ve gone off, you stop, sit back and think: ‘Why?’

“It took everything in my strength not to speak up, even though I knew he wasn’t going to get anything as far as jail time. It’s unacceptable and it’s frustrating. These people (offenders) aren’t learning by the sentences handed out.”

But Smith was to suffer even more psychological pain when it came to courtroom justice in March this year.

Staggering to common observers was that Wright received a suspended prison sentence of just 12 months That was for aggravated cause harm with intent against Smith and aggravated assault against McCarthy

These offences carry maximum penalties of imprisonment for 13 years and four years respectively

But, of course, on his 12-month sentence, Wright received a 10 per cent reduction because he had pleaded guilty.

He also pleaded guilty to an assault against a member of the public. So, for all three offences, and after all his reductions, Wright ended up with a total head sentence of 11 months and 22 days – suspended

With no expectation that Wright would see the inside of a cell, Smith and wife Belinda bravely fronted up to court for his sentencing

That was the question. And I didn’t know. I didn’t have the answers. And that was so frustrating.

“I went and saw a psychiatrist and he was pretty good He prescribed me some anti-depressants, so I was on two sets of medication

“He also sent me to a psychologist to help develop some strategies for when I got agitated The psychologist said (my condition) was a clear case of post-traumatic stress disorder ”

Four months after his surgery, Smith had to undergo a second operation to remove wire which had supported his severed tendon. His recovery then continued for two more months before he returned to work on light duties in July 2017

Says Belinda: “I could see the emotional toll it was taking on Jason He had tears in his eyes, and he was shaking. ”

But Smith was composed enough to absorb, and form a view of, the proceedings

“The judge went through all the actions the offender had taken to better himself,” he recalls “And I was thinking: ‘Well, yeah, you would do that if you knew you were facing jail ’

“It took everything in my strength not to speak up, even though I knew he wasn’t going to get anything as far as jail time

“It’s unacceptable and it’s frustrating. These people (offenders) aren’t learning by the sentences handed out.

“They go in there (to court), put their eyes down and say: ‘I’m sorry about

what I’ve done ’ I fully understand that, but a lot of it is acting ”

The physical and mental trauma their father suffered was never lost on Taleah and Sophie Before Smith went to court that day of the sentencing, Taleah hugged him and wished him good luck . Sophie wrote a touching lament which she titled Jason’s court case. And, at either end of the title, she drew faces with crying eyes and downturned mouths

Her simple words told how her dad taught her to walk, run, ride her bike and kick a football But there was also great sadness in her telling of the misfortune her family now suffered

“Now,” she wrote, “whenever my dad trys (tries) to kick the football he nearly falls and his knee is sooo (so) bad that he starts limping, and then we can not (cannot) do anything. So then his (he is) in pain and I am in pain because he is in pain…”

“That was the reason I joined SAPOL seven years ago. My aim was to be out on patrols. That’s been taken away from me.”

Today, Smith is totally behind the Police Association campaign for stronger penalties for assaults on police.

“This campaign is for all of them,” he says, “not just general patrols but any police who come into contact with offenders

“You don’t lay a hand on a police officer or any emergency worker, because we’re there to do a job and it’s not acceptable to assault us ” Police Association president Mark Carroll considers the sentencing in the Smith case a classic example of “inappropriate leniency”.

“Few cases serve as a better illustration of the very reason we’re demanding stronger laws and penalties for assaults on police,” he says

“Just consider that an offender can snap the tendon of one police officer and assault another and receive no custodial sentence Where’s the deterrent in that, let alone the justice?

“Too many of our members, and other emergency-services workers, have suffered in the same way Jason has. The need for government to respond is clear and compelling. ” Medically cleared earlier this year and now working in intel at Ethical and Professional Standards Branch, Smith has “no intention” to return to patrol work

“That was the reason I joined SAPOL seven years ago,” he says “My aim was to be out on patrols That’s been taken away from me

“And the way I treated my family in that year-and-a-half, I still feel guilty about that. I take responsibility for my actions but, without the attack, no one would’ve had to suffer ” PJ

Left: Smith on his graduation day in 2012; below: Smith today.

Fear not a factor

Cops have many talents beyond police work. Some excel in sport – and find it a positive addiction.

Itsounds like a desperate foot chase she might have undertaken to catch a fleeing suspect on a freezing winter night shift. Running across rough terrain, climbing or jumping over walls, wading through thick mud – and all in pitch darkness with only a torch to light the way

But, rather than a suspect, it was an athletic goal Constable Rosie Hawkey (left) was chasing back in 2016. She wanted not to win necessarily but just complete her first attempt at the gruelling 24-Hour Enduro obstacle race in Lower Portland, NSW.

To get through just one lap of the militarystyle course, competitors have to conquer obstacles such as the cliff assault, the tunnels, and low-wire entanglement There’s also the commando crawl, the muddy mile, and rope burn

Although Hawkey relished the challenge and felt enlivened by the “fear factor”, her goal proved elusive She had prepared well and was giving a full-hearted effort but trod on a rock, fell knee first to the ground, and slid down a steep track .

So, after three laps of the 11km course with its 30 daunting obstacles, the race was over for Hawkey She had suffered too severe a knee injury to continue That was, of course, a setback but nowhere near enough to discourage the committed, indeed addicted, obstacle-course racer

In fact, she has returned to Lower Portland this month to compete in the 2019 Enduro World Championships

First prize goes to the competitor who, in his or her category, completes the most laps in 24 hours. But Murray Bridge-based Hawkey, 26, is not aiming to be among the top female competitors, who usually win with around 12 laps

“I’ve kind of got some unfinished business to do this time around,” she says “I just want to make the 24 hours and try not to fail obstacles, because you have to do a penalty if you fail an obstacle

“So, I’ve set a goal of seven laps but, if I can’t make that goal, I just want to run for the whole 24 hours ”

Hawkey rates the 24-Hour Enduro as the toughest of all the obstacle-course challenges she has taken on in her five years as a serious racer. And she has competed in True Grit, Operation Blackhawk, Tough Mudder, and Stadium Stomp

In the 2016 Enduro, the overnight temperature got down to minus five “When night comes, I chuck on a Frogskins wet suit,” she says “Then, if it gets super cold, I chuck a wet suit on top of the Frogskins

“You still feel the cold in the water but, if you keep your pace up, you kind of get yourself back to normal temperature ”

Hawkey got her introduction to obstaclecourse racing in 2015 She was still feeling the pain of the loss of her best friend, who had died of cystic fibrosis two years earlier.

But Hawkey found a release. She joined a gym and, although never much of a sports fan, became involved in group-fitness classes

Her instructor happened to be involved in True Grit and arranged for the class to take part in the event

“And that was my first one,” Hawkey says “The walls and all the rope climbs were scarylooking, and you definitely face some fears, but I ended up loving it It’s like an adults’ playground, really

“I wasn’t very strong back then, so I found obstacles quite hard because they’re upperbody dominant. But having a group there was awesome because everyone just helps you over obstacles, and just the encouragement you get is great ”

Now a confessed gym junkie and obstaclerace addict, Hawkey gets anxious if she has to miss just a day or two in the gym “And whenever I see a race (come up on the schedule) I want to do it,” she says

“It (training and racing) helped me get through the anxiety and the mild depression I had with losing my best friend. And whenever I get home from work and it was a shit day, going to the gym is the best thing. ”

But neither Hawkey nor her supportive parents dismiss the risk of injury in obstaclecourse racing The Police Journal cover story Anything to be operational (October 2017) made them extra conscious of that risk

It detailed how Brevet Sergeant Ian Alderson broke his lower leg in a True Grit event and ultimately had the limb amputated

And, even before then, Hawkey knew of another competitor who broke his leg in the 24-Hour Enduro she raced in back in 2016. The accident required a rescue by helicopter.

So, for Hawkey, and her mother Becky, the Alderson story hit “very close to home”. Becky reminds her daughter of it ahead of every race and urges her to “watch your legs”

“It was confronting, and it adds to the fear while you’re doing the obstacle course. But that’s why I do it. I do it for the fear factor.”

“And the article definitely stuck in my mind,” Hawkey says “It was confronting, and it adds to the fear while you’re doing the obstacle course But that’s why I do it I do it for the fear factor ”

Hawkey feels lucky to have so far avoided serious injuries But from every race she emerges with significantly bruised arms and legs

“If you don’t come out with bruises, you’re not doing it right,” she insists. Her only problem right now is a slightly dodgy shoulder, for which she undergoes dry needling with a physiotherapist

But Hawkey has continued to stick rigidly to her training routine with a fellow competitor, particularly in the lead-up to the 24-Hour Enduro

In a single week, they run 30km –often through natural landscapes like Kuitpo Forest –lift weights, climb ropes, and test themselves on monkey bars

“It works out to pretty much every day of the week,” Hawkey says. “That’s because we split our 30km into three runs of 10km a week . ”

Sometimes, when shift work does not impact on the routine, Hawkey and her

training partner run 10km in the morning and 10km at night In all, they commit around 10 hours a week to training.

Above left: Hawkey on top of the threemetre Great Wall (climbing to the right) in True Grit in 2017; top right: Hawkey (top centre) tackling the Cargo A-Frame in True Grit in 2018; above right: on the Roman Rings in the 24-Hour Enduro in 2016.

Another key feature of their preparation is diet. In the lead-up to a race, Hawkey doubles her carbohydrate intake, chowing down on potatoes, pasta, rice and bread

Then, when not preparing for an event, she reverts to her regular diet of vegetables, protein and minimal carbohydrate

Her next goal is to compete in the World’s Toughest Mudder in the US in November Organizers bill the event as “the most extreme, insane, imposing, pulse-pounding, heartstopping 24-hour obstacle course challenge on the planet”.

“The obstacles are just that little bit harder,” Hawkey says, “and a little bit more fearsome ”

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Constable Rosie Hawkey competed in the 24-Hour Enduro after she spoke to the Police Journal for this story. Owing to strained hip flexors she was not able to achieve her goal of seven laps but did complete three.

The first strike was a king-hit to the back of his head The second came from the front but was just as cowardly

The victim was Ray Lawley-Sinclair (left), who was not then a cop but rather a lightly built, uncoordinated teenager who had posed no threat to anyone

He had simply set out to enjoy the Adelaide Fringe Festival with a friend but wound up with his head cut and later sporting stitches

But were his attacker to try the same assault today, he would struggle to lay a glove on his once easy prey. Lawley-Sinclair, 29, is now a skilled mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and recently won his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ)

The attack he endured as a teenager inspired him to learn self-defence He started with kickboxing at a local martial arts club, and his passion for the discipline came instantly

Now, 10 years later, he has an impressive record as a competitor in state and national events such as the Australian, Pan Pacific, and International BJJ Federation championships. International outfit Grappling Industries –which also runs Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission-wrestling tournaments – is another in which Lawley-Sinclair has competed

Today, he struggles to remember how many medals he has won in the various competitions

But among them are seven gold from the IBBJF state championships (2010 and 2011) and the Pan Pacific championships (2010 and 2011)

To secure his BJJ black belt, he had to demonstrate his proficiency as he progressed through the ranks – white, blue, purple and brown belts. After his instructor made the judgement that he had done that, LawleySinclair received the coveted black belt.

Of course, his police career, after he took it on in 2012, compelled him to establish a balance between work and sport

Shift work made it almost impossible for him to prepare for, and do battle in, MMA events That was because solid preparation demanded 20 hours per week at fight camp for up to two months and a fortnight of strict dieting

Lawley-Sinclair, who normally weighs in at 65kg, had to get down to just under 57kg to qualify for his weight class. “Diet is massive competition-wise,” he insists.

“And you’re spending that six to eight weeks training as hard as you possibly can for effectively 15 minutes (in the cage)

“That’s when you’ve got to show what you can do against one guy, and if you lose in the first two minutes, that’s six to eight weeks (wasted) ”

Still, Lawley-Sinclair did have two fights last year in Adelaide. The first he won by submission in the first round and the second he was unlucky to lose by a knockout in the second round

Undoubtedly tough sports, both the MMA and BJJ come with a significant risk of injuries LawleySinclair has seen competitors end up with broken arms and, in one case,

a broken shin bone He has himself twice suffered torn MCLs (medial collateral ligaments)

“My wife doesn’t like me competing in MMA at all,” he says. “She can’t watch it. It’s the striking and the punching that she doesn’t like. ”

Nonetheless, Lawley-Sinclair remains committed to his sports

Every week, the three to four sessions he has in the gym amount to around 10 hours of training and coaching

“I find the training side of things, and the drive to improve, is massively addictive,” he says “I don’t find

Above: Lawley-Sinclair competing in the IBJJF state championships in 2012 (left) and 2013.

competitions particularly that way I can go without them because the good thing about jiu-jitsu is that I get tested in the gym constantly

“At the moment I’m working with fighters who are in my weight class. Some of them are well established, and one guy is the number one in South Australia. And then we’ve got two or three upcoming fighters who I’ve also been working with quite a lot

“So that desire to test myself outside (the gym) isn’t really there, especially given that I’ve already trained with some of the best grapplers in Australia ”

Seeking info on former air-raid shelter

Letters

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

I am writing on behalf of Prospect Local History Group to request the assistance of Police Association members with solving a historical puzzle

Our group runs tours of the old Prospect Air Raid Shelter adjacent to the Prospect Oval

The shelter was in use during the Second World War as a communications centre for civil defence against air raids. It fell into disuse after the war

We are aware that the premises were rented for several years in the 1960s and ’70s by the Police Model Car Club and, subsequently, by the Police Pistol Club

We believe a problem with water intrusion may have forced both clubs out of the premises, but we would love to learn more about their experience of the building.

We are hoping a Police Association member or members may be able to put us in touch with someone connected with either or both these

“I find the training side of things, and the drive to improve, is massively addictive.”

Lawley-Sinclair, who worked at Subway and was also a session guitarist, credits martial arts with giving him the confidence to venture into policing “I’d never have been capable of the job I’m doing now without it,” he insists

And, on duty, his martial arts training enables him to deal with violent confrontations in a way in which no one suffers harm That ability was evident when, as a Salisbury patrol officer, he and his partner responded to a disturbance at Burton a few years ago.

An offender, who Lawley-Sinclair knew to be in breach of his bail, had vandalized a car which belonged to his partner. When the two cops arrived, they found him sitting on a kerb and started to approach him

Just then, the offender’s partner yelled: “Look out! He’s got a knife!” The offender then stood up and ran at the two officers, who “saw a glimpse of silver”, yelled “drop the knife”, and prepared to draw their firearms

But, rather than a knife, the weapon turned out to be an aerial the offender had ripped from his partner’s car. He threw it at the two cops and then charged directly at Lawley-Sinclair, at whom he launched a series of wild punches.

Lawley-Sinclair simply drew on his grappling expertise to take the offender to ground and keep him under control The two cops got him cuffed and no one emerged with an injury

“Jiu-jitsu is primarily based on positional control,” Lawley-Sinclair explains “So it’s an incredibly useful martial art for policing because of that ability to take people to ground and control them there safely ” PJ

clubs at the time they used the shelter (pictured right).

We would love to add details of their involvement to our tour information

The next tours are in November and Police Association members are welcome to attend I can be contacted by e-mail (prospect_lhg@internode.on.net) if anyone has any information.

Yours Sincerely

Measuring workloads

The Police Association has been in dispute with SAPOL in respect of the workload and staffing at Southern Child and Family Investigation Section (CFIS). This was identified in Investigation workload “unsustainable, unrealistic” (Police , December 2018).

The association has continued to consult with SAPOL since September 2018, owing to the ongoing concerns members have expressed about their health, welfare and safety

Also among their concerns are the time-management and resource implications in addressing child abuse and high-risk domestic violence investigations within the district policing model (DPM).

Members based at both southern and eastern districts have submitted numerous hazard and incident reports (HIRs) which detail their disquiet about staffing and workload intensification

These members’ commendable actions reflect the “duties of workers” as per section 28 of the Work Health and

The submission of HIRs complies with SAPOL general order Work health, safety, welfare and injury management, hazard and incident reporting/resolution, which stipulates that:

“South Australia Police (SAPOL) is committed to ensuring that all hazards and risks in the workplace are promptly identified, and that all reasonably

practicable measures are taken to eliminate or minimise hazards and risks to ensure the health and safety of workers and other persons in accordance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 . ”

Since the introduction of the DPM, the association has written to SAPOL regarding the inadequacy of the model’s staffing formula at CFIS

These issues illustrate the need to implement modern workload assessments that reflect the true nature of members’ functions.

A three-week rotating roster applies to Child and Family Investigation sections Therefore, one would reasonably expect the total number of investigators in each district to be divided evenly into three to accommodate the workload

The substantive district investigator positions are northern, 12, and eastern, six . Western and southern, however, are eight and 10 respectively.

The initial investigator allocations, as per the DPM, were:

• Northern, 12

• Eastern, nine

• Western, nine

• Southern, 12

This did not translate into DPM stage one

Attached to Eastern CFIS are six investigators – two per team When the sergeant is on leave or relieving the senior sergeant, an investigator relieves the sergeant position. This leaves the affected team with only one investigator.

Too often, significant, long-term investigations come up when staffing is low; or, owing purely to the current inadequacy of staffing, the standard workload becomes insurmountable

The current managerial catchphrase, “one-team mentality”, suggests that a child abuse investigator has an Investigation Section and Volume Crime Section on duty, and on hand, to assist

The ideology is that an overburdened child abuse investigator would approach an investigation team – with its own significant workload involving major indictable crime – and/or approach the Volume Crime team, which is responsible

for drug and property crime, to accept responsibility to investigate, or assist in investigating, child abuse that requires significant expertise and experience.

A further concern to the association is that, through the consultation process, SAPOL has conducted reviews of CFIS workloads based on full-time equivalent (FTE) comparisons and has indicated that the workload is equally spread

These comparison categories are based on apprehension report submissions, domestic violence report investigations, domestic violence offences (PIR/occurrence), child abuse and coronial investigations

These comparisons might not capture the true nature of the investigational workload. These investigations or apprehensions could have multiple victims, witnesses and prescribed interviews And critical aspects of each investigation are time and risk management and multiagency liaison

The Shield IS&T programme has brought further unmeasured workloads The association understands that members relieving the detectivesergeant position are unable to leave the desk for the period of the secondment.

This is owing to excessive supervisorapproved tasks, or the need to review the constant flow of new tasks to identify immediate risks to victims’ safety

These issues illustrate the need to implement modern workload assessments that reflect the true nature of members’ functions

From such assessments, which would clearly identify workload intensification, senior management can act to protect members’ work health and safety

The association continues to attempt to resolve the dispute through the grievance and dispute avoidance procedures as per clause 7 of the Enterprise Agreement 2016.

Activity and fitness best for heart health

The best way to look after the heart is to keep the muscle and its electrical system supplied with oxygen, and not put them under too much stress . Cholesterol is still the biggest threat to coronary arteries, and smoking makes this worse

High blood pressure has become the biggest threat with increased workload, but infection and other diseases can have an effect Monitoring these, and remaining active and fit, is the best protection Testing for any abnormality allows for intervention to make use of the amazing advances of the last half a century.

Over the last 50 years, we have become better at fixing different parts of the heart with surgery. With newborns we can operate on heart valves, holes in the heart, and reconnect arteries

The problems in the first few weeks of life might need urgent treatment because the oxygen flow before birth relied on the mother For a baby to survive, the circulation needs to switch from the umbilical cord to the lungs with the first cry and breath

If there is a circulatory malfunction, surgical correction is usually the best fix .

As we age, muscle problems can suddenly present themselves, as is

evident when an otherwise fit-looking person drops dead The most common problem will be that an infection has caused muscle damage and the heart has just given up under the pressure of normal, or physical, activity

Also as we age, the damage to our oxygen supply from smoking, high cholesterol, or diabetes blocking the coronary arteries can cause a heart attack.

Also as we age, the damage to our oxygen supply from smoking, high cholesterol, or diabetes blocking the coronary arteries can cause a heart attack .

This is usually a blocked artery preventing oxygen going to the muscle and the “attack” of the heart is the muscle screaming out for oxygen (angina)

If the muscle is damaged, heart failure can lead to death If the electrical system is damaged, the heart can stop If corrected early, the heart can repair itself and, with good care, a person can lead a normal life.

When its electrical system “switches off”, the heart undergoes it most dramatic changes. Some people are born with an abnormality of the electrical conducting system, which can “short circuit” and cause a sudden-death electrical malfunction

The most common reason for electrical damage is blocked arteries (coronary artery occlusion) Lightning can switch off an electrical system, and we use electric shocks (defibrillators) to start it again

If the electrical system is working well, the heart needs the muscle and valve system (mechanical) to be working.

Muscle damage from infection or disease (thyroid, alcohol, toxins) will

cause failure of the circulation To replace the muscle is very difficult so heart transplants have become the solution

In between time, we use drugs and pacemakers to get the best use out of the muscle (myocardium)

How the heart functions

Blood comes back to the heart through the veins (shown as blue in drawings) It is slightly less red because oxygen has come out and travels through the right side of the heart to be pumped through the lungs to get more oxygen

Coming back to the left side of the heart, the oxygenated blood is pumped throughout the body

The first organ to get blood is the heart itself, with the coronary arteries coming off the aorta within centromeres of the heart (aortic valve).

The valves make the blood flow in the right direction and the heart fills up during the resting phase (diastole) and empties during the contraction (systole) The shutting of the valves creates the heartbeat sounds, and a leaking valve makes noises known as murmurs

The heart’s electrical wiring system makes all this happen in a co-ordinated way to maximize efficiency, just like a car has a distributor to make the firing of the cylinders happen in the right timing.

Continued page 45

Motoring

Toyota

Price From $22,870 (Ascent Sport manual), auto adds $1,500, SX auto $26,870, ZR auto $30,370. Hybrid drivetrain adds $1,500 . Powertrains 2 .0-litre (125kW) petrol with six-speed manual or 10-step CVT (auto), Hybrid 1. 8-litre petrol/AC synchronous permanent-magnet electric motor with electric generator (combined 90kW) 6 . 5Ah Ni-MH battery. Fuel economy Petrol manual 6 . 3, petrol CVT 6 .0 litres/100km, Hybrid 4. 2 litres/100km.

Safety Seven airbags, reversing camera, crash avoidance and driver-assist technology including speed-sign recognition all models

Toyota Corolla Hatch

DESIGN AND FUNCTION

New Corolla Hatch offers improved driving dynamics, class-leading safety and a bigger interior, according to Toyota The carmaker also spruiks a lower centre of gravity, improved weight balance and 60 per cent greater body rigidity

Each of three grades (Ascent Sport, SX and ZR) is available with petrol or, for just $1,500 more, hybrid (petrol/ electric) drivetrains.

Corolla’s new 2 .0-litre petrol engine produces 21 per cent more power (125kW) than the 1 . 8-litre engine it replaces, with claims of improved fuel efficiency

A new six-speed manual transmission with rev-matching feature is standard on entry Ascent Sport Optional on this model and standard on SX and ZR (petrol) is a new CVT automatic with 10-speed sequential shift pattern and paddle shifters. The revamped hybrid drivetrain features a 1 8-litre (Atkinson-cycle) petrol engine coupled to a new electric motor which produces combined power of 90kW through a new CVT transmission Every model in the range benefits from a suite of crash-avoidance and driver-assistance safety technologies, including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection. There’s also active cruise control, lane-trace with steering assistance and lane-centring, lane-departure alert, and speed-sign recognition

Corolla Hatch sports a new interior with functional new dash and console layout Central on all is a new vertically mounted eight-inch colour touchscreen which offers voice recognition, Siri “eyes-free” and Bluetooth connectivity. Upper models score sat nav and DAB+ radio

Enhancing the reasonable cargo space are 60/40 folding rear seats, which deliver good headroom but are a little tight on legroom for tall adults

DRIVING

Sliding into the top-spec ZR Hybrid is a bit of a surprise Multi-coloured heated leather/suede sports seats fit like a glove. The premium JBL audio is impressive, as is the small sporty steering wheel. This model gets a head-up display showing a variety of information,

Sliding into a surprise

Model
Corolla Hatch

including current speed and recognized speed signs

Push-button entry and start make life easy, as does the auto electronic parking brake.

The hybrid drivetrain is smooth and quiet and delivers sufficient power for every situation It is capable of short distances in EV (electric only) mode as its petrol engine comes to life seamlessly to assist with additional power and battery charging

While not exhilarating to drive, its combination of adequate power, smooth ride, agile cornering and excellent economy makes Corolla Hybrid a winner.

Model Mitsubishi Triton GLS

Dual Cab 4x4

Engine 2 .4-litre four-cylinder commonrail diesel (133kW/430Nm).

4X4 Super Select 4x4 system with four drive modes, 220mm ground clearance. Price $44,490 (manual), auto adds $2,500, plus ORC

Safety Forward-collision, lane-departure, blind-spot rear cross-traffic alerts, autonomous braking, rear camera, front and rear parking sensors, seven airbags, auto lights, auto high beam and auto wipers

Capacities 3,100kg (braked) towing, payload 912kg .

Economy Between 7. 9 and 8 .6 litres/100km.

Mitsubishi Triton GLS Dual Cab 4x4

DEDSIGN AND FUNCTION

Designers used not a pen but rather an axe on the exterior of the upgraded Mitsubishi Triton (2019). The result is sharper, bolder and more aggressive body styling In particular, the front end takes on styling more akin to an American truck

Second to top-spec GLS features a more welcoming interior with a revamped dash layout, upgraded equipment and relatively comfy seats And it offers a couple of features others don’t: reach- and rake-adjustable steering is a surprise as is its Super-Select four-wheel-drive system.

Unlike most dual cab 4x4s, GLS Triton can run in either two- or four-wheel drive on the highway with its centre diff unlocked For more serious off-road conditions, drivers can select 4-High or 4-Low with the centre diff locked When in 4-Low, a mode button selects between Gravel, Mud/Snow, Sand or Rock The system also features hill-descent control

Another big-ticket item on GLS is its suite of driver assistance and safety technologies, which include forwardcollision warning with autonomous braking, blind-spot warning, lanedeparture warning, rear-cross traffic alert and front and rear parking sensors

GLS has a seven-inch colour touchscreen with DAB+ radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Dual-zone climate control, two USB ports (in both the front and rear) and a unique roof-mounted air distribution system for rear passengers also feature

DRIVING

GLS Triton retains its four-cylinder 2 4-litre turbo diesel matched to either a six-speed manual or new six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters While not class-leading, the engine produces a respectable 133kW of power and 430Nm of torque.

The engine is reasonably quiet and offers smooth power delivery with peak torque realized at 2,500rpm The manual’s clutch is light, and the gearbox offers smooth shift qualities with well-spaced ratios

Around town it’s easy to drive On the highway it has long legs with steep hills a breeze, provided you’re in the right gear It has no issue coping with deep sand on the beach

Suspension, when unladen, is on the firm side but it feels more agile and composed in the rear end than some others on corrugated or rough dirt roads.

GLS Triton takes a giant leap forward and should do well . It has a swag of standard features at a realistic price

COFFEE WITH COPS

More than 70 Police Association members from Port Pirie, Whyalla and Port Augusta made the most of the recent Healthy Wealthy & Wise Coffee with Cops programme.

The Police Credit Union and Police Health customer service teams delivered the event to the members’ stations last month.

The lifestyle seminars – which set out to ensure that members made the most of their benefits and entitlements –were followed by one-on-one meetings and a shared barbeque.

And as a special gift from Police Health and Police Credit Union, each station was also awarded a Nespresso coffee machine and pods as a thank you from the HW&W team for hosting the visit.

“A special thanks goes to Heath Walton, Les Johnston and Andrew Sutherland for their support with the visits and the local logistics for the barbeque,” Police Credit Union personal banker Glenn Lewis said.

Property market

eal estate always seems to be of interest, especially with the large disparity in the housing market across

Are property values rising or falling? Where are the best areas to buy? How much do you need to save toward

You’re always overloaded with information, differing opinions and endless variables to juggle in deciding which property to buy, whether it’s

If you’re in the market for a unit, Adelaide is the most affordable of all capital cities, though unit prices fell marginally this past quarter, with a median price of $312,459.

Let’s get political

After all the recent electioneering, you might feel you’ve heard enough from politicians But it’s important to understand any policy changes relevant to housing

The national trend of falling house

In fact, Adelaide is one of only three capital cities where property prices have risen for almost

Steady annual growth is great news for Adelaide homeowners and investors, though this has flattened out in 2019, with experts believing it will resume its upward trend, albeit at a slower pace than in the

Although new policies can sometimes take years to action, others can come quickly and include things that impact on buying property, such as changes to negative gearing or any home owners’ or building grants.

In high demand

A recent report by realestate com au listed Millswood in the inner south as Australia’s second most in-demand suburb Only four kilometres from the CBD, this leafy area is among some of Adelaide’s most prestigious suburbs, but here the median house price is a little less, making it more appealing

It is predicted that Adelaide will remain a prime city for investors with relative affordability, moderate population growth and a lift in job prospects with increasing defence and infrastructure projects.

Adelaide Farmers’ Market takes place every Sunday – and King William Road, with its plethora of cute homeware shops, cafes and restaurants It’s also surrounded by a few great parks

Expect character homes with the potential to build on capital value with renovations, to be close to schools such as Goodwood Primary School, and access to lots of shopping and public transport.

Invest in a hotspot

It is predicted that Adelaide will remain a prime city for investors with relative affordability, moderate population growth and a lift in job prospects with increasing defence and infrastructure projects

If your aim is to find a solid investment property, some key hotspot suburbs to consider are:

• Marion.

• Thebarton.

• Richmond.

• Largs North

• Rostrevor

We’re here to help

Adelaide sits at number three on the list of the most affordable Australian cities

Despite falling property values in Sydney and Melbourne, as of March 2019, Adelaide properties held

Conveniently placed along the tramline and with easy access to both the beach and the city, it is easy to see why this suburb is hot property.

Millswood is a stone’s throw from the Adelaide Showground – where the

Looking to jump into the market or perhaps switch your financial provider? Police Credit Union is here to help with all things finance and our great awardwinning home loans

Continued page 45

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

INJURY COMPENSATION

• Motor accident injury compensation

• Workers compensation

FAMILY

& DIVORCE

• Public liability

• Superannuation claims (TPD)

Matrimonial, De Facto & Same Sex Relationships

• Children’s Issues

• Child Support matters

• Property Settlements

• “Pre Nuptial” style Agreements

BUSINESS & PROPERTY

• General business advice

• Real estate & property advice

• Business transactions

• Commercial disputes & dispute resolution

WILLS & ESTATES

• Wills & Testamentary Trusts

• Enduring Powers of Attorney

• Advance Care Directive

• Advice to executors of deceased estates

• Obtaining Grants of Probate

• Estate disputes

Rosemary Caruso Michael Arras

Reynella
Whyalla
Darwin (NT)
Gary Allison Amber Sprague
Wendy Barry Dina Paspaliaris
John Caruso Giles Kahl

Fiona Fagan, Senior Associate

Gask Bentley Lawyers

All too risky without enduring power of attorney

It is human nature to procrastinate

And life is busy No one likes to dwell on grim details and discuss the what-ifs of incapacity or death Save those discussions for another day, when the kids are older, or even when the kids are born, or just not now.

But because we put something off doesn’t mean we should. Nor does it mean we will ever get around to it, or even be able to

Case in point – an enduring power of attorney

What is an enduring power of attorney?

It is a document that allows any adult person of sound mind to appoint another to step into his or her shoes, to make his or her financial and legal decisions if need be.

If you are reading this, chances are you can prepare an enduring power of attorney If, however, you suffer an injury or illness that causes you to become legally incapacitated, you will no longer have the requisite legal mental ability to prepare such a powerful document

If you procrastinate in preparing an enduring power of attorney, you are taking a risk. It is a risk that you might become legally incapacitated or unable, for whatever reason (distance or availability), before making such a document

An enduring power of attorney is a document you might never need, but it is certainly better to have one that is never used than not have one and need it.

If you don’t have an enduring power of attorney, but need one, yet are legally incapacitated, interested family members or friends will need to do the hard work for you. They will need to fill out a lengthy application and obtain your financial details to provide to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, before attending a hearing where a panel determines who, if any of them, would be suitable to be your attorney (which now becomes known as an administrator)

If no one is deemed suitable, the Public Trustee will be appointed

The powers your administrator is given are often restricted and require him or her to report to the Public Trustee on a recurrent basis.

It is not as simple as your next of kin stepping in and taking over your financial and legal decisions, unless you appoint them in an enduring power of attorney

Why you need an enduring power of attorney?

To deal with assets such as property, bank accounts, shares and motor vehicles, there is paperwork you have to understand and sign If you don’t understand or can’t sign, your attorney can do it for you. Whatever your attorney does will be deemed as lawful, as though you did it yourself.

You can give your attorney broad power, the power to do almost anything

that you yourself could do (subject to making a will and a handful of other acts)

Or, you can specifically dictate what powers you want him or her to have, for example, to only make legal and financial decisions regarding a specific bank account

The document can also be used at various times Taking some hard-earned leave? Planning a holiday? You can allow your attorney to act for you while you’re travelling overseas

Or, if you are injured or sick and need to spend time in hospital, your attorney can deal with those legal and financial decisions while you focus on your recovery. Alternatively, you can allow your attorney only to act for you if you become legally incapacitated.

Procrastination is risky And so is life We all face risks on a day-to-day basis But there are some risks that can be avoided and dealt with now

An enduring power of attorney is a document you might never need, but it is certainly better to have one that is never used than not have one and need it

Preparing an enduring power of attorney can save you, your family and friends a lot of hassle later. So sort your affairs out now, while you can.

Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers provides free initial advice through a legal advisory service to Police Association members and their families, and retired members. Police Association members and their immediate family receive a 10% discount on their wills. To make an appointment, contact the association (8212 3055) or start your will online at tgb.com.au.

Wedderburn

Maryrose Cuskelly Allen & Unwin, $29.99

A savage triple homicide shook up the small town of Wedderburn but, like the suspenseful podcast S-Town, things aren’t always as they seem

One fine Wednesday evening in October 2014, 65-year-old Ian Jamieson secured a hunting knife in a sheath to his belt and climbed the wire fence separating his property from that of his much younger neighbour, Greg Holmes.

Fewer than 30 minutes later, Holmes was dead, stabbed more than 25 times Jamieson returned home and took two shotguns, walked across the road and shot Holmes’ mother, Mary Lockhart, and her husband, Peter, multiple times before turning himself into the police

Maryrose Cuskelly gets to the core of Wedderburn and its people – the resident nudist farmer, the gruff ex-bikie and his hippie wife, as well as the many grieving family and friends from both sides of the courtroom

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

Dark Sacred Night

Michael Connelly Allen & Unwin, $32 99

At the end of a long, dark night, detectives Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch cross paths for the first time

Ballard works the graveyard shift and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours to find a stranger rifling through old files

The intruder is none other than retired legendary LAPD detective Harry Bosch, hunting for leads in an unsolved case that has got under his skin

Ballard escorts him out, curious to know what he was searching for, and soon becomes obsessed by the murder of Daisy Clayton Was she the first victim of a serial killer who still stalks the streets?

For Bosch, the case is more than personal: it might be all he has left But, in a city where crime never sleeps, even detectives have a dark side.

The Slipping Place

Joanna Baker Impact Press, $29 99

Elevation

Stephen King Hachette Australia, $29 99

In small town Castle Rock, Scott Carey wants to confide only in his friend Dr Bob Ellis about his strange condition. He’s losing weight, without getting thinner, and the scales register the same whether he’s in or out of clothes

Carey also has new neighbours, who have opened a “fine dining experience” in town, although it’s an experience the locals are shunning

Deidre McComb and her wife Missy Donaldson don’t exactly fit in with the community’s expectations.

And, now, Carey seems trapped in a feud with the couple over their dogs dropping their business on his lawn

As the town prepares for its annual Thanksgiving 12km run, Carey starts to understand the prejudices his neighbours face and he tries to help.

Unlikely alliances form and the mystery of Carey’s affliction brings out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others

Veronica Cruickshank’s youngest child Roland is her idealistic one, a fighter of lost causes, and the one who always needs protecting, particularly from himself.

So, when she hears he is back in Hobart helping old school friend Treen McShane, Veronica tries to track him down But all she finds are second-hand reports, whispers of horrific abuse, and stories of a small child being hurt.

Then Roland sends Veronica a text message, asking her to go to the Slipping Place, high on Mount Wellington, a picnic spot known only to the family Here, she discovers Treen’s frozen body

Knowing Roland will be suspected of leaving Treen to die, Veronica resolves to find out what really happened But, as long-buried truths slowly surface, she uncovers a secret that brings the violence closer to home

The

Feral Detective

Jonathan Lethem Atlantic, $29 99

Phoebe Siegler first meets Charles Heist in a shabby trailer on the eastern edge of Los Angeles. She’s looking for her friend’s missing daughter, Arabella, and hires Heist – a laconic loner who keeps his pet opossum in a desk drawer – to help

The unlikely pair navigates the enclaves of desert-dwelling vagabonds and finds that Arabella is in serious trouble – caught in the middle of a violent standoff that only Heist, mysteriously, can end

Siegler’s trip to the desert was always going to be strange, but it was never supposed to be dangerous

Yesterday

Season commences June 27

Jack Malik is a struggling singersongwriter whose dreams of fame in an English seaside town are rapidly fading, despite the fierce devotion and support of his childhood best friend, Ellie

The Silent Death

Volker Kutscher Allen & Unwin, $22 .99

Berlin 1930 Sound film is conquering the big screen, leaving many – such as producers, cinema owners and silent film stars – by the wayside.

Investigating the violent on-set death of actress Betty Winter, Inspector Gereon Rath encounters the dark side of glamour and an industry in turmoil

When his father requests that he help his friend, the mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, and his ex-girlfriend, Charly, makes a renewed attempt at rapprochement, things start to get out of hand.

Trapped in the machinations of rival film producers, he roams Berlin’s Chinese quarter and the city’s underworld as he works ever closer to the edge of legality

Meanwhile, the funeral of the murdered Horst Wessel leads to clashes between Nazis and communists

After a freak accident during a mysterious global blackout, Jack wakes up to discover that The Beatles have never existed.

Performing songs by the greatest band in history to a world that has never heard them, Jack becomes an overnight sensation with a little help from his agent

Yesterday stars Himesh Patel (Jack Malik), Lily James (Ellie) and Ed Sheeran as himself

Spider-Man:

Far From Home

Season commences July 4

Peter Parker’s relaxing European vacation takes an unexpected turn when Nick Fury suddenly shows up in his hotel room

Parker soon finds himself donning the Spider-Man suit to help Fury stop the evil Mysterio from wreaking havoc across the continent.

Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Zendaya (Michelle Jones) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Quentin Beck/Mysterio)

The Lion King Season commences July 17

Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny on the plains of Africa. But not everyone in the kingdom is happy.

Scar, Mufasa’s brother, and former heir to the throne, has plans of his own The battle for Pride Rock results in Simba’s exile

Now, with help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba must figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his

The Lion King stars Donald Glover (Simba – voice), James Earl Jones (Mufasa – voice) and Seth Rogan (Pumbaa – voice).

Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw

Season commences August 1

Ever since lawman Hobbs, and lawless outcast Shaw, first faced off, each has tried to take the other down

But cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton gains control of an insidious biothreat that could alter humanity forever — and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent, who just happens to be Shaw’s sister.

And, when that happens, these two sworn enemies, Hobbs and Shaw, will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves

Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw stars Jason Stratham (Deckard Shaw), Dwayne Johnson (Luke Hobbs) and Idris Elba (Brixton).

Police Association Members’ Buying Guide Facebook Group

By joining the group, you will be the first to hear about

Farmers Leap Wines

Padthaway, South Australia

www.farmersleap.com

2015 Random Shot Cabernet Sauvignon

RRP $18 14 5% alc

The aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry, mint, thyme and violets all combine in this varietally expressive Cabernet

The palate shows plenty of dark berry fruit along with background “cedary” spice from the oak and hints of cocoa It has a lovely depth of flavour and fine, long tannin structure

Random Shot is fermented on skins for five days and matured for 12 months A proportion was matured using French oak, but the majority unoaked to allow the fruit to shine.

2013 Farmers Leap Shiraz

RRP $25 4. 5% alc

This wine is full and rich on the palate with fresh, lively dark fruit characters and savoury spice. Yet it has soft, silky tannins and a lingering finish.

Its aroma is fresh blackcurrant and plum intermingled with fragrant lavender, dried herbs and vanilla

It is fermented on skins for eight days before being pressed and transferred to barrel for 15 months A mix of 80 per cent French and 20 per cent American oak was used.

NV Destiny Sparkling Brut

RRP $25 12 . 5% alc

Destiny is produced with meticulous wine-making and arrives at the final myriad of flavours and layers.

Its aroma is lemon pith, yellow grapefruit and citrus blossom On the palate is fresh quince, nougat and refreshing acid

A small percentage of reserve base wine was added during the assemblage stage to add further layering and complexity.

Tank fermentation enabled the creation of the bubbles, which will help preserve this wine for a minimum of 24 months

Police Club High Tea & Fashion

• Work, social club and Christmas functions

• Social occasions • Work meetings

No room hire/free use of AV equipment/large seminar for up to 100 seated or more/intimate meetings in the President’s Room/the Jacaranda Room for anything in between.

Personal packages available

The Last Shift

Paul Heaft

Derek Long

Richard Murphy

Greg West

Fred Wojtasik

Sergeant Paul Heaft

Foundation Training

41 years’ service Last day: 06.01 .18

Comments…

In 1976, while still a 17-year-old student, I was interviewed by the SA Police Recruiting Office at headquarters

I was very nervous but confident and glad the earlier report by the Darlington patrol sergeant, who checked people on my street, said: “… is known by all neighbours as a well-behaved and polite youth It appears he would be suitable…”

I recall naively saying that I genuinely wanted to help the community and protect them from all types of criminals. Little did I realize that this chosen career would be such a huge part of my life

I thank all my senior partners who I gleaned much from in the early Region B days and the country members who opened my teenaged eyes to a job which was a big responsibility on young shoulders

I am so grateful for the job allowing me to travel the state in remote outback communities where you just want to “guard, guide and protect”, hopefully leaving for the next posting having left something of you behind.

I am very thankful to the police families and friends who were the fabric of why I “belted up” each working day and who helped to balance out the traumas of policing

Thanks to all those who helped to raise my children in the bush and give them the grounding to become beautiful adults today

A big thanks to my academy colleagues who gave me a little free rein to be me. I was going to be a schoolteacher if 1977-79 had turned out differently.

To be an instructor for the last 11 years was an honour and I always take time to reflect on all my students who are out there continuing with the good fight.

A couple of proud moments I was involved in were the national Police Remembrance Day in Canberra, Anzac and memorial days at the academy, and marching out with all the courses on graduation day

I thank the Police Association for its continual efforts to assist all our members and protect them while they continue to defend our communities Stay safe, and remember: it’s good in the police.

Sergeant Greg West

Port Adelaide Police Station

43 years’ service Last day: 20.03.19

Comments…

“I thank the association for gains made over the years and assistance provided when required

“I can honestly say I have thoroughly enjoyed my 43 years with SAPOL I have great memories of events and those I have worked with over the years That brings a smile to my face, and I’m sure our efforts have brought about many positive results

“SAPOL is currently going through substantial change. Younger members, remember, these will be your ‘good old days’ in years to come. Stick with it. It’s still a great job. ”

Sergeant Richard Murphy Port Pirie

43 years’ service Last day: 03 04 19

Comments…

“I thank the association for all the support and assistance I, and others, have received

“In my early days as a detective I was given some advice by the now late, great former Police Association president Brendan McGee.

“He said: ‘Richard, make friends, not enemies and be loyal to your mates ’

“I have tried to live by this guidance

“I have made a lot of friends and few enemies The best managers I encountered were Kingsley Oakley and Al Thomson and the best senior sergeants David Haebich and John Davey ”

“The vast majority of people really don’t understand, or would be horrified if they knew, what one human being does to another.” PURSUING JUSTICE… FOR FOUR DECADES

Sergeant Derek Long Millicent Police Station

28 years’ service Last day: 08 05 19

Comments…

“I thank the association, the committee and delegates for their hard work in maintaining wages and conditions and for protecting police.

“Policing has been a great job for a long period but, at 61 years of age, my use-by date for being an operational police officer has been and gone.

“I have met and worked with many wonderful people over the years and made lifelong friends

“I thank my wife and family for their support over the years and thank everyone I shared a laugh with ”

Senior Sergeant 1C Fred Wojtasik

Adelaide Prosecution Unit 44 years’ service Last day: 05.04 .19

Comments…

“As I reflect upon a satisfying and challenging career, I can say that I was proud to wear the uniform and be a part of an organization that the community in general places great reliance upon in times of crisis and need

“I have the greatest of respect for operational members who do the hard yards day in and day out, often under trying circumstances. I trust that I have been able to be of assistance to many who sought advice and guidance.

“My involvement in the justice arena has allowed me to play an important role in delivering positive outcomes for our community and our police, as their advocate and as a representative of SAPOL

“Part of my role was to assist the magistracy in conducting its important business in the courts on a regular basis This is a serious obligation that prosecutors need to understand and give effect to, as officers of the court.

“I feel privileged to have been an active part of a very good justice system for so long

“I shall remember the many prosecutors who I have seen come and go over the years, and acknowledge their contribution to the role, as well as their support to me in my later role as a manager

“The long haul has been worthwhile and, yes, like many others, I would do it all again

“I acknowledge the wonderful achievements over many years by the Police Association in ensuring that the police profession was appropriately rewarded with pay justice, excellent benefits and working conditions that we have today, without having to surrender any of the benefits gained over many campaigns

“This has enabled me to live a lifestyle with financial and job security, the envy of many others who are less fortunate

“Congratulations Mark Carroll and your team for what you have delivered for the members. I wish you ongoing success in your industrial pursuits on behalf of the membership. ”

Top: Wojtasik as he appeared in the Police Journal cover story Pursuing justice… for four decades in February; left: in 1991 after his return to Adelaide; above: the February 2019 cover of the Police Journal

Police Association members can source outstanding and exclusive travel deals through MTA – Mobile Travel Agents . It’s all part of a sensational package of travel experiences, specifically for association members and created by MTA mobile travel specialist Aaron Sard.

Among the available benefits to Police Association members are:

• $100 discount voucher for travel booked (conditions apply)

• Qantas Club exclusive savings

• Bonus Frequent Flyer points

• No credit card fees for

• Out-of-hours meetings to accommodate shift workers

Think ocean and river cruises, adventure packages, sporting packages, special interest trips and airline deals.

And MTA will price-match when it comes to deals offered online or by other agencies. Extra discounts might also apply.

Tell Aaron Sard precisely what you want, and he’ll do the research at no extra cost.

FIRST STEP: go to the Members Buying Guide on the Police Association website (pasa.asn.au) or contact Aaron directly on 0437 548 767 or by e-mail (asard@mtatravel.com.au).

Health

From page 27

When the pumping action goes wrong, the forward motion of the blood is slowed down From this “heart failure” comes a fluid build-up before the heart (say, in the legs) or in the lungs (pulmonary oedema).

The cause might be muscle damage from infection (cardiomyopathy) or poor blood supply like a heart attack (myocardial ischemia) If the problem is leaking valves, it might be possible to replace them

A surgeon who performs a valve replacement stops the heart beating and has a machine (cardiopulmonary bypass) conduct the patient’s breathing and circulation

Continued experience and understanding of the heart, with better materials, means that in this century we can replace some valves while the heart is still working The valve is slid into place through the leg artery and unfolds in position.

Blood needs to move forward, so the timing of the contraction is most efficient if the heart has time to fill, and then empty, the main contraction part (ventricle) with blood, and then push that blood out (like a squid) through the main valves

A heart beating too fast will not have time to fill between contractions Too slow and it will not be able to push the blood forward The most efficient heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute

Banking

From page 31

In March, our Better Home Loan for investors was recognized as being one of the best value in Australia It beat over 436 home loans in its category and took home a 2019 Mozo Experts’ Choice Home Loan Award*.

With its competitive rate, fee-free unlimited extra repayments and free online redraw, it was a standout!

“Choosing the best value home loan could save borrowers thousands of dollars over the life of their mortgage, and help them pay it off years faster,” Mozo director Kirsty Lamont says

Still not sure? Go to policecu com au and use our handy, free calculators They help you work out the cost of repayments, stamp duty and your borrowing limit, or perhaps compare your current loan against ours with our Combobulator

From Police Credit Union, which is dedicated to its police heritage, you can also receive personal service with our Platinum relationship manager, Glenn Lewis. Call 0421 243 741 to arrange a time for Glenn to come see you or perhaps arrange a free property profile report from RP Data

Police Credit Union Ltd ABN 30 087 651 205 AFSL/ Australian Credit Licence 238991. All information is current as at 02/05/2019. *Source: https://mozo.com.au/ expertschoice/home-loans

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Amanda, Kym and Daryl Brown
Laura Brain and Annabel Smith
Anne and Zoran Damjanovic
Mitchell and Olivia Kosiol
Scott Rose and Brooke Klement
Emily and Josh Foster
Louise and Derek Smith
Tim, Georgia and Mary Katianos
Jonathan Rose and Robyn Meyer
Clay, Ruby and Sandra Bown
Charlotte Richardson and Tiffany Greig
Jeffery, Casey and Brenda Lock

Police Academy, May 15, 2019

1 Graduates gives the thumbs-up before the parade

2 Laura Brain

3 Graduates march into position on the parade ground

4 Vanessa Vukovic

5 Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams inspects the course

6 Graduates swear the oath

7 Donald Mackenzie

8 Graduates march off the parade ground

9 Graduates toss their caps after dismissal

10 Mitchell Kosiol embraces a coursemate

11 Academic Award winner Samuel Morin with Police Association vice-president Allan Cannon and committee member Daryl Mundy

12 Annabel Smith, Casey Lock and Laura Brain

15 years on

DETECTIVE SERGEANT FIONA SHEPHEARD

(Multi-Agency Protection Service)

Being a police officer has changed everything about me. How could it not? Before SAPOL, I only saw what directly affected my family and me Now, I’ve attended high-risk jobs, deaths, driven in pursuits, had physical altercations, conducted protracted investigations, attended fatal crashes and removed children from parents There’s now not too much in this world that can shock me

I don’t think I aspired to anything when I started. I was a young single mother of three, so my dream of being a cop had been on hold for a while That wasn’t a bad thing because maybe I was more prepared when I did join I still remember exactly where I was when I received the call from Recruiting to tell me I was accepted It was such an achievement for me

My first night shift out of the academy made most things, from then on, seem less in comparison. I was first on scene at a multiple attempt murder My naive expectations changed very quickly I remember thinking: “Shit, is this what I’m going to do every day?” Although I’ve had some scary jobs that have pushed me to my limit, I wouldn’t do anything else.

Reality hit hard when she was not long out of the academy and attended the scene of an attempted murder in 2005.

My expectations of the job were simple and a bit unrealistic. I thought everyone would respect, and comply with, police I also naively thought I’d help people, and everyone would like us I didn’t realize that I’d change forever and never be able to “unsee” things that no one should see But the job has also exceeded my expectations with a sense of family and belonging

I think resources and staffing in the police are the most frustrating things about the job. And processes in SAPOL, from recruiting through to the promotional, are challenging But each time I’ve gained success through these processes I’ve felt a lot of achievement So, I don’t dwell on these things I really think the good has outweighed the challenges .

Being a police officer has made me a better wife and mother. My husband and four children are proud of me so that’s all the acknowledgment I need My daughter, Ashlee, is in the job and I couldn’t be more proud of her And (tongue in cheek) it’s satisfying when my eight-year-old son, Archer, says he wants to be a cop in Water Operations and not a firefighter like his dad .

“There’s now not too much in this world that can shock me.”
Above: Shepheard with her daughter, Ashlee, on graduation day in 2018.

The long list of goods and services is available in the Members Buying Guide on PASAweb (under Member Services).

The guide has become a Police Association institution, and the reason is obvious...

It’s the special, exclusive offers for members from over 40 different retail and hospitality outlets across South Australia.

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