As the warm waters of the Goldie River trickled past her boots, Liz Ross clutched the small canister close to her chest. It held the ashes of her husband Ray; her soulmate, a fellow Victoria Police veteran, and a passionate military history buff who had long dreamed of trekking Kokoda. On the final day of her journey, surrounded by the towering greenery of Papua New Guinea and fellow trekkers standing in a silent guard of honour, Liz opened the container, though not without a

The remarkable story of Victoria Police veteran Jarrod Michael If you ask Jarrod Andrew Michael where courage comes from, he will not mention the Bravery Medal pinned to his chest. He won’t speak of the moment the flames rose around him, or the knife glinting under a man’s arm, or the way he removed LPG cylinders from a backyard so no one would die that night. He won’t tell you about entering a stranger’s home alone, knowing police were 25 minutes away, because a family in cr

When the aircraft door opened onto the Dili tarmac, the heat struck like a memory. Thirty-four degrees. Ninety-seven percent humidity. Dense air swirling with the unmistakable musty scent of the tropics. For veteran Victoria Police officer and United Nations peacekeeper Andrew Atkinson, it was like stepping back into a life he’d long buried. His last deployment to East Timor, now Timor-Leste, had ended in 2006. Fourteen months spent across two tours in a country torn apart by

For Richie Richardson, policing was everything. “I truly enjoyed every second of my time in the job…there is no other position I’ve ever held that gave me as much purpose, adrenaline, and pride,” he said. “I had a front-row seat to what I used to call the greatest show on earth.” Joining Victoria Police as part of Squad 13/90, Richie threw himself into the work, building a career that shaped who he was. But like so many, the job took its toll. In 1995, during a violent incide

“It is a ringside seat to the greatest show on earth.” For David Axup, the path to policing began long before he ever wore the uniform. As a young boy, he listened closely to a family friend in the Force recount stories with his father. Those conversations sparked something in him. “I was fascinated with his conversations with my father and I decided that I wanted to be a police officer.” At just sixteen years old, David began his policing journey in 1958 as part of 5 Squad o

“The change from ‘ex police’ to ‘police veteran’ might sound small, but it acknowledges the contribution we made and that we still belong.” Sandra Lording graduated from the Victoria Police Academy in December 1987 at just 20 years old, at a time when women were still issued a handbag as part of their uniform. She trained at South Melbourne before posting to D24 and Malvern, later moving into intelligence roles at Moorabbin and Dandenong. Her pathway into policing was shaped

“There is a life after the job, and the quality of that life depends on you.” Simon Kelley’s policing career was never part of a carefully mapped plan. Like many, it began with a nudge from friends and a willingness to give something new a go. “I was 20 and clueless and I needed a job,” Simon says. “I was in the Army Reserve Infantry at the time, and a bunch of my mates were in the job and they suggested I should join. I thought I would do that for a couple of years and then

The early afternoon sun filtered through the stained-glass windows of the Victoria Police Academy chapel. The pews overflowed with serving members, veterans, family, and friends, with rows of uniformed police standing shoulder to shoulder. The pipe band played. The candles gleamed. And Neal’s shift was finally over. Today, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson was laid to rest. A partner, brother, cousin, mate, and detective, Neal was remembered not just for how he

At the head of the Victoria Police Academy chapel, a statue of Batman sat alongside the four medals belonging to a man taken much too soon; a man who idolised Batman, because he was a hero. Vadim was, too. Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart was farewelled by his family, friends, colleagues and community in a packed-out chapel that housed over 3,000 people. Both on home soil, and across the world, that same number of people tuned in to pay their respects over a live broad

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