Faces of PVV | Meet Police Veteran David Axup

“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 of the Junior Police Training Scheme. Like many young recruits, he arrived full of confidence and expectations, but quickly discovered that policing would shape him in ways he could never have predicted.

His early years saw him serve across general duties stations and CIB divisions, learning from experienced members who helped introduce him to the realities of policing in a society still finding its feet after the Second World War.

In 1967, David transferred from Elsternwick into the Mobile Traffic Section, where he discovered the area of policing that would define much of his career.

“I found my niche in the policing family.”

Determined to deepen his expertise, David returned to study while serving, completing a Graduate Diploma in Highway and Traffic Engineering and later a Bachelor of Arts. His knowledge saw him called upon to provide expert evidence in County Court trials for culpable driving and represent Victoria Police on external traffic committees.

While still serving, David also stepped into academia, lecturing in traffic subjects as part of the Bachelor of Arts (Police Studies) program at Monash Caulfield, a role he continued after retirement.

In 1989, after more than two decades of dedication, David achieved a long-held goal when he was appointed Chief Superintendent of the Traffic Support Group.

One of the most confronting moments of his career came that same year, when he travelled to New South Wales following the Clybucca bus crash, where two buses collided head-on, claiming the lives of 35 people.

“The experience, while horrific, was invaluable from a planning point of view… There is however an emotional cost to an investigator attending such an incident.”

After 34 years of service, David retired on 25 July 1992, describing the moment as the transition “from rooster to feather duster.”

But retirement did not mean slowing down. David established a consultancy specialising in crash analysis for major transport companies and civil litigation, and his expertise soon led to international work. Through projects funded by the United Nations and the Asian Development Bank, he contributed to road safety initiatives in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and the Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang and Liaoning.

David eventually closed his business in 2016 and moved into full retirement with his wife in Mornington.

Today, he remains active in the community, involved in the Peninsula Parkinson’s Peer Support Group, and continues to indulge a lifelong passion for building model trains, which now fill one and a half rooms of his home. He also spent more than five years volunteering with Puffing Billy Railway.

David values the role Police Veterans Victoria plays in maintaining the bonds formed during service.

“The establishment of Police Veterans Victoria provides a platform for mutual support of those who have served their community.”

Because long after the uniform comes off, the shared experiences of the job remain; and for those who lived it, the memories, and the mateship, never truly leave.