Victoria honors two police officers killed in Porepunkah
In the towns of Bright and Wangaratta in northeastern Australia’s state of Victoria, people honored the memory of two police officers who were shot dead while on duty in Porepunkah. Relatives, colleagues and local residents gathered on the anniversary of the officers’ deaths, ABC News Australia reports.
Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart were killed on August 26 last year while executing a warrant involving Desi Freeman. Two memorial gardens were created in the communities where the officers served.
Obelisks in Wangaratta
In Wangaratta, where Thompson served for nearly 20 years, two three-tonne obelisks were installed. The stone for them was brought from the small town of Barjarg. The memorial, unveiled on Tuesday, was dedicated to both fallen police officers; according to ABC News Australia, it is one of the largest police memorials of its kind.
Thompson’s sisters, Dianne Thompson and Lois Kirk, remembered him as a devoted person and a natural leader. They said he was just days away from retirement and had planned to travel around the world and Australia. The officer’s partner, Lisa Thompson, said his loss had painfully affected the family and the community.
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Mosaic portraits in Bright
In Bright, a local mosaic artist known as Crackpot 1 created two large colorful portraits of Thompson and de Waart-Hottart, using their media photographs as references. The artist had not previously known either officer, but said that while working she felt a personal connection with them. The portraits are to be placed in the police station building.
For the garden in front of the station, she also created mosaic images of a blue police ribbon, the officers’ names and their service numbers. These elements will be placed on stone. The artist expressed hope that the garden would become a place where people could honor the fallen and spend time in silence.
Commemorative events
On the anniversary, streets around the Bright police station were closed, and participants in the events honored the officers with a minute of silence. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush called the date a day of mourning for all state police employees and said the service would preserve the legacy of Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart.
De Waart-Hottart’s family thanked the police community and residents for their support throughout the year. Travis Carroll, president of the North East branch of the Blue Ribbon Foundation, stressed that such memorials give families and communities a place to remember fallen officers and pay tribute to them.
