Australia Day Honours

A message from the Commissioner and CEO

I am very pleased to announce and congratulate three of our members whose hard work and achievements have seen them all recognised as part of the Australia Day Honours.

The Australian Police Medal (APM) is awarded for distinguished service by a member of an Australian police force, and has been awarded to both Detective Sergeant Trent Abbott and Sergeant Neil Mellon.

Additionally, Volunteer Captain Alan Fountain has also been awarded the prestigious Australian Fire Service Medal (AFSM) – a medal awarded to career and volunteer firefighters recognising distinguished service within an Australian fire service.

Detective Sergeant Trent William Abbott

Detective Sergeant Abbott joined the Northern Territory Police Force in 1994, during that time he has successfully operated in a range of roles including property crime investigations, general duties, offender management, managed witness and serious crime. He is currently based at the Serious Crime Squad in Darwin.

In 2013 a series of ram raids on local businesses took place with eleven businesses targeted resulting in tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of valuables stolen. During this time he managed a team of investigators who worked diligently for many weeks on the case resulting in the primary offenders being located in South Australia and extradited to Alice Springs to face court.

Detective Sergeant Abbott’s dedication to duty has been exemplary and he has been a strong role model for men and women in policing.

Sergeant Neil Ryan Mellon

Sergeant Mellon has been a member of the Northern Territory Police Force for over 20 years, joining in 1995. He has operated in a number of different roles including Alice Springs and Darwin general duties, as well as serving at the Police Training College and the Tactical Response Group (TRG), where he is now one of the longest serving members of the Unit.

Throughout his time with the TRG he has been involved in a range of tactical operations, from body retrievals in dangerous situations, through to shootings and searching for suspected murderers. He has also been responsible for a number of close personal protection operations of visiting dignitaries, including the Dalai Lama and former US President Obama. In addition he is an Ambassador for the Men’s Mental Health Initiative ‘IF’ aimed at empowering men to take control of their own mental health.

Sergeant Mellon has displayed unwavering dedication to duty and continued commitment to our community. He has encountered distressing, stressful and dangerous situations during his career yet acts bravely, and above and beyond what is expected of members of the Force.

Volunteer Captain Alan Fountain

Volunteer Captain Fountain joined the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service (NTFRS) in 2008 at the Pine Creek Fire and Emergency Response Group (FERG). He has served as Captain of the Pine Creek FERG volunteers since 2010.

For more than eight years he campaigned to have a training room constructed for the group and this was achieved in 2018. He is committed to recruiting and supporting volunteers for the Pine Creek group despite the small population base in the area. Mr Fountain is a qualified trainer and assessor and continues to deliver regular training sessions for volunteers to improve their skills and experience.

He has undertaken a significant range of volunteer roles within the local community, including as a teaching assistant at the Pine Creek School, with sporting organisations and as a musician for community festivals and events. Mr Fountain epitomises the goals and values of the NTFRS and continues to display a high level of dedication and commitment to his community of Pine Creek.

Please join me in congratulating our three Australia Day Honours recipients, who are role models not only in their chosen field, but within our community. We should be very proud of their achievement.

Reece P Kershaw APM

Commissioner and CEO

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