Correctional Officers Remembrance Day 2019

Correctional officers across the State will mark Corrective Services NSW Remembrance Day on Friday.

Officers, families and friends will gather at memorial ceremonies to remember frontline officers who have fallen in the line of duty.

Minister for Counter Terrorism and Corrections Anthony Roberts acknowledged their devastating loss.

“When we send our husbands, brothers, mothers or daughters to work in a prison each day, we expect them to return home safely to us,” Mr Roberts said.

“We acknowledge the devastating loss suffered by the family, friends and colleagues of these men, who never came home. We will never forget them or their sacrifice.”

The annual CSNSW Remembrance Day also commemorates the lives of staff who died while serving and those who passed away after retiring.

CSNSW Commissioner Peter Severin paid tribute to officers both past and present, who have performed their difficult work with bravery and professionalism.

“On Friday we honour the men who have fallen in the line of duty and we reflect on the magnificent work of all our officers who keep the community safe,” Mr Severin said.

“Prison is a volatile and challenging environment, which our staff bravely face with the utmost professionalism. It is a tragedy to lose anyone in the line of duty. This week we thank them for their ultimate sacrifice.

” The first officer killed on duty was Henry Kingsmill Abbott at Parramatta Gaol in 1842. Courageously standing his ground to foil an escape, he was brutally shot by prisoners.

The most recent custodial officer to lose his life in the line of duty was Wayne Harold Smith, who was attacked by an inmate at Silverwater Correctional Centre in December 2006. Tragically, he passed away on 25 January 2007 as a result of his injuries

. *** The full list of officers who died in the line of duty and will be remembered on Friday is attached with images from last year’s services.

Attachment:

Correctional officers Remembrance Day 2019

*** The full list of officers who died in the line of duty and will be remembered on Friday are:

  • Henry Kingsmill Abbott at Parramatta in 1842
  • Thomas Craig at Berrima in 1862
  • John Carroll at Braidwood in 1867
  • George Spinks at Windsor in 1869
  • John Sutherland Brown at Cootamundra in 1908
  • Alan Cooper at Bathurst in 1958
  • Albert Hedges at Berrima in 1959
  • Cecil Mills at Emu Plains in 1959
  • Willy Karl Faber at Parramatta in 1978
  • John Colin Mewburn at Long Bay in 1979
  • Geoffrey Pearce OAM in 1997 as a result of an attack at Long Bay
  • Wayne Harold Smith in 2007 as a result of an attack at Silverwater

Images from last year’s services: hyperlink to download photos

Download Media Release: Correctional Officers Remembrance Day 2019 PDF, 172.98 KB

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