Police from across the country paid their respects to fallen colleagues for National Police Remembrance Day today, including the 275 officers from the NSW Police Force who have died while serving the community.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the memorial was restricted to a small audience attended by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott, NSW Governor Margaret Beazley, NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller and Police Association President Tony King.
The intimate ceremony today (Wednesday 29 September 2021) replaced the usual gathering of hundreds of officers at the Wall of Remembrance in The Domain and acknowledged the family and friends who were not able to attend due to Public Health Order restrictions.
This year, NSW Police Force Senior Constable Kelly Ann Foster became the 275th serving NSW police officer whose name has been etched into the Wall of Remembrance.
Senior Constable Foster served the NSWPF and the community of NSW with outstanding dedication and devotion to duty until her unexpected passing as a result of her attempts to save the life of a drowning victim within the Wollangambe Canyon at Mount Wilson earlier this year (Saturday 2nd January 2021).
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, David Elliott, said it is a tragedy each time a new name is etched into the Wall of Remembrance because police play such a crucial role in society.
“It is a sad day to lose a serving member of the NSW Police Force because our officers go to work each day not knowing if they might come home,” Mr Elliott said.
“We pay tribute to all the officers we have lost; we thank you and know that you will never be forgotten. For the officers who continue to serve our community, especially during the past almost two years supporting our country through the pandemic, your efforts are extraordinary.
“We also remember sixteen service members of the NSW Police Force who have died during the period 29 September 2020 to 28 September 2021 from illness or other circumstance,” Mr Elliott said.
Commissioner Fuller reflected on today’ service, saying despite the small gathering, the impact of these officers on the force, their family, and their friends is huge.
“We will never forget our fallen colleagues and the years of service they dedicated to protecting our community,” Commissioner Fuller said.
“In adding Senior Constable Foster’s name to this wall, we remember her as a brave woman who upheld our policing traditions of professionalism, commitment, honour and courage.
“While Senior Constable Foster has been taken from us too soon, we share her family’s pride in the career she forged in policing, her dedication to the Lithgow community and her passion for the outdoors.”
Other states also paid respect to fallen officers including Senior Constable David Masters, of the Queensland Police Service who died in roadside incident on Saturday 26 June 2021, and Detective Senior Constable Michael Cursiter from Western Australia Police Force who died in a foot pursuit incident on Friday 6 November 2020.
