18 Police Monthly [SLE] July 2016

Eighteen members of 1980’s Class 166 returned to the parade ground.

STORY BROOKE EGGLETON POLICE MEDIA UNIT

PHOTOS SASHA WOOLLEY MULTIMEDIA UNIT

On Monday 31 March 1980,

130 eager police recruits from

Class 166 completed 11 weeks

of training at the Redfern Police

Academy and began their careers

in the NSW Police Force.

Thirty-six years later, 18 of

the class’s 21 remaining officers

returned to parade ground

at the former academy last

month. Commissioner Andrew

Scipione inspected the group

as they recreated their passing

out ceremony.

Det Ch Insp Russell Oxford

organised the unique opportunity

after reminiscing with his

classmates and realising that there

were few photos of their attestation

and of the officers in their

probationary constable uniforms.

“Commissioner Scipione

graciously accepted my invitation

to attend Redfern and re-create

the swearing in ceremony we’d

performed decades earlier,” he said.

“Standing on the hallowed

ground of the former academy,

it really hit home for every one of

us that we’d had an exceptional

opportunity and had come so far

in our policing careers.”

Class 166’s officers have gone

on to receive many accolades,

performing in a range of roles

across many local area commands

and specialist units.

The vast majority of Det Ch

Insp Oxford’s own career has

been spent on major criminal

investigations in State Crime

Command’s Homicide Squad and

more recently in the Robbery

& Serious Crime Squad. It has

taken him overseas on several

occasions, including to Beirut

as part of Taskforce Gain to

interview a key witness to a string

of gang-related murders in south

west Sydney.

His recent high profile

investigations have included the

murder of six-year-old Kiesha

Weippeart at Mount Druitt, the

arrest of Roger Rogerson and

Glen McNamara for the murder of

Jamie Gao at Padstow, and

FAR LEFT Eighteen members of Class 166 re-created their swearing in ceremony

LEFT Assistant Commissioner Carlene York APM showed off her police issued handbag

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July 2016 Police Monthly [SLE] 19

the murder of Curtis Cheng

outside police headquarters

in Parramatta.

“My policing career has meant

everything to me,” Det Ch Insp

Oxford said. “It has presented

me with so many incredible

opportunities and experiences

that I never would have envisaged

as a bright-eyed 19-year-old, back

in 1980.”

Assistant Commissioner Carlene

York, the Commander of Human

Resources since 2013, said the

chance to re-attest highlighted the

true spirit of the policing family.

“The term ‘police family’ is often

used to describe the strong bond

that links police together in our

daily work and it’s something we

all felt being back at Redfern,” she

said. “I was struck by the fact that

the bond we shared as a class

continues 36 years later.”

Assistant Commissioner York has

served as a general duties officer,

a police prosecutor, in Forensic

Services and as Commander of

Northern Region.

“We all joined the NSWPF as

eager probationary constables

who knew nothing of what lay

ahead of us or what prospects

our individual careers would

bring,” she said.

“When we first attested, it

was all about the excitement

of our futures and now we’ve

been able to reflect on the

achievements of our past. It was

a great privilege to celebrate that

milestone with everyone.”

Another class member,

Sgt Stephen Hassett, who is

now attached to Brisbane Water

LAC, said that re-living their

attestation parade – particularly

with Commissioner Scipione

present – was an experience he’ll

always cherish.

“To have a camera and be

taking loads of snaps was such

a rarity back in 1980, so to properly

capture our re-swearing ceremony

in Redfern was a wonderful

experience for all of us,” he said.

Sgt Hassett served as the senior

police search advisor (POLSA)

while the Belanglo State Forest

was searched in the early 1990s

as part of the investigation into the

notorious backpacker murders.

He also served as POLSA

during the 2000 Sydney Olympics,

coordinating more than 600 police

officers and army personnel as

they conducted searches of key

infrastructure across the entire

event. In 2009, he was sent to

Victoria to help the emergency

response to the bushfires that

claimed 173 lives.

“Over the years you give so

much to the NSW Police Force,

so you feel very overwhelmed

and proud when your career

is recognised and your work is

acknowledged,” Sgt Hassett said.

Class 166’s remaining 21

• Assistant Commissioner Carlene York APM,

Human Resources

• Supt Paul Fehon APM, Mid North Coast LAC

• Supt James Stewart, Castlereagh LAC

• Ch Insp George Bradbury,

Brisbane Water LAC

• Ch Insp Kevin Dodds, Simulated Operations

• Ch Insp Jonathon Gross, Kuring Gai LAC

• Det Ch Insp Russell Oxford APM,

Robbery & Serious Crime Squad

• Ch Insp Rick Steinborn APM, Police Armoury

• Det Snr Sgt Roslyn Keys APM, Counter

Terrorism & Special Tactics

• Snr Sgt Stewart Lockrey APM,

Transport Management Centre

• Sgt Wayne Baxter, Redfern LAC

• Sgt Brett Davies, Oxley HWP

• Sgt Maree Hamilton, Camden LAC

• Sgt Steve Hassett, Brisbane Water LAC

• Sgt Greg Woolfe, Richmond LAC

• Snr Cst Mark Ellison, Tweed/Byron LAC

• Snr Cst Howard Jones, New England LAC

• Det Snr Cst Mark Plant, Newcastle City LAC

• Snr Cst Tony Scarfe, Tuggerah Lakes HWP

• Snr Cst Steve Soper, Oak Flats Radio Section

• Det Snr Cst Richard Suffield, FSG

BELOW As you were… The original Class 166 attestation

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