Ex-Police Cadets
Association of NSW

 I was 15 years and 2 months old when I joined the NSW :Police Cadets on 28 January 1958 and worked at the following –

Traffic Branch, Bourke Street, Redfern

Fingerprint Section, Bourke Street, Redfern

Warrant Bureau, Police Headquarters, Phillip & Hunter Streets, Sydney

Recruiting Office, Bourke Street, Redfern

Kogarah Police Station, No 12 Division.

I have vivid and wonderful memories of my time in the Cadets such as swimming at Redleaf Pool, playing Badminton at lunchtime in the gymnasium, learning parade skills, shorthand and typing, playing basketball for the Cadets, trying to run up and down Moore Park hill, working during the night setting up barriers for city parades such as Anzac Day, etc., performing at the Sydney Town Hall during Health Week, working with the initial training classes in assisting in training police horses for crowd control, buying lunch for Superintendent Norman Allan, and who could not possibly forget learning typing and shorthand at Hornblower’s in Cleveland Street.  I recall one day when John Thornett interrupted our morning parade drill to deliver to his younger brother, Dick Thornett, his lunch which he had left at home, it broke us up, but Bricky didn’t see the funny side of it.

I remember fondly a number of people who we were responsible to and those who I worked with such as Sgt. Garnet Brickell, Sgt. Jock Stewart, Sgt. Jack Hyslop, Roy Dykes, Brian Andrews, and Bill Devine and Jack Pearce, Warrant Bureau, Reg Dunn, Les Lindner and Dick Guy of the Recruiting Office and Sgt. Ben Baber, Kogarah Police Station.

My dreams all came to a shattering halt on the Australia Day long weekend of 1960 when I was seriously injured as a result of a motor vehicle accident which resulted in me suffering a severe compound fracture and dislocation and 90% laceration of my left ankle.  I also suffered a severe knee injury which caused me to have a cartilage out six months later and which, in later life, contributed to me having a partial knee replacement operation in 2003.

After spending 18 months on sick leave, the Government Medical Officer, Dr. Percy, advised me that I was, in his opinion, permanently and physically unfit to perform normal police duties.

I must say how thankful I was to the Police Association for its assistance both personal, and financial, during my lengthy sick leave period.

However, as a result of Dr. Percy’s notification to the Officer in Charge of the NSW Police Cadets, Sgt. Brickell, I was obliged to offer my resignation in late July 1961.

During the intervening years since my forced resignation, I worked mostly in the liquor industry and associated companies, such as –

Tooheys Ltd.

Nutt & Muddle Poker Machines

John Cawsey & Co.

United Distillers, and

ALM from where I retired on 28 January 2004.

Even allowing for my disability, I played lower grade rugby league for St. George R.L.F.C. from 1963 to 1966, and in 1968 I played with Northern Suburbs in the Wollongong R.L. Competition.

My wife and I spend a great deal of time now with our grandsons and I play lawn bowls at Gymea Bowling Club.

My time in the NSW Police Cadets was all too short and I was unable to achieve my goals and dreams.  However, my experiences and memories are something I have always treasured.