Thank you, Governor-General and Assistant Commissioner Gough.
I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet today and pay my respect to Elders past and present.
Her Excellency, the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. The Honourable Julian Hill MP, Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs, and Multicultural Affairs, representing the Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Home Affairs. Marisa Paterson MLA, ACT Minister for Police & Emergency Services - representing the Chief Minister of the ACT. Police Commissioners and their representatives from across Australia. Police association and union presidents and representatives. Members of the Diplomatic Corps, distinguished guests. And, with a heavy heart, I want to especially acknowledge the family, friends, and colleagues of the police officers being added to the Honour Roll today.
We gather today at the National Police Memorial to mark 20 years of remembrance, reflection and resolve. This memorial stands at the heart of our nation's capital as a solemn place of honour. It bears the names of Australian police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
No matter how much time has passed, days or decades, it is such a human instinct to think of all the scenarios that could have prevented the worst from happening. However, our collective reflexes during the worst of times also shows the best instincts of our collective selves - loyal, resolute and deeply dedicated to the members we stand next to every day. A longer shadow is cast over this afternoon's solemn proceeding. The heartbreaking death of NSW Police Force Constable Mia Lay last week is another example of the arbitrary cruelty of service when our members are taken from us too young and too soon.
Today, we come together, to embrace each other and brace oneself for the deeper meaning of loss and service.
We know during times of deep sorrow, solitude can feel safe. But we must remind one another that isolating or retreating to our grief is an anthesis to how we look after our blue family - and that includes those who wear the uniform and the families who support those who do.
National Police Remembrance Day is our day of mourning and how we pay tribute to the selfless and the brave. However, it is important to acknowledge that our thoughts and gratitude to those lost, and those who have lost them, extends beyond one significant date on a calendar. Because every day we must honour and remember those lost by our commitment to the uniform and the communities we serve.
When I look here this evening, I can see that there are loved ones and colleagues here who were not here last year. And we know what that means. I am profoundly sorry that you need to be here. But I also want to give you my deep gratitude for being present here this evening, especially when it may have be easier to retreat to quieter reflection. I also extend my gratitude to other families and familiar faces who should not be here but are here every year because of the brutal bond we share. It also gives us the privilege to show you all that we are eternally grateful.
For 20 years, loved ones and colleagues have been making this day an annual pilgrimage, to honour the courage and commitment of those who have been cruelly stolen from us. It is also where members of the community - thankful for the brave - come to pay their respects. The National Police Memorial is more than a reminder of the danger for those who have the driving call to protect and serve. It is where we allow ourselves to forget time and never be numbed to the years since our heroes were taken from us. It is where we never let time callous our grief or accept that loss is inevitable or necessary in the line of duty.
Today, there are four more names added to the National Police Memorial. They are:
- NSW Police Force Sergeant Mark Bransgrove;
- Victoria Police Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson;
- Victoria Police Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart; and
- Western Australia Police Force Detective Senior Constable Maxine Bembridge.
They join the 832 other great protectors we remember today.
I reference the number of those memorialised behind me, but that is not a true reflection of the sum of lives lost. I think about the people they loved and the people who loved them. I think about their connection to the police services across Australia and the communities they served. Their mark on us all cannot be quantified.
Over the decades, I have heard many police tributes. But the one that resonates with me the most is the reminder of the word 'vigil' and its genesis: Latin for wakeful or to be watchful.
For two decades we have deliberately suspended the habitual diligence of our day-to-day lives to ensure that we make the time to remember those lost and stay connected to those still here. Because the ultimate sacrifice is always a shared burden for those who are left behind.
For those of us here today, and the ones who will become our future wakeful and watchful, we will continue to protect the memory of our fallen and their legacy in death, even if we wish we had done more to protect them in life.
This is our duty.
This is our service to them.
This is our commitment to one another.
But this is also our commitment to what else we must safeguard - our uniform, our country and our democracy. As part custodians of this National Police Memorial, on behalf of the AFP, we will always love and care for the memorial that honours 836 police officers who were taken too soon.
We will share the burden of grief with you, and importantly, we will share the incredible and inspiring lives of those who will live forever as heroes in our country.
Thank you.
