Emergency Services Awards Presentation

Mr ASHTON (East Hills) [5.54 p.m.]: Tonight I speak about a joint emergency services medals and award presentation I attended at Hurstville civic centre last Monday. Those awards included national medals, deputy commissioner’s commendations, region citations, certificates of appreciation and long service awards. Deputy Commissioner Ken Moroney, Specialist Operations, was an honoured guest at this function. I place on record my appreciation to those who were presented with awards - those in our police, ambulance and fire services who do outstanding and long service for the people of New South Wales.

I also congratulate the Georges River commander, Ike Ellis, and his staff, for the success of the function and for their dedicated service to the people of the Georges River region. I place on record my community’s appreciation to the
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Bankstown local area commander, Mr Dave Madden; the executive officer, Warren Atkinson; and the team of officers and staff for their continued diligence in making the East Hills electorate a safe area in which to live. On those occasions that I have had to call on their support I have received it expeditiously.

My congratulations also go to Detective Sergeant Phillip Burchardt, Senior Constable Rodney Henderson, Detective Sergeant James Johnson and Ms Helen McWaite on receiving their awards. A very special award - the Peter Stuckey Mitchell award - went to Detective Sergeant Allan Sicard from Bankstown for excellence in police work, for leadership in Operation Helvetia, for solving a double murder in Allum Street, Bankstown, and for the flow-on effects which led to numerous arrests of persons in that area who committed many serious offences.

I also congratulate Detective Senior Constable Anthony Agnew. I particularly acknowledge the role played in apprehending an offender in a distressing series of attempted assaults on young children in the Revesby-Panania area. Several attacks occurred outside and inside my daughter’s school. I recognise the role played by constables Luca Altamura and Gillian Sparkes of the Bankstown area command in apprehending this offender. Constable Brooke Notley of the Sutherland command also received a special citation. Both of the latter police officers were former students of mine. I was especially proud to see them receive their awards and to acknowledge them in this Parliament.

I and other official guests, including honourable members representing the electorates of Georges River, Kogarah, Menai, Rockdale and Miranda, were particularly proud of those ordinary members of our community who received a range of awards for assistance to police and ambulance officers, often in life-threatening circumstances. Mr Peter Bleeck, Mr Paul Depena and Mr Christopher Gregory received Georges River region certificates for their actions in apprehending a bank robber at the National Australia Bank in Revesby. Mr Depena was also a former student at Picnic Point High School.

Many of our young people are doing worthwhile things that perhaps parliamentarians do not always recognise. On the day in question, many ordinary citizens received recognition for extraordinary acts in assisting our service personnel. I place on record the appreciation of this community and the Parliament to those who received awards. It has been said by so many that it is best not to get involved, but that is not an Australian idea. Part of our tradition is to get involved - to help somebody in need. In France there is a law - the Good Samaritan Act - which provides that people have to help anyone who is in trouble. In Australia, and certainly in America, it would be best for people to run 100 miles.

The people who received these awards were not modern-day rambos; they were ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We do not want to ask people to place themselves in dangerous situations involving confrontations with potentially dangerous criminals. Often the notion of helping someone in need is instinctive and mateship perhaps at its highest level. As an aside, it is doubtful whether there will be any great need to give awards to people who stop bank robberies in the future because there will be no banks to rob.

All the honoured guests at the award ceremony, including Mrs Cusumano, whose husband was murdered in tragic circumstances in a computer shop some years ago, and the families of those who received awards, were struck not so much by the fact that these people were receiving awards or that we were acknowledging them in a sense, but by the fact that these were ordinary people. I will never forget two young fellows who were awarded for helping to stop a robbery. When they got up to receive their awards one of the young blokes saluted Commander Ike Ellis. It was an innocent action but it brought the house down, because this bloke had done something wonderful in helping to stop an assault. I place on record the support of the community and of the Parliament for all those in the community who did so much to help our people in service.