A bench and several plants mark a new place to commemorate fallen police staff. Photos: South Coast Police District Facebook.
South Coast police have unveiled a dedicated memorial park to remember their fallen colleagues and keep their stories alive.
The recently opened park features landscaped gardens, seating and memorial plaques.
It honours NSW police officers and civilian employees who have died during their service while based in the Batemans Bay area.
Chief Inspector John Sheehan said the park, located within the Batemans Bay Police Station, commemorated their service.
“It’s already been used from day one by officers … For me, the most important thing is to remember those officers.
“A lot of them gave a lot of years in policing, and we want to show some dedication to them and remember them.”
Work on the park began as the one-year anniversary of Detective Senior Constable Carl Wilkinson’s death in a fatal car accident approached.
The father-of-three was killed in a two-vehicle crash at East Lynne in November 2024. He was just 37.
The memorial honours Detective Senior Constable Wilkinson, Senior Constable Peter Marlin and Constable Miles O’Grady.
Senior Constable Peter Marlin died in a collision on Beach Road, while Constable O’Grady was shot by bushrangers in 1866.
Chief Inspector Sheehan hopes the memorial means they are “not forgotten”.
“Hopefully, we’ve never got to add to that wall – but I have no doubt that at some point we will.
“It’s to commemorate their service … and something for the families, as well, to say that we’re acknowledging the work they gave in their time with the NSW Police.”
The Police Association of NSW contributed funds to the project, while Evolution Earthworks, South Coast Contracting and Hire and Asset Arbor Tree Service completed works free of charge.
Students at Batemans Bay High School also made a seat for the memorial park.
“That was made by the kids … in conjunction with the Elders who oversighted the making of that seat,” he said.
“[We] greatly appreciated it, where they’ve assisted the police with that.”
While it is not open to the public, he said family members have an open invitation to visit.
He said it was important that people had an accessible way to remember fallen police members.
“There’s a lot of police stations now that are starting to put these memorials together … They obviously contributed to the police and contributed to the community, but didn’t die on duty.
“Carl was well-respected down here – the same as those other names … All the ones that worked with him will retire at some point, but we want people to continue to remember.”
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