Brian John COSTIGAN

I grew up on a farm 8 miles from Numurkah, managed by my Father.  I attended a country primary school with less than 30 students, with one teacher with grades from 1^st year to 8^thyear.  I had to repeat 5^thclass (Year 5) because I was in Hospital when the exams were on.  I left after 6^th class to attend Shepparton High School during WW II.

In 1947 my family moved to Finley in the lower Riverina. I got a job working in Ford Garage in Finley.  After that in the Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission as a surveyor’s chainman.

The local policeman in Finley was Constable MAYFIELD.  He talked me into joining the N.S.W. Police Cadets, I don’t know why I didn’t join the Victorian Police, because Melbourne is much closer to Finley than is Sydney but I am glad I didn’t.

I applied and was accepted into the N.S.W. Police Cadets and asked to be at the Police Barracks in Bourke St. Redfern on 11^th April; 1950.  I was 17 Yrs, 8 months.  I know that is late but I think I applied when I was under 17.  Swear in age was 19.  I can’t remember going to Sydney for pre-admission. I remember filling in application forms at the Finley Police Station, I think I supplied a certificate from my Local Doctor.

I caught the motor train at Finley and transferred to the South West Mail in Narrandera arriving in Sydney at about 8am on 11^th April, after a 17 hour journey.  I caught a Taxi to the Depot in Bourke St  expecting to be billeted in Barracks there.  Upon attending the Recruiting Office I was told to report to the Records Section at Police Headquarters on the corner of Phillip & Hunter Sts., Sydney, I was given a Cadet identification No. 863.

When I asked where I was to stay I was told I had to provide my own accommodation, I was flabbergasted, I had no idea what to do.  Luckily I had joined on the same day as Brian Costigan, Leo Givney and Barry Lewis.  They assisted me with my worldly belongings onto the Tram. After I alighted in Martin Place, I was on my own. I had never been further north than another Riverina town of Jerilderie, and was traumatised. I couldn’t remember the name of the ‘Police Station’ I was supposed to report to, so after interrogating several passers by, who were helpful, I finally lugged all of my suit cases to the Records Branch of Police H.Q.

The O.I.C. of the Records was a Public Servant Mr. Sandstrom.  He was a very understanding and helpful man. He made me feel welcome and put me on the dispatch desk.  This job was to receive mail and open mail, then sort it into internal and external mail. I also had to address envelopes to the intended recipients. Then I had to deliver internal mail to the various departments in the building. Metro. Super. Commissioner. Country Super. O.I.C. of H.Q. and Sgt 1/c Norm Allan. Of course there were others but I cannot remember them.

I was very concerned about not having anywhere to live and was seriously considering taking the 10.04pm train home that night.   At any rate during the day I had a telephone call from Sgt. 2^ndClass Jack Wright who was the O.I.C. of Cadet Training.  I do not know if Mr. Sandstrom had contacted him but I suspected he had.  Sgt. Wright said he sometimes had cadets lodge with him and his family until they could find accommodation.  I suddenly had the weight of the world lifted from me.

After work and getting directions I caught the train to Wiley Park and upon arrival at the Wright Home in Shadforth St. Punchbowl  I was greeted by Mrs Wright.  She was a lovely lady who made me feel very welcome.  She showed me to my room which I shared with another cadet, Terry BATES.    I was at last human again.

I had a wonderful 12 months with the Wrights.  Sgt. Wright was a great pianist and a very good singer, after singsongs around the piano he talked both Terry & I into joining the Police Choir.  We did, me in the baritones and Terry in the bases.  It didn’t take us long to settle into the Choir.  Another member of the police choir was ex-cadet Ted Collins who left to join the priesthood and is now a Catholic Bishop in Darwin. We used to perform concerts for charity at places like the T.B. Sanatorium at Waterfall, Boy’s Club fund raising at the Sydney Town Hall and R.S.L. Veteran’s Home at Narrabeen.  Whilst I was a member the choir won the City of Sydney eisteddfod at the Conservatorium of Music in the early 50’s. We also travel as far afield as Canberra and Armidale for concerts.

Following my stint at Headquarters I was stationed at Campsie, 21 Division, and Randwick. I remember at Campsie meeting the wonderful Del FRICKER who was a Detective there.  At 21 Division I met the wrestling champion, Jim ARMSTRONG.  At Randwick, one of the Detectives was a  WW II  pilot, I can’t remember his name, he used to fly the Sunderland to Lord Howe Island on his days off.  ( He never invited me as luggage ).

Sergeant Wright eventually found me accommodation at 48 Wentworth St. Randwick, a well known Cadet Boarding house. I shared a room with Dennis CATT and Brian COSTIGAN. We had great times together.  In early 1951 Dennis was sworn in and left and Joe CORDNER took his place.

Cadets in those days had to attend the ‘Depot’ every morning for law instruction, gymnastics and drill training, as well as shorthand  tuition.

Our Instructors were, Law.  Sgt. BARBER and Con 1/c James LEES  ( later Commissioner ).  Gym and Drill, Snr/Cst  Steve ENGLE &  Const 1/c ‘Bluey’ GRAINGER as well as Snr. Const Garnet BRICKELL.  In later years Steve Engle was my O.I.C. at the old Public Safety Bureau (Highway Patrol) under the bridge approaches at North Sydney.

Shorthand tuition was Snr.Const Jack Hyslop (“you can’t put anything over ex-Cadet No 27”, he often reminded us) and Const  A.F. ‘Joe’ Hall. The Cadet Sergeants were O.I.C.  Sgt. 2/c Jack WRIGHT, Sgt 3/c Harry TREES AND Sgt 3/c LENGREN.

The cadets used to put on displays with Indian Clubs and Gymnastics, from time to time.

I remember one time Sergeant Harry WARE, who started the Police ‘Cliff Rescue Squad’, took some of us, I can’t remember who, up to Echo Point Katoomba to show us how rescue was carried out.  On the way up and when passing through Penrith, he said, “Any of you young fellows should buy a block of land up here, it might be out in the bush, but there is a good train service to Sydney, a block up here would only be about 10 pounds.  Ha, Ha, nobody had the necessary ‘tenner’ but we really should have thought ahead. My wagers then were 9 pounds a fortnight of which I had to pay about half for board.

We also had to attend Stotts Business College for typing and shorthand instruction in our own time of a night and at our own expense.  I think Stotts was in Macquarrie St everyone had to do it I think it was for about 3 months I can’t remember if it was one or two nights a week.  I can’t remember how much but by the time I paid 8 shillings and 6 pence for a weekly rail ticket to Wiley Park and was lucky to have 2 shillings left. (10 shillings = $1;  1 shilling = 10 cents and 6 pence = 5 cents.)  All of my savings from Finley gradually began to disappear.

I attended a four weeks training course at Penrith Police Training college in June or July 1951. We lived in billets at Penrith and had to pay board, I can’t remember how much. Some went home at weekends some stayed, in the 6 week class a lot of us studied in our room. The O.I.C. was Sgt 1/c George Kellock (father of Lionel)  The instructors were, Sgt. 3/c George Soper, Sgt.3/c Sliger, Snr.Const. Ernie Porch.  The drill instructors were Sgt 2/c Jock Stewart, (who also showed us self defence) Const Joe ‘Ben’ Hall & Const. Roy Leadbetter.(who was also a member of the Choir).

I attended the Department of Health Clinic in Albert Street, Circular Quay, just round the corner from Phillip Street Police Station, to be examined by Dr Percy, prior to being sworn in. I thought I was a little under the 11 ½ stone, which was a minimum requirement then. Everyone told me to have a big drink and eat a couple of bananas, that I did.  Unfortunately I had the drink too early and when Dr. Percy asked me to pee in the little container, I couldn’t stop, I filled the container and then made a mess of the toilet floor.  It was just as well because after that Dr. Percy asked me to cough as he pushed his fingers into my lower abdomen or he would have got a very wet hand.  When he checked my chest expansion from breathe out to fully inflate he lost control of the tape and had to repeat it, my expansion was 7 inches. Phew, I passed the medical.

I then attended the Office of the Commissioner Mr. Scott and was sworn in and given a number 7080. I was sent to Darlinghurst Police Station to serve my probation.

‘Darlo’ was an extremely busy station. After entering the vestibule the charge room was on the left, the big round room.  The Inspectors Office was in the room on the right at the bottom of the stairs. The Superintendent,  Detectives’ Rooms and Traffic Rooms were all upstairs.  Later they shifted the Station to the front Office. There was a garage which housed the black Ford, prison van. The van was used to move prisoners from Central Court and the Quarter Sessions at Darlinghurst to and from Long Bay. Weekends it was used to Patrol to pick up drunks, brawlers etc.  It had a Sergeant, Driver and two Constables in seats near the back door. The fumes sucked into the rear section were terrible, after a full late shift I used to feel ill. I put a report in but the only effect that had was for me to be rostered on it more often. Saturday nights saw up to 14 Constables on the beat at Darlinghurst plus P.D. Crew Plus van.  Where are they all now?.

I returned to Penrith Police Training College in June 1952 for a period of 6 weeks. After the 6 weeks we had to sit for examinations in Law, dictation (a piece from S.M.Herald), report writing and arithmetic.  Fred Kitto topped the class with an average of 97.5%.  Ex-cadet Des Moffitt and I were equal second with an average of 97.25%. I returned to Darlinghurst where I remained until 1955 when I successfully applied for a transfer to the Public Safety Bureau. (PSB)

Whilst at the P.S.B., I attended a draftsman course at the Ultimo Tech.  Then in about 1960 I spent about a year at the Scientific Investigation  Bureau at the old CIB in Central Lane as a draftsman.  During that time Graeme Thorne was murdered after being kidnapped by Stephen Leslie Bradley for a ransom after his father had won the first Opera House Lottery. Sgt. 2/c Alan Clark was the O.I.C. and he was the best and most thorough detective I have ever encountered. I believe it was because of his efforts that Bradley was convicted. Bradley eventually died in Goulburn Gaol.   After my 12 months on secondment I returned to the P.S.B.

I spent from 1951 to 1955 on general duties at Darlinghurst as relieving reserve Constable, relieving P.D. Driver and solo cyclist.  From 1955 I was stationed at North  Sydney P.S.B. until I was promoted to Sgt.3/c in 1967, then transferred to Parramatta as 2.I.C. of  P.S.B there and then to Goulburn as O.I.C. of  the newly named Special Traffic Patrol, now Highway Patrol.

In 1966 whilst riding a Police Solo motor cycle, I injured my back when I hit a large pothole in a pool of water in Longerville Road Lane Cove. Of course I covered it up as long as I could, but eventually I had to go on light duties, whilst at Goulburn.  I was discharged medically unfit H.O.D. in 1975 as a Sgt.2/c.  I was 42.

Most of my service was in relation to traffic. After my discharge in Goulburn I opened my own business as a draftsman and spent 15 years completing hundreds of plans for new dwellings, Industrial buildings and renovations to both. When arthritis took over I used a computer to prepare plans, I also had my own ‘plotter’ which drew them for me and a printer to print them.  I retired to my current address in 1990 and have driven 700,000 km in firstly 200,000km in a V.W. Campervan and then 332,000 in my 1992 Toyota Highace Campervan.

I met and married my wonderful wife in Sydney, we have our 55^th wedding anniversary coming up in January 2010, and have 1 Great Grand Child, 12 Grand Children and another expected.  Our eldest Son is C.E.O. of Forestry Tasmania and has four sons.  Our 2^nd Son is a Project Manager for a large building firm in Brisbane and has 5 daughters (Including Twins) Our 3^rd Son is a musician in Fremantle and teaches guitar and expecting a first child and our daughter with her husband own a sand gravel & landscape supply business at Evans Head and have two boys & a girl – (including boy-girl twins.)

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