Eastern Suburbs Police Memorial
NSW Police Memorial unveiled at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park by Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione
Matraville’s Themalis (Tim) Macarounas had only served as a police officer for a few months before he was killed on duty.
Five months after the 22-year-old graduated, he was driving in a pursuit of a stolen car along Oxford St when his wheels locked after braking and crashed into a light pole.
He died from his injuries on October 20, 1987.
Constable Macarounas is one of 31 names engraved on a new memorial at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park honouring officers killed on duty and resting in the park from the Eastern Beaches, Eastern Suburbs, Waverley and Rose Bay Local Area Commands — including four colonial officers.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione unveiled the memorial during a ceremony on Monday.
Constable Macarounas’ parents, Helen and Arthur were at the service. The couple visit their son’s grave every couple of weeks.
They said their son was a talented athlete — he played many sports and represented the South Sydney district in the Harold Matthews Shield and SG Ball rugby league teams — but he was too short to enter the police force straight out of school.
It wasn’t until height restrictions were abandoned, that he was able to tryout.
“We were so proud of him when he graduated,” Mr Macarounas said.
“He was a community-minded. He had an interest in helping other people.”
Constable Macarounas’ funeral was attended by 600 mourners.
“He was everything to us. Not only to us but to his friends,” Mrs Macarounas said.
“There was something in him. Whoever met him, felt it. I can’t explain it, there was 600 people there. He was only 22. I get goosebumps when I talk about it.”
The Local Police Memorial is the second of its kind in the state. Woronora Memorial Park, Sutherland, had one installed in April.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the memorial would “stand as a beacon of hope, a beacon of sacrifice and commitment, from the police force to the community”.
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NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has officially dedicated a new memorial honouring fallen officers in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney this afternoon.
The Commissioner was joined by local police, families, friends, and colleagues, for the dedication of the NSW Police Memorial, led by Police Chaplain, Father Paul O’Donoghue, at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park today (Monday 30 November 2015).
The memorial honours 31 NSW Police officers who were killed on duty within the Eastern Suburbs, Eastern Beaches, Botany Bay and Rose Bay Local Area Commands, or who were cremated or laid to rest at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park.
Commissioner Scipione said the plaques and memorial wall are a wonderful way to honour local officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
“The NSW Police Memorial at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park gives family, friends, colleagues and members of the public a place to come and reflect on the lives and achievements of the officers who died while serving the community,” Commissioner Scipione said.
“The men and women of the NSW Police Force serve the community each day – all the while not knowing what potential adversity they may face yet understanding they may have to risk their own life to save another.
“As we unveil the plaques today we honour their courage and sacrifice, and send our thoughts to those families who have lost a loved one – they will never be forgotten.”
The names of the 27 local fallen officers, who died on duty since 1862, are inscribed on the wall of the memorial.
An additional four colonial police, killed prior to the inception of the NSW Police Force, will also be remembered in the form of separate plaques within the memorial garden.
The NSW Police Memorial is a joint project of the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust and the NSW Police Force.
Officers honoured on the NSW Police Memorial at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park:
Senior Constable Henry Stark Murrow, killed on duty at The Rocks on 4 October 1897, aged 35
Constable David Sutherland, killed on duty at Potts Point on 3 June 1889, aged 24
Inspector James Bremner, killed on duty at Centennial Park on 2 January 1901, aged 60
Sergeant 2nd Class James MacDonnell, killed on duty at Warren on 26 December 1911, aged 57
Constable 1st Class Joseph John Hush, killed on duty at Roseville on 6 November 1919, aged 39
Constable Frederick William Wolgast, killed on duty at Centennial Park on 21 January 1921, aged 29
Constable Owen Edwin Bell, killed on duty at Goulburn on 27 February 1927, aged 43
Constable Norman Thomas Allen, killed on duty at Bondi on 3 January 1931, aged 29
Constable Ernest Andrews, killed on duty at Bondi on 3 January 1931, aged 23
Sergeant 3rd Class (Rtd) Patrick William Matthew Carmody, killed on duty in Sydney on 19 April 1931, aged 41
Constable 1st Class Duncan Hughie McCallum Murphy, killed on duty at Paddington on 27 September 1940, aged 45
Detective Constable Victor Donald Ahearn, killed on duty at Matraville on 11 August 1946, aged 40
Sergeant 3rd Class Noel Ainsworth McCarthy Porter, killed on duty at Hillston on 19 September 1946, aged 45
Constable 1st Class John Hawkes Malone, killed on duty at Medlow Bath on 1 May 1947, aged 34
Constable Allen Boyd Patch, killed on duty at Bowral on 5 February 1949, aged 26
Constable William John Lord, killed on duty at Randwick on 23 December 1958, aged 24
Constable Eric Peter Oliff, killed on duty at Wyong on 18 April 1962, aged 23
Detective Sergeant 2nd Class John Joseph McEntee, killed on duty at Waverley on 27 February 1972, aged 47
Senior Constable Lindsay Vincent Gilfeather, killed on duty at Waterloo on 15 October 1977, aged 31
Detective Inspector Reginald Hugh Stevenson, killed on duty at Newtown on 19 January 1980, aged 53
Constable Mark Ian Postma, killed on duty at Ashfield on 23 February 1987, aged 22
Probationary Constable Themelis Arthur Macarounas, killed on duty at Paddington on 20 October 1987, aged 22
Constable 1st Class Juan Carlos Hernandez, killed on duty at Redfern on 1 December 1992, aged 33
Probationary Constable Geoffrey Joseph Daley, killed on duty at Vaucluse on 27 December 1966, aged 24
Constable 1st Class Wayne Allen Rixon, killed on duty at Roseberry on 13 January 1985, aged 27
Probationary Constable Dana Therese Heffernan, killed on duty at Randwick on 17 April 1987, aged 20
Constable Glenn Edward McEnallay, killed on duty at Hillsdale on 3 April 2002, aged 26
Colonial police honoured:
Inspector Peter Prosser, killed on duty in Sydney on 25 January 1839, aged 26
Constable John Connell, killed on duty in Sydney on 23 November 1841, aged 21
Corporal Stephen Kirk, killed on duty in Heathcote on 12 November 1845, aged 33
Trooper Luke Dunn, killed on duty in Heathcote on 21 November 1845, aged 33
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