Simon David DE WINNE
Simon David DE WINNE
Victoria Police Force
Regd. # 27590
Rank: Probationary Constable – appointed 19 July 1989
Senior Constable – appointed 9 December 1996
Stations: D 24 General Duties, Traffic Operations Group – Melbourne Metro,
Benalla General Duties, Benalla Traffic Management Unit from 10 November 1997 – Death
Service: From 13 March 1989 to 26 December 1998 = 8+ years Service
Awards: Victoria Police Star – posthumously in 2007. Presented to his sister – SenCon Megan De Winne.
No find on It’s An Honour
Born: ? ? 1969
Died on: Saturday 26 December 1998 about 9.35am
Age: 29
Cause: Motor Vehicle Accident – Driver – Urgent Duty -v- Tree
Event location: Midland Hwy, Yin Barun, near Swanpool, Victoria
Funeral date: ?
Funeral location: ?
Buried at: Cremated
Memorial at: 1/ Benalla Police Station Memorial Garden
2/ Simon de Winne Urgent Care Centre at Benalla Hospital
Located at 19 Bridge Street West, Police Station, Police Memorial Garden, Benalla, 3672 in Victoria in Australia.
GPS Location:
Lat: -36.555495
Long: 145.975424
[alert_green]SIMON IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance[/alert_green]
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Funeral location: ?
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FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.
PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal
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May they forever Rest In Peace
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At 9.35 a.m. on Saturday, 26th December 1998, Senior Constable De Winne was travelling south along the Midland Highway, near Swanpool, intending to intercept a vehicle for a traffic offence. He lost control of his vehicle and collided with a tree, killing him instantly.
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Simon David De Winne joined Victoria Police on 13th March 1989 and was sworn in at a graduation ceremony on 19th July 1989. Simon worked on General Duties, D.24 and the Traffic Operations Group in metropolitan Melbourne before transferring to Benalla General Duties where he was promoted to Senior Constable on 9th December 1996. Senior Constable De Winne then transferred to the Benalla Traffic Management Unit on 10th November 1997.
On Saturday, 26 December 1998, Senior Constable Simon De Winne died on duty when his patrol vehicle collided with a tree on the Midland Highway, 15 kms south of Benalla.
The Victoria Police Star was posthumously awarded to Senior Constable Simon De Winne at graduation ceremony in 2007. The award was presented to Senior Constable De Winne’s sister, Senior Constable Megan De Winne.
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Senior Constable Simon David De Winne died doing what he loved.
It was 9.35am on Boxing Day, 1998. It was wet and miserable, but Sen Const De Winne was out on our roads working while most of us were at home recovering from an indulgent Christmas feast.
Sen Constable De Winne was in pursuit of a speeding motorcyclist on the Midland Hwy near Swanpool when he was forced to terminate the pursuit as it had turned dangerous. But as he was slowing down, his patrol car slid off the road, slammed into a tree and killed the 29-year-old instantly.
Almost 15 years on, his brother Nick De Winne said the memories of his best mate were still so vivid and the pain of his tragic and unexpected death still so raw.
As Victorians prepare to remember our 131 fallen officers with National Police Remembrance Day on September 29, Nick paid tribute to the work of his brother and his colleagues.
“Simon was the type of guy who just made the best of every day, he loved life and loved being a police officer,” Nick said.
“I appreciate the work of our police more now, they deal with a lot of ferals every day,” he said. “I definitely do respect them (the police) a whole lot more.”
Nick said his brother’s zest for life continued to be an inspiration.
“Simon lived life to the full and he was just a bag of fun to be around,” he said.
Nick said for Simon joining the police force was his lifelong dream.
“He was like a father figure to us; we grew up without dad so he took me under his wing,” Nick said.
“It is shocking, nothing ever replaces it and no matter what I do I won’t be able to see him or hear him again and that’s the hardest thing.”
Sen Const De Winne joined the Victorian Police on March 13, 1989 and was sworn in at a graduation ceremony in July that year.
Like all officers, Sen Const De Winne began his career at the frontline of the force, in general duties in Melbourne before driving his passion into highway patrol.
But when country life took over, Sen Const De Winne transferred to Benalla Police Station where he accepted a general duties position before securing another highway patrol berth.
Sen Const De Winne didn’t just inspire his brother Nick or other brother Byron, he also encouraged his sister Megan to pursue a career within the force.
Megan De Winne is a police officer in Melbourne and has often starred on the television show Highway Patrol.
“Megan failed the first time but after Simon was killed she had more determination than ever to do it and she did,” Nick said.
His legacy continues to live on through Nick and his two mates from the station, Senior Constables Paul Bronsgeest and Richard Cameron.
“I guess I wonder why people speed, why they do it — I ask myself that all the time,” Nick said.
“It’s unnecessary and it’s not cool and it causes trauma. What our family has gone through I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.”
National Police Remembrance Day is on September 29.
Benalla Police will host a ceremony at the station on September 28 from 9.20am. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
– By Meg Pigram, Sept 13, 2012, mmg.com.au
Video – Remembering the Fallen of the Victoria Police
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=104004988
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The Simon de Winne Urgent Care Centre at Benalla Hospital commemorate Senior Constable Simon de Winne who was killed in the line of duty on December 26, 1998. The Simon De Winne Urgent Care Centre was opened on Wednesday 14th July 2011 by members of the Simon De Winne family.
Senior Constable De Winne was in pursuit of a speeding motorcyclist on the Midland Highway near Swanpool when he was forced to terminate the pursuit as it had turned dangerous. As he was slowing down, his patrol car slid off the road, slammed into a tree and killed the 29-year-old instantly. Senior Constable De Winne was a member of the Benalla Traffic Management Unit.
Front Inscription
Simon de Winne Urgent Care Centre
Plaque :
The Urgent Health Care Unit at Benalla Health was officially dedicated as a Police Memorial in memory of Senior Constable Simon De Winne, (27590) by Mr William Noonan, OAM Chairman, Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation on Thursday, 10th May 2012
Location of Urgent Care Centre: 45 – 53 Coster Street, Simon de Winne Urgent Care Centre, Benalla Hospital, Benalla, 3672
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The Simon de Winne Urgent Care Centre at Benalla Hospital commemorate Senior Constable Simon de Winne who was killed in the line of duty on December 26, 1998. The Simon De Winne Urgent Care Centre was opened on Wednesday 14th July 2011 by members of the Simon De Winne family. Senior Constable De Winne was in pursuit of a speeding motorcyclist on the Midland Highway near Swanpool when he was forced to terminate the pursuit as it had turned dangerous. As he was slowing down, his patrol car slid off the road, slammed into a tree and killed the 29-year-old instantly. Senior Constable De Winne was a member of the Benalla Traffic Management Unit.
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Benalla Health Report – 2012
We are very fortunate to have a generous community and we are extremely grateful to those who support us through philanthropy, volunteering and membership
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Ann’s presence still being felt
THERE couldn’t be a more appropriate way of paying tribute to Sen-Constable Ann Brimblecombe than what was unveiled yesterday.
The Wangaratta police officer died in 2006 while on duty after her car veered off the road when travelling to Mitta to give school children a bicycle safety lecture.
Children’s safety was close to her heart and it’s because of her that the Wangaratta Hospital’s paediatric unit has now become a safer place.
In tribute to Sen-Constable Brimblecombe, the unit received a $30,000 donation from the police Blue Ribbon Foundation for security doors and a refurbishment to their baby room.
Jennifer Brimblecombe said her daughter didn’t like a fuss being made over her.
“She’d be thrilled to bits for the honour but she was just very happy doing her work, hoping it would stick with all the children as they grew up,” she said.
“You can’t get around the fact she’s not here but at least her work is being carried on.”
Sen-Constable Brimblecombe’s passion for educating stemmed from her original ambition to become a schoolteacher.
“She actually couldn’t get a job when she finished a teaching course. She tried very hard for a while then the next thing we knew she applied for the police force,” Mrs Brimblecombe said.
Soon after she was offered a position to teach, but instead chose the police force.
“She was a very dedicated girl. When she decided she wanted to do something that was her focus completely,” Mrs Brimblecombe said.
Unveiling the plaques to commemorate the memorial was one of the last tasks for deputy police commissioner Kieran Walshe, who will retire after 44 years of service on July 1.
He said the Victorian police force was often described as having “a ringside seat at the greatest show on earth” but it still had its lows.
“When you are in a position of authority and leadership and you hear of these things, like what happened to Ann Brimblecombe and others, they’re lowlights in the organisation,” he said.
“But when you think of the Ann Brimblecombe paediatric rooms, it just really epitomises what Ann was about.”
Funding for the urgent care unit at Benalla Hospital was also revealed in memory of Sen-Constable Simon De Winne, who died in 1998 after colliding with a tree while trying to pull a car over for a traffic offence.
http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/6387/anns-presence-still-being-felt/
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