A Message from Tony King
As I look back at the history of our Association over the past 99 years, one fact is crystal clear.
Those that came before us fought long and hard for the creation of an organisation to represent NSW police officers, taking on direct opposition from Governments and senior police. It wasn’t a given.
During the 1900s, Members of Parliament including Edmund Walcott Fosbery CMG, an Inspector-General (equivalent to the role of Commissioner) of Police for 33 years, strongly opposed granting rank and file members the basic right to appeal matters of discipline and promotion.
We had a stalwart supporter in the Hon Ted Larkin, a former policeman, who said in 1914, “It is the manifest right of the police to form their association, and the request should be granted.”
Unfortunately, World War I intervened and Larkin, who was a member of the 1st Battalion, tragically died in battle at Gallipoli.
It took many years of hard work, and with the permission of a sympathetic Premier of the day, the Association finally formed in 1920 with the first Association meeting held on 8 September 1920.
Initially, police officers worried that joining the Association would be a black mark against them.
Chief Secretary, (equivalent to the role of Premier) James Dooley directly intervened, reassuring them that joining the Association would not prejudice their position or status as a Police Officer.
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