Daniel Burton and Chelsea Beardmore win QBank award for Blue Lures fishing initiative

On the peaceful banks of the Balonne river, two police officers have been recognised for their initiative which throws a line to the marginalised and bridges the gap between police officers and the community they protect.

Constable Daniel Burton and Police Liaison Officer Chelsea Beardmore from St George station were awarded a QBank everyday heroes award for their Blue Lures initiative.

On the banks of the Balonne River, two St George police officers are creating change, one line at a time.

Fortnightly on a Wednesday evening, the crew from the St George police station, Constable Daniel Burton and police liaison officer Chelsea Beardmore, haul their fishing gear to the riverbank, where they meet with children from the small country town.

They cast lines, with awards on offer for exceptional catches, they have a barbecue, and importantly, they connect with the young people in the community in a non-confrontational setting.

The program only started in February of 2024, and took the winter months off, but it made enough of a splash in the community for the duo and their Blue Lures fishing initiative to win the QBank everyday heroes award in the “working together” category.

The Blue Lures initiative is only one of many police-led initiatives in the region, but Ms Beardmore, a Mandandanji woman, said fishing has a great deal of cultural importance in St George.

“Traditional fishing practices are deeply intertwined with your spiritual beliefs, your heritage, and just community life in general,” Ms Beardmore said.

“So like these fishing practices involve unique techniques, the knowledge passed down through generations, and just a profound connection to the land and the waterways.

So while we’re trying to bridge the gap we’re trying to reconnect them to culture as well.”

Constable Daniel Burton and Police Liaison Officer Chelsea Beardmore from St George station were awarded a QBank everyday heroes award for their Blue Lures initiative.

Miss Beardmore grew up in St George, and said she would have loved programs like the Blue Lures program when she was growing up in the town.

She said she knew she always wanted to be a police officer, and said her work now as a police liaison officer is the perfect marriage of her previous experience working as a domestic violence support worker for the Cunnamulla Aboriginal Corporation for Health and her ambition to become a sworn officer.

However, when she got the job, she said people close to her warned her to expect “backlash from the community”.

She said there was a perception that there was so much stigma around the police uniform, that even a person who is so deeply embedded in the community would face vitriol.

Thankfully, in more than a year of proudly donning her police uniform every day, she hasn’t experienced any backlash, she said.

However, Constable Burton said the reaction to sit up straighter in the car when you pass a cop is relatively universal and inherent.

“That’s what Blue Lures is great for … to try to take the stigma out of the uniform,” he said.

The program also allows for the community to develop more meaningful relationships with the youth in the community, and is an opportunity for the officers to demonstrate to parents that the role of police extends beyond nabbing speeding drivers or “locking up crooks.”

Importantly, Miss Beardmore said Blue Lures, in conjunction with the other programs offered by the St George police, are affecting real change in the community.

“They have all been great preventive measures for kids offending and a great connection program for us,” she said.

Constable Daniel Burton and Police Liaison Officer Chelsea Beardmore from St George station were awarded a QBank everyday heroes award for their Blue Lures initiative.

Both agreed that the support from the community for the initiative was incredible, with organisations donating rods, tackle, and even a barbecue, so that the program can continue. Interest has even been piqued in other towns across the region, like Surat, Bollon and Dirranbandi.

Now that Ms Beardmore and constable Burton have won the award, they said they wanted to use their prize money to purchase a trailer, so they can transport all their fishing gear across the region with much more ease.

Constable Burton and Ms Beardmore both said they extended their heartfelt thanks to the community member who nominated them for the award.