Gary Jubelin’s mentor let him down in one of the darkest periods of his life
When Gary Jubelin needed to get away from it all he turned to combat sports and then meditation, but his mentor and friend ended up not being who he professed to be.
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When he wasn’t confronting the worst of humanity at work, all Gary Jubelin wanted was for someone to beat him up.
From his early days in the police, the then young Detective — working his way up from the Armed Holdup squad to Gangs and then Homicide — needed an outlet where he wasn’t required to make any decisions.
Martial arts were the solution: first kickboxing, then Kung fu, then a form of moving meditation called qigong, which along with yoga has become a lifelong passion.
“Qigong’s the opposite of the police force’s tough-guy, don’t-talk-about-your-feelings attitude. If I were to tell them what I’m doing in those early-morning classes, the other cops will think I’m weird. They might wonder if they can trust me,” Jubelin writes.
He connected deeply with a young qigong master, Ben (not his real name), who became a close friend and confidant.
Bonus “I Catch Killers” podcast: Gary Jubelin’s most searing interview ever, introducing his explosive new book.
“(Ben) talks about how a warrior must have honour, and how honour is founded on justice and on your obligation to others.
Quoting Confucius, he tells me, ‘To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.’ After training, the two of us sit cross-legged on the floor and talk, sometimes for hours,” Jubelin writes.
I Catch Killers: The Life and Many Deaths of a Homicide Detective, is published by HarperCollins Australia on Thursday, August 20 in paperback, e-book and audio. Pre-order your signed copy at Booktopia.
But in one of the darkest periods of his life, as his second marriage was becoming strained and work was ever more pressured, Jubelin discovered Ben was not all he seemed.
A fellow police officer approached Jubelin, concerned his teenage daughter was becoming too close to Ben, who was teaching her martial arts.
“I also watch the cop’s daughter and see the way she looks at Ben, and the way he acts with her in training. I see how they spend so much time together, despite the difference in their ages. I start to feel uncomfortable. I call Ben out and he begins to protest, saying, ‘Oh, but …’ “There’s no f … buts,” I tell him.
“It’s like me getting into a relationship with a victim.
“I tell him I don’t want to see him or to speak to him. It’s a betrayal. It’s a betrayal of me also, because I believed him. I walk out of Ben’s gym and don’t go back. I’ve lost my faith.”
Jo in Gary and Claire Harvey for an exclusive live event online at 6:30pm AEST on Wednesday, August 19 at True Crime Australia on Facebook.
Originally published as Gary Jubelin’s mentor let him down in one of the darkest periods of his life
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