Service at Marvel Stadium for four officers killed in Eastern Freeway police tragedy
Grieving relatives and colleagues have opened up on the “dark days” since four police officers lost their lives in the Eastern Freeway tragedy.
Police officers are more than their uniform. They are sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers.
Thursday’s belated state funeral for the four officers killed on the Eastern Freeway in April, 2020, was a chance to try to make sense of the senseless.
To know who they really were, beyond the universal shock of knowing that they went to work one day and never came home.
And for their loved ones to say thank you for the support, from first responders to counsellors to members of the public, which ensures that their grief can never be overlooked.
The solemnity of the farewell, lit in blue at Marvel Stadium, softened in the stories of Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, and Constables Josh Prestney and Glen Humphris.
Their sudden absences, in circumstances that challenge everything that is fair and right, can never be reconciled.
If they were dedicated to their jobs, and it seems that they all were, they were also much-loved friends and family members who thrilled to life at play as well as work.
Lynette Taylor was the glue, a guiding force of kindness and wisdom. She was someone who “did things”, including the defeat of the so-called nemesis of her police graduation – the need to scale a six-foot wall.
She eschewed promotion, preferring the camaraderie of often being on the road throughout the state.
“Lynette was our captain,” her niece Ada Taylor told the audience.
“Without her we have been a ship without a rudder,” she said, though the many layers of support had helped the family to “navigate a new way”.
Kevin King seemed like a cop long before he graduated as one in his 40s, according to his wife Sharron. His colleagues at the Nunawading Highway Patrol recalled his cheeky knack for getting a laugh.
“I miss his smile, laughter, sense of humour and most of all his way of making things better,” his wife said.
“He was the love of my life … and the most dedicated father to our three boys.”
Josh Prestney, who received his badge from younger brother Alex on graduating a few months before the tragedy, was remembered for his shreddings of the guitar.
His parents Andrew and Belinda explained that learning to live without him was just as wrenching as his sudden loss.
“He will stay forever 28,” his mother said.
“He is jamming with the rock gods in the sky … and yelling at the umpires for the free kicks not paid,” his father said.
Todd Robinson, the partner of Glen Humphris, expressed a rawness felt by all the mourners.
He hated Wednesdays, he said. There had been 94 Wednesdays since the knock at the door.
The pair had moved to Melbourne from NSW for work. They skydived, walked the dog at the beach, and took trips, local and overseas, which spawned a photo collection of 12,000 images.
“I’ve had many times when I couldn’t see through the fog of grief, and yes I had thoughts of joining Glen,” he said.
“But I knew this wasn’t an option as I would only be passing my grief on to someone else, and I would never wish that upon anyone.”
Premier Dan Andrews spoke of the moment when Victorians heard the news.
“To run towards the danger, to put yourself in harm’s way to protect others is a special thing,” he said.
“No words can describe its value … no words can properly describe our gratitude.”
Police chief commissioner Shane Patton spoke of the 653 days since the deaths of members of the police family, who were the very few, as he put it, who protect the many.
“Police are human,” he said.
“They cry, they worry and they suffer, but they do what they do because the community expects it of us and because they want to be of service …
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“Throughout these dark days the families of our four colleagues have shown courage, dignity, strength and resilience in the face of such a heartbreaking experience.”
In sharing memories, Mrs Taylor’s niece Ada Taylor nodded to Ernest Hemingway.
“It is good to have an end to journey towards,” he once wrote. “But it is the journey that matters in the end.”
Originally published as Service at Marvel Stadium for four officers killed in Eastern Freeway police tragedy
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