Police graduation marks tragic legacy

Andrew Spence was just 21 months old when his grandfather, AFP assistant commissioner Colin Winchester, was shot dead on January 10, 1989.

Andrew Spence, the grandson of Colin Winchester, has graduated from the Australian Federal Police as a probationary constable.

Andrew Spence was just 21 months old when his grandfather, AFP assistant commissioner Colin Winchester, was shot dead as he arrived home from his shift on January 10, 1989.

But his grandfather’s legacy has been a defining feature in his family’s life.

On Friday, Mr Spence graduated from the Australian Federal Police as a probationary constable, cementing the ties between his family and the organisation his grandfather had served.

He was ceremoniously handed his warrant card and badge by his father Phil Spence – a former commander who also served with the AFP for 35 years.

And watching on with his wife Sarah and brother David were his mother, Jennifer Spence, and his uncle Peter Winchester – Colin Winchester’s children.

“Having a family with such close ties to policing, it’s always been a part of my life,’’ Constable Spence, 35, said. “There was always the possibility I would make the jump into police.’’

A former IT sales professional, Constable Spence had worked for the past few years as a protective service officer in the ACT, working with the diplomatic protection unit securing foreign embassies and officials, and other high-office holders. It took him some time to make the transition to the AFP, where he will work in the ACT policing arm, as his father and grandfather did.

Phil Spence also worked with the AFP’s international deployment group and was posted to locations around the world.

The murder of Mr Winchester at the age of 55 remains a devastating loss for the AFP. He was the highest-ranking member of an Australian police force to lose his life, and the investigation and resulting legal proceedings dragged on for almost 30 years

A disgruntled former Treasury official, David Harold Eastman, was convicted in 1995 of shooting Mr Winchester, and was sentenced to life in prison.

Mr Eastman always maintained his innocence, and after various appeals and inquiries, was released from prison after serving 19 years. After findings that flawed forensic evidence had contributed to a miscarriage of justice, he was awarded compensation, and acquitted after a retrial in 2018.

The murder remains unsolved.

Constable Spence said he was almost lost for words describing the impact of his grandfather’s death. “I wasn’t old enough at the time to understand it, but later on I realised the magnitude of it on the family,’’ he said.

“It was traumatic for the family, and it played out over a very long period of time.

“Now it’s a feeling of being in limbo, with no one held accountable for his murder. That’s just it. It’s unresolved.’’

Constable Spence said his graduation was an emotional day and he felt “a little bit overwhelmed’’ but was looking forward to starting duty in Canberra in December. “Now the real works starts,’’ he said.