Tributes flow for Bowen Police Sergeant Ryan Gregory

A Whitsunday community will gather this week to mourn the death of a beloved police officer and father-of-two taken ‘too soon’ by terminal illness.

The Bowen community will gather this week to grieve the tragic passing of police officer, husband and father-of-two Ryan Gregory.

Sergeant Gregory, 47, passed away on Christmas Eve, two months after a diagnosis of inoperable brain cancer.

He is survived by his wife Kimberley, 21-year-old daughter Maddie, and 17-year-old son Sam.

Bowen Police Officer-in-Charge Senior Sergeant Craig Shepherd worked with Sergeant Gregory aka ‘Rhino’ since 2016 and knew him as a keen fisherman, dedicated family man, and highly respected member of the Queensland Police Service.

Sgt Gregory, Craig Shepherd and Shane MacGregor at Bowen’s ‘Reclaim the Night’ march in 2016.

“He was just a solid all-round good fellow who loved his family, and who was a good mate and loved his job,” Sergeant Shepherd said.

“He had a lot of friends in town, not just police – he was always putting others first.”

Ryan, Kimberley, and Sam Gregory at a Bowen PCYC event in 2016.

Sergeant Shepherd said it was difficult to put into words how the news of Sergeant Gregory’s terminal illness had impacted his tight-knit station and wider Bowen community, except that it had “shattered everybody” who knew him.

Friends and colleagues were now focusing on supporting the family through a “chaotic” time.

“It was just very quick and unexpected – he’d been sick for a while but it felt very sudden,” Sergeant Shepherd said.

“He was only a young man with his family and life ahead of him.

“It’s too soon, there’s no words for it – it’s just one of those terrible things in life.”

Sergeant Gregory fronting a road safety campaign in Bowen in 2019.

An ‘exemplary’ officer

Born and raised in Townsville, Sergeant Gregory married his Thuringowa State High School sweetheart Kimberley in 2000 and the couple went on to have two children together.

After stints working in abattoirs and in the navy, Sergeant Gregory joined the police service in 2003, following in the footsteps of a grandfather formerly stationed at Dayboro.

His policing career started in the Brisbane suburbs of Upper Mount Gravatt and Sherwood, before taking him to Forest Hill where he joined the Stock Squad, back to Townsville where he joined the Criminal Investigation Branch or CIB, then to Beaudesert, and finally Bowen where he accepted a promotion to sergeant in 2015.

Senior Sergeant Craig Shepherd, right, with Sgt Gregory and Constable Aleisha Hogan in 2016.

An ongoing role as a police negotiator involved travelling all over Queensland to respond to crisis situations using specialist training.

But Sergeant Shepherd said Sergeant Gregory made a big contribution simply through his day-to-day interactions with his team and the community.

“He was an exemplary officer,” Sergeant Shepherd said.

“He was approachable, a good leader, patient.

“He had great ties with his community and spent a lot time with the community and always showed great compassion and dedication.”

Sgt Gregory showing St Mary's School students around Bowen Police Station in 2016.

Sergeant Shepherd expected a large turnout at the funeral at Bowen’s McKenna Hall on Thursday, January 6, including Sergeant Gregory’s Townsville-based parents and two brothers, and Queensland police commissioner Katarina Carroll.

Anyone wishing to attend the service, starting at 3.30pm, is advised to register with the Bowen Police Station to ensure compliance with Covid-19 guidelines.

Provisions will be made for those unable to be seated in the hall because of density limits.

Find more details and leave a tribute online.

Originally published as Tributes flow for Bowen Police Sergeant Ryan Gregory