‘Her shoelaces were still on fire’: Incredible act of courage and compassion

Police and criminal lawyers are supposed to be natural enemies, which is why the small and dignified ceremony conducted at the Police Academy on Friday was unprecedented.

Lawyer Bernie “The Attorney” Balmer received official recognition for the heroism and compassion he displayed 36 years ago in the hell that was the Russell Street bombing.

Lawyer Bernie Balmer, pictured with Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent, after accepting the commendation he received from Victoria Police for his actions during the Russell Street bombing in 1986. Credit: Justin McManus

He received a Citizen Commendation, the highest civilian honour that can be awarded by police.

Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said official recognition of Mr Balmer’s actions that day “are long overdue”.

It was March 27, 1986, when Mr Balmer, then a clerk of courts, walked out of the then Melbourne Magistrates Court building to slip around the corner to his office in La Trobe Street, just as the bomb detonated.

Bystanders run from the scene of the explosion.Credit: The Age Archives

He was the first at the scene and the first to try to help the fatally injured Constable Angela Taylor.

“The blast had ripped her clothes away, and she had shocking burns. Her shoelaces were still on fire and I bent down to put them out,” he said.

Mr Balmer comforted her, well aware secondary explosions were possible.

Constable Angela Taylor who was killed in the bombing. Credit:

“She was able to talk. I asked her name and where she worked,” he recalled.

He carried her back across the road well away from the smouldering car bomb wreck. “She was so tough. She lasted 24 days.”

Mr Balmer received burns to his hands, but the mental scars remain.

Constable Taylor suffered fatal injuries, and 22 others were injured, when a car bomb exploded at lunchtime outside Victoria Police’s headquarters.

Deputy Commissioner Nugent only became aware of the extent of Mr Balmer’s actions about a year ago, then took it upon himself to read the brief of evidence.

When he read about Mr Balmer’s actions, “I just thought, wow.”

The car bomb that ripped through the police headquarters in Russell Street on March 27, 1986.

He wrote a submission to the police Honours and Awards Committee that decided Mr Balmer’s actions should be recognised.

Mr Balmer says, “I was shocked when Rick rang to say they were doing this. I am thrilled, particularly for my family.”

Deputy Commissioner Nugent said, “Mr Balmer’s actions on March 27, 1986, were incredibly humane in a time of great hysteria and panic. Despite not knowing exactly what had happened, he was able to put his own apprehensions aside and come to the aid of a seriously injured police officer. He assisted her to a room within the Melbourne Magistrates Court to provide comfort and support until medical assistance arrived.

“This was not just an act of kindness, but an act of courage in a frightening situation. This event will have no doubt stayed with Mr Balmer throughout his life, and we want him to know his bravery on that day is appreciated.

“When confronted with dangerous and unpredictable critical incidents and events, some people are paralysed or overwhelmed by fear, others are unable to move, and most focus on getting themselves to safety. And then there are those select few, like Bernie, who go in the opposite direction, ignoring the danger, risk and uncertainty to save or assist others.”

Bernie Balmer in a rose garden dedicated to Angela Taylor, the police constable he comforted in the moments after the Russell Street bombing. Credit: Justin McManus

Mr Balmer says he is reminded of the Russell Street bombing “on a daily basis”. It may be a sound, a smell or an act that takes him back. “If someone drops a plate I jump out of my skin,” he says.

Although he works in the city only a few blocks away, he avoids the site as it brings back too many memories.

“I think of Angela and her family. How they were robbed by what (the bombers) did. It was so unfair. Her parents were left with a lifelong cross to bear.”

Unlike police and other staff who received counselling, Mr Balmer “bottled it all up for years”. Finally, a psychologist said he needed to talk about what happened.

“I no longer feel I’m swimming alone.”

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