The citation : the newsletter of the Northern Territory Police Museum & Historical Society
Northern Territory Police Museum & Historical Society Inc
Citation; E-Journals; PublicationNT; Citation
2008-11-01
Berrimah
Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).; This publication contains may contain links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.
English
Northern Territory Police Historical Society; Northern Territory Police Force; History; Police; Periodicals
Northern Territory Police Museum & Historical Society Inc
Berrimah
Citation
Issued November 2008
application/pdf
1839-3918; 1839-390X
Attribution International 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
Northern Territory Government
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/260808
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/490458
November 1, 2008 [CITATION: NT POLICE MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY] C I T A T I O N - N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 8 Page 26 had a great yarn that day. Years later (1982), McManus was having a quiet drink at the Police Club in Cavenagh Street when a voice boomed out , Wheres McManus ? The bastard reckons he can fight! It was Broken Nose, thirsty and with a bone crunching handshake. Their paths crossed again at the Roper River Celebrations in l985 and in Alice. During WW 11 the NT Police Force was stretched to the limit and below strength due to members leaving to join the Defence Forces. There were also members working with the Army in the NT and with the North Australia Observation Unit (Nackeroos). Several members did not take annual leave during the last years of the war. The gazetted strength of NT Police was 8O at the end of the war, but the actual number was 50. Civil administration of Darwin resumed at the close of 1945 when the army handed back control of the Top End. Residents of the NT were returning and the shortage of police was acute. Arrangements were made for SA Police and WA Police to lend officers to the NT to fill the gap. SA Police sent five constables for the two years 1945 to 1947. WA Police were to lend two officers from 1946 to 1948. When SA advertised the vacancies 38 members of their force applied. They gave the NT some of their newer members. In February 1945 the SA Police Commissioner chose five junior Probationary Constables for Territory service: Kevin (Bobby) Breen, aged 19 years; Peter Delderfield, 18; John Donegan, 19; Bruce Evans, 19; and Ron Huddy, 19. Although young in years and service, they were appreciated by the NT Police. Constable Huddy was an amateur boxer and a footballer of some note. In 1950 he fought the Australia Heavyweight Champion, Jack Cousins, in a challenge bout. While a member of the NT Police he was injured (firearm wound to his leg) on a combined border patrol of the SA - NT border. The WA Police sent Constables John Dwyer and Gordon Reade; they arrived in 1946 for two years. Older and more experienced than the South Australians, a difficulty arose at the end of their term-they wanted to stay in the NT. The NT Force would have readily accepted them. All returned to their respective states. Typical comments about the officers from interstate read- It is with regret that the Constable is leaving. He is an outstanding type, an excellent horseman, a good and willing worker and quite capable in carrying out in a competent manner any duty he has to do.... The SA Police appreciated the thrown in the deep end' training their members received in the Top End. All the conscripts were promoted to the rank of Mounted Constable on their return to SA.