The Northern Territory Police Association
A brief history - page 2
Eventually, by 1939, members had become aware of the existence
of a Police Union in Queensland and Police Associations elsewhere.
On 12 November 1939, Constable (later Inspector J.J. Mannion GM),
convened a meeting of members to discuss the formation of an
Association.
Inspector Lovegrove addressed the meeting saying:-
"I wish the Association well and I am of the opinion that the
movement will not just be a temporary affair but shall go on and
on"
The first Annual General Meeting of the Association was held in March 1940 at which Sergeant Robert 'Jock' Reid KPM was elected President. Sergeant Reid, unfortunately for the Association, was soon to transfer to Canberra as the Commissioner of the Capital Territory Police Force. By April of that year the Association boasted a membership of 18. Small perhaps, but this was the majority of the non-commissioned membership of the Force.
According to Bruce Swanston, who wrote about the Association in 1981 ,the Commissioner at the time considered the leaders of the Northern Territory Police Association to be "demagogues" and to have communist tendencies.
After the bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942 and the evacuation of most police to other centres, the Association ceased to function for the remainder of the Second World War The Association was reborn in July 1945 at a meeting held in 'a school at Alice Springs. Sergeant R.R. Bridgland became President.
In 1948, the executive of the Association started to lobby for the formation of a Police Arbitral Tribunal, The Minister approved the application and Judge Wells of the Northern Territory Supreme Court was appointed the first chairman in 1949. The Police Appeal Board came into existence at the same time.
The first Determination was signed in 1949. Soon afterwards, the Legislative Council received a Bill for debate that was intended to remove many of the powers from the Poiice Arbitral Tribunal. Due to a federal election intervening in the process the bill never proceeded although a similar bill introduced in 1951, was defeated at the second reading stage.
.gif)
