Ben Carroll, Premier of Victoria, had this message for all of Victoria last Wednesday, 26 August One year ago today, two brave Victorians went to work and never came home. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart were killed at Porepunkah doing what police officers do every day - standing between the community and harm. A third brave officer was seriously injured. Today, Victoria stops to remember them. Neal and Vadim were not just officers. They were sons, partners, mates and colleagues loved deeply, and mourned deeply, by their families, by the police family, and by communities across Victoria who lined the streets and filled stations with flowers. To their families: your loss is Victoria's loss. The grace and strength you have shown this past year - including the beautiful 'Two Rivers' tribute shared, drawn from the meaning of Porepunkah itself - has moved us all. We will stand with you today, and every day after. To the men and women of Victoria Police: what happened at Porepunkah was one of the darkest days in our history. In the days and months that followed, you showed this state what courage and resolve look like. You never stopped. Victorians will never forget that - and we will never take for granted what you risk each time you put on the uniform. The monuments unveiled at Wangaratta Police Station and Bright Police Station this week ensures Neal and Vadim's names will endure. But the truest memorial is how we live up to their example - with service, with decency, and with care for one another. Today, wherever you are, take a moment for Neal and Vadim. We will remember them.
