William Leonard Espie (25 June 1935 – 22 September 2011) was the highest ranking Aboriginal person to serve on any Australian police force; he was, at one point the Chief Inspector in the NSW Police Force. He is remembered as a "Centralian hero".

Early life

Espie was born in Alice Springs, one of several children of

Edith Espie Edith Espie (1903 – 1983) was a Western Arrernte foster mother and lay social worker in Alice Springs, Australia. Biography Born at Jay Creek, near Alice Springs, Australia, Espie lived at The Bungalow, an institution for Aboriginal childr ...

, an

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...

woman, and Victor Cook, who soon left to "start a new - white - family down south". His family home is described as a good one and that his mother did their best for them; his mother Edith was always helping other people in the community and often took foster children in to their home. In his early teens Espie came into contact with Anglican priest, Father Percy Smith, who arranged for him, and a number of other Aboriginal boys to go to

St Francis House St Francis House was a home for inland Aboriginal Australian boys from 1946 to 1959 at Glanville Hall in Semaphore South, Adelaide, South Australia. Father Percy Smith purchased Glanville Hall on behalf of the Anglican Church to provide accommo ...

in Adelaide alongside the now prominent names of Charles Perkins, Gordon Briscoe and Brian Butler. This was supported by his mother, who wanted her children to have a better chance at life. In 1955 Espie joined the Australian Army, as a saper in the engineers and, later, was appointed a field engineer before leaving in 1961. On 14 August 1961 he started his training with the NSW Police Force where he worked to become Chief Inspector, the highest position ever held by an Aboriginal person. Espie was well respected in the police force and, in March 1965, received a lot of attention for his bravery when he rescued two trapped men, from separate burning cars. He retired from the police force, after 30 years of serve, in April 1991. During this time he received the following awards: * 1965,

Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct The Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct, formerly the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct, acknowledged brave acts by both civilians and members of the armed services in both war and peace, for gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. Est ...

* 1965, Commissioner's Commendation * 1965, Peter Mitchell Award * 1965, George Lewis Trophy * 1971, Commissioner's Commendation * 1977, Commissioner's Commendation * 1980, National Medal * 1988, First Class National Medal * Australian National Police Service Medal

Later life

Espie died on September 22, 2011 in the Concord Repatriation Hospital in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and his ashes were placed at the Alice Springs Garden Cemetery.

Legacy

There is a memorial to Espie at the

Hartley Street School Hartley Street School in Alice Springs (formerly Stuart), Northern Territory, Australia, was the first purpose-built school in the town. Its oldest buildings were constructed in 1929, and it opened in 1930 to cater for the growing population in ...

in Alice Springs, which is now operating as a museum. Much of Espie's memorabilia is on permanent display at the NSW Police Academy in

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espie, William People from Alice Springs Australian police officers 1935 births 2011 deaths Recipients of the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct