Community & Business
7 September, 2022
Rhodes rides in memory of fallen officers
PASSIONATE ex-Tablelands Patrol Group Inspector Russell Rhodes will be doing his eighth Wall to Wall ride from Canberra to Townsville this next week in honour of his fellow officers who have tragically lost their lives in action.
The Wall to Wall Ride will take off on 17 September this year and acts as a special tribute that honours the service and sac-rifices of many law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
Mr Rhodes believes the Wall to Wall initiative is “extremely important” and has a deep and personal significant meaning to him as a former officer and a friend.
“It’s a chance for all four of us to represent Queensland Po-lice as well as those officers we knew personally who lost their lives in the line of duty,” he said.
“There were two officers who I knew so well, and I ride to ac-knowledge them as friends and as police officers who were integral to policing in the Far North.
“Bamaga Senior Constable Sally Urquhart tragically lost her life in the Lockhart plane crash on May 7, 2005, while Constable Casey Blain passed away in a traffic accident on Newcastle Road roughly 20 kilometres out-side of Georgetown.
“I worked with both of them, and I love the opportunity to go down to Canberra and remember their contribution to the force.”
As well as participating in the Wall to Wall in honour of Senior Constable Urquhart, Mr Rhodes also helped launch a police vessel last July, named after her to keep her legacy alive.
Mr Rhodes dedication to keep honouring those who have passed has continued to be recognised and appreciated by the local police forces, family and friends.
He will start his travels in Canberra outside the Prime Minister’s office on the 17 September and complete the ride at the Townsville Police Academy
