Victoria Police officer Rod Brown tonight hosts his first major fundraiser as the new local president of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation.
As one of the longest serving members of our local police force, the 54 year old will tonight host the VIP function for the many dignitaries attending the AFL NAB Challenge match between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.
The two teams will be playing for the Tynan Eyre Cup and the best player afield will be awarded the Ulf Kaminski Medal.
Our newsmaker was born in Bendigo and attended primary school at Gravel Hill. He completed his secondary education at White Hills and worked on his parents poultry farm at Epsom.
He also had a stint at wool classing at a local tannery and in 1977 decided to apply for a position with the Victoria Police Force.
“The police force gave me an opportunity to get a very diversified career path,” Rod said.
“There is plenty of outside work and meeting with people and making a difference in their lives.’’
The police force has been part of Rod Brown’s life for more than 30 years.
After completing the course at the police academy he got his first posting to Broadmeadows which was a training station for new officers.
He said it was a steep learning curve because there was a wide range of community and policing problems which were unfamiliar to new members of the force.
It was a great time to learn about the job in that area.
“I spent two years at Broadmeadows and I returned to Bendigo in 1979,” Rod said.
“I was one of only four constables at the station here when I came home and I have been lucky enough to stay here ever since.
“It says a lot for Bendigo itself that police members can get employment here and they appreciate what a great place this city is to work and raise a family,’’ Rod said.
Neighborhood Watch has taken much of the time of this popular local policeman in recent years.
“I got this gazetted position back in 1991 and since then I have been the divisional Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator,” Rod said.
“Originally the program started off in Quarry Hill and it was the first location outside the metropolitan area. We were able to make a significant reduction in residential burglaries in the first 12 months of operation.
“Then progressively the program has spread to cover about 50 per cent of the area covered by the City of Greater Bendigo.
“The figures at the moment are 17 regions across suburban Bendigo and the balance are in such areas as Goornong, Elmore, Heathcote and Maiden Gully,’’ Rod said.
More recently Rod Brown has taken on the role of president of the Bendigo committee of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation and he presides over his first official duty at tonight’s AFL NAB Challenge match at the Queen Elizabeth Oval.
“It will be great to welcome the Tynan and Eyre families to the match as the two participating clubs will be playing for the Tynan Eyre Cup in front of a huge crowd,” Rod said.
“The two families really appreciate what the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation does for them in perpetuating the memory of their sons who were lost in the tragedy in Walsh Street 20 years ago,” Rod said.
The new leader of the local branch of the Blue Ribbon Foundation wants to pursue more major sporting events for this city.
Among the ideas tabled have been continuation of the AFL NAB Challenge matches in association with Central Victoria Football and the highly successful series of the Inside Story featuring some of the state’s top crime fighters.
“We are also looking to conduct a Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Ball later in the year with the entertainment provided by the police show band,” Rod said.
“We are also talking to a number of major sporting groups with the view of extending the Blue Ribbon Foundation involvement into other sporting codes at our top class local facilities.
“We are also aiming to host a special Blue Ribbon race day at the Bendigo Jockey Club,’’ he said.