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Kalangadoo police station opened

Posted on December 23, 2009, 2:02pm

Kalangadoo police
SA Police Commissioner Malcolm Hyde officially opened the new purpose-built Kalangadoo police station on Tuesday in the presence of local dignitaries, police and residents.

South East police operations manager Sgt Andy Stott began the official ceremony with a speech on the Kalangadoo police force history, which first consisted of three volunteers sworn into the role of “special constable” in 1903.

However, the government refused to pay for their services and after attending several pub brawls they resigned.

The first police officer appointed to Kalangadoo was Mounted Constable Eaton, while the first station, a transportable wood and iron contraption complete with an office and cell that was moved around the district, was built on a 1250-pound budget in 1914.

According to Sgt Stott, the town had its pranksters and criminals over the decades.

“Mounted Constable ‘Muscles’ Ellis chased down and dealt with a group that had spent the night removing gates from hinges and hanging bicycles in trees,” he said.

“He removed them from their beds and made them restore everything exactly as before, causing them to grumble about not getting back to bed until daylight.”

Mounted Constable Hornibrook gave two lads who had been putting out two street lamps every evening some old fashioned boot-power justice, while Senior Constable Sidebottom caught some culprits letting down people’s tyres one New Year’s Eve and supplied them with a hand pump to correct their mischievous ways; apparently it took all night.

Kalangadoo has also seen many serious investigations.

“Among these were the deaths of firefighters at a Glencoe fire in 1958, a murder in the railway cottages, a circus hand killed by an elephant, constant encounters with sly grogging, a shooting murder just out of town, another at Tarpeena and the horrific Ash Wednesday fires,” Sgt Stott said.

“Senior Constable George Kaiser, who is here today, was the resident officer in 1984 when the bank was held up, was involved in the arrest of the ‘Rambo’ killer near Lowan and in his time had to arrest two ladies for fighting at the local football.

“Life is never dull in Kalangadoo.”

  • A full report and photos on the opening will appear in The Border Watch on Friday.
  • Picture: South East police Superintendent Trevor Twilley (right) with Kalangadoo officer in charge Brevet Sergeant Obee.
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