The year 2003 marked 25 years since the Rotary Club of Unley established the prestigious South Australia Police Officer of the Year award.

In the Picture: SA Police Officer of the Year for 2002 Senior Constable Michael Thunig pictured with Rotary Club of Unley Vocational Committee Chair Wayne Ross and President Bob Laws at the award presentation in Adelaide's Rundle Mall.

In the Sunday Mail on 18 May, Peter Haran reported:

Courage, compassion and kindness make
SA's Finest

South Australian Police Officer of the Year [for 2002], country cop Senior Constable Michael Thunig, has never watched Blue Heelers. However, when it comes to popularity he's on a par with the bush-based television cop show. In real life he endures an emotional, stressful, rewarding 24-hour roller-coaster.

The police officer, who runs a one-man station at Lucindale in the South-East, was given the blue light as the state's finest and the town turned out to thank him. At the head of the queue was Margaret "Mummy" Wilks, 73, the woman who put in the SA Police Officer of the Year nomination form [to the Rotary Club of Unley] and encouraged the town of 500 to get behind their solo cop. It didn't take much encouragement.

"He is a man who has made me feel secure - and made others feel safe in their homes," Ms Wilks said. "He also raised $33,000 for charity in four years. To me what was so important was he's a man you can talk to."

There are good days and bad days like any job, says the man who runs his "cop shop" from a circa 1950s building in the main street.

"there are crimes in the country, similar to what happens in metropolitan areas - but as a lone police officer you deal with every one," he said. "we have sheep stealingand road offences and we have fatalities. I have dealt with three fatalities involving accidents in the past three years - it's a case of attending the tragedy and then following through . . . I go to those who are left behind and give the bad news. In a town like this I know almost everyone, so I'm giving the news to someone I know. that's the job and there are positives.

"I think that what this award does underline is the need to retain police in small country towns - it's important to have the presence and the face-to-face contact with people."

Naracoorte-Lucindale Council branch office manager Susan Thornley said "courage, compassion and kindness" were among Michael Thunig's attributes. "He will be carrying out his police duties and running a Kindy Cops program for the children," Ms Thornley said. "He came here, brought his family and we accepted him."

What they said about him

• He encourages the community to be pro-active about their concerns - Lucindale Rural Watch
  
  
• He supports parents as they face problems of alcohol use in their families - Lucindale Area School
  
  
• He has a remarkable way of handling and understanding the youth, who hold him in high regard - Kathryn Lawrie-Read (parent)
  
  
• The elderly can live their lives without worry of being molested - Ross Stevens (elderly resident).

Letter to the Editor of the Sunday Mail 25 May 2003

Our thanks go to Evelyn Birnie for setting the record straight.

Click here for more about the SA Police Officer of the Year Award