TOMORROW is a day for remembering police officers who\u2019ve fallen in the line of duty.<\/p>\n
Blue Ribbon Day, or National Police Remembrance Day, occurs annually on 29 September and was established by the Blue Ribbon Foundation in 1999.<\/p>\n
Barry Traynor, Police Veterans Victoria\u2019s peer support officer for Ballarat said it\u2019s an important day to acknowledge.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the records have been kept from about 1929, we\u2019ve had more than 171 police officers who\u2019ve died serving the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis date has really grown and grown. It\u2019s our way of saying we still remember you, thanks for your service, and getting together and mixing with retired police. It\u2019s very therapeutic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey put themselves in harm\u2019s way every day of the week so when we lose one it\u2019s important to sit back and reflect on what they\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n
A local service will be held at St Peter\u2019s Anglican Church from 11am which will include speeches, the police ode and an update on the latest deaths.<\/p>\n
Mr Traynor served as a police officer in Ballarat for about 30 years, and said he\u2019s never missed a local service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll have some laughs, a few tears. It\u2019s a real coping mechanism for many of our officers. There\u2019s 108 retired police that live in Ballarat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fascinating to see the conversations that can happen between members of the community and our local officers at the service. It really brings everyone together.<\/p>\n
\u201c171 police officers lost. You might think that\u2019s not a lot over that period of time, but one\u2019s too many.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TOMORROW is a day for remembering police officers who\u2019ve fallen in the line of duty. Blue Ribbon Day, or National Police Remembrance Day, occurs annually on 29 September and was established by the Blue Ribbon Foundation in 1999. Barry Traynor, Police Veterans Victoria\u2019s peer support officer for Ballarat said it\u2019s an important day to acknowledge. […]<\/p>\n