Soul in the soil

By Kath Gannaway
“HIS father’s blood is spilt here, so there is a sense of his dad here.”
Tina Hogarth-Clarke was speaking on Sunday following the commemoration of a memorial nearby to where her late husband, Senior Constable Tony Clarke, was murdered while on duty on 24 April, 2005.
Mrs Hogarth-Clarke said she, and the couple’s young son, Connor, had visited the place on Warburton Highway at Launching Place a number of times over the past 15 months.
“He knows this is where his dad died … our sacred site,” she said.
Sitting with family members and friends, Mrs Hogarth-Clarke was surrounded by a sea of uniformed police members.
Former Yarra Ranges District Inspector, Mick Beattie, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bob Hastings, Yarra Ranges Shire CEO, Rob Hauser and police chaplain, Reverend Jim Pilmer, spoke of S.C. Clarke’s contribution as a police officer, and the effect his murder has had on those close to him, the police family and the Yarra Valley communities he served.
“His passing has confirmed to us how vulnerable we are in serving the community,” Mr Beattie said. “And the outpouring of grief and messages of support has reinforced the special position of trust and appreciation the community holds for police officers.”
The memorial, a plaque flanked by two seats on a peaceful spot along the Lilydale-Warburton Rail Trail, was initiated and donated by the Shire of Yarra Ranges.
Mr Hauser told the gathering that police hold a very special place in the Yarra Ranges community as protectors and upholders of the law, providing a sense of safety for its residents.
“It is our hope people will stop here and reflect on the sacrifice and contribution of our wonderful police men and women,” he said.
In blessing the memorial Reverend Pilmer said it symbolised the gratitude of the surrounding community, the respect of colleagues and the love of family and friends.
As the gathering stood in the warm sunshine for the blessing, in a moment of silent reflection there was another beautifully orchestrated moment of symbolism.
The silence was broken by the sudden rustling of leaves in the treetops along the trail and a gentle, cool breeze came and went.
Mrs Hogarth-Clarke said the memorial served to acknowledge the job police officers do and the dangers they encounter.
“You don’t expect it, you don’t anticipate it, but they (the dangers) are there. This recognised that they are here looking after our safety,” she said.
She said her husband had liked working in the Yarra Valley and that it was a spot where they came for holidays.
Mrs Hogarth-Clarke said the memorial would provide a place of reflection for people riding along the trail and for others and that she hoped it would stay as a reminder of the job police do.
Connor, she said, would come to Launching Place as often as he wanted to.
The dedication of the memorial she added, was the final public event for her, nearly a year and a half after the death of her husband.
“Now, it is time to just start living again,” she said.