Journal Archive
Forty-seven years a Cop
By Brett WilliamsSenior Constable Des O'Rielley thought that, after serving the police department for 47 years, he could slip quietly into retirement without any fuss. But he was wrong. Des's outstanding record of service - the longest in SA police history - recently drew a barrage of media attention.
A humble, unassuming man, Des, 63, says he wanted to make a no-fuss exit from his career because "that's just the sort of person I am".
About his status as the State's longest serving cop, he jokingly says: "That's probably my only claim to fame, (but) I guess it's something to look back on with fond memory that hasn't been achieved before."
When he joined SAPOL (South Australia Police) in January, 1951, it was partly due to necessity: his family's Tarlee farm was too small to support him and his five brothers and sister. Had circumstances been different, however, farm life would have been Des's first option.
His first seven years in the job were the same as those of most other recruits of the 1950s: on the city beat and in suburban police stations. He remembers pounding that beat alone and conducting enquiries from the stations in a motorcycle and sidecar.
But in 1958, the Band of the South Australia Police was about to be formed and Des wanted to be involved.
"It started off as a pretty rough group," he says. "It was an all-brass unit, and we developed pretty quickly. We used to do live broadcasts on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and a lot of country touring.
"They changed in 1974 to a concert band when they brought in woodwind instruments like clarinets, oboes and saxophone."
Des played comet and tenor horn in the brass band, and cornet in the concert band.
To his minor regret, however, he never made a return to operational police work: he's remained with the band for 40 years.
Nine years ago, he took charge of the band's library and left playing to others.
"I probably haven't achieved that much," he says modestly, "but it's been a good job and I've enjoyed it - it's been a good career for me.
"I enjoyed operational police work and wanted to go back. I probably would have achieved more rankwise, but once I got into the music side of it, I enjoyed the lifestyle."
With a greater history of service on which to reflect than any other South Australian police officer, Des says that the difference in policing from the '50s to the '90s is "just tremendous".
"The pressure they (police) have got now, we didn't have: problems with drugs and the crime rate," he says. "They have more hassles now from the press, the public and everybody else - and they walk a pretty fine line sometimes.
"I think somebody getting into policing today would have to be really mentally attuned to it and know what it's all about."
Two of Des's brothers, Patrick and Kevin, served in the police force with him. And the O'Rielley name remains a presence in SAPOL through his son, Shaun, a CIB (Criminal Investigation Branch) detective and daughter-in-law Michelle, a community liaison officer.
Not only does Des's service to SAPOL exceed all before him, but his membership to the Police Association has also become a seemingly unsurpassable record.
Police Association secretary, Peter Parfitt, describes Des's service history as "quite a stunning fact". "A commitment of 47 years to this association is an incredible feat that we'll probably never see again," he says. "We wish him well and thank him for his commitment over those years."
But the band's participation in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 1990 is the happiest memory with which Des will leave SAPOL. He was delighted by the band's reception and particularly noted that the Americans were "knocked out" by its performance.
He'll complete his record-breaking career on 25 March. In retirement, Des plans to continue refurbishing his house and sharpen his computer skills; he may even travel to Ireland with his wife, Marlene.
Surprisingly, it's not his years of service for which Des hopes to be remembered. "Having been one of the founding members of the (band) branch," he says, "I'd simply like people to think I'd added something to it."[End]
