PART 1: Kangaroo Flat siege 15 years on: Sergeant relives fateful night

SENIOR Constable Peter Eames could feel his body shutting down.

Shot in the chest at close range.

Another bullet shattering in his upper leg.

A disturbance involving Kangaroo Flat man John Wason outside a High Street home had taken a life-threatening turn.

Eames was called to the scene because of his training in negotiation.

With Wason refusing to talk with police, it was becoming clear resolving the situation was going to take time.

''We were discussing tactics at one stage and he came out of the house with a can of beer in his hand and he was very aggressive,'' Eames said.

''I moved towards him to see what the issue was and he just abused us and went back inside. He was very angry.

''There was no information that he had a gun in his possession and we were receiving mixed messages about his propensity for violence from his father at the hospital.

‘’However, all the precautions were taken.’’

Eames and his colleagues were just a minute, maybe two, away from learning Wason was a potential killer.

''There were a few of us in a group on the perimeter of the house – I heard a crack and fell to the ground,'' Eames said.

''The bullet penetrated my right lung, so immediately my breathing capacity had been reduced by 50 per cent.

''I looked down and there was actually smoke rising from my chest.

''My mind was trying to process what had happened – I was thinking I’d been shot in the chest and that’s not good

''I thought this could be the end.''

Eames’ colleagues had retreated to the cover of a small brick fence and encouraged him to join them.

''One of my colleagues said, ‘try to lift your foot up and push back toward us’.

''I was exposed and he just shot me in the leg.

''I was pretty much helpless at that stage.''

The other officers were well aware of Eames' predicament and courageously moved into the line of fire.

''They dragged me around the corner, putting themselves in great danger because we didn’t know where he (Wason) was… he was in the darkness of his verandah area, so he had a clear view of us.’’

It seems police turn to humour to ease the tension of such situations.

''I remember Dave Mansell saying, 'You’re a heavy bastard with all that gear on','' he says.

Eames could do nothing but lie and wait.

For more than an hour it was just him, thoughts of death, the fear of not knowing if Wason would walk around the corner and finish him off and that excruciating pain.

''I was coughing up blood and I knew things were shutting down,'' he said.

''During that time I remember hearing shots going over and I remember hearing Craig Miller let out a cry of agony... I knew he’d been shot.

''I was concerned for the guys that were there because I didn’t know how many had been shot.''

Acting inspector Ulf Kaminski and Leading Senior Constable Peter Lukaitis would also be shot that night.

''When you are lying there, all sorts of things go through your mind… you think about your own mortality and how quickly life can go in a spur of the moment,'' he said.

''There would have been a 100 things going through my mind about family.''

Enter chief superintendent Dave Mansell.

''David Mansell actually pulled over a car that was being driven by a volunteer fireman who was in the area at the time and said, 'Do you mind taking this police officer to hospital?'

''So he put me in the back of this very old Holden station-wagon – it was one of the most bumpy rides I've had in my life.

''The driver was fantastic – he just took me straight into the ambulance bay and all of a sudden I was surrounded by doctors and nurses and they just took care of me.''

Eames credits those Bendigo hospital staff with his life, particularly surgeon Andrew Barling.

''He was utterly tremendous. He said to me when I saw him for the first time, 'we almost lost you at one stage'. He said when I got to hospital I had about 20 minutes left. That was a fairly emotional moment for me because I just thanked him for saving my life.''

''The other thing, we had an anaesthetist from South Africa. He said to me later when he heard four police had been shot, he thought he was back in Johannesburg.''

So good was the work of Barling and others, Eames was out of hospital in a week.

His physical recovery took 18 long months.

The emotional side remains a work in progress.

It was the enormous community support in the siege aftermath that started to restore his faith.

''When I was in my recovery room, the place was surrounded by flowers and cards from all sorts of people - kids in schools, well wishers from all around the country and police departments from all around Australia and overseas as well.

''I remember writing to the Addy and thanking everyone. I actually said in that article we were becoming a mini Melbourne and weren’t really caring about each other but after this I was proven quite wrong and the community spirit was quite strong.

''There was a really good feeling when one takes into account what happened.''

Still today Eames finds it hard to move on from the events of October 1, 1999.

The bullet from his chest sits on a shelf in a jar while fragments from the second bullet remain in his leg.

''I often think about the incident at this time of the year. It still plays a big part of my life,'' he said.

''Every time I drive past that location, I look at the house even though the fence has changed and the shrubbery has changed. I have a quick glance and look around the corner and reflect on where my life could have ended.

''Emotionally, it’s very difficult to get over an event of this magnitude.

''I went through periods of flashbacks and intense feelings which are pretty normal undergoing a traumatic event.

''Going back on the road for the first time at work after that was probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.''

The Kangaroo Flat siege lasted 19 hours before the body of John Wason was found in his home.

All police officers survived their wounds.

Sergeant Peter Lukaitis, Acting Inspector Ulf Kaminski, Sergeant Tony Commadeur and Senior Detective Craig Miller received bravery awards.

Senior Constables Gary Harrison, Michala Maskell and Frank Reid received commendations.

Members of the public Mary-Ann Beckmans, Hendrikus Beckmans and Harold Stirton also received bravery awards.

An inquest into the Kangaroo Flat siege found John Wason was suffering mental health issues when he shot police.

The siege remains the single biggest number of police shot at one scene in Victorian Police history.