A FORMER Bendigo police inspector wounded in a siege at Kangaroo Flat has been posthumously awarded the Victoria Police Star in recognition of his valiant efforts.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Inspector Ulf Kaminski was among four police officers shot during the siege at a house in High Street, Kangaroo Flat, on October 1, 1999.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon presented him with a Victoria Police Chief Commissioner's commendation for bravery in 2002.
Insp. Kaminski died on November 18, 2003, aged 52, after a short illness.
His widow, Denise, and two of the couple's three daughters, Rowena and Carly, received the Victoria Police Star, which recognises Victoria Police employees killed or seriously injured as a result of their association with the force, on behalf of Insp. Kaminski on Friday.
"I'm very proud," Mrs Kaminski said.
The fact that Senior Constable Peter Eames, who the gunman shot in the chest and right thigh, nominated her husband made the honour more special, she said.
Mrs Kaminski told The Advertiser that she was in a state of disbelief upon learning that her husband, who was acting superintendent at the time, had been shot in the stomach as he helped wounded colleagues.
"He had not long arrived, because they requested him to come in," she said.
"He was standing where he thought he was safe, back near the ambulances, but it wasn't so safe."
Police found the gunman dead in the house the next day.
He had shot himself.
Amazingly, Insp. Kaminski was back at work within four months of being shot.
"He just loved his job," Mrs Kaminski said.
"He wanted to get back to work.
"He didn't want to lose much time."
Insp. Kaminski was instrumental in establishing a closer working relationship between Bendigo police and the community.
His legacies include the Bendigo Safe City Forum, a collaborative partnership between local agencies that is still going strong.
"He just loved Bendigo and just wanted to do the best for the community," Mrs Kaminski said.
"He was with the Sedgwick fire brigade for many years."
Hundreds of civilians turned out alongside police members to pay their respects to the policeman of 35 years at his funeral on November 21, 2003.
Mrs Kaminski described the man she was married to for 23 years as loving and caring.
He loved spending time at the family's rural property in Sedgwick and was a doting father to Rowena, Carly and Natalie.
In a reflection of what Insp. Kaminski meant to the community, as well as to the police, Rowena and Carly presented Essendon skipper James Hird with a medal named after their father during a football match between the Bombers and Geelong at the Queen Elizabeth Oval in March, 2005.
Mrs Kaminski was overseas at the time, as was the couple's other daughter, Natalie, who is a lance corporal in the Australian army, but she was touched that the Ulf Kaminski Medal was presented in the Blue Ribbon Challenge Cup.
The AFL practice match raised money for the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation and a percentage of the proceeds went to the Tynan-Eyre Trauma Unit at the Bendigo Hospital.
"It felt special," Mrs Kaminski said.
"It recognised his community work and... it helped the Bendigo community and the Blue Ribbon Foundation.
"It wasn't long after they opened... the trauma unit that these guys had to use it (after the siege).
"If they hadn't had the trauma unit, they would have had to have gone to Melbourne."
Mrs Kaminski said she and her daughters had received strong support from the community and police:
"They're always there if you need them".