Yesterday on ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Police Remembrance Day, the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of fallen Commonwealth Police officer Senior Constable Travers Lovell House Weaver came together to commemorate his bravery.
Sen Con Weaver was nominated for recognition of his service and sacrifice to the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Police Memorial Coordination Committee by the AFP following extensive historical research.
Unfortunately, his records did not hold any family details, so a call to his family was posted to AFP’s social media channels in hope of identifying his relatives.
Earlier this week, the call out was responded to by Sen Con Weaver’s son, Bob Weaver, who was grateful to hear about the nomination of his father, and subsequent placement on the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Police Memorial wall as part of ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Police Remembrance Day recognition.
An invitation was extended to his family, resulting in the attendance of Sen Con Weaver’s six children, three grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
The Weaver family said they were extremely honoured and proud for the opportunity to publicly honour and remember their father for his commitment to service as a Commonwealth Police Officer.
“Our father loved his job and was a man of principle. Law and order and social justice were of equal importance and upheld not only as a police officer, but also as a loving husband to his wife Kathleen and their six children,” they said.
“Today’s service, some 54 years later, has brought many memories for each of us, some tears but mostly of love and happiness of fatherly moments.
“Our late mother Kathleen was a proud wife of a devoted police officer and today’s ceremony would have been in her eyes an amazing honour.”
“Today’s ceremony demonstrates not only that his surviving family remember and miss him, but his police family have never forgotten him either,” said Julie Dempster, granddaughter of Sen Con Weaver.
“Although I never had the opportunity to meet my great grandfather, it is great to know that both his service and sacrifice have finally been recognised,” said Adam O’Conner, great grandson of Sen Con Weaver.
“Seeing his nameplate on the wall instilled a sense of accomplishment to achieving the endeavour of having my great grandfather’s acknowledgement.”
Sen Con Weaver joined the Commonwealth Peace Officer Guard in 1954, before being appointed to the Commonwealth Police Force in 1960.
On 25 June 1968, he was part of the police response group called to attend the Commonwealth Centre in Sydney where 150 students were protesting in the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Service Office.
The protestors had barricaded themselves using heavy furniture, preventing police entry. Sen Con Weaver and attending officers began removing protestors from the corridors, requiring officers to carry the students to a lift and down a footpath.
The protestors made removal efforts more difficult by linking arms, creating an arduous working environment for police.
To remove protestors from the office, a dozen Commonwealth Police, including Sen Con Weaver, were required to scale and drag the heavy barricades away before carrying the uncooperative protestors out.
It was while undertaking this task that he collapsed and died after suffering a coronary occlusion.
Fifteen Australian police officers – including Sen Con Weaver – were added to the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Police Memorial yesterday for ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Police Remembrance Day.
