FRIDAY OCTOBER 23 2015 NEWS FEATURE 35

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NEARLY half a century ago, proudWarlpiri man Teddy Egan captured atracker who shot a man dead during theHarts Range Races.

Some 48 years later, the late NT Policetracker has been acknowledged with aPolice Valour Medal for Bravery, after heled a search party on a seven-day trekthrough perilous Central Australiancountry to make the arrest.

The Harts Range Races were in fullswing on Saturday, August 5, 1967, when itwas discovered police tracker Billy Bennhad shot dead fellow tracker Harry Neal.

Mr Benn took off into the bush with arifle and family members.

Alice Springs Sergeant Len Cossins andLake Nash Constable Blake Jobberns wereat the race meeting and began to searchthe nearby range for Mr Benn.

The fugitive opened fire and woundedMr Jobberns across the stomach andMr Cossins in the buttocks.

A search party was put together and in-cluded second-in-charge Sergeant PeterHaage, six constables – Malcolm King,Ross Kerr, Rob Moore, Les Perry, TerryO’Brien and Laurie Kennedy – along withtwo Aboriginal trackers – Sonny Woodsand Teddy Egan.

“It appeared to us who attended that wehad a desperate and dangerous man onthe loose,” Mr Kennedy said in the NTPolice Historical Society Newsletter.

The group commandeered stationhorses from the racetrack, with a ridinghorse and packhorse each.

“The astuteness of the trackers(Mr Wood and Mr Egan) was amazing,”Mr Kennedy said.

“If we needed to water the horses, it wasvirtually just find a likely spot, dig downabout a foot or so and we had it.”

On day six of the search, Mr Egan,Mr King, Mr O’Brien and Mr Kennedycontinued to track the area and the rest ofthe group returned to Harts Range.

“That evening, we were in a steepgorge, when Tracker Egan started to get abit toey and reckoned Billy Benn wasclose by,” Mr Kennedy said.

“It turns out we had walked right pasthim as he lay camouflaged in the bush.”

The group of four set up camp as it wasgetting dark and Mr Egan heard somenoises and went to investigate.

“He saw some of Billy’s relatives andwent over to them, took a rifle from afellow called Long Dick and fired a shotinto the air,” Mr Kennedy said.

“Then he sang out to us that he hadthe rifle, we scrambled up to where Teddywas and soon spotted Billy Benn close byand grabbed him.”

They guarded him through a cold nightand then trekked back to Harts Range.

“It was some magnificent country as faras scenery goes but we had no idea wherewe were going and if it wasn’t for thetrackers, I believe we could have still beenthere,” Mr Kennedy said.

Mr Benn was later acquitted of themurder on the grounds of insanity andwent on to become a famous artist andwinner of the national Alice Prize for hislandscape work.

FORMER police officer GrahamMcMahon was sent to Alice Springs asofficer-in-charge of the criminal investiga-tions branch about two or three monthsafter the Billy Benn incident.

“I was talking to one of the policemenwho went out with Teddy and he wassaying that ‘the three of us were hiding be-hind rocks and the tracker went off andmade the arrest’,” Mr McMahon said.

“The police dived for cover and Teddywalked up and took the rifle off him whichwas fully loaded with 15 bullets.

“It’s a display of courage that shouldbe recognised and I wasn’t going to forgetabout it.”

Mr McMahon said in 1969 hewrote a report and asked for Mr Egan

Flashback to August 1967: Teddy Egan played a crucial role in helping capture Billy Benn.

Tracker Teddy Egan sifts for clues in the disappearance of tourist Peter Falconio in 2001, He will be posthumously awarded the Police Valour Medal for Bravery for his role in the capture of Billy Benn..

Tracker earns honour for his heroic actions, 48 years ago

to be considered for an award butnothing happened.

He was forced to retire not long afterdue to an injury, but stepped up his pleasfor Mr Egan’s acknowledgment in 2002.

“Teddy was a very quiet person,very intelligent, didn’t say much at all,”Mr McMahon said.

“He was a marvellous, an exceptionaltracker.

“Trackers were really menial workersaround police stations then … he wentback to raking up and sweeping out whenhe got back.”

Finally, more than 45 years afterMr McMahon first wrote to police,Mr Egan will be posthumously recognisedwith a Police Valour Medal for Bravery ata ceremony today at the opening ofYuendumu Police Station.

“Six commissioners did nothing aboutit then Reece Kershaw, the current com-missioner, did something straight away,”Mr McMahon said.

“I’m looking forward to meeting hisfamily in Yuendumu, I think they’re goingto be very proud to get the medal.”

Police Commissioner Reece Kershawwill present the medal to Mr Egan’sfamily, understood to be the first time anAboriginal tracker has been presented thehighest honour NT Police can receive.

“I cannot speak on behalf of the pastcommissioners, but when I was appointedas police commissioner, the Teddy Eganfile was brought to my attention,”Mr Kershaw said.

“I immediately recognised the import-ance of recognising his brave efforts in theHarts Range standoff with Billy Benn.”

Mr Kershaw said Mr Egan went aboveand beyond his duties as a tracker.

“What Mr Egan did back in 1967 wasextraordinary,” he said.

“His efforts will not be forgotten. “With this award his family and the

Walpiri people can be proud of one oftheir own, an extraordinary man who ded-icated his expertise to the NT Police.”

Mr Egan continued to work on caseswith the NT Police force, including help-ing with the search for murdered Englishbackpacker Peter Falconio in 2001.

Toyah Shakespeare

“What Mr Egan did back in 1967 was extraordinary … His efforts will not be forgotten.”

N T P O L I C E C O M M I S S I O N E R R E E C E K E R S H A W