On 25.11.2021, I caught up with member Peter Cahill in Townsville to chat about his recently released autobiography "Always on Call"
Peter has written his autobiography of his time in the Queensland Police from 1967 until 1990.
Information from Peter -
A volume of short stories - An autobiography of an outback cop
Paperback and eBook, Pages 342, Published 2021
website: peterandrewcahill.com
Facebook: facebook.com/alwaysoncallboook
email: cahillpeterandrew@gmail.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Cahill, who once was described by a senior cop as “The man is a legend in his own time”, invites the reader into his life as a police officer and experience the ups and downs of working in various Queensland police stations. He tells his stories with remarkable candour of times where life-threatening danger was often not far away. Peter now lives in far North Queensland, where he likes spending time with his wife Pimmie, their loyal German shepherd dog Tonto, the always mischievous sausage dog mix, Simba, and an elderly rainbow lorikeet named Jacko
ENDORSEMENTS
Peter’s book is an honest reflection of working as a police officer in remote and regional communities in an era where resources and support were often in short supply and where creative problem solving was the norm. Peter’s book reminds us that for police officers, regard[1]less of when or where, confronting violent, dangerous or difficult situations is an ever-present possibility and that it takes courage and conviction to bring about a solution. The book also explores the human element of policing and the toll the work can have on its officers. It is a book that many serving and former police officers, their families and friends will relate to. -Graham Lohmann, Queensland Police Service 1975-2019
In ‘Always on Call,’ Peter Cahill uses his firsthand experiences to explain in detail exactly what dangers a police officer was confronted with on a daily basis throughout his career. Its splash of Aussie humour only adds to the tale. Every event in the book actually happened and is part of this nation’s history. It’s said, “Every person has a story,’ and this man’s story is worth retelling, for its men like Peter, who help build this nation. So, to sum up my appreciation of his dedication and service, allow me to quote from C.J. Dennis. “To you sir, I dips me lid!” -Dennis L. Wells, author of ‘Forgiven Sins’
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to the scores of Indigenous Community Policemen and Police Trackers, who singularly and collectively provided me with an insight into a dimension I could never have experienced had I not been a policeman in Outback Queensland. You have my respect.
FOREWORD
I first met the author when we joined the Qld Police Force as cadets when teenage boys at the Police Barracks, Petrie Terrace. After our three-year stint there, our paths took different directions, and we didn’t cross professional paths again until Mt. Isa and then later in Cairns and Cape York, although we’d catch up once in a blue moon when he was in the Big Smoke. Peter, or “Killer” as he was colloquially and affectionately known, was a legend as a country cop and was particularly widely known in the Far North and Cape York. He operated in the days when respect was not granted because of the police uniform or badge but had to be earned, and political correctness PC didn’t exist. He volunteered for most of his remote and country postings, spending years in inhospitable areas that most police wouldn’t cope with for long periods. There was nil to little back-up due to the vast distances involved, with communications to Police HQ only sparsely available. A vast amount of the time, he operated by himself, and as a remote country police officer, he was on call 24/7. It takes a policeman with a unique, strong character to earn respect and be able to police Aboriginal communities, which Pete achieved over many years at various locations. He was highly regarded by both Aboriginal and Islander Tribal Elders. He practised Community Policing long before it became a mainstream method of policing. To survive and successfully police a lot of the remote, vast Police Divisions, a cop had to have good wits, excel[1]lent people skills, street smarts and large gonads. He xviii also had to be able to physically handle himself as this was standard frontier policing. Practical policing then was not a black and white affair but, through necessity, sometimes operated in the “grey” zone. A number of highly risky actions that Peter took over the years, especially in disarming offenders, usually when outnumbered and out gunned, would have resulted in Bravery Awards had there been official witnesses. I thought of comparing him to the fantasy figure of Crocodile Dundee, but Peter was the real deal. I highly recommend ALWAYS ON CALL to the prospective reader who is interested in remote, country policing, where the Marquis of Queensbury rules didn’t always apply, as practised by the few who were up to it. It is an exciting, unique page-turner that will appeal to the adventurous at heart. - Stoll Watt ex Inspr. B.M. V.A. Brisbane 9/2021
Blurb
A superior autobiography of a cop’s remarkable life of law enforcement in the outback of Australia.
Confronted by murders, rapes, brawls, autopsies and suicides, Sergeant Peter Cahill presents an evocative account of policing in Indigenous communities. His career spans across twenty-three years and his poignant portrayal of life and work in the Australian outback, leaves a lasting impression upon the reader. As a peacekeeper he served in the interest, and safety of Indigenous communities, carving his niche with his capabilities as peacekeeper.
Always on Call is a remarkable collection of true stories showcasing the battles and struggles of a police officer in days where often the fists did the talking, making this book a real page turner. The stories encompass the bravery of community police and the highly developed skills of police trackers.
Whether it is fighting violent offenders or being on the wrong side of a gun, Peter tells his insightful tales with unflinching honesty. His stories form a portrayal of a true Aussie bloke making his way through various outback police stations to overseeing Palm Island, which made the Guinness Book of Records as the most violent place on earth outside a combat zone.
The tales of the Bravery Award winning officer are compelling reading and his gripping and thrilling accounts flow naturally from the extremely dangerous to the hilariously funny to heartrending stories. This volume is not just for those serving in the police force, but for anyone with an interest in the Australian outback. All events are true, though names have been changed to protect the innocent and perhaps the not so innocent.
A SAMPLE STORY
BRAVERY AWARD - My mate Ross and I happened to have a few days off at the same time, and as we both originated from Brisbane, we decided to head back there and meet up with family. We left in Ross’s car, and as I had just come off a late-night shift, I crashed on the back seat for a bit of sleep. We were only twenty minutes into the trip, East of St George on the Moonie Highway, when Ross yelled out, ‘Have a look at this.’ The urgency of his voice woke me up, and I sat bolt upright. In front of us was a serious car crash, a head-on collision with both utility vehicles on fire. Several twenty-litre drums of fuel were still on the back of one of the utes, while more of them lay scattered on the road near the second vehicle, which had rolled on its side. Most of the drums were on fire, and we knew that an explosion was imminent. A man was staggering around near the flipped over ute, so as soon as we’d pulled up, I jumped out and raced over. He was in shock and babbled incoherently about his dad, whom I could see was trapped underneath the burning ute. As every second was valuable, I wasted no time on words but put my foot on the man’s back and gave him an almighty shove. It sent him flying towards a group of boof-heads who had started to congregate, not far away enough from the wreckage. Frustrated by their stupidity, I yelled loudly, in an attempt to shock the ever-growing crowd, ‘Fuck off! The bloody car can explode at any minute!’ It must’ve gotten through to them because there was immediate action. With curiosity now replaced by panic, the thrill-seekers wildly scattered in all directions. I spotted a council truck that had pulled up, and I called out to Ross, ‘Get in the council truck and back it up near the ute.’ The man pinned underneath was in grave danger, and I realised that so would we be if the situation was prolonged. Ross reversed at speed, and I was relieved to see a heavy chain and hook on the back of that truck. Grabbing it, I attached one end of the chain around the tow bar of the council truck and dragged the other end over to the burning ute, throwing it through the space where the front windshield had been. I climbed in after it, and once inside the burning ute, I placed the hook around the door pillar, yelling out to Ross, ‘Start driving mate, take it steady.’ Slowly, the ute started to lift, and by doing so, the flames intensified. I genuinely became concerned there would be an explosion any second now. As it turned out, my unease was well and truly justified. My mind 38 Always on Call raced, and time seemed to slow. The bloke’s body was trapped halfway in and halfway outside the vehicle. I soon realised that, due to the angle of the ute, there was no point trying to pull him out from underneath. This left only one way, I had to get him out through the inside. As soon as the vehicle was high enough off the ground to allow me to pull the man clear, I grabbed both his arms and pulled him in through the passenger side window and out through the front windshield space. I then took off, dragging the man along the ground, knowing that I didn’t have much time. There wasn’t a fraction of a second to spare to stop and check the man’s vitals. I hadn’t gone far when I heard an almighty blast followed by a big push of intensely hot air, which propelled me forward at an enormous speed. I only just managed to keep my footing and kept running. The fuel tank had exploded, and to add to the “excitement”, drums of fuel started to explode, with some flying up to fifteen metres skywards. I spotted a young bloke, whose name I later learned was Phillip, running towards the fire brandishing a fire extinguisher. As I galloped past him, going in the opposite direction, I saw him flattened by the blast. I didn’t know how far I had gone, but I kept running, with the injured man dragging behind me. It was when I felt that I had distanced myself enough from the burning wrecks that I stopped, and I allowed myself to look back, behind me, at the fiery scene. It was then that I spotted a third person sitting in the front seat of the second ute. I had no choice other than to stand and watch the inferno run its course. At this point, the flames well and truly engulfed the ute, and we knew that any chance of another rescue was non-existent. Ross and I stayed on the scene and took a few notes while waiting for police and an ambulance to arrive. It was a miracle that Phillip, who bravely ran in with the fire extinguisher, was uninjured other than being knocked over by the blast. After the medical evacuation to St George by ambulance was complete and everything wrapped up, Ross and I continued our trip to Brisbane as planned. Upon our return to the station a few days later, we learned that the post-mortem examination of the incinerated deceased man indicated that he had suffered heart failure. The heart attack had most likely happened before the collision and was the probable cause of the crash. I also learned the name of the fifty-seven-year-old man we had rescued from the burning vehicle. The sergeant in charge of the police station asked me to furnish a report on the collision’s details to which I included Phillip, the brave young man with the fire-extinguisher. Following this, Ross and I were recommended for Bravery Awards. A couple of months later, the man, whose life we had saved while risking our own, came into the police station at St George. Incredibly, as it was, he came looking for the battery out of the utility he had been driving. The car, however, was a molten wreck, so he was out of luck. You would think that if someone had just saved your life, you would at least have the decency to say, “thank you”. The man knew who I was, but he never said a word. This attitude, however, was something I sadly would become accustomed to over the next two decades. I was given a favourable record by the police force and was flown to Brisbane to receive a Bravery Award, along with Ross and Phillip, by the then governor Sir Colin Hannah. I took my mother with me, and together we went up to Government House in the Brisbane suburb of Bardon for the presentation of the award. Mum was delighted as she got to meet the governor, and I met the new police commissioner. The ceremony, which included several other people recognised for bravery, was televised and covered by the Telegraph and Mount Isa North West Star newspaper
Website - https://peterandrewcahill.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/alwaysoncallbook
