Alexander Copeland

Story

At age 25 years I had completed my Royal Navy experience (9 1/2 years) from Boy Seaman 16 yrs to Able Seaman (Underwater Weapons 11 and Hard Hat Diver). Two separate trips to the far East to take part in Occupied Japan and the Korean War gave me a different view of life. Having travelled in places with better living standards and opportunities than that of my home in Liverpool I decided to emigrate to Australia. I had applied for recruit training with the South Australian Police Dept and had completed my application requirements and had been accepted.

There was nothing to keep me in Liverpool, my father had died in 1942 after a long illness (WW1 gas ruined his lungs). War time L’pool was not the place to be with regular bombing raids, mother was conscripted to work in an Ordinance factory etc. I had hardly lived with the family since age 11 yrs having being boarded in the Liverpool Blue Coat Hospital School, a charity school of good reputation, and then spent my adult life in the R.N. I was ready for the next phase in my future. The Blue Coat School gave me a good education and standing in the community.

I travelled alone on the SS Orsova leaving Liverpool just after Christmas 1957 to arrive Adelaide South Australia mid January 1958 and straight into the Police Barracks at Thebarton to begin training. The trip out was good with the Tivoli Theatre group travelling on the same ship. Of course they performed for the passengers which helped pass the travelling time away.

Met on board by the Chief Inspector from the Police Barracks I was shown around the beaches and some of the City (Adelaide) that was to become my home for the next 31 years and I was very impressed. It was quite hot but this suited me having served in the tropics with the R.N. When I arrived at the Barracks there was a gathering together of recruits from all over Sth Aust. and Broken Hill and being of a similar age we all got on with ease. This was no problem – I had lived with boys and men since leaving home at 11 years and was fit and healthy. I soon fell in to the routines and loved the lifestyle.

It wasn’t long before I found an Australian girlfriend and was married in June 1959. One son followed and life was good. We were given a transfer to Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills and spent a happy five years mixing in a community that I enjoyed. It was not long before I bought a block of land at Christies Beach and built a house there. Detective work followed and I enjoyed that work over a period of 17 years. Visits to other States for Court work and courses gave me a variety of travel experiences. Back to school to obtain higher education levels for promotion to Inspector in 1975 and on through the ranks to Chief Superintendent with retirement in 1989. A divorce in 1986 followed by a second marriage later that year. Retirement gave me a new lease on life and we bought 42 acres at Agnes Water where we cleared a scrub block and we built a large house and planted mangoes and lychees. My wife Marlene enjoyed quarter horses and in fact reared two beautiful horses on our property. In 1991 we took a job as Australian Advisors to the Papua New Guinea Police for a period of two years which set us up financially.

After 13 years on our block at Agnes Water and a health scare we decided to move to our present location at Hervey Bay, Qld and so on to the Retirement Village of Fraser Shores where I am the editor of the village newsletter, while my wife is deeply involved in Quilting. We have enjoyed our life thus far and live comfortably on my S.A. Police Pension and a small supplement from the Dept of Veteran Affairs (Korean War).

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