A solemn anniversary in Victoria's north-east
One year after Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart were shot and killed at Porepunkah, Victoria Police colleagues, family members, and community residents gathered to honour their memory. The officers died on August 26, 2025, while serving a warrant on Dezi Freeman at a secluded property in the state's alpine region, about 310 kilometres northeast of Melbourne.
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush described the anniversary as a solemn day for every member of Victoria Police. "Today is a solemn day for every single member of Victoria Police who will no doubt remember this tragedy like it was yesterday," he said in a statement. He also referred to the Porepunkah shooting as one of the "most tragic days in Victoria Police history." In a separate comment reported by ABC Australia, Bush noted that over the past year he had witnessed the organisation unite in shock and grief while remaining steadfast in finding answers for the fallen officers.
Police colleagues and dignitaries gathered in Bright on the anniversary, while family members and officers attended a service in Wangaratta on the previous Tuesday, where a permanent monument was unveiled.
Memorials rise from grief
Two memorial gardens have been created in the communities the officers served: one in Wangaratta, unveiled on Tuesday, and one in Bright, where the community gathered on the anniversary. The Wangaratta memorial features two three-tonne obelisks sourced from the small town of Barjarg, forming a permanent tribute to both officers. According to ABC Australia, it is one of the largest police memorials of its kind, rivalled only by the Victoria Police Memorial in Melbourne's Kings Domain Gardens.
The Bright memorial includes artwork by a local mosaic artist known as Crackpot 1. The artist, commissioned by a local police officer, created two large mosaic portraits of the officers, drawing inspiration from photographs. The portraits will hang inside the Bright Police Station, while mosaic versions of the blue ribbon, the officers' names, and their badge numbers will sit on stone in the garden outside. The streets around the station were closed during the anniversary gathering, and a minute's silence was observed.
Travis Carroll, president of the Blue Ribbon Foundation's north-east branch, said such memorials give families and communities a place to remember and honour fallen officers, as reported by ABC Australia.
Family tributes and personal loss
The sisters of Neal Thompson, Dianne Thompson and Lois Kirk, shared their grief in statements carried by both ABC Australia and PerthNow. "We miss our big brother every single day. Neal was fiercely loyal, a natural leader and just as tough as he was soft," they said. They described the past year as "hell" for their family, adding that Neal had been days away from retirement, with plans for world travel and adventures around Australia. "We are beyond devastated that it has been taken away from him, from us," they said.
Neal Thompson's partner, Sergeant Lisa Thompson, attended the service in Wangaratta and laid a wreath at the memorial. She said every day feels surreal and that the family lost Neal, their world, and the bright future they had planned, according to reports.
Vadim de Waart-Hottart's parents, Carolina de Waart and Alain Hottart, released a statement expressing gratitude for the community's support, as reported by both outlets. The statement acknowledged the grief shared with a caring community.
The manhunt and aftermath
The search for Dezi Freeman following the shooting was described by PerthNow as the largest tactical policing operation in Australian history, involving hundreds of officers and specialised resources. Freeman was tracked to a shipping container at Thologolong in Victoria's remote northeast, seven months after he disappeared into dense bushland. He was fatally shot on March 30 after emerging from the container holding a black handgun, following negotiations.
Twin coronial hearings for the officers and Freeman are unfolding in the Victorian Coroners Court, as reported by PerthNow.
The gunman's family statement
The family of Dezi Freeman released a statement acknowledging the anniversary and the two officers who lost their lives, as reported by ABC Australia. The statement said the day was about remembering "two men who didn't get to go home to their loved ones," according to the same report.
The meaning of Porepunkah
The town where the officers were killed, Porepunkah, is an Aboriginal word meaning "meeting of two rivers," as noted by ABC Australia. The name now carries a sombre resonance for the communities mourning the loss of two officers whose lives were cut short.