Residents of a remote mining town that hosts an annual charity event for fallen police officers say they are shocked by the decision to move the event 1,500 kilometers away.
The annual Bloody Slow Cup has been held in the mining town of Newman, in the north of Western Australia, for 19 years.
The event, which culminates in a rugby match between teams from Australia and New Zealand, commemorates the lives of four police officers who died in a plane crash near the town in 2001.
WA Police Legacy took over the event last year, but recently announced via social media that the event would move to Perth from 2025.
“I was really disappointed,” said Newman local Samantha McLaren.
“It’s a really big community event that brings everyone together every year.”
WA Police Legacy said the decision was made “with respect and consultation with the families and local police”.
Patricia Dewar, whose son David Dewar died in the plane crash, said she was not among those consulted.
“[Newman] “It’s where the accident happened, and that’s where it should be – Perth has nothing to do with it,” he said.
“That’s why we’re so angry and we weren’t consulted,” Ms. Dewar said.
Ms Dewar said the Bloody Slow Cup had always been a community-led event and should remain in the Pilbara.
“It was the people involved in this; that was the reason we went there, because they were the ones who organized this memorial and it happened in their area.”
Officer David Dewar’s brother, Mark Dewar, agreed.
“It’s Newman’s story and I really don’t want it to go away,” he said.
“It’s a good weekend for everyone to get together and it’s a good opportunity to celebrate what the boys sacrificed serving the community in the Pilbara.”
WA Police Legacy declined to be interviewed by the ABC and did not respond to specific questions.
Community to launch local efforts
Following the announcement, local residents held a meeting to plan next steps for the Newman community.
Samantha McLaren, who convened the meeting, said the community wants to keep some version of the event going beyond this year.
“We had a good talk about what we can do as a community to move forward: the region came together and there are sports groups that want to join,” he said.
“There is talk of forming a committee; now we have more than a year to plan it and make it incredible.
“We just wanted to make sure all the other sporting events and activities over the weekend went ahead.”
McLaren said the event held a special place in Newman’s calendar and it was important to keep the four officers’ legacy alive in the community.
The community plans to meet again later in May to continue discussions.
