Community Spirit Shines in Support of Blue Ribbon Day
In honour of Blue Ribbon Day and in memory of the recent passing of Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart, police members, volunteers and community groups across Victoria have stepped up to show their support for the Blue Ribbon Foundation.
In Melton, the Police’s volunteer group — the Melton Community Safety Register (MCSR) — continues to make a meaningful impact by phoning some of the area’s most vulnerable and elderly residents each weekday morning. At their annual dance last week, the group took the “Blue Ribbon Tin” and merchandise along, selling nearly all of their pins and ribbons. With generous donations from attendees, the fundraiser is believed to have raised hundreds of dollars, helping to support the foundation’s important work.
At Wangaratta Police Station, staff and community members created a powerful display to mark Blue Ribbon Day, honouring fallen officers and raising awareness of the foundation’s mission. The display drew steady attention throughout the week, encouraging locals to pause, reflect, and donate. Officers reported that many members of the public contributed to the cause, with donations flowing directly to the Blue Ribbon Foundation.
Meanwhile in Bendigo, the Blue Ribbon Foundation’s local branch partnered with Bendigo Health to host a fundraising event. Volunteers and staff sold ribbons, pins and merchandise at the hospital, with a steady stream of patients, staff and visitors showing their support. The initiative raised significant funds for the foundation while also strengthening ties between the police, the health service and the wider Bendigo community.
At Craigieburn Library, a dedicated Blue Ribbon Day display was set up to raise awareness and honour those who have given their lives in the line of duty. The display attracted the interest of many library visitors, sparking conversation and community engagement. Even after the Blue Ribbon Day materials were removed, the display continued to draw attention — now featuring a bright pink cap as a new point of interest. The library hopes to keep the display in place until the end of October, with plans for the CFA to contribute materials to promote bushfire awareness heading into summer.
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Thank you to everyone that came out in record numbers for the 2023 Angela Taylor Memorial Run/Walk at Albert Park and all those who did the run/walk virtually.This week, together with our Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat branch and East Grampians Health we hosted a Police Memorial Dedication Ceremony in Ararat to honour the life and service of fallen police members with medical facilities dedicated in their honour.
The ceremony featured the dedication of the new Blue Ribbon Foundation Wing of East Grampians Health Service (Ararat Hospital), which includes the Medical Imaging and Pathology Departments, which houses the new x-ray machine funded by the Ararat branch. The wing was dedicated in honour of the 175 Victoria Police officers who have died in the line of duty. During the ceremony we re-dedicated previous memorial projects with the unveiling of new plaques which will feature at the hospital including the Urgent Care Centre, Emergency Helicopter Landing Pad and Medical Imaging Dept named in honour of Sergeant John McNally and the Perioperative Unit named in honour of Police Recruit Jason Bond.
The ceremony also included a special tribute to Terry Weeks APM OAM for his 20 years leadership of the Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat branch. Terry’s wife Pauline and their family unveiled a special tribute plaque that will be mounted at the Ararat Hospital in his honour.
We thank the eight serving and veteran police members who read the names of the 175 Victoria Police officers who have died in the line of duty, this was an emotional and moving part of the ceremony.
The Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat Branch committee together with their volunteers and with amazing support from the local community and sponsors have given their time and resources over 21 years to raise an incredible $1 million to honour fallen Victoria Police members and support their local community hospital services. Their commitment to ‘Remembering Lives by Saving others’ has enabled this Dedication and contribution to East Grampians health to occur.
We thank the Chief Commissioner Shane Patton, East Grampians Health, Ararat Rural Council, local police members, the Weeks, Bond and Moore families and all our special guests that supported this dedication.
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Every ticket helps to fund our community and public hospital projects in honour of Victoria Police Officers who have died in the line of duty.
Registrations are now open for the 2023 Angela Taylor Memorial Run/Walk – Sunday 23 April at Albert Park Lake.
This event is held in honour of Constable Angela Taylor and all Victoria Police members that have died serving and protecting our community.
Why not get together a group of friends, family or work colleagues and register as a team. You can choose to do the 5km walk, 5km or 10km run.
Police, Emergency Services, and Health Care teams can compete for the Angela Taylor Memorial Shield.
We thank the team at BankVic for their support as our Principal Partner for this event.
For further details and to register – https://remember.org.au/…/angela-taylor-memorial-walkrun/
As we wind up a busy year, we wanted to say thank you to the many people that supported our Foundation throughout the year – community members, families, businesses, our ambassadors, sponsors and police members, we truly appreciate everything you do.
A special thank you to the many volunteers and committee members across Victoria who have generously given their time to support our work. We hope you enjoy some well-deserved rest.
We are taking a short break….our Moorabbin office will closed from 24 December until Monday 9 January.
Have a safe and Merry Christmas 
Want to join our small team at the Blue Ribbon Foundation ?
Blue Ribbon Day is 29 September, which coincides with National Police Remembrance Day. 
Last week, we were proud to work with our Greater Shepparton and Westgate Blue Ribbon Foundation branches to host Dedication Ceremonies honouring Victoria Police Members who had died in the line of duty.
On Wednesday 24 August, with our Greater Shepparton Blue Ribbon Foundation branch and Goulburn Valley Health we hosted a Police Memorial Dedication Ceremony in Shepparton to honour the life and service of five Victoria Police officers and dedicate a special memorial to all members who have died in the line of duty.
