Cobar Police held a special morning tea on Monday to remember their colleague Geoffrey Richardson, who was tragically killed in an accident while on duty on Saturday night.
Sergeant Richardson, or “Richo” as he was affectionately known during his time in Cobar, has been described by NSW Police minister Andrew Scipione as a “wonderful policeman and an even better man”.
He and his wife Margaret King worked in Cobar between 2005 and 2010, and were also heavily involved in a number of local community organisations and sporting groups.
At Monday’s morning tea Darling River Local Area Command Superintendent Greg Moore paid tribute to Sergeant Richardson and said he was there to support local police and the community.
“Cobar has had a lot of tragedy, more than their fair share.
“[Geoffrey and Margaret] may have been gone from Cobar for five and half years, but they have kept in regular contact.
“They were both active and committed police and community people,” he said.
Superintendent Moore said Sergeant Richardson was well liked by the local and police community, which has been demonstrated by the number of people taking the time to pay their respects.
“We’ve received lots of phone calls from people reminiscing about the good times,” he said.
“There will be a big hole to fill in his family’s lives.
Sergeant Richardson graduated from the NSW Police Academy in 1998 and served the Campbelltown Local Area Command as a Constable until 2005, when he was transferred to Cobar and promoted to the rank of Senior Constable.
In April 2010, he was transferred to Central Hunter Local Area Command, before moving to Lake Macquarie Local Area Command upon his promotion to the rank of Sergeant in December 2010.
He served Lake Macquarie until July of 2015, at which time he transferred to Port Stephens Local Area Command.
He was the recipient of numerous awards, including a Regional Commander’s Commendation for Bravery after he arrested a number of offenders while off-duty at Nelson Bay in 2012.
