Mosaic artist reveals personal tribute to fallen officers in Porepunkah

In the small, rural town of Porepunkah, two police officers were tragically killed while serving a warrant in August last year. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart became international figures in their short lives dedicated to serving their community. A year after their deaths, their hometowns of Wangaratta and Bright are paying tribute to their memory through unique artistic tributes.

In Wangaratta, a permanent memorial features two three-tonne obelisks sourced from the town of Barjarg. Neal Thompson's family described him as fiercely loyal, a natural leader who was just as tough as he was soft. His partner, Lisa Thompson, expressed the depth of her grief, saying they were forever proud of the way he lived his life and will miss him for the rest of theirs.

Bright is home to an even more intricate memorial. A local mosaic artist, known as Crackpot 1, was approached by a police officer and asked to create artwork for the memorial. Drawing inspiration from photographs, she crafted two large, full-colour mosaic portraits of the officers. The portraits, which have been hailed as iconic representations of Neal and Vadim, were created alongside mosaic versions of the police blue ribbon, their names, and badge numbers.

The artist, moved by the challenge of creating such a tribute, found herself feeling she knew the officers through her work. She hopes the garden will become a place of peace and mindfulness for those seeking to remember the officers and express gratitude for their service.