Instead of stepping into the retirement he had long been looking forward to, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson was farewelled with full police honours as hundreds gathered for his funeral.
The 59-year-old veteran officer was killed almost a fortnight ago while serving Dezi Freeman a warrant, cutting short a career spanning nearly four decades.
He was looking forward to spending more time with the love of his life, Lisa, and already had a list of tasks to tackle in his free time on Monday.
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Described as an adventurer, Det. Lead. Sen. Const. Thompson revelled in the great outdoors and regularly ventured out into nature on trips with friends and colleagues.
He is said to have found a new purpose since meeting Lisa, described as the love of his life, with whom he proudly built a new home.
On Monday, mourners consoled one another as they gathered outside the chapel at the Victorian Police Academy.
A police hat was placed on top of his casket next to a bouquet of flowers, while photographs, medals and a jar of jelly beans were on display in the chapel.
His partner, Sergeant Lisa Thompson, broke down while leading the tributes for the man affectionately known as “Thommo”.
She met Det. Sen. Const. Thompson in 2016 after arriving at Wangaratta Police Station as a constable.
“We worked one shift together and it changed the course of my life,” Sgt. Thompson told mourners.
“I had never laughed so much with someone and as I drove home that night reflecting on my day, I knew with absolute certainty that I wanted to be a detective.”
They were “opposites in every way” but “unstoppable” together, and he formed a close bond with her children.
“He greeted the kids each day by saying, ‘hey midget have you done your push ups’,” the Benalla-based sergeant said.
Their last weekend was spent working on their farm before wining and dining under the stars, leaving nothing unsaid.
“I don’t want to live my life without you and I don’t want to finish our dreams on my own,” Sgt Thompson said.
“But I will, I promise.
“I will be brave, I will love you, I will honour and cherish every moment that I spent with you.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was pictured in attendance alongside Victorian Police Commissioner Mike Bush and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan.
An officer of 38 years, he joined the police in 1987 and worked his way up to being a detective at the Major Fraud Squad and the State Crime Squad before shifting to Wangaratta to join the Crime Investigation Unit in 2007.
Members of the force will form a guard of honour for him and the Air Wing will perform a flyover as they did on Friday for colleague Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, also killed in the same incident.
An estimated 3000 mourners attended the 34-year-old’s funeral, triple the number expected.
The Belgian native was remembered as a smiling protector with an enduring Batman fascination, given a send off worthy of a real-life superhero.
The two officers were among 10 police serving a warrant at a property in Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, when they were shot dead and another colleague seriously hurt on August 26.
Freeman, 56, fled into bushland and remains at large.
Hundreds of officers are looking for him in Victoria’s high country, with more than 100 properties searched, as investigators believe some people know his whereabouts.
- With AAP
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