Death of a man who always led by exampleArticle Dated: 18/01/2011 Family, friends and former colleagues of Roger Herridge will, tomorrow afternoon in Timaru, farewell the man who led by example. Mr Herridge – traffic officer, police prosecutor, nurseryman, husband and father – died peacefully at Talbot Park Hospital on Sunday, aged 74. He had been unwell for some time, but still lived for every day, police Mid-South Canterbury area commander Inspector Dave Gaskin said yesterday. |
TEAM PLAYER: When working as a senior traffic sergeant, Roger Herridge was well known for working late shifts alongside his officers as they patrolled roads in the region
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As a Ministry of Transport senior traffic sergeant, Mr Herridge would often work late shifts with his men, patrolling roads around the region and high country.
"From a policing point of view, it was virtually unheard of," Mr Gaskin – who had known Mr Herridge since the 1970s – said of the senior officer's long hours. "... It was always good to see the bosses out working and Roger was the one who was always out working."
While Mr Herridge worked in the MOT, and Mr Gaskin in the police, "we had a bit to do with each other, and Roger ... I always thought of him as an enthusiastic member of the ministry".
But it was in the line of duty, late one night, when Mr Herridge's life was nearly claimed, 21 years ago.
On January 7, 1990, he was catapulted into the headlines when he was shot twice during a routine traffic stop on the Kimbell straight, west of Fairlie.
Mr Herridge was in the patrol car's passenger seat when Brent Walker, 20, fired a shot at the car, hitting the driver's window pillar. The bullet fragmented as it burst into the interior, a piece of shrapnel struck Mr Herridge's jaw and a second piece struck him on the side of the head. It was that piece, police said, that would have killed him, had it not struck the frame of Mr Herridge's glasses.
Colleague, and driver, traffic officer Jim Thomas, accelerated away from the scene and a second shot was fired at the car, hitting the rear windscreen. The Herald reported the bullet passed through the vehicle, struck Mr Herridge in the base of the neck, injuring his shoulder, before fragments smashed through the windscreen, shattering it in two places.
"Roger was a very sick man for a long period of time," Mr Gaskin said. "In all honesty, he did remarkably well afterwards, but I think it was a constant battle."
In 1992, when the MOT and police merged, Mr Herridge became a sworn police officer and worked as a police prosecutor, before retiring in 1996. He and his wife, Joan, also grew fuchsias in their Church St nursery.
Mr Herridge became a nightwatchman at the Port of Timaru and, in later years, looked after his wife, who passed away in 2010.
"From a policing point of view, it was virtually unheard of," Mr Gaskin – who had known Mr Herridge since the 1970s – said of the senior officer's long hours. "... It was always good to see the bosses out working and Roger was the one who was always out working."
While Mr Herridge worked in the MOT, and Mr Gaskin in the police, "we had a bit to do with each other, and Roger ... I always thought of him as an enthusiastic member of the ministry".
But it was in the line of duty, late one night, when Mr Herridge's life was nearly claimed, 21 years ago.
On January 7, 1990, he was catapulted into the headlines when he was shot twice during a routine traffic stop on the Kimbell straight, west of Fairlie.
Mr Herridge was in the patrol car's passenger seat when Brent Walker, 20, fired a shot at the car, hitting the driver's window pillar. The bullet fragmented as it burst into the interior, a piece of shrapnel struck Mr Herridge's jaw and a second piece struck him on the side of the head. It was that piece, police said, that would have killed him, had it not struck the frame of Mr Herridge's glasses.
Colleague, and driver, traffic officer Jim Thomas, accelerated away from the scene and a second shot was fired at the car, hitting the rear windscreen. The Herald reported the bullet passed through the vehicle, struck Mr Herridge in the base of the neck, injuring his shoulder, before fragments smashed through the windscreen, shattering it in two places.
"Roger was a very sick man for a long period of time," Mr Gaskin said. "In all honesty, he did remarkably well afterwards, but I think it was a constant battle."
In 1992, when the MOT and police merged, Mr Herridge became a sworn police officer and worked as a police prosecutor, before retiring in 1996. He and his wife, Joan, also grew fuchsias in their Church St nursery.
Mr Herridge became a nightwatchman at the Port of Timaru and, in later years, looked after his wife, who passed away in 2010.