General News
9 April, 2022
Local Police honour Grant
LEADING Senior Constable Grant Healey is the toast of the Ararat policing district after being awarded a valour medal from the Chief Commissioner.
LEADING Senior Constable Grant Healey is the toast of the Ararat policing district after being awarded a valour medal from the Chief Commissioner.
As we reported in last week’s Ararat Advocate, Leading Senior Constable Healey is only the 352nd recipient of the Victoria Police Bravery Award since the force was established 169 years ago.
The award was for his selfless actions in 2019, when he entered a burning house in an attempt to save an elderly man.
Leading Senior Constable Healey was off duty when he received word of a house fire near the Elmhurst Hotel. He was one of the first on the scene and didn’t hesitate breaking in a door and entering the home in a bid to rescue the occupant.
He spent a night in intensive care with doctors concerned about his throat and lungs.
Unfortunately, the occupant of the house John Francisi, who had previously suffered a stroke, could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Leading Senior Constable Healey received his award from the Chief Commissioner Shane Patton at a ceremony at the Police Academy last Thursday.
Local Police members gathered at Ararat Police Station on Tuesday morning to pay tribute to Leading Senior Constable Healey’s brave actions.
Regional Superintendent Ian Milner told the assembled members, the local force are incredibly proud of his actions.
“It’s no small thing to be acknowledged and awarded the valour award and there’s quite a significant oversight, scrutiny and assessment that goes into granting the award,” he said.
“Just from me personally Grant, I would like to thank you for your heroic efforts on that occasion and it’s probably a clear and perfect example of how you all go above and beyond what’s expected,” Regional Superintendent Milner said.
“Congratulations mate, you should be very proud of yourself, we are all very proud of you as are your community,”
Northern Grampians Local Area Commander, Inspector Jo Janes, said Leading Senior Constable Healey was a credit to the force.
“I thought it was really fitting to have this morning tea to celebrate his (Leading Senior Constable Healey) achievements. It really is significant and we all do a lot of great work but sometimes we don’t get acknowledged,” she said.
Leading Senior Constable Healey said being presented the award was a huge honour.
“It was a really special day,” he said.
“It’s been a while since the fire and it’s nice to move on but it’s also nice to be recognised. It was also a great day for my family, my mother is really sick, so to have her there was really special,” Leading Senior Constable Healey said.