DETAILS OF DEATH

Senior Constable Pirie was the Officer in Charge of the Capertee Police Station from 1958 until his death on 13 October 1960. On that day he was informed by Lithgow Police that two youths had been seen in a stolen car on the road between Capertee and Mudgee. Whilst patrolling the area Senior Constable Pirie found the two fourteen year-olds in the vehicle at a roadside camping area at Jews Creek. He did not know at this stage that on the previous day the pair had escaped from the Yasmar children’s detention centre and had broken into a dwelling stealing items of property and the vehicle before driving it to the Jews Creek area. Senior Constable Pirie placed one offender in the police vehicle and instructed the other to drive the stolen vehicle while he followed behind to the Capertee Police Station. As the Constable stood talking to the offenders the elder youth in the stolen car fired a shot from a .22 rifle through the windscreen. The shot hit Constable Pirie in the chest. He died a short time later. Both youths were captured the following day. The Constable was born in 1920 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 15 September 1947. At the time of his death he was stationed at Capertee.