People you meet along the way - Episode Twelve - Roger Rogerson Part 3

Terry Galloway shares insights into Roger Rogerson's life, highlighting his legal troubles and media portrayal. Despite past issues, Galloway emphasizes his trust in Rogerson, recounting his engagement with youth on crime prevention. The narrative covers Rogerson's social life, including rugby trips, and details his questioning in a murder case, the media frenzy during his bail hearing, and his commitment to truth in court.

Transcript

1:19

I am Terry Galloway. In past episodes of detail, the trials and tribulations of disgraced former Detective Sergeant Roger Rogerson with information gleaned from official documents, reports, and the media conferences. The New South Wales police hierarchy called to put their point of view, And I mentioned that Roger and me were mates. In this episode, I intend to tell you some of the personal contact I had with Roger. Throughout as many brushes with the law in and out of jail, the demise of Roger Rogerson robbed me of a man I trusted and whose company I had enjoyed immensely. Roger had many trays, but I never saw him ranting and raging in anger. As many depicted him, I saw him laugh a lot, and on one occasion had caused a thank him for making his time available to help teachers tasked with educating troubled teenagers. My son-in-law, Scott Ellen, a former first grade rugby league player with Penrith Panthers and with a history of helping and mentoring youth at that time, taught at a school where teenagers expelled from other high schools, did their time until year 12 when they could legally quit school. Together, we met Roger at the Cambridge Tavern in Cabra matter to ask whether he would make himself available to speak to the other teachers at the school. He agreed to the request. Scott told me later. It was excellent, informative, and very helpful in getting to know what causes kids to drift into crime. Roger also enjoyed a once a year breakout, traveling to Brisbane with a busload of mates for the Suncorp Stadium State of origin match Each year, Roger would offer me a seat on the bus, but family life work commitments always intervened, and I must admit, a fear of what could possibly go wrong on a bus trip with a bunch of coppers enduring more than one or two pale Ailes. Ironically, when detectives sought him for questioning over the murder of drug dealer, Jamie Goo Roger could not be found. Police were on the point of issuing and all points bulletin for a wanted man until someone remembered Roger was on the bus back from Brisbane in 1992, Rogerson were charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in relation to depositing $110,000 under a false name at a pen of branch of the Commonwealth Bank, recognized by a bank employee, a member of the Penrith Panther's 1991 grand final winning team. He appeared in magistrate's court to be remanded bail refused. Fellow detectives told the court they would take Roger into custody instead of prison officers and drove him out to Malawa and into Long Bay Jail. Rogerson successfully applied for bail in the Supreme Court, and after the hearing and company with his lawyer, Val Bellamy, I drove out to Long Bay using Channel seven Chief of Staff, Bernie Keenan's, unmarked Tan Ford Falcon, and subsequently Shanghaied Roger as he left the prison. That meant running a surprise gauntlet of Steve Barrett and a Channel nine crew who'd been secreted in an office by one of the prison officials. We succeeded in ruining Channel nine shots by hogging their camera, aware of the crowd of camera crews at the foot of the hill leading from the prison I placed Rogerson in the front passenger seat, asked him to turn back towards Val Bellamy in the backseat, and prepared for the inevitable four stop on Anzac Parade because of the heavy afternoon traffic, which would give the opposition camera crews the chance to get vision. But at the bottom of the hill, Cameron and Paul Walker used his initiative and placed the Channel seven newscast sideways, blocking all oncoming traffic. We turned left, drove a couple of kilometers south along Anzac Parade before you turning back to Randwick, where a room had been prepared as a makeshift TV set for the Terry Willey Tonight Program and where Rogersons wife Joy was brought in to greet him. Seven's legal team demanded that the segment be prerecorded and checked before going to wear, and as a result, a prerecorded interview went to wear rather than a live cross. With the story in the Can We adjourned to the Motels dining room for dinner, during which Bullis's producer said a decent dinner at last Roger, to which Roger replied with words to the effect that the meals at Long Bay were excellent prepared by Asian nationals doing time for drug Importations. Seven. Thought I was a little too close to Rogerson to be trusted with the coverage of his court appearances and his chance would have it. When years later, I had departed the network and Roger served time on his release. Media mates told me he walked out of jail up to the camera cruise and said, where's Galloway? In his last public appearance? Shortly before his death in Long Bay Jail, Roger appeared as a witness in a court case, as the clerk of the court read the oath to tell the truth. Roger followed with his own form. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and anything but the truth, as I always say, there is plenty more to come in the Roger Rogerson story. I'm Terry Galloway. Until next time when I bring you the final chapter.