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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-07-31 Daily Xml
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Condolence

Bass, Mr Rodney Piers (Sam)

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:00): I move:

That the House of Assembly expresses its deep regret at the death of Mr Rodney Piers (Sam) Bass, former member of the House of Assembly, and places on record its appreciation of his meritorious service, and that as a mark of respect to his memory the sitting of the house be suspended until the ringing of the bells.

Sam Bass served one term as the member for Florey, following the 1993 election. On the figures of the previous election, it was a Labor seat by a margin of more than 2 per cent. Sam won it for the Liberal Party, with a swing of more than 15 per cent. His victory was all the more meritorious because he defeated a government minister.

Sam was the first serving South Australian police officer to enter our parliament. He was also the first trade union secretary to be elected a Liberal member having also been, for the previous five years, Secretary of the Police Association of South Australia. As that association has recorded, and I quote:

Sam was driven by a strong sense of justice and fearlessly battled for and defended the industrial rights of police officers.

He took that same spirit into this parliament, fighting for the interests of his constituents in education, health and community safety in particular. He also served on the Economic and Finance Committee.

During his police career, he had led what was called the 'bikie squad' during the 1970s. In that role, he was described as an 'unusual policeman by today's standards. Some bikies say if Bass hadn't been a cop he would have made a fearsome outlaw.' That was Sam: committed to a cause, a passionate upholder of the public's right to be protected from crime and enormously proud of the law and order profession he served in for more than 30 years before his election to this house.

The government recognises Sam's service to the parliament and to the wider community, and we pass on to his family, friends and former colleagues our deep sympathy at his passing. Vale, Sam Bass.

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:02): I rise to support the motion. When Mr Sam Bass joined the police force as a 17 year old in 1961, it was a different beat from the one he left 33 years later. As he reflected after his retirement, and I quote, 'Police had more respect, people were less aggressive and there was much less drug use.'

In 1974, he confronted the growing bikie menace as head of the bikie squad. In 1979, there was a full-on confrontation with drug dealers in a shootout at the Arkaba Hotel. Then, to top it all, he was at the centre of other political disputes later in his career. Sam Bass started his police career in the uniform branch, soon moving to the CIB, where he spent 21 years as a detective, and then to the Bureau of Criminal Intelligence. Sam was an old-style cop. If it had not been when he joined, experience would certainly harden his resolve.

When there was a famous brawl on the Port Gawler beach in 1974, police were confronted with sawn-off shotguns, repeater rifles, flick knives, bike chains and pieces of wood studded with nails. As the media reported at the time, it was hand-to-hand combat with chains and dustbin lids. Guns were going off and guys got run over. For Sam Bass, it was a challenge, and he was authorised to lead the eight-man bikie squad, who roared around town on 750cc Suzukis and Yamahas. By September 1977, most of the key players had been sentenced to gaol terms of up to three months for consorting. But the use of consorting laws sparked a debate about the extent of police powers, and the South Australian government held an inquiry as a result.

Sam Bass faced a police officer's worst nightmare when one night in early July 1979 he and his squad shot dead a drug dealer in a sting at the Arkaba Hotel. He would later reflect on that night and split-second decisions made in dangerous situations. He told crime journo Derek Pedley that the circumstances justified the action he took. There were two rigorous court cases and a coronial inquiry. He told Pedley that he had death threats for 10 years later. The life of a front-line police officer is never easy, and I acknowledge today the bravery of Sam and his colleagues and their families.

Mr Bass did an outstanding job representing police officers in his leadership role of the Police Association as secretary in 1988, and he served in that role to 1993. In that period, he mounted a stern defence of police safety, resources and legislative protection. He carried that advocacy into this house when he was elected in 1993 as the member for Florey. In parliament, he would always stick to his beliefs. He threatened to cross the floor on the relaxation of shop trading hours, on gun control laws, police powers and smoking bans.

Sam's life was a colourful one, a committed one and a complete one. He said on one of the occasions that he proposed crossing the floor, I quote, 'There's a principle involved. Rules are rules and they must be followed.' We acknowledge his outstanding police career, his service to the Police Association and his service to this house and to the people of South Australia. Our condolences to his wife, Jacky, family and former colleagues .

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General) (14:06): I thank both of the lead speakers to this motion, and support the same, and thank them for also acknowledging Sam's work in the South Australian police force. Certainly, when he came to us in 1993 and sought preselection for the seat of Florey he was perhaps best described as an unconventional candidate. Obviously, his work—not because he was in the police force but because of the nature of his work, including covert surveillance work, the difficult task of dealing with organised crime and his preparedness to go under cover and actually put himself at risk in a number of those circumstances—did mean that he would brush up against a number of national and state agencies of inquiry.

And so, to the best of my knowledge, he is the only Liberal candidate who has ever had a glowing clearance from the then commissioner of police to me as president at the time to endorse his complete clearance of any inquiry, pending or otherwise, in relation to the work, because the very nature of his work was that he had to tread a fine line to protect South Australians to actually be able to do that well and to do it in any circumstance.

Only today I was thinking of Sam when we were dealing with the police powers legislation and thought what a shame it is that he is not here to see the legislation—which the member for Elizabeth and I were traversing this morning—pass to give protections to police officers in a circumstance where such a difficulty arises.

Rest in peace, Sam. You were a challenge as a candidate, you were a hell of a member, but you were an excellent police officer.

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:08): At the beginning, I might just say to the Premier that he may be surprised to know there was an outlaw Sam Bass killed in America in 1878, but of course that has nothing to do with our Sam, who I understand was born in 1944 and named after the ship his father came home from the war in. That is a bit of extra trivia I found out while I was doing some research today on a man who, as you have all said, was larger than life, and it was perhaps a shame that our situations were such that I did not get to know Sam better.

As the Premier said, Sam was elected to the parliament to the seat of Florey in 1993, defeating the sitting member, Bob Gregory, in the swing following the State Bank collapse. It is now a very different seat, with boundaries moved well into the west. He represented and served the people of Florey with distinction until 1997.

As a Modbury local and a parent of children attending The Heights school, I first came across Sam in the 1980s while a parent on the governing council. It would be fair to say that I noticed early on that Sam was a larger than life figure, with his can-do, problem-solving approach when he was asked to do anything for the school council. He certainly always managed to have the answer or find the solution.

He was never far from the action in the 33 years he was in uniform, and I understand that he was actually stabbed once while on duty. Sam also made his mark as a former well-respected and effective secretary of the Police Association. He was referred to in their eulogy published in The Advertiser as being driven by a strong sense of justice and fearlessly battling for and defending the industrial rights of police officers.

I am reliably informed that Sam along with Graham Gunn and John Quirke were the unofficial gun control committee of the parliament and that they used to go on semiformal inquiries all over the state, but mainly up north. Occasionally, Sam put his investigative skills to good use on inquiries here in this place.

To my constituent Troy, who is here today, his mum, Jacky, and their extended family and many friends and associates, I offer my sincere condolences and those of the electors of the seat of Florey.

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (14:10): I first met Sam Bass in Cowell when it was part of the electorate of Flinders. Sam retired to Cowell after a very colourful career, as we have been hearing today—a many faceted career. Along with a friend by the name of Ian Sampson, he bought a few hundred acres just outside the township of Cowell. There they pottered around and punted sheep. Ian practised law in a country practice and Sam joined the SA Ambulance Service as a volunteer.

As we have heard today, Sam was a much-respected police officer. He was elected in 1993 as the member for Florey. It was the same year that the previous member for Flinders, Liz Penfold, was elected. In his maiden speech, he referred very much to law and order and his commitment to the officers of the South Australian police department. He was Secretary of the Police Association of South Australia for five years. He was involved with the drug squad and, between Troy and me, we think he received some sort of commendation or award during that time. We are not quite sure, but we think he may have received something.

Sam loved motorbikes. It was one of his real passions. He was part of the police bike squad. He acted as a judge at the world championship motorbike scramble in the UK, such was his love of motorbikes and the esteem in which he was held. In fact, he was the president of the South Australian speedway control council from 1982 to 1987.

After he left parliament, he retired to Cowell, as I said, and became very involved in the SA Ambulance Service as a volunteer. He worked for the Hon. Graham Gunn for a little while at Mount Cooper on the Gunn family farm. It was very much casual and seasonal work, but Graham described him as being a good mechanic and welder. There you go, Troy; you may not have known that about your dad.

At Cowell, he became involved with the SA Ambulance Service as a volunteer and became a team leader at Cowell. He became part of the South Australian country management team and was a clinical instructor for new recruits across the state. He also provided driver training to the new recruits, which he enjoyed very much. He was also happy to be a relief ambo right across country South Australia. He was not just sitting in Cowell on Eyre Peninsula; he was relieving right across the state and quite prepared to go to some of the toughest spots in the state as an ambulance volunteer. It was never too hard for Sam.

In the words of Graham Gunn, he was a motivated, hardworking fellow—a good man. I must say that, for the short time that I knew Sam, he served the community in which he had lived all his life. He was a good man indeed.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.

Sitting suspended from 14:14 to 14:23.

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