Farewell to ‘Golly’, a cop’s cop and comfort in crisis
Robyn Wuth |
Seven months after illness forced him to surrender the job he loved, former Queensland police commissioner Steve “Golly” Gollschewski has died of cancer at 66.
Premier David Crisafulli said the state had lost a man who devoted his life to public safety and service.
“Queenslanders will be deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Queensland Police Service Commissioner Steve Gollschewski AO APM,” Mr Crisafulli said in a statement.
“Mr Gollschewski devoted his life to the Queensland Police Service, upholding our laws and making our state a safer place.”
Known to colleagues and friends simply as “Golly”, Mr Gollschewski was widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading police officers, a straight‑talking career cop who believed the best part of the job was helping victims and putting criminals behind bars.
He often said the highlight of his career was “locking up perpetrators and looking after victims” – a simple creed that would endure through more than 40 years of policing, from country postings to the very top job.
His policing legacy was forged on the front line and strengthened in some of Queensland’s most testing moments, including natural disasters and the COVID‑19 pandemic, when he became a calm, reassuring presence for millions watching on.
“Our darling Steve passed away this morning surrounded by the love and admiration of his family after facing a sudden and cruel complication on his 18-month cancer journey,” the former commissioner’s family said in a statement on Friday.
“Steve approached his diagnosis and treatment with resolute determination.
“As with so many facets of Steve’s life, especially his family, his long policing career and beloved hockey team, he gave it his all and did his very best.”
Flags were lowered outside police headquarters on Friday afternoon.
Mr Gollschewski was appointed commissioner in 2024, tasked with steering the Queensland Police Service through a period of intense scrutiny and reform following a scathing commission of inquiry that exposed systemic racism, sexism and a “failure of leadership”.
He confronted those findings head‑on, leading a rebuilding effort and attempting to reshape culture and restore trust, even as he quietly battled the cancer that would ultimately cut short his time in uniform.
Almost a year after the devastating diagnosis, the disease had ravaged the man who was once the picture of robust health, but it could not touch his reputation for integrity, courage and decency.
Earlier in 2926, hundreds of officers, staff and members of the public lined the streets around Brisbane police headquarters to bid him farewell as he left the building for the final time before his forced retirement.
His departure marked the close of a 46‑year career that began with modest ambitions – he once said his dream as a young, fresh-faced recruit was simply to become a detective sergeant.
Everything that followed, he would later describe as “an accident”.
For the officers who served with him and the victims whose lives he quietly helped piece back together, Steve “Golly” Gollschewski will be remembered not just as a commissioner, but as a cop’s cop – a man who never forgot why he put on the uniform.
AAP