Australia's last Aboriginal Tracker hangs up his work boots for the last time!

Australia’s last Aboriginal Tracker hangs up his work boots for the last time!

Australia’s last Aboriginal Tracker, Barry Port – Photo by Jamie Hansen

We are very proud of the work Aboriginal Tracker Barry Port has done for the police and our community!

The last remaining person employed purely as a police tracker by any law enforcement organisation in Australia has finally called it a day.

Police Liaison Officer (PLO) Barry Port has finally retired aged 71-years-young, after a distinguished 34 year career with the Queensland Police Service.

Barry was born, raised and lived in Coen before joining our ranks in 1980. He quickly demonstrated his tracking skills and abilities to local police who were very grateful for his work.

Throughout his career Barry’s stepped up and come to the aid of many a police officer and now has some remarkable stories to add to his personal memoirs.

In 1997 he tracked down two teenage New Zealand stowaways and a Malaysian sailor after they jumped ship off Cape York.

Commissioner of Police Ian Stewart with Police Tracker Barry Port at the award ceremony, September 30, 2013 in Cairns

Commissioner Stewart said, “PLO Port received a citation for his work in 1984 when he and partner George Musgrave tracked a stolen car over rough terrain for 22km, finding their man and a major drug crop in the far north.”

Trackers have been employed by the Queensland Police Service since the inception of Queensland and the Police Service, some 150 years ago. Local trackers initially assisted troopers and later Queensland Police officers to locate offenders who were fleeing through bush and outback areas. Their bush and tracking skills were unique and exemplary and could not be matched by police at the time.

Police Tracker Barry Port from Coen approaching the remote dirt airstrip during a search

Commissioner Stewart travelled to Cairns in September 2013 and presented Barry with the Commissioner’s Award for Meritorious Service and at the time said, “PLO Port has been a tremendous asset to the QPS for 30 years and I congratulate him on this milestone in his diverse and highly regarded career.”

Officer in charge of Coen Police, Sergeant Matt Moloney said, “The invaluable law enforcement duties our trackers provided local police over the years must not be underestimated, nor should they be forgotten or minimised.”

Coen crew L-R: Sgt Matt Moloney, Tracker Barry Port and Constable Justin Heinemann

These men such as Police Tracker Barry Port have proven their loyal sense of duty to not only the QPS but also to their communities and they’ve proven time and time again their strong desire for law and order, which is shared by both cultures.

Sergeant Moloney said, “Barry is a loyal and dedicated officer who has gained the respect and trust of members of the Cape York community. He has provided valuable assistance to the Queensland Police Service in crime and traffic crash investigations as well as searches for missing persons.”

At the ceremony Police Commissioner Ian Stewart posed for photos with Barry and said, “Since 1980, Police Tracker Port has been called upon to assist in at least two searches for missing persons each year in Cape York, including when a stockman went missing in 2007. He was involved in the search for seven days working approximately 12 hours each day until the person was found safe and well.”

The beautiful photographs taken by Jamie Hansen featured in a Courier Mail article in 2011. The images capture a humble man doing a unique job.

The QPS wish Barry well in his well earnt retirement and we in the Far North will certainly miss Barry’s contribution to the QPS and our community.

Happy retirement Barry!