True Blue Conversations is inclusive of all stories. On this podcast, I speak with Zach Rolfe BM. Zach is a former infantry soldier from the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment and Northern Territory Police Officer. In 2010, Zach enlisted in the Australian Army, serving in Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. Zach discharged from the Army in 2015. Zach applied to be a Police Officer and was accepted by the Northern Territory force, enrolling at the academy in Darwin in May 2016. Zach graduated as dux of his squad and was posted to Alice Springs in Central Australia – his first preference. In December 2016, during his first week with the NT Police, he rescued two tourists from flood waters near Alice Springs, for which he and a colleague were awarded the Bravery Medal in 2018. In the same year, Zach was awarded the Hong Kong Bravery Medal, becoming the first foreigner honoured by the Hong Kong government.

He joined the Alice Springs Immediate Response Team (IRT) in November 2017. On the 9 th of November 2019, Zach was sent to a remote community to serve an arrest warrant for a young Aboriginal man named Kumanjayi Walker, who was an offender with a history of offences. He was shot by Zach and later died during an attempted arrest in Yuendumu, Northern Territory, after Walker had stabbed Zach with scissors and threatened to kill Zach and his Partner. Four days after the incident, Zac was charged with murder. In 2022, Zach was found not guilty of murder. This is a complex story that needs to be heard. In this podcast, Zac talks about the shooting, losing his purpose and identity, and the mental toll this has taken on him and his family.

Presenter: Adam Blum Guest: Zach Rolfe BM Editor: Kyle Watkins