POPULAR POLICE OFFICER

Evening Star, Issue 21286, 15 December 1932, Page 10

POPULAR POLICE OFFICER

SENIOR-SERGEANT O’GRADY RETIRES WAIKINO SCHOOL TRAGEDY RECALLED [Special to the ‘ Star.’] AUCKLAND, December 15. After forty-two years’ service in the Police Force, Senior-sergeant T. O’Grady, in charge of Newton station, will retire on superannuation in March on three months’ final leave. He, was born at Milton, and joined the force in Oamaru after a period of service in the Permanent Artillery in Wellington. Ho was transferred to Dunedin, later going to Invercargill. After serving at Christchurch and Timaru, he came to Auckland in 1898, and spent almost all the remainder of his service in that city and province. Senior-sergeant O’Grady, while in charge at Waihi, arrested John Higgins, the maniac who fired shot after shot at the children at Waikiuo School ip October, 1923. The man, who barricaded himself in the school after killing two children and wounding the head master and five pupils, continued to shoot wildly at the police party, and Constable H. J. Olsen, who was with O’Grady, was struck by a bullet. After the police had battered in the door Higgins surrendered. When searched he had in Jiis possession a large quantity of ammunition and sufficient explosives to blow up the school.