AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'In the early 1970s, Queensland was a haven for crooks from both sides of the law. It was into this hothouse that Ray Whitrod was controversially appointed as police commissioner in 1970. Just six years later he resigned from the head role of the Queensland Police Force, no longer willing to tolerate the interference of the Bjelke-Petersen government. It was a decision that the Fitzgerald Inquiry would later vindicate.
'Ray Whitrod rose through the ranks from police cadets in Adelaide to command not only the Queensland police but the Commonwealth and Papua New Guinea forces as well. In wartime, he had trained and flown as a navigator with the RAF in Europe and the Middle East. After the war, he helped to found ASIO, operating both in the field and from behind a desk.' (Publication summary)
Notes
-
Dedication: for Mavis
-
Epigraph:
But I have promises to keep,
and miles to go before I sleep.
–Robert Frost
'Stopping in the Woods on a Snowy Evening'
Contents
- Introduction, single work essay (p. ix-xii)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
[Review] Before I Sleep: My Life Fighting Crime and Corruption
2017
single work
review
— Appears in: Queensland Review , December vol. 24 no. 2 2017; (p. 326-328)
— Review of Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner 2001 single work autobiography'This is an encompassing and evocative memoir by former Queensland Police Force (QPF) Commissioner Ray Whitrod, who wore many hats in his lifetime. However, heading Queensland’s police force between 1970 and 1976 had the most impact on his future career, social life and health. The Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption following the term of his successor Terry Lewis had a watershed effect on the QPF and the organisation was overhauled. Given the scarcity of insights into the political dimensions of QPF management during this time, Whitrod’s memoir will be invaluable for scholars of Australian policing and politics and its Queensland dimensions. Before I Sleep affords the reader a glimpse into the personal life of a person responsible for the formation of key national and state organisations: the Commonwealth Police, the Australian Institute of Criminology and Victims of Crime Service in his home state of South Australia, to name a few.' (Introduction)
-
The Mexican
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 371 2015; (p. 65)
— Review of Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner 2001 single work autobiography -
[Untitled]
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: JAS Review of Books , June no. 6 2002;
— Review of Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner 2001 single work autobiography -
[Review] Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: Queensland Review , May vol. 9 no. 1 2002; (p. 94-96)
— Review of Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner 2001 single work autobiography 'Many Queenslanders will remember Ray Whitrod as the state's Police Commissioner between 1970 and 1976. Yet as this autobiography reveals, his police career was not defined by his controversial period of office in the Sunshine State. It spanned many decades and covered several jurisdictions.' (Introduction)
-
[Untitled]
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: JAS Review of Books , June no. 6 2002;
— Review of Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner 2001 single work autobiography -
The Mexican
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 371 2015; (p. 65)
— Review of Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner 2001 single work autobiography -
[Review] Before I Sleep: My Life Fighting Crime and Corruption
2017
single work
review
— Appears in: Queensland Review , December vol. 24 no. 2 2017; (p. 326-328)
— Review of Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner 2001 single work autobiography'This is an encompassing and evocative memoir by former Queensland Police Force (QPF) Commissioner Ray Whitrod, who wore many hats in his lifetime. However, heading Queensland’s police force between 1970 and 1976 had the most impact on his future career, social life and health. The Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption following the term of his successor Terry Lewis had a watershed effect on the QPF and the organisation was overhauled. Given the scarcity of insights into the political dimensions of QPF management during this time, Whitrod’s memoir will be invaluable for scholars of Australian policing and politics and its Queensland dimensions. Before I Sleep affords the reader a glimpse into the personal life of a person responsible for the formation of key national and state organisations: the Commonwealth Police, the Australian Institute of Criminology and Victims of Crime Service in his home state of South Australia, to name a few.' (Introduction)
-
[Review] Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner
2002
single work
review
— Appears in: Queensland Review , May vol. 9 no. 1 2002; (p. 94-96)
— Review of Before I Sleep : Memoirs of a Modern Police Commissioner 2001 single work autobiography 'Many Queenslanders will remember Ray Whitrod as the state's Police Commissioner between 1970 and 1976. Yet as this autobiography reveals, his police career was not defined by his controversial period of office in the Sunshine State. It spanned many decades and covered several jurisdictions.' (Introduction)
