Looking out at the sun-soaked Moorabbin Oval from the balcony at RSEA Park, the din of South Rd traffic off in the distance, one could be forgiven for assuming this suburban pocket of south-east Melbourne has always been this tranquil.

But 20 years ago yesterday, the suburb of Moorabbin told a very different story.

Just a stone’s throw from where St Kilda’s glistening new facilities stand today, two Victoria Police officers, Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rodney Miller, were gunned down in cold blood.

The effects of the murders that occurred that night spread far and wide across the country in the aftermath, but among the first respondents on the scene was a Saints fan.

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The Blue Ribbon Cup holds great significance for many people in Victoria, but for Dave Watson, a long-time paramedic and St Kilda supporter, it’s an annual reminder of one of the darkest days of his working career.

Watson's partner in the ambulance that fateful night was Peter Frayne, by coincidence a Hawthorn supporter, and both men had previously served with the Victoria Police before becoming paramedics.

“We were working in Springvale that night, and just after midnight we got the call,” Watson recalled.

“We were the third car on the scene, and the other guys had Miller in the back of the ambulance, but Silk was already gone … we had to pronounce Gary Silk dead.”

The pair were made aware of the circumstances in their initial call-out, but Watson said nothing could prepare them for the scene they were about to encounter.

“It was just absolutely terrible,” he said.

“Pete and I were both ex-coppers as well, so it really affected us.”

But sadly, it wasn’t the first time Dave Watson had experienced the murder of a police officer.

In October of 1988, 10 years prior, Watson was woken up by his clearly distressed mother.

“Two coppers have been shot in Prahran,” she told the young police officer.

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At the time, Watson had recently graduated from the Victoria Police Academy, and it soon transpired that one of the victims was a graduating classmate of his: Damian Eyre.

So when Watson was faced with his second double police homicide just 10 years after his squad-mate was killed, he was deeply troubled.

“I came down with what they called a ‘stress flu’ afterwards,” he said.

“Back then, you just stayed at work, so I stayed at work and a few days later I came down with the stress flu. Now I know that if I get one of those jobs, I just go home afterwards.

“But I didn’t know at the time – we just stayed at work that night, which is just stupid. We’re a bit more aware of mental health now than then, but you know, that was just crazy.”

Dave Watson has tried to erase the memory of that night for 20 years, but the young paramedic who responded at the scene met the families of the deceased for the first time yesterday at the 20-year memorial.


Police officers at the Silk-Miller 20-year memorial on Thursday

“I hadn’t been to a memorial for 20 years, so I thought maybe it’d be time to show my face,” he said.

“I met Carmel, who’s Rodney’s widow, and met Gary Silk’s two brothers and their families.

“What do you say? I just told them I’m sorry for this situation that we’re in.”

The turnout at St Kilda Police Station on Chapel St spoke volumes about the character of Sergeant Silk and Senior Constable Miller, and included the likes of Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, Police Minister Lisa Neville, representatives from the Blue Ribbon Foundation, fellow policemen and family members.

Before the Saints run out onto Etihad Stadium on Saturday night to face the Hawks for the Blue Ribbon Cup, teams from the St Kilda Police Station and the Prahran Police Station (Silk and Miller’s respective stations) will compete for the Silk-Miller Cup.

The player adjudged best-on-ground in the Blue Ribbon Cup will be awarded the Silk-Miller Medal.

The match is a tribute to the 159 members of the Victorian Police killed in the line of duty since the force was established in 1853.

Thirty of them – nearly one in five – were murdered.

If you’re struggling, or for 24/7 crisis support or suicide prevention services, please call 13 11 14. If life is in danger, call 000.