Where are they now – Joel Dash (SPC 1995-2000)

We were delighted to welcome Old Collegian Joel Dash (SPC 1995-2000) back to the College recently.

Joel, now in Victoria Police’s Ballarat Proactive Policing Unit, and his colleague Clare Kane visited the College’s Year 10 Legal Studies and Politics class, to share their knowledge.

Joel loved his time at SPC and believes being part of the tight knit St Patrick’s community taught him the value of teamwork and the importance of friendship and respect, which has stood him in good stead in his life.

 

Where has life taken you since leaving SPC?
Since graduating Year 12 in 2000 and having wanted to join Victoria Police since I was 15, I skipped the university pathway in lieu of gaining life experience which is what was suggested to me by some police officers I knew at the time.

I worked a variety of jobs including retail and construction, before moving to Perth with my best mate (a fellow Patty’s boy) in 2002.

We drove across the Nullabor in a clapped-out Mitsubishi Magna and surprisingly made it unscathed and enjoyed a whole new lifestyle on the opposite side of the country.

After close to a year, we began missing friends and family so packed up and returned home to Ballarat. WA is spectacular, but it’s just so far away.

I applied for Victoria Police in 2005 and back then, the application process was very slow due to long delays between the application processes.

It wasn’t until early 2007 that I finally received an acceptance letter with a start date of July.

After graduating from the Police Academy in November 2007, I started at my training station in Melton, before transferring to Ballarat where I worked in a variety of locations and completed secondments in several departments and specialist units.

I then transferred to Buninyong after starting a family and after a number of years, I moved back to Ballarat Uniform in 2018 where I was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

At the time, I lived and breathed the fast-paced policing environment – you have to be versatile and willing to work hard in order to just keep up.

In 2022, my circumstances changed and I no longer felt that I could sustain the level of intensity required but I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to transfer to the Proactive Policing Unit at the Ballarat West Police Station.

I now manage several Youth Resources Officers, Proactive Policing Operatives, Youth Specialist Officers and our Divisional Firearms Officers.

The PPU is responsible for a proactive Policing response which encompasses a range of responsibilities, such as school-based programs, crime prevention presentations and operations, Youth engagement, Youth crime investigations and proactive public engagements like our Coffee with a Cop program.

 

Do you have family ties with SPC?

My older brother and I both attended St Patrick’s College as well as many uncles and cousins from the Holloway, Lenaghan and Dodd families.

 

What are your fondest memories of your time at St Patrick’s College?
Being an innocent child from a small country town and having only just completed Grade 6 in a primary school of 50 students, I was shellshocked when I arrived at St Pat’s on day one of Year 7.

I do however, have very fond memories of my homeroom teacher, Mike Brady who went out of his way to welcome me and make me feel comfortable. I still use one of his acronyms to this day, the KISS principle – Keep It Simple Stupid!

The camaraderie my friendship group developed throughout our school years has continued well into adulthood life and my friendship group still consists of 80 per cent of my original St Pat’s mates.

Playing First XVIII for St Patrick’s including in the Herald Sun shield in 1999 & 2000 was also a great honour. I still have both football jumpers hanging proudly on display at home.

Which teacher from your time at SPC had the greatest impact on you? Why?
Mike Brady was a true gentleman – I was genuinely sad to learn of his battle with illness and later his passing. I would love to know how many thousands of lives he touched during his teaching career.

Howard Clark was another favourite, we got along well, I recently bumped into him at a Careers night at St Pats and he is just as positive and motivating as he was 25 years ago. He is just an all-round, great person.

Peter Ryan was also a favourite. He was a big man with a big voice and he used it to his advantage!

Peter taught me woodwork in Year 11 and 12 and my parents still own one of the handmade timber beds he helped me build to this day.

 

How has your education shaped your professional life?
Being part of the tight knit St Patrick’s community taught me the value of teamwork and the importance of friendship and respect.

I pride myself on my communication skills, which I honed during many discussions with teachers in the hallways and good communication is critical in Policing, especially when you are working by yourself.

Saying the wrong thing to someone in crisis can be the difference between a peaceful resolution or an injury.

People often say I have the “gift of the gab” and a lot of it can be attributed directly to my school teachers Joe Boin, Howard Clark and Brett Anderson who gave me the opportunity to finesse my communication skills when talking myself out of detention.

 

How has your time at SPC shaped your personal values and your family life?
My high schooling at St Pat’s taught me the values of trust, respect and the importance of teamwork.

All three of these values are an integral part of Victoria Police and more broadly, life in general.

It’s something I try to instill into my own children.

 

If you could pass on one message to the students of today, what would it be?
As a staunch advocate for Youth mental health, I simply cannot stand bullying.

Don’t ever suffer in silence. Tell someone you trust and if it is causing you harm, report it to the Police. Bullying can be a criminal offence.

Remember: It doesn’t cost anything to be a good person, and something as simple as a smile could change someone else’s entire day.