2024 marks 200 years of the NSW Sheriff’s Office, Australia’s oldest law enforcement agency.
Watch ‘Road to the Future: A NSW Sheriff’s Office documentary’ to learn more about our rich history and diverse people. The documentary includes exclusive historical footage and reflections from retired NSW Sheriff’s as well as current and former staff.
The NSW Sheriff’s Office was established in Australia by the Third Charter of Justice (New South Wales Act), which came into effect in 1824.
Prior to 1824, the duties of the Sheriff were performed by the Provost Marshal of the colony of New South Wales.
In 1824, the colony of New South Wales included the whole of eastern Australia, as well as Van Dieman's Land (now Tasmania).
Sheriffs were appointed in the colonies of Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania after their separation from New South Wales, and also in the colonies of South Australia and Western Australia. These colonies later became states, each of which still has a Sheriff.
The colonial records of New South Wales state that in 1824 the duties of the Sheriff were to:
Many of these duties have disappeared over the years, in particular responsibility for carrying out death sentences as the death penalty was abolished in Australia.
The NSW Sheriff’s Office no longer runs gaols, which are now controlled by Corrective Services NSW, nor do they act as coroners, as this is the special responsibility of the Coroner's Court.
Today, the NSW Sheriff’s Office has broad responsibility for enforcing the civil law of New South Wales, as well as providing court security and running the jury system.
There have been 24 Sheriffs, including the current Sheriff and three acting Sheriffs in New South Wales since 1842.
Date | Sheriff |
---|---|
1824–1827 | John Mackanass |
1828 | William Carter |
1829–1841 | Thomas Macquoid |
1842 | William Hustler |
1843–1849 | Adolphus William Young |
1849–1854 | Gilbert Eliot |
1855–1860 | John O'Neill Brenan |
1861–1864 | George Richard Uhr |
1864–1874 | Harold Maclean |
1874–1896 | Charles Cowper |
1896–1917 | Cecil Edmunds Bridgewater Maybury |
1917–1920 | Charles Richard Walsh |
1920–1925 | Walter William Crockford |
1925–1939 | George Francis Murphy |
1939–1945 | Harry Charles Lester |
1945–1960 | Roland Oliver Elliot |
1960–1968 | Donald Mercer Richardson |
1968–1974 | Thomas Alexander Woodward |
1974–1985 | George Francis Hanson |
1985–1997 | David Michael Lennon |
1997–1998 | Nerida Johnston (Acting) |
1998–2002 | Bruce Kelly |
2002–2003 | Kenneth Holdgate (Acting) |
2003–2007 | Gary Byles |
2007–2008 | Reg Kruit (Acting) |
2008–2011 | Christopher Benjamin Allen |
2012– | Tracey Hall |
06 Jun 2024
We acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we work and we pay respect to the Elders, past, present and future.