Making wine in memory of officers killed by Dezi Freeman
Police officers and community members in Porepunkah came together to pick grapes for a memorial wine honoring officers Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart, who were killed in the line of duty in August 2025. The wine, produced at Feathertop Winery, will raise funds for Police Legacy to support families of police officers. The event marked a step toward healing for the community and police following the manhunt for Dezi Freeman, who was later killed by police.
- ▪Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart were killed by Dezi Freeman on August 26, 2025, in Porepunkah.
- ▪Feathertop Winery served as the police command post during the initial phase of the operation to locate Dezi Freeman.
- ▪The memorial wine is expected to raise over $50,000 for Police Legacy, which supports more than 1,450 police legatees.
- ▪Police Association of Victoria CEO Wayne Gatt said the grape-picking event helped the community and police heal together.
- ▪Freeman was shot dead by police in Thologolong after months on the run, an event that preceded the memorial gathering.
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Police and Porepunkah come together to pick grapes in memory of officers killed by Dezi FreemanBy Annie Brown and Erin SomervilleABC RuralTopic:Police1h ago1 hours agoSat 2 May 2026 at 8:00pmPolice and community members volunteer their time to pick grapes. (ABC News: Annie Brown)In short:Police officers and Porepunkah locals have picked grapes together to make wine in memory of officers Neal Thompson and Vadim De Waart-Hottart, who were killed by Dezi Freeman.Many local police officers were first responders on the day of the shooting in August 2025.What's next?The money raised from the sale of the wine will go towards supporting police families through Police Legacy.abc.net.au/news/porepunkah-wine-made-memory-officers-killed-by-dezi-freeman/106624084Link copiedShareShare articleGrieving…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Net.