Thirty-nine years after Detective Sergeant John Kapetanovski became a Victoria Police hero when he survived being shot by fugitive “Mad Max”, his widow and daughter are speaking out for the first time about the “invaluable” support from Victoria Police Legacy that helped their family after John’s death. That support will be recognised and celebrated on the inaugural National Police Legacy Day this Tuesday 17 June. Victoria Police Legacy (VPL) has been providing vital assistance to police members and their families since its establishment in 1980. Retired Inspector Margie Lewis APM says Victoria Police Legacy was a “saviour” and that they provided amazing support to her and one of Detective Inspector John Kapetanovski’s daughters Alexandra after he passed away from cancer in 2012. Mrs Lewis says she was suffering so much grief herself following her husband’s death that Victoria Police Legacy offered Alexandra support that she couldn’t. After her father’s death, Alexandra followed in his footsteps, joining Victoria Police, where she now serves as a Detective Senior Constable. Alexandra is the youngest of John’s four children. It didn’t seem right that a police officer who survived being shot twice by one of Victoria’s most dangerous criminals would die 26 years later, aged 60, from cancer. Detective Inspector Kapetanovski, or “Kappa” as he was affectionately known, cheated death the day he and his partner, Senior Detective Rod MacDonald, took on “Mad Max” in February 1986. Pavel Marinof, aka Max Clark, dubbed “Mad Max”, was on Victoria Police’s most wanted list after shooting four police officers before 1986 – leaving one a paraplegic – attempting to shoot a fifth, and committing factory burglaries in Melbourne’s southeast. Police wanted Mad Max found, and Kappa, who was born in Yugoslavia before moving to Melbourne with his parents when he was 10, was put in charge of the hunt for Marinof. Marinof was a Bulgarian army deserter. In part thanks to Kappa’s intel with the local Yugoslavian community, in February 1986, he and MacDonald believed they’d tracked Marinof down. They believed he was in Wallan and staked him out in the quiet country area. Marinof was in his vehicle, and the police officers in theirs, when they cautiously approached him. “Marinof shot at John in the head, and John lifted his hand to his face at the time, and it took off the top of his finger and grazed the top of his forehead right near his eyebrow. And that saved his life,” Mrs Lewis explained. There’s a theory this quick reflex was thanks to years of playing squash – Kappa’s main hobby. Marinof also shot Kappa in the shoulder and MacDonald in the chest. Incredibly, MacDonald returned fire, killing the fugitive who had terrorised Victoria Police. But the ordeal was not over. The two officers were seriously injured, isolated in the bush and in desperate need of help. They managed get to a house where Kappa used the resident’s home phone to call for help before collapsing. “John told me that he did die because he lost so much blood, and they revived him at the hospital,” Mrs Lewis, now 67, said. Kapetanovski and MacDonald were later awarded the Medal of Valor and Victoria Police Star for their bravery. “At the time, you just got on with it, and he went back to work. He didn't have much time off work, and he should have because in my opinion he definitely suffered from undiagnosed PTSD. Back then, he didn't get much for being injured in the workplace. He was a very proud man. He used to soldier on, but he had terrible problems sleeping,” Mrs Lewis said. Born about six years after her father’s encounter with Mad Max, as a child, Alexandra didn’t know her beloved Dad was a police hero. She knew he was a police officer and knew he had been shot, but to her, he was just “Dad”. “He didn't really talk about it that much. He had some pretty bad scars on his arm, and obviously lost a bit of the tip of his finger,” Alexandra said. “Dad never wanted me to tell people what he did; he would always say, 'Just say I'm a public servant’,” Alexandra explained. Kapetanovski went on to serve Victoria Police for 28 years. In 2010, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. “I nursed him for (the last) six months because he wanted to die at home, not in the hospital. So my whole life was looking after him. It was a heart wrenching experience watching your husband die. Victoria Police Legacy were amazing with assistance after John died,” Mrs Lewis said. Over the years, Victoria Police Legacy provided Alexandra with unwavering support in various meaningful ways. This included emotional support as well as offering opportunities to assist and lead in Victoria Police Legacy family camps with other Young Police Legatees. Victoria Police Legacy also presented her with a generous financial gift for her 21st birthday (as part of a VPL tradition), which helped make overseas travel possible for Alexandra. “I was so, so torn with grief that Police Legacy were a saviour. Alex was struggling herself, of course, and I was of absolutely no help to her because I was too distraught myself. Thank God for Police Legacy, they stepped in, and they took her on a camp. She made lifelong friends, and honestly, it helped her in so many ways to cope with losing her dad,” Mrs Lewis said. “It was pretty horrible,” Alexandra said of losing her Dad when she was 19. “Both my parents were in Victoria Police my whole life, but I had never heard of Police Legacy.” A couple of months after her Dad passed away, Alexandra chose to attend a Victoria Police Legacy family camp on Phillip Island as a leader. It was the annual family camp run by Victoria Police Legacy that offers fun and exciting getaways for Young Police Legatees, while also providing valuable support for their parents. “The biggest impact that Victoria Police Legacy had for me was that specific camp. I had a lot of fun, but it also was very eye-opening that I got 19 years with my dad. There were some people there who were only a couple of weeks old or a couple of months old when their dads had died. So it gave me a real perspective, I guess you could call it, of a horrendous situation,” Alexandra, now 33, said. “Police Legacy was a big support. As a 19-year-old, my friends didn't understand (what it was like to lose a parent). Police Legacy did give me some sort of purpose and to know that there are other kids in the same situation and brings us together to provide support - So I guess it takes away that isolation,” Alexandra said. Three years after her father's death, Alexandra joined the Victoria Police Academy and now works for Victoria Police as a Detective Senior Constable. “I knew, pretty much before I even started the academy, that I wanted to go down the detective route; just like Dad,” she said. National Police Legacy Day will be celebrated every year on 17 June to acknowledge the incredible work done by the eight Police Legacy charities around Australia supporting police and their families. Victoria Police Legacy CEO Deb Robertson APM highlighted the significance of National Police Legacy Day. “When tragedy strikes—whether it is the loss of a police officer or their loved one—Police Legacy is there to support those left behind. This day is for the entire community to come together in gratitude and respect, acknowledging both those who serve and the families who carry on their legacy. Last year, Victoria Police Legacy proudly supported 1,320 people, including 105 children,” Deb Robertson said. Victoria Police Legacy support services range from counselling and field officer visits to social activities providing comfort, connection, and practical assistance to police families. They also offer education and career grants and even birthday gifts for their Police Legatees. The logo for National Police Legacy Day is the Michaelmas daisy. The Michaelmas daisy is the flower of St Michael, the patron saint of police who protects those who have sworn to serve. We are proud to call it the Police Legacy Daisy. Police Legacy Daisy pins are available for purchase at www.policelegacyvic.org.au -Ends- Note for editors •Alexandra Kapetanovski is the daughter of John Kapetanovski and Margie Lewis. John has three other children from his first marriage. •John Kapetanovski was a Detective Sergeant at the time of the Mad Max shoot-out and was a Detective Inspector when he passed away. •Previous media articles refer to Detective Inspector John Kapetanovski as “Kapa”, but his family has explained the correct spelling of his nickname is “Kappa”. •June 17 is the anniversary date of when the first Police Legacy organisation was established in Australia. Queensland Police Legacy started on 17 June, 1971. Each state and territory now has its own Police Legacy charity. •National Police Legacy Day is a day of celebration. It is separate from Police Remembrance Day, which is a day of mourning.