Police World Edition 4 2015

Article

Section UK Members Phillip Powell & Vivienne Catherall-Powell first met Hans & Frieda Schurr from Passau, Bavaria via the Travel Form Scheme, when in 1986 they responded to a hosting request. The Schurrs, along with their fifteen-year-old son, stayed with them at their home in London. Phillip and Vivienne talk about that friendship.

Bavaria to Birmingham: An IPA Friendship O ur friends Hans and Frieda made a third visit to stay with us in July 2015, this time to our apartment in Birmingham. They only came for Since 1986 we have made two trips to Germany to stay with Hans and Frieda, one to their home in Passau

and the other when we all stayed in an IPA house in Berlin and then travelled to their holiday home on the Island of Rugen. They also made a second trip to see us in London a few years ago. The IPA has been responsible for our friendship for the last twenty-nine years and we urge others to take advantage of the Travel Form Scheme when going abroad. Phillip Powell & Vivienne Catherall-Powell London South Branch For more information about the IPA Travel scheme, visit: www.ipa-uk.org/Travel-and-Accommodation

a short visit of four days but in that time we managed to take them to visit two National Trust properties in the West Midlands, a trip to Worcester around the shops there and to the cathedral, as well as a trip into Birmingham to visit the Art Gallery and enjoy a lunch at a tapas restaurant and a visit to the Jacobean mansion, Aston Hall. On their last day, on the morning before their flight home, we visited nearby Winterbourne Gardens, owned by the University of Birmingham, which as well as having splendid gardens, there is also an Arts and Crafts house and tea shop.

Phillip, Vivienne, Frieda and Hans in 2015

Help from Sally Satnav Having joined the IPA in August 2014 under the free entry programme, Rosy Halsall and her husband thought an approach to Section Austria would be a way of making friends with police families. This is how their first encounter went. M y husband and I are both retired Merseyside Police officers and we have been visiting Austria for the past us to tour the police training centre. We arranged a day and then off we went!

how officers are now trained in the UK. We then met Peter’s deputy, Walter Schlauer, who had brought the Head of Training, Brigadier General Thomas Schlesinger, who is based in Vienna. Introductions were made and then we all went outside to have photos taken and exchange friendship gifts. I gave Peter a glass trophy, inscribed with the IPA logo and the names of both IPA sections, UK and Austria. In return we were given Tirol pennants and to my delight, the most beautiful glass obelisk, etched with the IPA name and Section. We all went out to the lawn, with the knight and the chapel in the background. My husband spent some time talking to Thomas, learning about the various training centres that he oversees and I chatted with Walter about his regular visits to Scotland and arranged to keep in touch. With that, it was time to take our leave. We said our goodbyes and thanked them all for such an interesting and informative visit. We promised to let Peter know our dates for next year, with a view to meeting up again. We could not have been made more welcome and I hope that this experience is a taste of

The location is quite remote and I had to rely on my brilliant new TomTom (nicknamed Sally SatNav) to get us there. Leaving the autobahn on to remote and winding roads got me a little worried as I couldn’t imagine there would be police training centre anywhere near where we were driving. How wrong I was! We rounded a bend in the road and ‘Sally’ told us we had ‘reached our destination’. Had we? There were no signs, barriers or guard house – just an expanse of grass, a small white chapel, and a statue of what appeared to be a medieval knight. A young man in an office saw us, spoke to us in excellent English, and we waited for Peter, who arrived a few minutes later. We received an extremely warm welcome and once pleasantries were exchanged, he took us both up to his office. We chatted for a short while, but it was clear he was very busy and he apologised because his ‘boss’ was due any time. He gave us a short tour of the classrooms and we discussed various aspects of training for the new officers. We were amazed at how intensive the instruction is and how different it is in relation to

nineteen years, so it seemed obvious to approach the Tirol Region of the Austrian IPA in anticipation of our next visit. I duly filled out the form and sent it off, having no idea what to expect. I received a prompt reply acknowledging my request; then heard nothing more and before I knew it, the July trip was upon us. When we arrived in Waidring, which isn’t far from Kitzbuhel. I received an email from Oberst (Colonel) Peter Kern, Chair of Tirol Region, inviting

things to come on future trips. Rose Halsall , Cheshire Branch

Walter, Thomas, Bryan, Rose and Peter

POLICE WORLD Vol 60 No. 4, 2015

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