Stewart Graeme Guthrie of New Zealand is the most recent civilian recipient of the George Cross, which is equal to the Victoria Cross, but awarded for conspicuous gallantry not in the face of an enemy.

Guthrie, a New Zealand Police sergeant, was sole duty officer at Port Chalmers police station on November 13, 1990 when he received a report that a man was firing a weapon indiscriminately at Aramoana, a seaside town near Dunedin.

Sergeant Guthrie immediately went to the town and liaised with a police constable. New Zealand police are generally unarmed, but because of the serious nature of the report they armed themselves before trying to apprehend the gunman. By this time, Sergeant Guthrie had learned that several people had been killed.

The gunman was located inside his house, where the constable took position at the front and Sergeant Guthrie took position at the rear of the property, the more dangerous of the two positions. During this time, Sergeant Guthrie had kept his control fully informed of the latest situation. Tapes of radio conversations between him and other police who arrived at the scene revealed that he was doing his utmost to minimize the danger to his colleagues.

The gunman left the house by the front entrance and went towards the police constable, but retreated back into the house when challenged. Meanwhile, Sergeant Guthrie had taken cover in a cottage next door, and saw the gunman suddenly appear from the rear of his house. Sergeant Guthrie challenged the gunman, and fired a warning shot into the air. The gunman responded by firing a series of shots, which killed Sergeant Guthrie. In all, the gunman killed 13 people and seriously wounded three. He himself was killed by armed police the next day.

Sergeant Guthrie was awarded the George Cross posthumously, and the citation was published in the London Gazette on February 18, 1992.

NOTE:This article is adapted with permission from New Zealand Police material.