As the joy of Christmas nears, let’s not put a full stop on the grief we feel over the senseless slaughter of a couple young heroes, just doing their job.

The photograph of Rachel McCrow on her graduation day. The pristine new uniform. That smile. The pride that showed this was her chosen career.

Triplet Matthew Arnold, whose family is struggling under incomprehensible grief. When we look at our own children around the Christmas table in 10 days time, let’s spend a solitary moment hoping peace is delivered, in small part, to those living without him.

Let’s tell our children about Keely Brough, the young rookie officer who thought she was living her last moments, but whose training and skill and determination and perhaps even luck saved her from unreconcilable evil.

In fact, don’t wait for Christmas. When your 17-year-old is delivered their ATAR rank on Friday, remind them that it is just a number. It doesn’t matter. Life does. Loved ones do. Finding your passion does.

Tell them how Keely always wanted to be a police officer. Some stories have it that she even missed out, first time around. But she wears the uniform now. And we are so, so grateful that she does.

Keely, I hope my teen girls at your age show the smarts and heart you have this week. You’ve lost two colleagues, but you’ve gained the admiration of a nation. Thank you.

Keely and Rachel and Matthew and Randell Kirk have also helped wash away the ugly stain of sexism and misogyny, laziness and inaction of a few of their most senior officers, revealed during the recent domestic violence inquiry.

This is the future of our police service. This awesome foursome. This is our police service. And I hope those old men who have treated young female police officers so dreadfully are reading about the courage of Keely and Rachel – and know they don’t cut it anymore.

Let’s not forget Randall Kirk too. A young father, who came within seconds of certain death. His children will grow up living with a hero. And this Christmas, Randall should know that all of us are raising a glass to his health and happiness.

These four young officers are all under 30. Two of them have had their futures taken away, simply for doing their job.  And let’s not forget Alan Dare who from all reports was gunned down, simply for being a good neighbour.

But more than that, they’ve taught us all a lesson.

The fragility of life. The power of our rural communities. The importance of family and friends. The light delivered by empathy.

Katarina Carroll showed this week, too, what leadership looks like. Being given a final chance by some in Government, she’s shown how invested she is in the men and women under her. How being tough doesn’t mean lacking empathy. And she’s been faultless, after months of mediocrity.

News cycles now last a few minutes most days. Big tragedies like this, that tear at our hearts as much as society’s fabric, provide an impetus to make lives better.

Let’s not move on from this too quickly. Let’s take the lessons offered by Rachel and Matthew and Keely and Randall.

Sure we can buy every cop we see a coffee. Send flowers to police stations. Simply thank them, when we’re out and about.

But let’s engrave their names in history; all four of them. Let’s make them our Queenslanders of the Year.

And encourage our local members, our government and opposition, to join forces to encourage Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to make them, jointly, our Australians of the year.