Calling them “cherished and invaluable”, AFP Museum curator Sebastian Spencer says a rare set of FBI Christmas ornaments captures nearly nine decades of cooperation between the Australian Federal Police and its United States counterpart, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in protecting communities at home and abroad.
Housed at the AFP Museum, the ornaments are a festive yet powerful reminder of a partnership that began in 1936, when the FBI first engaged with Australia’s Commonwealth Investigation Branch, and has since evolved into one of the country’s most enduring international law-enforcement alliances.
“The three ornaments are cherished and invaluable to the AFP, and they provide a lovely reminder of the incredible work, significant operations, and historic moments between the agencies.”
Collaboration deepened during the Commonwealth Police era from 1960 to 1979, most notably through the multinational “Corset Gang” investigation. That joint Australian–American operation exposed a heroin syndicate smuggling drugs into Australia and the United States, leading to the arrest of 15 people across Sydney, New York, Miami and Honolulu in 1967.
When the Australian Federal Police was formally established in 1979, cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation was cemented through a permanent AFP liaison post in Washington DC. That move laid the foundation for ongoing joint work in counter-terrorism, cybercrime, organised crime and child-exploitation investigations.
Modern-day successes of the partnership include intelligence sharing after the September 11 attacks, the global Operation Ironside encrypted-device sting, and joint child-protection initiatives such as Operations Bakis and Artemis.
The ornaments themselves were gifted as a mark of respect during the tenure of Detective Superintendent Romi Gyergyak (Retired), who served as AFP Liaison Officer in Washington DC from 1993 to 1996, before later donating them to the museum.
While difficult to place a monetary value on, Mr Spencer said their significance lay in what they symbolise. One ornament, finished in 24-carat gold, depicts a “G-Man” — short for “government man”, a long-standing slang term for FBI agents. The others feature the FBI seal and the first badge used by the bureau in 1935.
Together, the ornaments offer a small but meaningful glimpse into a long-standing international partnership that continues to shape global policing efforts today.
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