Ivar John Thomter obituary: always saw good in job of extremes
After six years as a police officer, Constable Ivar Thomter, then aged 25, was assigned one of the WA Police Force’s biggest jobs — literally.
As a heavy haulage patrol officer stationed at Norseman police station in 1957, Ivar was tasked with patrolling the Eyre Highway all the way east along the Nullarbor to the border with South Australia.
Dubbed “one of the world’s longest beats” by media at the time, he was responsible for 1300km of road that also stretched south to Esperance and north to Southern Cross and Coolgardie — most of which was unsealed.
After 37 years of dedicated service with WA Police, which started with postings at Perth and Fremantle police stations, followed by Broome and Derby in the Kimberley, Ivar retired in 1988 as a commissioned officer with the rank of chief superintendent.
He worked on more than 30 murder investigations, including some of the State’s most notorious and complex crimes
During his time as a detective with the Criminal Investigation Branch, he worked on more than 30 murder investigations, including some of the State’s most notorious and complex crimes of the 1960s through to the mid-1980s.
For a time he was the sole detective in the Kimberley. When police corruption emerged as a serious issue in WA, Ivar, who had a reputation for honesty and compassion, was promoted to lead the Internal Investigation Branch in Perth, a role in which he had a major impact up to his retirement.
Ivar John Thomter was born at King Edward Memorial Hospital on December 31, 1931, one of five children of Amy (nee Davenport) and Ivar Thomter senior, who was originally from Norway and started a new life when he jumped ship from a Norwegian whaling vessel in Fremantle.
Ivar junior’s childhood was spent in Dwellingup and Margaret River, where his father worked as a dairy farmer. Ivar’s two older brothers, Bill and Bob, both served in World War II and returned, while sister Amy died of polio aged 19. His other sister, Dawn, passed away in 2009.
Ivar rode his horse to Bramley Group School in Margaret River and would keep this affection for animals for life. School reports said “he was an excellent type of boy” with an interest in “good clean sport”, particularly football and cricket.
Sport remained a big part of his life. He was a passionate Perth Football Club supporter and later a Dockers fan, which made the western derby an interesting event as wife Shirley was an ardent West Coast supporter.
Ivar, who joined WA Police aged 19 at the first opportunity after four years as a clerk with the WA Government Railways, married Shirley (nee Prior) in September 1956. Soon after, the couple relocated to Norseman, where they started a family with the arrival of daughter Elaine.
The young family returned to Perth, where second daughter Maree was born in 1959, followed by son Russell in 1962.
Outside the force, Ivar loved fishing, especially chasing skippy and herring in his 4m dinghy at Woodman Point, while his weekends were also often spent cheering on the Demons and at the football club’s Saturday night dance with Shirley. They shared more than 60 years of marriage before Shirley passed away in 2017.
Ivar continued to live in East Fremantle and with the support of family and friends, kept busy with the footy, drives and gardening.
“My father, like many who lived through the global upheaval of World War II, had an extraordinary work ethic, combined with a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude,” said son Russell James, who followed Ivar into the WA Police Force before forging a career as an international photographer.
“Through Dad’s postings to places like Derby he was able to give me and my siblings, Elaine and Maree, exposure to the true outback.
“We swam at waterholes outside of remote towns like Halls Creek and dropped pots for mango crab in the tidal waters around Derby. He would sometimes take light aircraft when on police inquiries in neighbouring areas due to the vast distances and, if there was an empty seat, one of us kids would sometimes be the beneficiaries. As a result, he gave us a fantastic look into the real meaning of ‘the outback’, something that continues to inspire me.
“In the city, when Dad was deep in complex investigations, our kitchen was regularly a meeting place for him and other detectives as they discussed what evidence their day had yielded and what they should focus on next.
“This seemed quite normal at the time; however, we were to later realise it was anything but compared to other families.
“Even though Dad often had to deal with the worst and most violent of humanity, he was renowned for his optimism and positive outlook.
“He always saw the good in people and was a terrific mentor to his kids, grandchildren and more recently his great-grandchildren.”
When his health deteriorated 12 months ago, Ivar moved into residential care, where he continued to enjoy outings to the beach with family. After a sudden illness, Ivar died on July 17, 2024, surrounded by his family. He is survived by Elaine, Maree and Russell, seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Ivar John Thomter
Police officer
Born: Subiaco, 1931
Died: Claremont, aged 92
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