The eyes have it on
corrections couture
Bookworms unite
Calling all bookworms. Central Office staff are invited to join a new
monthly book group. The group held its first meeting in February, with
subsequent meetings to be held on the first Thursday of the month.
Book group coordinator Janine Hargrave said the aim of the group
was to bring together people from within Central Office who loved to
read. “The meetings are very informal,” she said. “Basically, we all get
together to talk about a nominated book or to discuss any other books
we may have read recently.” The meetings, lasting about an hour, will be
informally “chaired” every month by a different book group member and
participants are encouraged to bring along their lunch. The nominated
book for the April 1 meeting is the Paul Keating biography Recollections
of a Bleeding Heart by Don Watson, who was the former Prime Minister’s
long-time speech writer. Anyone interested in attending the book
group or obtaining a list of proposed titles and reviews can contact
[email protected]
North Wales beckons
They may not be judging the fashions on a Paris runway, but there will be
plenty of interest in their stylistic opinions. Meet the DCS corporate uniform
panel. Staff from procurement and a selection of custodial officers, including
Queensland Public Sector Union (QPSU) representatives, have joined forces to
select the new supplier of the corporate wardrobe to be worn in custodial and
community custody facilities. Three organisations competing for the tender
paraded their ideas for the panel at presentations during February. Although
there will be no major “style changes” to the uniform, the panel is focusing on
the appropriateness of materials and the fit of garments within a corrections
work environment, while also maintaining a focus on comfort. The panel expects
to have selected a supplier by next month. A 12-month transition period will
be implemented to allow all staff affected by the change to gradually replace
existing uniforms. Pictured are panel members, from front left in a clockwise
direction, Helana Jones Community Custody Centre Manager Sue Noordink,
Woodford Correctional Centre Custodial Correctional Officer (CCO) Jan Sheedy,
Sir David Longland CCO and QPSU representative Rona Frankcombe, Woodford
CCO and QPSU representative Ian Janson, Custodial Corrections Directorate
Business Services Senior Adviser Des Reid and Operations A/Principal Adviser
Steve Simmons, PartnerOne Senior Procurement Officer Tania Palmer, and
Procurement A/Senior Adviser Kevin Twomey.
Attention all community corrections officers.
Do you fancy spending 12 months living and working in the coastal town of
Bangor in North Wales?
Along with the opportunity to develop your career and gain experience with the
British Criminal Justice System, you’ll be able to spend your free time enjoying
the countryside and beaches of Wales, and taking short trips to London or
Ireland. English probation officer Elizabeth Blackwell is interested in organising
a 12-month job exchange with a similarly qualified DCS Community Corrections
Officer.
As part of her role as a probation officer with the North Wales National Probation
Services, Elizabeth is responsible for supervising custody cases, work that
includes visiting prisoners in custody, preparing reports and undertaking risk
assessment. The coastal university town of Bangor, where Elizabeth lives, is
only four hours from London, and a short ferry ride from Ireland. Apart from its
beaches, the town also boasts some beautiful mountain scenery.
Noosa Community Corrections Area Manager Barney Kelly undertook a 12month exchange from April 2002 to the same probation service, and said it was
a rewarding experience.
“The work was tough,” he said. “It was difficult, at first, coming to grips with the
details of certain tasks, but I really enjoyed the company of the people I worked
with. They were a very close team who worked under difficult circumstances.
But I’d go back tomorrow and do it all again if I could. It was extremely
rewarding on both a professional and personal level.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about the job exchange can contact
Elizabeth via email at [email protected] or
write to her at the National Probation Services North Wales, 18 Augusta Street,
Llandudno, Conway, LL30 2AD. The DCS Media and Communications Unit can
also supply you with a phone number, if necessary.
Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre
BWCC inmates recently learned
how to create batik through the use
of wax and a multiple-stage dye
process. They created 48 pieces,
each measuring about 1.5m by
1.2m. Inmates have also completed
a triptych, which took 12 months to
plan, design and paint. The threepanelled piece measures 3.6m by
2m and will hang in the centre’s
education and programs building.
Created by five inmates, it features
colourful south-east Queensland
icons from Brisbane, the Gold Coast
and its hinterland and the outback.
The colourful new addition to the centre’s programs building
CN February - March 2004 / Page 11
Eva Kennedy at the opening of the accommodation centre for single parents named in her honour last year
Career of kindness and dedication
Many years before community engagement became a prime goal
of the department, one very quiet achiever was demonstrating
her commitment to providing a comprehensive and holistic
approach to improving community services to those in need.
Since her induction to the department in 1987, Eva Kennedy
has always been ready to share the information and experience
which would assist her colleagues in providing a better service
for the clients of corrections, particularly, the Indigenous clients
in the Townsville area. Eva inspired many community correctional
officers by tirelessly applying her knowledge and skill to
mentoring and assisting the clients she supervised.
She could always be relied upon to provide practical help for
clients who were in real need, and those who she assisted
through some of the most difficult times of their lives will not
easily forget her kindness.
Eva, who has recently resigned from her work with corrections,
was previously awarded an OAM for her contribution in the field
of community welfare, and more recently she was honoured
for the tireless contribution she has made, since 1974, to the
Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Service.
Over the past 30 years, she has maintained a strong and guiding
presence, filling the roles of secretary, staff member and as a
member of the Board of Directors for the Townsville Aboriginal
and Islander Health Service.
On December 19 last year in Townsville, a new facility which
provides accommodation for single parents, was dedicated and
named the Eva Kennedy Centre, in Eva’s honour.
Although her physical presence will be sadly missed in
corrections, Eva remains a shining example to those who strive
to achieve a safer and happier community for all.
Eva Kennedy, OAM, JP, we wish you the very best.
Submitted by Townsville Community Corrections Officer Donna Curro
Healthy research project continues
The second stage of a Custodial Correctional Officer health and well-being research project is currently being
conducted.
In October last year, 358 officers from five correctional centres were randomly selected to participate in a research
project by Griffith University student and Borallon Correctional Centre Assessment Coordinator Joanne Williams.
As part of her Masters in Organisational Psychology, Joanne will this month send out the second round of questionnaires
to the same officers at Sir David Longland, Borallon, Wolston, Numinbah and Darling Downs correctional centres. The
preliminary results of the first questionnaire will also be sent to participating officers.
Her research aims to identify the sources of high workplace demands and their impact on correctional officers’ health
and well-being.
Twenty-six per cent of selected officers responded to the first questionnaire, which included questions about the most
demanding aspects of a custodial officer’s job, common causes of stress, the most satisfying job characteristics and
areas where officers consider improvements could be made.
Joanne thanked officers who took the time to answer the first round of questions. “I’d like to encourage officers to
spend a few minutes with this second and final round of questions,” she said.
“It does not matter if they did not answer the first round questions – their responses are just as important now.”
Joanne commenced a period of leave recently and can be contacted at email [email protected] for
further information. The DCS research committee has approved the project, with adoption of any of the recommendations
subject to Executive Management Group endorsement and available resources.
Page 12 / CN February - March
Help piece together
Queensland’s prison history
Boggo Road Gaol Museum Manager John Banks
Tattoo machines, illegal lamps, weapons, and implements of escape.
Not the usual items one would expect to find in a prison, but within
the walls of Boggo Road Gaol, you’ll find a museum collection with it
all.
Run by a band of dedicated volunteers – many of whom are exprison officers – the museum is continually piecing together the
gaol’s colourful history through memorabilia, stories and historical
documents.
The gaol opened in the early 1900s and was decommissioned in 1989,
making it one of Queensland’s most significant historical, educational
and architectural landmarks.
It’s that link to Queensland’s history that the museum is hoping to
broaden with a call for memorabilia from Queensland’s wider prison
network.
With no external funding, the museum predominately relies on
thousands of school children who pay to tour the museum.
Tours are conducted on a weekly basis and the site is also a popular
venue for social events and fundraising activities.
Museum Manager John Banks said the perception was that the
museum only featured Brisbane prisons.
“We want to broaden our collection and are encouraging anyone who
may have pieces of interest from further afield to consider donating it
to the museum,” he said.
“We’d love to hear from anyone with snippets of information in any
shape and form.”
To learn more about Boggo Road Gaol Museum and its rejuvenation
project log on to the website at www.boggoroadgaol.com.au or phone
the museum on 3846 7423.
CN February - March 2004 / Page 13
Affordable
Xchange
bridges
the digital
divide
On the workshop floor, from left, Infoxchange Partnerships Coordinator Kris Saunders, Trainee Technician Glen Young,
DCS IT Advisor Tony Roper, and Boggo Road Gaol Museum’s John Banks
Smiles and gratitude from people like Boggo Road Gaol Museum
Manager John Banks make the work of Infoxchange – and in particular
their Green PC program – worthwhile.
“It’s magnificent, just fantastic,” John said. “Thanks to DCS and Green
PC for their contribution. These computers are the first step in our
dream of setting up a database as part of a library at the museum.”
The Green PC program is a project of the not-for-profit national
organisation, Infoxchange.
Green PC has been refurbishing and recycling affordable computers
for community organisations and low-income families in Brisbane
since May 2002.
The department recently made its second donation of computers to
the program and is planning further contributions of not just PCs, but
laptops and printers, as part of a whole-of-government agreement
with the organisation.
Before making the donation, DCS Information Management’s Tony
Roper coordinated the cleaning and checking of equipment by
residents at Brisbane West Community Corrections Centre. Computers
also came from Woodford Correctional Centre and Central Region.
Staff celebrate
permanent jobs
As with the first donation, when a number of computers were presented
to the Sunshine Welfare and Remedial Association in September, DCS
requested that Boggo Road Gaol Museum be the recipient of three of
the 127 computers from the latest batch.
Upon visiting the Infoxchange workshop, you could be forgiven for
thinking it’s a bit of a rabbit warren, but while wandering through boxes
of cables, dozens of printers and hard drives, piles of keyboards, and
even a room with a mountain of monitors, it becomes clear just how
focused Infoxchange is on the bigger picture.
Everything is aimed at providing affordable PCs to individuals on low
incomes and organisations that would otherwise be left behind in an
information age.
From long-term unemployed trainees participating in information
technology (IT) training at the workshop, to the new IT community help
desk unit – Infoxchange is endeavouring to make a difference in the
community.
For more information about Infoxchange’s not-for-profit work
nationwide, log on to www.greenpc.com.au or phone 3407 2054.
Forty-three community corrections staff have had a great start to the year by securing
permanent positions within the department.
Following a “closed merit” (internal) recruitment process held late last year, 35 permanent
community corrections positions were filled. A further nine positions that became available
during the recruitment process were also filled.
Community Corrections Executive Director Alison Hunter said the recruitment process would
allow the regions to continue to fill vacancies until April 2004.
“I would like to congratulate those staff who were successful in gaining these positions,” she
said.
“I am aware of the importance of having a permanent position and the additional levels of
security this can provide. I hope that all our successful applicants have a long and happy
career working in Corrective Services, and I encourage them to take opportunities when they
act in other roles to make themselves as versatile and well informed as possible.”
Ms Hunter said she expected 2004 to be a challenging year for community corrections and its
staff.
“This year, we will all participate in the introduction of the new Integrated Offender Management
Strategy, which will challenge some of our currently held views and will be an opportunity for
further improvement in our practices,” she said.
“I encourage newly-appointed permanent staff and those who have been working in the
field for long periods to work together to consolidate the valuable work we do in supervising
offenders in the community.”
Page 14 / CN February - March
CODE RED
training at Borallon
One of the “injured” is treated
Queensland Fire and Rescue’s command vehicle in place
outside the perimeter fence
An Ambulance officer awaits news of the unfolding “emergency”
The emergency alarm sounded at Borallon Correctional Centre as an industry workshop went up in
flames - this was the scenario for the centre’s recent contingency training.
The centre’s management and staff were joined by officers from six Queensland Fire and Rescue
crews, the Queensland Police Service and the Queensland Ambulance Service, to battle a
simulated fire as part of training designed to enhance the centre’s emergency capabilities.
With more than 100 people involved, the exercise was the largest held at the centre and one of the
largest run in a Queensland correctional facility. General Manager Troy Ittensohn said it was the
first time the centre had worked with more than one local emergency agency in a given exercise.
“The planning in this project has been phenomenal from initial relationship building to a final
‘desktop’ exercise to smooth out any problems,” he said.
“The main advantage for Borallon Correctional Centre staff was that it enabled us to put into
practice our theoretical training.”
Queensland Fire and Rescue’s Ipswich Area Director John French said the main objective for his
organisation was to learn Borallon’s emergency procedures and the operations of the correctional
centre.
“This will be instrumental as a learning tool for all emergency services when dealing with
emergencies in a correctional centre,” he said.
South-east Region Queensland Ambulance Area Director Peter Dennis said the exercise was a
test for not only Borallon staff, but also for other emergency services to see how effectively they
adapted to tight security environments.
Queensland Police Service’s Officer-in-Charge Sergeant Jason Crowther said there was a great deal
to be learned from the exercise, especially about the roles and responsibilities of the different
emergency services agencies.
CN February - March 2004 / Page 15
Traineeships
provide career
kick-starts
The DCS trainees for 2004 are, back from left, Richard Clark, Damien Levao, Craig Jackson, and front, Sonia Brouard, Julie Jones,
Patricia Anderson and Charise Warcon
Seven new trainees have started work with the department in a variety of hospitality and
administrative positions.
The 12-month traineeships are part of the Queensland Government’s Department of Employment
and Training (DET) Breaking the Unemployment Cycle program and provide nationally accredited
qualifications.
Julie Jones and Patricia Anderson both started work at the Training and Development Centre
cafeteria before Christmas, and are excited about their new careers in hospitality.
Julie sees the traineeship as an opportunity to fulfil a life-long dream. “I’ve always wanted to work
in a resort, and this traineeship will give me the skills and experience not only in hospitality, but
also in areas such as computing,” she said.
Patricia also hopes the traineeship will lead to a long-term career in hospitality. “I’ve got grown-up
sons, so I’m already a great cook,” she joked.
As part of their traineeship, both women will also study towards their Certificate II in Hospitality
(Kitchen Operations) through the Bremer Institute of TAFE.
The department’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit will gain two trainees this year. Charise
Warcon and Damien Levao will undertake administrative duties with the unit as well as studying
through the Southbank Institute of TAFE for their Certificate III in Business Administration.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit Assistant Director John Anderson described the 2004
traineeship scheme as “a social obligation and an important corporate investment in a shared
future”.
“I sincerely thank Charise’s and Damien’s parents for the positive influence they have had in
preparing their children for this journey, and I congratulate Charise and Damien for their success
in obtaining a traineeship in what was a very competitive process this year,” he said.
Finance and Administration trainee Sonia Brouard hopes the traineeship will make her better
prepared and qualified to enter the workforce.
The former El Salvador citizen has lived in Australia since 1989 and worked for 12 years as an
interpreter and translator before applying for a traineeship. “I feel extremely lucky to be given this
opportunity to improve my administrative skills and to receive much needed experience,” she
said.
Richard Clark and Craig Jackson will undertake general administrative work at Darling Downs
Correctional Centre as part of their traineeships, as well as studying towards their Certificate III in
Business Administration.
General Manager Greg Stephenson said the traineeships enabled people to develop both skills
and a work ethic. “As with the previous two years, I’m looking forward to a positive working
relationship with the trainees as we train them and then assist them to find permanent work
within the department, other government agencies or the general business community.”
Several more trainees are expected to join centres and offices in northern Queensland over the
coming months.
Page 16 / CN February - March
Where are they now?
Many of last year’s 12 trainees have managed
to secure employment thanks to the skills they
acquired during their traineeships.
Former TDC trainee Leilani Petersen is working
for the Brothers Leagues Club while her fellow
TDC trainee William Webb now works at a
Springwood restaurant.
Darling Downs trainee Gordon Bartle is
missed by his former workmates, but has
found employment in a friend’s company.
David Kyle secured permanent employment
with Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre
on completion of his traineeship, while
Steffany Huezo is working in a temporary
position with the department.
Sally Honnibal trained with the Metropolitan
Region and now works in a temporary position
at Sir David Longland Correctional Centre.
And the winners are...
Congratulations to the winners of the department’s IWD Prose
and Poetry Competition. Winning entries have been published
on the intranet.
Prose: 1st Mariette Booysen (Capricornia); 2nd Randall Borg
(Capricornia); 3rd Mariette Booysen (Capricornia)
Poetry: 1st Julie-Anne Sykley (Lotus Glen); 2nd Maree Walters
(Lotus Glen); 3rd Sandy Chapman (Townsville)
International
Women’s Day
March 8
You work with them every day, but how much do you really know
about your workmates? To celebrate International Women’s Day
this month, Corrections News thought it was time to find out about
those hidden talents and achievements we don’t always hear
about. We hope you enjoy finding out more about some of your
female colleagues from across the State.
Liane Grant
Life threw an unexpected “curve ball” at Contract
Management’s Liane Grant three years ago when, at the age
of 39, she had a stroke. When she was released from hospital
several months later, Liane was confined to a wheelchair,
had limited mobility and was paralysed down her left side.
Determined to get on with living, she became an inspiration
to her workmates and family when she underwent extensive
rehabilitation to help her walk again and then returned to work. Liane said that
although she was apprehensive about returning to the workforce, she was
overwhelmed by the support offered by her workmates. Liane’s circumstances
have changed her outlook on life. She admits that, prior to the stroke, her main
focus was work. “I’m now much more focussed on creating a balance between
work and home,” she said. “I take one day at a time, and feel proud of my
achievements both here and at home, no matter how small.”
Claire Walker
Claire Walker believes people follow certain paths in life for
reasons they are not always aware of. “Opportunities are
offered to you in life, and it’s up to you whether to take them
on or not,” she said. “I choose to take the opportunities
and see where they lead me.” Claire’s 20-year career in
nursing was followed by ten years as a school liaison
officer before she decided to return to university where
she graduated with Honours in Social Science, Majoring
in Human Services. That one decision has changed her life dramatically, and
these days Claire is a Community Correctional Officer at Brisbane North and a
PhD student researching the recidivism rate of Indigenous offenders in remote
communities.
Tina Preston
The Training and Development Centre’s Tina Preston could
be accused of being a glutton for punishment. Not only
does she juggle her position as a part-time Administrative
Officer with raising her four-year-old son, but Tina also
fosters disadvantaged children and teenagers. Over the
past 12 months, she has opened her home and her heart
to five Queensland children ranging in age from babies
to headstrong 16-year-olds. Despite the hard work and the stress, Tina says
fostering young children has been one of the most rewarding experiences of
her life. “People classify these kids as ‘difficult’ and many of them do come
to me with severe issues,” she said. “But I’ve learned through experience
that if you listen and treat these kids with respect and compassion, then
they will react in the same way.” As if her time is not already scarce enough,
Tina is currently completing a Bachelor of Social Science and is a trainer for the
Department of Families.
Joyce Bonner
Nyanga, buranga, burangam. Look, listen, know and learn.
That’s the foundation on which the Indigenous learning
program for Butchulla youngsters is built on, thanks to the
hard work of Joyce Bonner. Every Sunday for the past three
years Maryborough Correctional Centre’s Cultural Liaison
Officer, Joyce, has been one of two teachers educating
Indigenous students about the culture, language, beliefs
and ceremonies of the Butchulla People of the Fraser Coast region. Joyce
completed a Diploma in Australian Indigenous Studies in 2000, before helping
to found the Nyanga Buranga Burangam Program for primary school children
at Scrub Hill, just outside Maryborough. Last year, she also helped launch a
similar program for adults who have been inspired by their children’s new
knowledge. As if being a mother of eight doesn’t keep her busy enough, Joyce
has also worked with the Kal’ang Respite Centre and assisted the K’gari Elders,
who administer land and a healing centre on Fraser Island.
Tracy Watts and Desley Gurney
Weekend sleep-ins are never on the agenda for avid
horsewomen Tracey Watts and Desley Gurney. Every
morning, rain, hail or shine, they rise early to tend to their
charges – six-year-old Rowdy and 12-year-old Michelle,
respectively. The routine is repeated every night, and
somewhere in between, they must also find time to let
the stockhorses stretch their legs. But it’s a labour of
love for Tracey, who is A/Sentence Management Officer
at Palen Creek Correctional Centre, and Desley Gurney, an Administrative
Officer at Wynnum Community Corrections, who first met as children through
their local pony club. And the pair still ride side-by-side on a regular basis at
local shows and sporting events. Last year, they represented the Department
of Corrective Services at the Police Games, taking home a swag of medals from
the equestrian events, including four gold, four silver and two bronze.
Sue Robinson
There are many things that make Sue Robinson an
extraordinary woman. Some may accredit it to her extensive
academic accomplishments, which she achieved while
raising two children. Others may admire her for helping to
run Robinson Entertainment, the business she operates
with her husband Rob. However, the kids who live in Sue’s
street – not to mention the local wildlife – all agree that Sue’s
greatest feat is the rainforest habitat that surrounds her home. Sue converted
both her front and back yard into a rainforest habitat and the area is now home
to five varieties of frogs as well as snakes, native birds and lizards. Sue, a
member of the Queensland Frog Society, aims to photograph and record the
different species of frogs in her rainforest, not only to develop her photographic
skills but also to capture on film her own rainforest community.
CN February - March 2004 / Page 17
IOMS
Integration: working smarter, working together
The Great IOMS Challenge
It’s on! The Great IOMS Challenge. And to spur you on towards a better understanding of why the
Integrated Offender Management Strategy is so important, and how it’s relevant to you, the department’s
IOMS partner – Microsoft – has provided prizes totalling $2000. For the winner, there’s Microsoft Office
Professional 2003 software, valued at $900! And you can’t win it if you’re not in it!
All you have to do is collect and complete all four quizzes and post all four, together, to the Media Unit, GPO
Box 1054, Brisbane 4001, by the due date (which will appear in the May edition of Corrections News).
Entries that do not arrive as a complete set of four quizzes will be ineligible.
"
"
"
Quiz One:
Most staff will be aware that we have a Strategic Plan. But do you know where it is, what’s in it, and
how it explains IOMS? (Rhetorical question! Not part of the quiz!). The Strategic Plan 2003-2007
is available in hard copy and on the department’s intra- and internet sites. The answers to the
questions below can be found in the Strategic Plan 2003-2007.
Questions
1. Which page of the Strategic Plan 2003 - 2007 is devoted entirely to Integrated Offender
2. IOMS comprises three components. One of them is ...................................................
"
"
Management?..............................................
3. What will IOMS build upon? ......................................................................................
4. IOM will provide ........................ and .........................to the management of offenders in all areas
of corrective services.
5. The IOM system will be suitable for cross-agency information exchange. Which strategy does this
Your name:
..............................................................................................................................................................
Work location:
..............................................................................................................................................................
Phone:
..............................................................................................................................................................
Please note: This competition is for Department of Corrective Services employees only. Employees in the Media and Communications Unit
and the IOMS Project Team are ineligible.
Page 18 / CN February - March
"
"
accord with? .............................................................................................................
What’s in it for me?
ORNI-Raccess
refresher training
and pics to
Better
to thestory
information
come
I need to do my job
"
"
"
Quiz Two:
To complete part two of our IOMS Challenge quiz, you will need to delve into last year’s
annual report. You might find the index helps you to locate the answers. Don’t forget to
keep this aside and send it in when you’ve completed all four quizzes.
Questions
2. What does ORNI-R help staff to assess? ................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
"
"
1. Which computer software company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the
department to develop IOMS?...............................................................................................
3. What does ORNI-R help staff to identify? ...............................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
4. Use of ORNI-R has begun in community corrections. When will custodial staff begin using it?
.............................................................................................................................................
Your name:
..............................................................................................................................................................
Work location:
..............................................................................................................................................................
Phone:
..............................................................................................................................................................
Please note: This competition is for Department of Corrective Services employees only. Employees in the Media and Communications Unit
and the IOMS Project Team are ineligible.
CN February - March 2004 / Page 19
"
"
5. Between January and March last year, 300 staff received ORNI-R training and three associated
procedures. What were those three procedures? ...................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
Australia
Day
Awards
Award winners, back from left, Rodney Elsworth, Colin Martin, Wayne Sheppard, Doug Wait and Ron Cox, and front,
Dale Smith, Kate Holman, Jodie Gnech and Sandra Langridge
The department celebrated Australia Day with the presentation of its annual Australia Day Achievement Medallions and
Certificates at the Training and Development Centre.
The awards recognise an individual’s personal success and contributions to the community. Nominees must have consistently
contributed to the goals/work of the department to a degree significantly beyond the expectations of their assigned position
or have successfully achieved an undertaking of exceptional nature/merit on behalf of the department.
Australia Day Achievement Medallions are awarded to staff for exceptional achievements or contributions to the attainment of
the department’s goals. Australia Day Achievement Certificates are awarded to staff who have made significant achievements
or contributions to the department and its goals.
Medallion recipients were:
Ron Cox, Adult Education and Vocational Education and
Training Unit Manager
Kate Holman, Community Corrections Operations Director
Jodie Gnech, WORC Program Community Custody Officer
Wayne Sheppard, Southern Region Community
Corrections Coordinator
Doug Wait, Wolston Correctional Centre Workplace Health
and Safety Officer
Bill Jeffery, Cairns Community Corrections A/Senior Area
Manager
Certificate recipients were:
Rodney Elsworth, Woodford Correctional Centre Senior
Psychologist
Sandra Langridge, Wolston Correctional Centre Custodial
Correctional Officer
Dale Smith, Operational Support Services Unit Custodial
Correctional Officer (Courts)
Colin Martin, Woodford Correctional Centre A/Correctional
Supervisor
Speaking at the awards ceremony in January, A/Director-General Peter Rule said the award recipients should be proud of their
achievements. “These recipients are an inspiration to their colleagues, their families and the community as a whole,” he said.
“They have shown they are willing to ‘have a go’ and aim for goals that are above and beyond what is expected of them.
“Traditionally, Australians are shy in terms of receiving awards and accepting praise, but on Australia Day, when we celebrate
the achievements of this great country, it is appropriate that we also honour people’s individual achievements.
“It is important for us to take the time to celebrate the successes of this department and its staff with these awards,” Mr Rule said
From left, Jodie Gnech (centre) with DCS staff
Anne Flynn and Melissa Braden; and Peter Rule
with Douglas Wait and Dale Smith
Page 20 / CN February - March 2004