THE PASSING OF DR. TONY VINSON

Dr. Vinson had the most unenviable job of replacing who I believe was the best New South Wales Commissioner of Corrective Services in living memory, Mr. Walter McGeechan.  Mr. McGeechan was politically disposed of following the Royal Commission into New South Wales Prisons which culminated in 1978.

It came about following the horrific prison riot in Her Majesty’s Gaol Bathurst on 3rd and 4th February 1974.   The prison system at that time was dramatically underfunded and under supported by the New South Wales Parliament and in an effort to cover that lack of necessary recourses, Parliament appointed Justice J F Nagle to investigate the New South Wales prisons with Royal Commission powers.

As a result, Mr. McGeechan was unceremoniously dumped.  Noel Day was placed in charge temporarily until Dr. Tony Vinson was officially appointed to the position.

It was a thankless job that Dr. Vinson was given.   His objective was to introduce change as per the recommendations of the Nagel Royal Commission.   It is human nature to reject change and it is fair to say that the majority of Prison Officers, me included, opposed the multitude of changes that he was endeavouring to impose on the prison system.

However, there is no doubting the difficulty he endured and the dedication to his objectives that Dr. Vinson faced.   He was seen by many Prison Officers as a “do-gooder” and a “crim-lover”.   He was by profession an educator.   The majority of the recommendations of the Royal Commission were in favour of the prisoners and very few were in favour of the Prison Officers, therefore creating a dilemma for Dr. Vinson and a degree of unrest amongst many Prison Officers.  This made Dr. Vinson an extremely unpopular Commissioner within the Prison Officer ranks, second only to the current Commission Mr. Severin.

In 1980, I was studying the four year Certificate in Personnel Administration.  My brother Phillip was studying a four year Certificate in Business Management.   Both qualifications were highly sought after in both the private and public sector.   I had made application to spend five days working in the personnel section within the Department of Corrective Services and my brother Phillip had also made application to spend five days working alongside Dr. Vinson.   Our applications were supported by the Superintendent of Cessnock Corrective Centre, George Cornford.   Dr. Vinson approved both applications and the experience we gained was a huge learning curve for both of us.

The prison unrest and riots did not cease as a result of the change in Commissioner.   There was a major riot at the historic Her Majesty’s Gaol Parramatta during Dr. Vinson’s regime.   You can read all about the riot at Parramatta Gaol that occurred in 1980 and Dr. Vinson’s involvement, in my new book Australia’s Best Prison Stories.

Dr. Vinson passed away at the age of 81 on 17th February of this year.   I hope Dr. Vinson finds true peace in his life thereafter.

This I believe.
Peter T Egge

THE GEOFFREY PEARCE STORY

INSIDE THE INVESTIGATION

By 1990 I had well and truly moved on from my days with the Department of Corrective Services following the dramatic turn of events that ended my career.    You can read all about that in my book “It’s all in the Fall”, in fact you could say I expected to have very little or nothing at all to do with prisons, prison officers or prisoners in any way whatsoever.

I had been advised to move on with my life, and that’s exactly what I did.  I was given a start at Webster’s Security and Investigations as an investigator and surveillance operative, at that time the largest privately owned investigation company in the southern hemisphere, owned and operated by Sydney businessman Richard T. Mailey.  By 1992 I had progressed rapidly to the position of National Security Manager.  Although specialising in security I had still maintained my investigation licence.

I had received a phone call early in September in 1992 from Greg Keating, a solicitor from McClellands Solicitors in Sydney.  Of course the name rang a bell, Paul Keating was the current Prime Minister of Australia at the time and although there was no apparent likeness, I wasn’t surprised to learn that he was Paul Keating’s brother.  To me they were like chalk and cheese.  Greg Keating was very much his own person with a strong identity.  Apart from the surname, there was not a particular likeness between the two.  Greg was much shorter than his more famous brother, he wore glasses and strangely enough, even before having it confirmed I was not surprised to learn that they were brothers, as Greg possessed a certain air of importance about him, not dissimilar to his brother.  I found Greg Keating to be a very friendly young man completely focused on the job at hand.

Mr Keating was at that stage handling all the cases pertaining to the Public Service Association (PSA). I had known him from the work he had prepared for my own case, and of course he knew me and was well aware of my experience and qualifications.  He told me he was representing Geoffrey Pearce on behalf of the PSA.  I had followed the case as much as I possibly could in the media as it was such a devastating outcome for young Geoff and of course for his family.  Mr Keating asked me if I would help with the case by doing the investigation on behalf of the PSA representing Geoffrey Pearce.  This was a case I was especially interested in.   I had confidence in my ability to do the enquiry justice, I had the knowledge and skills required and I knew it was a case I could really sink my teeth into.

A short time later I received a letter from Mr Keating dated 14 September 1992 outlining my instructions as to what enquires I should undertake and directing my attention to certain documents the Department had produced by an “Order of Discovery”.   These are the records and relevant testimonials set by the Department to formulate all of the documents relative to issues between the parties in this case.

The NSW Department of Corrective Services were notorious for holding back documents and other evidence when served with an Order of Discovery.   I had seen Michael Yabsley, the Minister for the Department, on the television sitting alongside Geoff during an interview, spruiking how he and the government would stand by Geoff and give him every support he could possibly need, going to exaggerated lengths to show great compassion and concern for this young officer who through no fault of his own, was facing a death sentence.  Geoff sat quietly alongside him looking almost stunned and despondent, yet I am certain that he believed every word Mr Yabsley uttered during his noble guarantee to support Geoff and provide him with every possible assistance the Department could offer.  That news report will haunt me for life as I watched a young, ambitious prison officer dealt a bitterly cruel blow with such a bleak future ahead.

Geoff, from my observations, was quite simply left out in the cold the very moment the cameras were turned off.  The PSA were left to pick up the pieces and take this critical incident to court in an effort to secure him some real compensation to enable Geoff to have some sort of comfort in the short amount of time he would have left with his family.  Bearing in mind, in 1990, treatment for HIV was very much in its infancy and almost always resulted in a quick and certain death sentence.

To learn more about how this courageous officer was let down by the Minister and the Administration of the Department of Corrective Services, and what I uncovered during the investigation, read pages 284 to 302 of my new book, Australia’s Best Prison Stories.  I believe it is unbelievable that the Department’s tactics were deliberate and calculated to ensure Geoffrey Pearce did not receive the full amount of compensation that he should have received.

This I believe.
Peter Egge

Photo of Geoff courtesy of Robert A Wood

Lunch with Charlie Geddes.

On Friday 10th February I had lunch with my old work mate Charlie Geddes.

I had trained Charlie at Long Bay Officers Training Unit and later worked with him at Cessnock Corrective Centre.   He had spent the best part of his working life previously in the Australian Air Force so it was not a coincidence that we had lunch at the Air Force Officer’s Club.   It was great catching up with Charlie and talking about old times.

You can read more about Charlie’s exploits at Cessnock Corrective Centre in my new book Australia’s Best Prison Stories.  I feel sure that you will enjoy his light hearted accounts of his experiences.

Peter T. Egge

RELEASE OF MY NEW BOOK

AUSTRALIA’S BEST PRISON STORIES

I am proud to announce the release of my new book, Australia’s Best Prison Stories, which has many new untold stories and some of my old stories up-dated and re-written.

I feel sure that if you enjoyed reading my other four books, It’s all in the Fall and Cutting the Bars – Volumes 1, 2 and 3, you will most certainly enjoy this book.  

It has many stories involving individual Prison Officer’s careers including the roller coaster ride of the 30 year career of Senior Correctional Officer Michael Kay, through to the investigation of the Geoffrey Pearce tragedy.  This side of the story has never been told before.

Read about Australia’s worst killers and criminals.     Learn what both prison officers and prisoners do on a daily basis behind those 30 foot high brick walls with armed officers looking down.  You will witness riots, murders, corruption, escapes, explosives and some very poor as well as wise decision making.

All my stories are true and correct to the best of my knowledge.   I know you will enjoy them.

For more information on my book - CLICK HERE

Peter T. Egge