Email from Bert (Len) Berthelsen
I received
a great email from Bert Berthelsen, a 40 year veteran in the Queensland
Correctional Services.
Bert told
me that he had just finished reading all of my eBooks.
He had
started with Queensland Prisons in 1975, worked at HM Prison Wacol, moved on to
a Juvenile Training Centre called Westbrook for 19 years and told me it was a
very tough place but his Superintendent when he commenced there was Mr. K. J.
Sullivan, an ex-Bogga Road Officer. Westbrook
was closed due to a major disturbance.
Burt moved
on to the Sir David Longlands Correctional Centre then back to Westbrook as it
opened up as a Low and Open Adult Facility, then on to Moreton A & B
Correctional Centre and finally ended up at Woodford Correctional Centre where
he retired in 2015.
Like all
Prison Officers, Bert received no thanks for his 40 years’ service or his input
for the smooth running of the Correctional Facilities at which he worked, just
a short email from the General Manager, reminding him that all uniforms and
equipment must be returned before they processed his final pay.
He did tell
me one great story that I must pass on about one young prisoner who came from a
good family. His father was a Station
Master for Queensland Rail, (Station Masters at that time were one of the most
respected people in a town).
Bert had a
run in with this young prisoner over the state of his cell and it appeared the
prisoner had his own agenda. Bert said, “I
ended up giving him a few open hander's around the ears and let it go at that”,
(remembering this was in the 1970’s).
About 2001,
when Bert had moved to Woodford, which is about 100 km north of Brisbane, he
was in the Queens Street Mall in the centre of Brisbane getting a bite to eat,
when this same ex-prisoner came up to him and introduced him to his wife,
saying, “This was the Officer who turned my life around”.
Bert told
me. “I was dumb struck, as I thought at first I was in for a fight”.
There are
thousands of these stories that I always find interesting and I really thank
Bert for going to the trouble of telling me his.
It was a
great email. Thank you Bert.
This I
believe.
Peter T
Egge
