RONALD (ROTTEN RON) GEORGE WOODHAM

IS DEAD

 

As a young man, my parents taught me never to speak ill of the dead, and up until now I have always adhered to that philosophy.  However, I was also taught that rules were made for fools to follow and wise men to be guided by.

When I became a Probationary Prison Officer in May of 1971, Ron Woodham was an Overseer on the farm section of the Long Bay Prison Complex.  He was in fact in charge of the wood heap.  I often worked as a junior Officer on the tower overlooking the wood heap where on numerous occasions I saw Rotten Ron punch prisoners to the ground and on other occasions he would take the prisoners into a nearby shed, where he would give them a thorough beating that could be heard all over the farm area.  In 1971 this was accepted Prison practice.

It is fair to say, in the early 1970’s, Rotten Ron was a well respected Prison Officer and a credit to his Aboriginal heritage.  Unfortunately, there is an old Prison saying, “The higher the monkey climbs, the more he bares his arse”, and this was to be the case with Rotten Ron Woodham.  His Prison nick name of “Rotten Ron” was not merely used by prisoners but was also frequently used by Prison Officers as Woodham progressed through the ranks, he emerged as the most corrupt Prison Officer in history within the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services. 

To illustrate this, simply look at what he (Rotten Ron), along with New South Wales Police Detective Inspector Aarne Tees did for Raymond John Denning in securing a release on licence and later a reduced Prison sentence for Denning, who was directly responsible for the death of Prison Overseer Willie Karl Faber.  You can read more of what Woodham and Tees did on behalf of Denning in my eBook, “Murder was my Business - The Lifers”, available through Amazon. 

Ronald (Rotten Ron) George Woodham was directly responsible for ruining my career as a Prison Officer at the rank of Senior Assistant Superintendent in 1985, by using prisoners to give evidence against me in return for him giving the prisoners rewards.  He used the same prisoner informers to give evidence against a number of Prison Officers with favours such as early release, conjugal visits, favourable reports to courts, additional phone calls, extended visits when not entitled, and a reduction in security classification, in aiding the Police to gain convictions in some of their unsolved crimes and to bolster his own reputation and standing within the Department of Corrective Services.  His corruption peaked when he introduced and became the Officer in charge of the Internal Investigation Unit based at the Long Bay Prison Complex, in an effort to justify his position and the continued existence of that Unit.  When there was no corruption amongst the Prison Officers, Ron Woodham used his prisoner informers to tarnish loyal and upright Officers character and honesty with false accusations, lies and defamation.  You can read more about this disgraceful, corrupt effort on Rotten Ron’s behalf in the ICAC Report, “Report on  Investigation into the Use of Informers, January 1993” and also in my eBook, “It’s all in the Fall”, also available on Amazon. 

It was Woodham’s direct corrupt actions that ruined my career and stifled both my life and that of my family, considerably and unjustly.  It took me several years to clear my name and to put the whole matter behind me.  I was not alone.  Woodham was not only corrupt but a bully.  It was his way or the highway.  Many excellent and upright Executive Prison Officers found it necessary to move on to other careers rather than join the corrupt regime orchestrated by Ron Woodham. 

I have no hesitation in telling you that there were no tears lost by my family, close friends or myself when hearing of Woodham’s death.  He was a disgrace to the Department of Corrective Services and the Aboriginal people in general. 

I believe that Ronald George Woodham does not deserve the praise or recognition he has received since his death.   He deserves to be buried face down in unconsecrated ground with an unmarked grave. 

This I believe.

Peter T Egge

Senior Assistant Superintendent (Retired)