KENNETH BRAZIER GOVERNOR’S PLEASURE – OBS

EXTRACT FROM MY BOOK “CUTTING THE BARS”

VOLUME I

A Probationary Prison Officer was commonly referred to, or known as a “baggy arse”.  The term came about because the initial uniform issue was straight off the shelf and rarely fitted.  The second and all subsequent uniform issues were tailor made at the New South Wales Government Stores, thus it was only Probationary Prison Officers that were branded “baggy arses”.

The Observation Section (OBS) in the Central Industrial Prison at Long Bay was a very dangerous place in which to work.  Baggy arse Prison Officers were never rostered in the OBS on day work when the prisoners were out of their cells.  They were only rostered in there on “C” watches, (16.00 hours until 23.59 hours), and “B” watches, (23.59 hours until 08.00 hours), at which time the prisoners were locked in their cells, being rotated every two or three hours with other posts within the Gaol.   Whilst in the OBS on “C” or “B” watches, the Officers would patrol all cells every 15 to 20 minutes and were required to keep very accurate notes of their patrols and all occurrences were to be noted in the log book.   They did not have or carry any cell keys.

The 25 cells were all one out, (one prisoner to a cell).   The lights were left on permanently 24/7, a steel bed was bolted to the floor with just a mattress, a pillow and two blankets on the bed, there were no sheets or other furniture permitted in the cell, with a rubber “shit tub” and a plastic water jug being the only other items in the cells.

One night a young baggy arse was patrolling the cells when he came to Kenneth Brazier’s cell.  Brazier was sentenced to Governor’s Pleasure (GP).  Governor’s Pleasure was an insidious sentence, in general terms it was normally reserved for prisoners with severe psychiatric conditions, who had committed murder.  Governor’s Pleasure was an indeterminate sentence. Brazier was considered suicidal when he was placed in the OBS.   He was unshaven and unkempt and was somewhat irrational in his speech.

The young baggy arse looked at Brazier in horror as Brazier started to cut his eye lids with a razor blade.  The Officer with only six weeks service behind him remained calm and in control when he said to Brazier, “What are you doing Brazier”?   Brazier replied, “I’m cutting my eyes out boss”.  Without hesitation and clearly thinking on his feet, this very inexperienced Officer said, “That razor blade is no good, it’s all rusty, slide it under the door and I’ll give you a new one”.   With that said, Brazier promptly slid the razor blade under the door.   As he stood waiting for his new razor blade, the Night Senior was called and Brazier was given appropriate medical assistance.

When facing any critical situation it was always crucial to have something rational to say and do to allay the gravity of whatever the circumstances may be, and generally speaking, if this is carried out with a cool conviction, the outcome will be lessened to a greater degree, or better still resolved.

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EXTRACT FROM MY BOOK IT’S ALL IN THE FALL

PETER SCHNEIDAS – A PATHETIC COWARDLY WOULD BE. 

If you were to take a baking dish and generously grease it with animal fat, take two slices of shit house rat, add a cup of dim wit, a sprinkle of fox cunning, a pinch of treachery, the heart of a baby pea and add a large cup of cowardice, ensure you leave out common sense, ethics, decency, law abiding principals and honour, bake for nine months at 36 degrees Celsius you will end up with a Peter Schneidas.

I have heard many “outsiders” refer to Schneidas as the most hated crim by Prison Officers. This is not true.  Professional Prison Officers do not hate any prisoner.  They do the job because they have too much respect and love for those people who are law abiding and never see the inside of the walls.  Prison Officers want to protect these people from those who cannot, and will not conform to society’s laws.

Peter Schneidas was born in August 1957 making him nine years younger than me. I was told that as a young boy he had committed a number of minor offences and ended up continually going through the revolving door of the prison system. Firstly at Tamworth Institution for Boys and progressed to adult institutions.

Somewhere along the line he ended up at Katingal however I have no idea why. From Katingal he was housed in 13 wing where I was on “D” watch. When I arrived for duty Schneidas was already housed on the middle landing.

At 16.00 hours the prisoners had been mustered and locked in the wing however they were able to roam around on their own landing until 20.30 hours.  At about 16.30 hours Schneidas had a confrontation with a young baggy arse Prison Officer on the middle landing. The Officer phoned me and asked me to come up and lock the prisoner up.

When I arrived on the middle landing Schneidas was surrounded by a dozen or so other crims. I said to Schneidas, “Go to your cell Schneidas, you’re locked up.”   Schneidas bluntly replied, “Get fucked Egge I’m not going”. I could tell by his extreme body language he was ready to fight and so were most of his disciples.  I simply said to the officer on the landing, “Go and sit in your office and don’t come out of it”.

I walked back downstairs knowing there were only three officers in the wing, one on each landing and150 maximum security prisoners running around loose, discretion being the better part of valour. I returned to my office, closed the door and phoned the superintendent George Brown. I said “Mr Brown I’ve just had a confrontation with prisoner Peter Schneidas who refused to be locked up by the young Officer on the landing and when I went up to lock him up he told me to ‘get fucked’ and had surrounded himself with a dozen other crims who were ready to fight”. Mr Brown said “what do you want me to do Mr Egge?”  I said, “Remove him back to Katingal, if he’s not moved you won’t have any Officers working in your gaol”.

Five minutes later Mr Brown phoned me back and said “It will take 20 minutes Mr Egge will that be alright” I said “Thank you sir that will be fine”. I was very concerned that I may have over stepped my mark.  I had great respect for Mr Brown and I had never spoken to him that way before.

Schneidas and his boys were looking very pleased with themselves and were running around the landing as if they owned it.  I’m sure the Officer on the landing thought I had lost my heart too.  20 minutes on the dot, the wing door opened and in came three of the biggest SOD Squad Officers that I had ever seen, led by the ex Grafton Officer, commonly referred to as the white Alsatian, along with some MEU Officers, the Night Senior and Mr Brown.

Without saying a word we all walked straight up the stairs to Schneidas, surprise is invaluable.  All his so called army deserted him without hesitation. Schneidas was instructed by the SOD Officers to collect his gear he was moving, to which Schneidas enquired “where to?” The officer said “Katingal”.  I laughed when Schneidas said “Could I have a shit first please?” The Officers stripped searched him and removed Schneidas out of my life for a while.

Following the closure of Katingal which was a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Prisons, a few years after the above incident had taken place, an unarmed First Class Prison Officer John Mewburn, a mild mannered man, quietly spoken and a very decent all round human being, was the victim of a cold, calculated, callous and cowardly attack from behind by Schneidas with a claw hammer, inflicting such severe injuries as to cost him his life.  May our Lord bless his soul and surviving family.

Cutting The Bars

My new book, Cutting The Bars is now out on Amazon and through my website.

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FASCINATING EMAILS

I love to receive emails from the people who read my book and I have received such a lot of positive feedback and encouragement.   One such email was from a lovely lady called Alison who told me her father was a Fireman and she compared my work ethic and sense of humour to that of her fathers, and made it clear it was not due to the positions of a Fireman or a Prison Officer, it was the similarities in our dispositions.   To me, I could not receive a higher accolade to be compared to this lovely lady’s greatly respected and much loved father who is now deceased.

My new book will be coming out in three separate volumes.   It is titled “Cutting the Bars” and the first volume will be due out this coming Tuesday 10th September 2015.

I hope you all enjoy it and please do not hesitate to provide me with feedback.   I love to receive emails: petertegge@gmail.com

Peter Egge

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WOW

Wow!   I've become overwhelmed by the response to my book "It's all in the Fall". It is a wonderful experience to receive emails from long, lost workmates.   Today I received one from Bob Dyson, who retired in 1984 as an Assistant Superintendent.   Bob was a great man working in the Prison system, who taught me a lot.   We became great friends and had visited each other at our homes.   He was also the first person that I knew who owned a coloured television set.

Also today I received an email from Paul Lefoe, who retired as a Superintendent. I have written about Paul Lefoe in Volume One of my next book "Cutting the Bars" which I am planning on releasing within the next two weeks.   The story of Paul begins with a quote from General George S. Patton, The great things a man does, appear to be great, only after they are done.   When they're at hand, they are normal decisions and are done without knowledge of their greatness."   Paul was an outstanding Officer and a razor in battle.  

Paul was also a very good and loyal friend whose company and friendship was always valued by Margaret and myself.   I am sure everyone will enjoy reading about his exploits shortly.

Peter T. Egge
peter@peteregge.com

EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK “IT’S ALL IN THE FALL"

SENIOR PRISON OFFICER GEORGE MORRIS – A TRUE LEADER     

George Morris was a Senior Prison Officer who was a real rough diamond in the true meaning of the term.  He was English and very rough around the edges. This man was never going to be the Commissioner of Corrective Services.  Although he really knew his job, the Department could have done with a few more good men like him.

One night on the “C” watch in the CIP, Mr Morris and I entered a cell on the top landing of 4 wing so as to allow the “C” watch nurse to give the prisoner in that cell an injection.

When the sister gave the injection to the prisoner his heart stopped instantly. The sister stepped back and just stood there looking at the prisoner.  She went very pale in the face. I have no idea if she gave him the wrong injection or if the prisoner was allergic to whatever the injection was.

Without hesitation, Mr Morris immediately started to give the prisoner heart compressions.  He looked at me and instructed me to take over.  I said “I don’t know how, I haven’t been trained to do it”. He bellowed back “Just do what I’m doing”. So I did!  I asked him, “Is this right” and he quickly replied “Yes, just keep doing that I’ll be back in a moment”. With that Mr Morris left the cell with the night sister. I was left in the cell on my own giving compressions to a dead man.

It only seemed like a few seconds and Mr Morris appeared at the cell door with a stretcher and four prison officers. He instructed me to keep doing compressions and for the other officers to lift the prisoner onto the stretcher.  As the prisoner landed on the stretcher we hurried out the cell door and down the stairs.  Mr Morris kept reassuring me I was doing well with my compressions.

We took the prisoner straight out the front gate and ran up the road with the prisoner still on the stretcher and me giving compressions as we went. All of the normal protocols and procedures were dispensed with for transferring a prisoner from one gaol to another.

As we arrived at the MRP gate the officers were waiting for us and one half of the main gate flew open. We went straight through the second gate turned right and headed for the prison hospital.

The prisoner was carried into ward one where a doctor and two nursing sisters were waiting for us. The doctor instructed me to keep doing compressions, a nurse put an oxygen mask on the prisoner and the doctor gave him an injection.  With that the prisoner opened his eyes and started to breathe again.

It was Mr Morris’s ability to remain calm and in control in that situation, along with his understanding that there were occasions within the strict prison discipline, where it was necessary to throw the rule book out.  Most of all it was his organisational skills that ultimately saved that young prisoner’s life.  Mr Morris should have received a special commendation for his actions that day.

Peter T. Egge

Brien “Inky” Eastwell

The Gaol grapevine is well known within the prison system. I would sometimes start a rumour in the morning simply for my own amusement, I could almost guarantee I would be told the same rumour back before the lunch break.

Brien “Inky” Eastwell had heard on the grapevine that I was visiting Frank and Rose Hutchen Last Wednesday. Frank and Rose were showing Bob Wood and me around their beautiful back garden when Inky turned up to say hullo, he was now in his early eighties and looked very spritely all considered.

I had trained Inky sometime in the late seventies he told me I had given him some good advice along the way which I was pleased to hear. Before becoming a Prison Officer Inky was a trade’s person a panel beater, in Inky’s case to call him a tradesman is not fair, he was a Craftsman and only worked on high end vehicles.

Inky told me he was rubbing the panel on a Rolls Royce when he said to himself “I can’t do this for the rest of my life” and promptly joined the NSW Department of Corrective Services. He contently lingered at the bottom of the food chain at prison officer level and later as an overseer, equivalent to First Class Prison Officer only he was on the industries side until he retired. I was thrilled he had thought enough of me to take the trouble and time to visit me, and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting to him.

Peter T Egge