A CONFRONTING EMAIL

A CONFRONTING EMAIL

She said, "I was there"

I always enjoy and appreciate receiving emails.  They come from all sources; retired prison officers from my era, the occasional ex prisoner and people who are related in one way or another to the stories I have written.

Yesterday I received a very welcome, yet confronting email from a young lady who discussed with me the murder of her brother and her Nan by Eric Thomas Turner in 1973.  

She said in her email, ‘I was there the night this evil was perpetrated against my brother John when Turner burst in that night and murdered him and Nan’.

I, like most people, have experienced untold traumatic situations in my life, but I could not begin to comprehend what this lady went through as a young girl.  

To be present when her Nan and her brother were slain must have caused her horrific consequences throughout her entire life.  She has asked that her name and identity remain confidential and said, ‘I could think of nothing worse than 15 minutes of fame’.

The whole tragic event should never have occurred in the first place. Turner was sentenced to hang by the neck until dead in 1948 for a double murder.  

The sentence was commuted to ‘life’ yet he was released on license in August 1970.   In 1973, just 25 years after Turner had cheated the hangman, he again committed another horrific double murder when in fact he should still have been incarcerated within the New South Wales prison system.  He clearly was not suitable for release. 

You can read all about this horrifying story, including how Turner’s life ended, in my latest eBook, Australia’s Best Prison Stories, available through Amazon or this webpage. 

This I believe.

Peter Egge

Email from Bert (Len) Berthelsen

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

CHOPPER READ - UNDERBELLY

CHOPPER READ

UNDERBELLY

I have just finished watching the latest Chopper Read Underbelly on Chanel 9.  It was the worst portrayal of Chopper Read that I have ever read or seen.

The acting was poor, the direction was worse and the script could only be described as very bad. 

The original Underbelly series was superb.  Great acting, the direction was outstanding and the scripts were closer to fact than fiction.

Chopper Read Underbelly was so poor I gave it one and a half stars out of five.  Another ex prison officer I was talking to gave it two out of five. 

To find out what the crimes are that real criminals commit and how real prisons run, read my latest eBook, Australia’s Best Prison Stories, available through Amazon.

This I believe.

Peter T Egge

THE GREATEST ESCAPE IN AUSTRALIAN CRIMINAL HISTORY

     

316657

Francisco Rios Balderrama  

DOB 12/09/1969

316656

Eduardo Armanda Quiroz

DOB 28/08/1968

Parklea Prison was designed to hold one prisoner in each cell.  Prison overcrowding soon put paid to that very sound concept. Francisco Rios Balderrama (DOB 12.9.69 - min no. 316657) and Eduardo Armando Quiroz (DOB 28.8.68 - min no. 316656) were placed in the same cell and for some very obscure reason they both gained employment in the gaol’s metal shop.

On 11th September 2001, Michael Kay was rostered Gatekeeper at Parklea Prison, a very responsible and demanding position. He was by now a Senior Correctional Officer, and Gatekeeper was his regular duty.  His yearly “Staff Assessments” stated he was highly proficient in carrying out his duties.  

Working with Mr Kay in the main gate area were First Class Correctional Officer Bradley Helm, and Probationary Correctional Officer Donna Louise Hogan.

At 10.26 hours, without warning, the two desperate criminals Balderrama and Quiroz put their well thought out escape plan into practice. They had been observing Mr Simpson, the metal shop overseer and Mr Brown the truck driver, delivering metal to the metal shop for months to familiarise themselves with their customary routine and knew exactly when to strike. The two prisoners hijacked the heavy truck and hurriedly revved the truck, gaining maximum acceleration and speed, and crashed through gate number 3.  Mr Kay witnessed the truck crashing through the gate at high speed, yet recognised at once that the driver was not Mr Brown.

Mr Kay told me, “I can tell you that escape was horrendous; it was lucky nobody was killed, the sudden noise, speed and violence of it affected everyone in the gate with me.  The whole building shuddered and light fittings fell from the ceiling; it was like an earthquake but faster.  Officer Helm was so affected he could not move or talk for a while afterwards.  I suffered flashbacks and relived it doing the ‘what if’ thing over and over”.

He also told me, “All I can add to the reports is on the way back in the car with Governor Campbell, just as we were parking the car, Mr Woodham rang Mr Campbell’s mobile”.  Mr Woodham at that stage was the Commissioner of Corrective Services.  “It was hands free. Mr Campbell, (who had not yet seen the damage to the main gate), told Woodham that some inmates had escaped by smashing through the main gate in a truck.  I could hear all this conversation and Mr Woodham then said, “Fucking bullshit, the officers left the gate open”.  My adrenaline was still through the roof, and I yelled out, ‘Tell the fat fuck to come out here and see for himself’.  Mr Campbell nearly fainted.

In my view, Mr Woodham’s response, upon hearing of the escape, immediately accused Prison Officers, in his overzealous manner, of neglect of their duty.  Once again, he was wrong.

 Gate 3 – View from inside the gaol facing towards the main gateway

Without doubt, this was the most daring and successful escape in Australian criminal history.  To find out more and how these two desperate prisoners were re-captured, along with some splendid photographs taken at the time of the escape, read my latest eBook, Australia’s Best Prison Stories.

This I believe.

Peter T. Egge

THE SAD PASSING OF ROBERT JOSEPH DYSON

Born on 3 May 1940
Passed away on 14 December 2017
Late of MOUNT SHERIDAN
Aged 77 years

I was deeply saddened when I received an email from Shannon Hastie, Bob’s Granddaughter, notifying me of his passing. 

Bob was already a First Class Prison Officer when I joined the Department of Corrective Services in May 1971.  He was a great man and an immense inspiration for me to keep pursuing my career.  

Bob was an Officer who was firm but fair in his dealings with all of those with whom he came into contact.  He did not suffer fools lightly.  He called a spade a spade and you always knew where you stood with him. Just one of his many wonderful qualities.

Bob and I became good friends and my family has visited his home on a number of occasions where we enjoyed the company of his wife Elizabeth and his young children. 

Bob was a man with strict morals and upright intentions. I also enjoyed his company on a number of social occasions.

In the last year or two, we were in constant contact.  He helped me immensely in the writing of my books and shared many stories that my readers will surely remember.  I have often written about Bob under the title of “The Tall Man”. 

You can read many stories about Bob in my books “Cutting the Bars -  Volumes 1, 2 & 3” and “Australia’s Best Prison Stories”.  It was Bob who gave me the information for my chapter on Katingal.  He had been hand selected to work in Australia’s first Supermax Prison at the Long Bay Complex by the then Superintendent John McTaggart.  He worked there from the day it opened until the day it controversially closed.

Following the closure of Katingal, Bob was transferred to the Metropolitan Remand Centre and was later promoted to the illustrious rank of Assistant Superintendent. 

Bob has always been forthright in his opinions in relation to the New South Wales Prison System. He was never afraid to write letters and speak on talk back radio in relation to some of the issues he did not agree with, in fact he kept me well informed of these, and some of my previous blogs are a result of information supplied to me from Bob.

I will miss our telephone calls and emails that we so regularly enjoyed.  Bob was a good, loyal friend and I will cherish every moment we spent together, both working and socially.  

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Liz and their family at this very sad time.  There is no doubt that Liz has not only lost her beloved husband of many years, but also her best friend.

His granddaughter Shannon has set up a memorial site for you to peruse and leave a comment should you wish to do so.  The link to the site is: https://www.heavenaddress.com/Robert-Joseph-Dyson/1780530/

Bob suffered from that insidious disease cancer which took him much too soon.  We will miss you Bob.  Rest in peace old mate.

Peter and Margaret Egge

Funeral service will be held at Chapel of Cairns Crematorium, Foster Road, Mount Sheridan, QLD on Friday, 22nd December 2017 at 11:00 AM. Committal service will be held at Cairns Crematorium, Foster Rd, QLD.

Open letter to the Honourable Robert Borsak MLC

OPEN LETTER TO THE HONOURABLE ROBERT BORSAK MLC, CHAIRMAN OF INQUIRY INTO PARKLEA CORRECTIONAL CENTRE

PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE NO 4 – LEGAL AFFAIRS

The Honourable Robert Borsak,

I worked at Parklea Prison as a Senior Assistant Superintendent from January 1984 until June 1985.  At that time Parklea Prison was a Government run institution.  It was specifically designed for unit management.  The staffing numbers were formulated for unit management and the industries that were set up at the time. 

In relation to your Reference (a) Staffing level:  I bring to your notice that Parklea Prison was opened in late 1983.  Some time following my departure from Parklea, the prison wings were redesigned and the staffing reduced quite dramatically in an effort to cut costs.  This never works.  There have been two major riots at Parklea.

Reference (b) Inflow of contraband:  Following the Royal Commission into New South Wales Prisons in 1978 by Justice Nagle, the introduction of contact visits opened the floodgates to the flow of contraband into maximum security institutions.  At such visits staffing levels have always been at a minimum and continual surveillance is completely impossible.  Prior to the introduction of contact visits in maximum security institutions, there was always a barrier between the prisoner and the visitor, thus prohibiting the introduction of contraband considerably.  Contrary to popular belief, I do not believe that most contraband is introduced into the prisons by prison officers.  By far the majority of prison officers are true and honest people and are beyond reproach.  Being a prison officer is not a job, but a way of life.  I do concede that on occasions an officer who is either naive or corrupt may have introduced contraband into the prison, but the majority I believe comes through contact visits as well as some being thrown over the walls concealed inside objects such as tennis balls. 

I have a very strong view in relation to Reference (e) Appropriateness of operation of private prisons:  The New South Wales tax payers, through the Australian Government, pay millions of dollars each year to the United Nations to which Australia has been a proud and financial member since its inception.  I believe that private prisons go against the United Nations charter.

The following is an extract from the document entitled Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and related recommendations of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

46     (1)  The prison administration shall provide for the careful selection of every grade of the personnel, since it is on their integrity, humanity, professional capacity and personal suitability for the work that the proper administration of the institutions depends.

(2)  The prison administration shall constantly seek to awaken and maintain in the minds of both the personnel and of the public the conviction that this work is a social service of great importance, and to this end all appropriate means of informing the public should be used.

          (3)   To secure the foregoing ends, personnel shall be appointed on a full-time basis as professional prison officers and have civil service status with security of tenure subject only to good conduct, efficiency and physical fitness”.

My research has shown that this document is still current and in use today.  Please note there is no room in the above document for casual employed prison officers.  I am more than willing to supply more information should you wish me to do so.  You can contact me by email at petertegge@gmail.com

I am unable to comment on Reference (c), (d) and (f).

This I believe

Peter T Egge

A Murderous Time at Her Majesty’s Gaol Parramatta

Looking back over Mr Kay’s career, by the end of November 1979 he had completed his training course under the guidance of Principal Prison Officer Harry Fieldhouse, and was initially placed at Her Majesty’s Gaol Parramatta as a Probationary Prison Officer.   Right from the get go it appeared to the young Probationary Prison Officer Michael Kay that he was working in a mad house. There was one critical incident after another in the four years he was working at Parramatta Gaol, in fact there were seven murders that occurred at Parramatta Gaol during that time, in addition to other deaths in custody, plus a major riot.  

Mr Kay seemed to be caught up in all of the seven murders in one way or another, some to a lesser degree than others, however to be involved in seven murders, regardless of the fact that he was working in an occupation where it was not uncommon for such tragic episodes to occur, there were so many, that the intricate details of each murder became blurred between one and the next.  Even given the environment in which he was working, it was a substantial series of horrific incidents for such a young officer to deal with. I would compare it to the equivalent of a highway patrol policeman attending fatal car accidents where they just seem to keep occurring without any respite for the police officers’ attending who having to deal with the continual trauma of witnessing regular carnage and death.

Mr Kay told me, “I remember one, I cannot remember his name, but I remember his face and the blood.  I was in the cell with two ambulance officers who were working on the inmate.  Blood seemed to be coming from numerous holes all over him; they put a set of blow up trousers on him to try to force some blood back to where it was needed most.  Arthur Barton was the Superintendent at the time”.(Mr Barton was a tallish man with red hair and very fair completion).“He had a stutter problem; he stood at the door and looked at all the blood, and obviously thinking, ‘not another one’, as this was about murder number six or seven, he said, and I remember it as if it was yesterday, stuttering, ‘I hope he doesn’t ffffffffffffucking die!’Clearly he was thinking he was going to have to do more reports.  I looked up at him and thought to myself, ‘sorry sir, but he is already dead’. The inmate had his eyes rolled back in his head and had the death shakes, blood was nearly the thickness of the soles of my shoes all over the floor.  I will never forget it.  Clearly he was never going to make it.    Next the prison doctor arrived, Dr Mutton. The ambulance officers looked up as if expecting some wonderful help and the good old doc just stood there and said, ‘Oh my fucking God’.  The ambulance officers went back to work on him, albeit in vain”.

To read more about Officer Kay’s traumatic experiences during his long prison career, read my latest Ebook Australia’s Best Prison Stories, available on Amazon.

You can contact me on petertegge@gmail.com