Medal for prison boss in tough job
JOHN Pickering is surprisingly calm for someone who has one of Tasmania’s toughest jobs.
Working at Risdon Prison for the past 18 years, including his current role overseeing the maximum- and mediumsecurity blocks as acting chief superintendent, Mr Pickering has been involved in three jailhouse sieges where officers were taken hostage, as well as a number of riots.
He has also worked through high-profile jailbreaks, debilitating staff shortages leading to 23-houra-day lockdowns, and chaotic scenarios with halls flooded and cells set on fire.
More recently, Mr Pickering also worked with his team through overwhelming COVID-19 restrictions, widely reported prison overcrowding issues, violent internal bashings and assaults.
But none of it has dented Mr Pickering’s priorities, which remain squarely focused on prisoner welfare, rehabilitation and community safety.
His face lights up when he talks about prisoners who had set up their own garden and were making their own lunches, and about his plans to paint the bleak grey of the maximum- and medium-security wings to brighter, cheerier colours.
He says his focus is on detainees addressing drug dependency and anger issues, and describes the “light-bulb moments” that take place when a prisoner learns a new skill such as numeracy, literacy, woodwork or cooking.
Now, after nearly two decades, Mr Pickering’s efforts have paid off in the form of the Australian Corrections Medal, an honour bestowed upon one Tasmanian each Australia Day.
He said he was “chuffed” by the medal, which has come on the back of a number of changes he’s implemented, including plans to roll out 10 hours of out-of-cell time for prisoners each day.
“When I first started, we literally sat in the yard and counted people in and out, and that was about it,” Mr Pickering said.
“We work with prisoners now, we care about prisoners, we care about the community, and we care about prisoners not coming back.”
He said with COVID-19 restrictions now lifting and staff shortages almost fully addressed, he and the Risdon Prison management were keen to transform the site into a rehabilitative facility.
“They’re really open to softening the prison, bringing colour in, getting rid of the hard furnishings and bringing in something like you’d expect in your own living room,” Mr Pickering said.
He said while he had seen some chaotic scenarios unfold at the prison, staff would “respond accordingly” and “step through it”.
“I’ve never felt afraid coming to work,” Mr Pickering said. “There’s been moments I’ve found to be unnerving, but we’ve always had quite a professional response to situations when they get out of hand, so I’ve never, ever felt afraid.
“Importantly, because it sometimes does get hard, the important thing is we remember to treat people as human beings and with respect, and respect people back.”
MARY, CROWN PRINCESS OF DENMARK (formerly MARY DONALDSON) Hobart College
Married into Danish royalty
THE former Taroona High and Hobart College student moved to Melbourne after completing a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of Tasmania. She forged a career in advertising and then landed a job for a real estate firm in Sydney selling luxury properties. She met Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, at a Sydney pub while the Prince was in Australia during the 2000 Olympic Games.
They were engaged in 2003, with their marriage portrayed as a modern “fairytale romance”.