MAKING CLEAN STARTS IN LIFE
INDUSTRIAL-SIZED fans line the walls of an enormous warehouse behind the wires at the Townsville Correctional Centre where prisoners undertake one of the city’s most important jobs.
At the back of the warehouse staff haul huge bags of dirty laundry from the Townsville Hospital off the back of a truck and onto an X-ray machine.
On the other side of the machine a production line of about 104 inmates sort, wash, dry, iron and fold the laundry.
They turn over between 30 to 40 tonnes of sheets, pillow cases, medical scrubs, tea towels and baby blankets a week.
Some prisoners work alone, pulling kilograms of wet washing in and out of machines, while others mill around the edges of warehouse in small groups, waiting for loads to finish.
The laundry warehouse was first built in 1966. Since then the bulk of the folding has been mechanised, but there is still a lot that must be done by hand.
A group of about 20 prisoners stand around flat tables ready to receive the hundreds of smaller items as they come out of the dryers. As each load arrives the men set about precisely folding and stacking mountains of material in white and pale blue – each four-hour shift a seemingly welcome interruption to their monotonous days behind bars.
Correctional manager Dom Mclean said the inmates provided a valuable community service that most of the residents of Townsville wouldn’t even know was happening.
“We’ve been doing this work for the hospital for more than 30 years and recently renewed our contract to keep providing laundry to them until 2026,” he said.
Mr Mclean said inmates who applied to work at the laundry had to go through a strict risk assessment process.
“There’s an element of risk because of the trucks coming and going,” he said. “But the men are pretty good and they’re happy to have something to do.”
Barring a cyclone event, the prison laundry service operates seven days a week all year round.
“The hospital has back up supplies to use in the event of a cyclone … but normally every day there’s a network of laundry either at the prison being cleaned, ready at the hospital for use or travelling between the two,” Mr Mclean said.
In addition to the industrial-scale laundry operation, inmates at the centre also operate a metal workshop where they build cattle panels, grids and temporary fencing for agricultural use.
These more skilled labourers also assemble high-end camper trailers for a local Townsville supplier.
There is also a textile shop at the centre where inmates sew about 60 per cent of the prisoner uniforms needed across Queensland. The prison’s metal trade instructor Chris Duffy oversees the workshop and said the inmates developed skills that could help them find work once they are released from prison.
“Prisoners go through vocational training and can obtain a range of qualifications including a fork lift licence, Certificate II in Engineering, a construction white card or senior first aid,” he said.
Mr Duffy said the work gave the inmates a sense of achievement.
“They come in here and actually build something from start to finish so they get to see a result and take pride in their efforts,” he said.
There are five levels of worker at the prison, ranging from basic labourer to group manager.
Inmates at the highest level position earn about $50 a week for their work. The enormous task of sup-
pling the Townsville Hospital with laundry does not end at the men’s prison. Next door at the Townsville Women’s Correctional Centre a small team of inmates work in a spotless warehouse filled with shelves piled high with clean white laundry.
The female prisoners spend hours organising trolleys with linen for every ward in the hospital depending on its needs.
Trade instructor Mark Lawrence said the women prepared precise laundry orders for the hospital, dental surgeries, nursing homes and mental health units in Townsville.
“We have up to about 40 women sorting orders or operating the sewing shop doing repairs on the linen trolleys and other small jobs,” Mr Lawrence said. “They sometimes do community projects like sew blankets for the RSPCA.”
Mr Lawrence said the inmates took strong ownership of the operation and enjoyed the responsibility.
“The girls like it and are very good at it.
“They get in and do the work and run it like a tight ship.
“I just let them get on with it really,” he said.
“The hospital relies on us to maintain their stock, order in new items as needed and do quality control tests on linen to make sure they’re up to standard.”
Acting general manager of the correctional facilities Kris Winter said the inmates performed a “critical” role in the provision of health services to the local community.
“The Townsville Hospital would fall to its knees without this service,” Ms Winter said.
“The men and women are instrumental in the overall operation and take pride in their work and the skills they develop. Many of these people may not have ever sewn but here they get to work in a team and develop terrific skills.”
Ms Winter said the revenue generated from the laundry work and other service underpinned the prison’s budget.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to support our operations,” she said.
They come in here andd actually build something from start to finish so they get to see a result and take pride in their efforts. CHRIS DUFFY