Members of the last generation of inmates and staff return to the now-forgotten prison to tell the true and brutal story of Pentridge before developers bury it forever. Rupert Mann has worked with the past all his life, and is interested in how we use, forget, and celebrate it today. This priceless work, completed over five years, is an attempt to hear the voices of the last generation who lived and worked at Pentridge Prison, now the only ones who can tell the tale before the site is redeveloped and its true history is lost. Within the forgotten and decaying walls of this once shining fortress, fifteen people returned to their memories and to Pentridge - many for the first time since being released or having retired up to 60 years before - to bear witness to its end and to be photographed amongst the decay as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. They include former prisoners, such as Jack Charles, Billy Longley, and Ray Mooney; former staff, such as Peter Norden and Pat Merlo; musicians who played there, such as Paul Kelly; and Brian Morley, a legal witness to Ronald Ryan's execution in 1967. Pentridge was, for 146 years, a concentrated crossroads of disparate song lines and an integral if unwanted part of Melbourne's identity. In its cells, corridors, and halls can be found the remnants of an endless litany of love, hate, loss, and discovery, friendship and conflict, political dealings and petty squabbles. There is no betrayal, affirmation, or epiphany that has not occurred there. And during all those years, life was messily split between gaoler and prisoner by bluestone and iron. This is their collective story.
Contents: Introduction -- Interviews -- The Divisions -- Acknowledgments.
CONTENTS
Introduction p1.
Brian Morley, execution witness, 1967 p47.
Noel Tovey, AM, former prisoner, 1951 p59.
Billy Longley, former prisoner, 1951, 1974-1988 p69.
Bob Scates, former prisoner, 1972 p87.
Jack Charles, former prisoner, numerous sentences, 1964-2004 p103.
Sister Clare McShee, AM, Sister of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood 1980-1997, retired 2008 p117.
Bob Gill, former governor, 1954-1980 p131.
Ray Mooney, former prisoner, 1968-1975 p145.
Paul Kelly, visiting musician, 1985; Greg Macainsh, visiting musician, 1973 and 1975 p159.
Pat Merlo, former prison officer, 1982-1994 p173.
Female prisoner, former prisoner, 1980-1985 p191.
Brother Muhammad Al’Mahdi (formerly John Dixon-Jenkins), former prisoner, 1984-1988, 1990-1997 p207.
Peter Norden, AO, volunteer 1970s-1985, Chaplain 1985-1992 p221.
Dr Craig Minogue, PhD, prisoner, 1986-present p239.
The Divisions p253. A Division p254. B Division p257. B Annexe; C Division p259. D Division p261. E Division; F Division p262. G Division p263. H Division p264. J Division p267. Jika Jika p268.
Acknowledgments p277.
Rupert Mann (photo and biography) p279.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Plan and aerial view of the prison.
Fallen wall and 9 Post p2.
Main wall from Dean Street p5.
Prison officer on duty at 4 Post, c. 1980 p6.
Prisoners wearing masks salute a guard in B Division during its time as a silent system prison in 1867 p13.
New apartments rising above prison wall p14.
3 Post p17.
3 Post from contact prison area p18.
Interior of cell, Marngoneet Prison p31.
D Division Remand Yards from the central tower: above in 1978 and below in 2009 p33.
H Division yard p34.
J Division entrance p37.
Brian Morley p46.
Brian looks up at the hanging beam in D Division for the first time since 1967 p49.
Brian stands where he stood in 1967. The hanging beam and the space where the trap doors once existed can be seen at the bottom of this image p50.
At the east end of D Division, Brian looks out over the graveyard where Ronald Ryan and Ned Kelly were once buried p57.
Noel Tovey dances outside the D Division Boys’ Yard perimeter wall p58.
The roller spikes above the D Division Boys’ Yard p65.
Noel Tovey p67.
Billy Longley p68, 84.
‘The Gauntlet’ leading down to the H Division yards p71.
J Division cell p75.
H Division cell block p76.
Access to the H Division yard p83.
Bob Scates p86, 89, 97, 98.
A Division cell block p90.
A Division yard p93.
A and J Division pool, J Division on right, A Division at centre p101.
Jack Charles p102, 105, 109, 112, 115.
B Division cell block p112.
Jack sits atop a collapsed section of the wall beside 9 Post p114.
Sister Clare McShee p116, 119, 128.
J Division cell block p124.
Razor wire p127.
Bob Gill p130, 133, 137.
6 Post upper p134.
Bob stands over the H Division Chief Prison Officer’s desk p137.
D Division cell block outer wall from inside 14 Post p138.
D Division yard p143.
Ray Mooney p144, 147, 151.
H Division toilets and shower yard p148.
Ray in H Division yard p151.
H Division labour yard p152.
Looking into an observation cell p155.
Paul Kelly p158, 162, 165.
Greg Macainsh p161, 169.
B Division mess hall p169-171.
Pat Merlo p172, 175, 180, 183, 184, 188.
B Division officers’ station p176.
B Annexe observation cell p179.
Pat stands at the entrance to the B Annexe observation cell p180.
Pat stands in the B Division officers’ station p183.
B Annexe tearoom on the left, main gate on the right p193.
B Annexe observation cell p198.
B Annexe cell block p203.
Cartoon ‘The life and times of John Dixon-Jenkins, anti-nuclear warrior’ p210-219.
H Division showing Brother Muhammad’s former cell p213.
H Division recreating yard p216.
Peter Norden p220, 224, 237.
Former chapel p224.
Main entrance to B Division p228.
Graffiti imitating a ‘bronze up’ in a D Division observation cell p234.
Jika Jika spine in 1997 p238.
Jika Jika exercise yard with guard station on right in 1997 p241.
Furniture in H Division yard p242.
Furniture in cell block, Marngoneet Prison p245.
Stairwell, J Division p246.
Stairwell, Administration Block, Marngoneet Prison p249.
Marngoneet Prison p251.
Plan of H.M. Metropolitan Prison Reception and Pentridge Prisons in 1993 p252.
A Division plan p255.
B Division North plan p256.
B Division Annexe p258.
B Division East plan p260.
H Division plan p265.
J Division plan p266.
Jika Jika plan p269.
Sketch of Jika Jika p270.
Sketch of Jika Jika tower p273.
Lantern over the D Division circle p276.
Rupert Mann p279.
Front and back inside covers: cell wall graffiti.