2017 marked twenty years of operations at Fulham Correctional Centre, Victoria’s first privately operated men’s prison and the largest regional correctional centre in the state. The facility was officially opened on March 20, 1997, and the first cohort of offenders arrived almost three weeks later on April 7, 1997.
The Centre is a medium to minimum security facility occupying fifty acres of open space. It is comprised of three distinct levels of living arrangements for inmates including self-care to increase their responsibility the closer they are to reintegration into the community. A range of education, training, programs and industry options are available. External to the perimeter of the main facility, the Community Transitional Unit, known as the Nalu Unit, was officially opened on September 30, 2003. The unit’s eighty-four inmates benefit from an intensive program of community reparation, leadership/team work challenges, and preparation for reintegration into the community.
To acknowledge the Centre reaching such a significant milestone, several events were held during the year. On April 7, 2017, the senior management team donned aprons and gloves to prepare and serve a barbecue lunch for staff in the plaza. Inmates joined in the celebrations, also cooking barbecue lunches and enjoying refreshments in their units.
The second celebration was held on April 28, 2017, where thirty-two current staff members who commenced in 1997 were acknowledged. Those who were able to be present on the day were congratulated by GEO Managing Director Mr. Pieter Bezuidenhout, Wellington Shire Representative Councillor Darren McCubbin, Corrections Victoria Deputy Commissioner Rod Wise, and local elder Aunty Bess Yarram. These special guests watched as special medallions commemorating twenty years of service were presented to staff.
The 20th anniversary festivities concluded on the evening of August 11, 2017, with a formal dinner attended by representatives from the corporate office together with 160 staff and partners. Having successfully transitioned into a new contract, the management and staff at Fulham Correctional Centre look forward to further celebrations during the next twenty years!
