Release date: 07/08/24

More than 80 of South Australia’s finest correctional staff have today received official commendations at a special awards ceremony held at the Adelaide Town Hall.

The annual awards recognise staff going ‘above and beyond’ in their duties and displaying outstanding professionalism and dedication to their work within prison and community corrections facilities.

All up, two Medal of Valour Awards, five Meritorious Service Medals,12 Individual Commendations, nine Team Excellence Awards, one Shaping Corrections Award, three Women’s Excellence Awards, one Aunty Coral Wilson Memorial Award, one Making a Difference Award, and two Australia Day Achievement Medallions were presented this year.

Five community partnership awards were also presented. Collaborative multi agency partnerships between DCS and community organisations are vital to prisoner rehabilitation and reducing reoffending.

Leigh Garrett from OARS Community Transitions was recognised for his partnership with DCS on the implementation of many important and innovative initiatives, including Smart Recovery Drug and Alcohol Programs, the Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) Program, the Cadell Bus Service, DCS’s Home Detention Integrated Support Service Program and the Southern Women’s Hive.

Other recipients include filmmaker Shalom Almond for her documentary film Songs Inside, Reginald Hiscock for his work as the Adelaide Pre-release Centre’s Vocational Co-ordinator and the Flinders University Criminology Department.

Quotes

Attributable to Dan Cregan MP, Minister for Correctional Services

I continue to be impressed by the professionalism and dedication corrections staff display on a daily basis. Each and every one of the award recipients today plays an important role in keeping the South Australian community safe, and for that I sincerely thank them.

Corrections staff not only work in community safety, but they also rehabilitate prisoners and offenders, attempting to break the cycle of crime and reduce reoffending.

This is hugely important work and today’s awards are about recognising this.

Attributable to David Brown, Chief Executive, DCS

Today is day that I always look forward to, as I am proud of the rewards and recognition programs that DCS has in place.

It is a fantastic opportunity to formally recognise and celebrate the hard of a work of a number of Correctional Services staff –many of whom go above and beyond in their job whilst maintaining the highest degrees of professionalism on a daily basis.

FULL LIST OF RECEIPENTS FOLLOWS

Medal of Valour

  • Mark McArdle and Mark Herde (Port Augusta Prison Joinery Industries Officers)
  • Farid Latifi and Andrew Rodgers (Yatala Labour Prison E Division Response Team)

Meritorious Service Medal

  • Darren Hills (Hospital Officer Compliance)
  • Mel Monfries (Prison Chaplain)
  • Denise Lawler (Manager Offender Services Case Management)
  • Jessie-Mae Walsh (Aboriginal Offender Management Committee)
  • Michael Schinella (Home Detention oversight)

Individual Commendations

  • Marcus Wills (Industry Manager, Cadell Training Centre)
  • Fiona Smith (Executive Assistant to the CE)
  • Reginald Young (Advanced Correctional Officer, Cadell Training Centre)
  • Abhishek Daal (Information Systems Support Officer)
  • Hayden Brooker (Correctional Intelligence Unit)
  • Ian Rainbow (Case Management Coordinator, Yatala Labour Prison)
  • Ashley Lepoidevin (DCS Volunteer Unit)
  • Emma Ziersch (Research/Closing the Gap)
  • Amanda Pirone (Rehabilitation Program Branch)
  • Lachlan Mills (Aboriginal Strategy and Reporting Officer)
  • Anju Singh (Manager Industries, Adelaide Women’s Prison)
  • Neil Miller (Vocational Programs, Port Augusta Prison)

Team Excellence Awards

  • Cadell Training Centre Dairy Commissioning Team
  • Operational Commissioning Yatala Labour Prison 270 Bed Project Team
  • Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group
  • The Learning Academy
  • Recruitment Taskforce
  • Adelaide Women’s Prison Complex Prisoner Management
  • Yatala Labour Prison Management Team
  • Brett Wait and Robert Lovegrove (Port Lincoln Prison kitchen)
  • Yatala Labour Prison E Division Response Team

Community Partnerships Awards

  • Leigh Garrett (OARS Community Transitions)
  • Songbirds (Adelaide Women’s Prison)
  • Yoga on the Inside (Adelaide Women’s Prison)
  • Reginald Hiscock (Work Ready Release Ready program)
  • Flinders University Criminology Department

Shaping Corrections Award

  • Katharine Short

Women’s Excellence Award

  • Helen Hornsby (DCS)
  • Amanda Romain (Adelaide Women’s Prison)
  • Danielle Forward (Senior Psychologist)

Aunty Coral Wilson Memorial Award

  • Kahlia Gibson (Aboriginal Programs Officer, Yatala Labour Prison)

Making a Difference Award

  • Jason Kent (Commander, Yatala Emergency Response Group)

Australia Day Achievement Medallions

  • Abbey Rayner (Team Supervisor Remote – Coober Pedy/Ceduna)
  • Wayne Baker (Art Program, Yatala Labour Prison)