AGY-480 | Mount Mitchell Afforestation Camp (1928-1934) / Glen Innes Afforestation Camp (1934-1992) / Glen Innes Correctional Centre (1992- )

Full description

In accordance with the Prisons Act of 1899 the Mount Mitchell Afforestation Camp was established by proclamation on 29 May, 1928 with the purpose of employing prisoners in the work of tree planting.(1,2)

According to the Report of the Comptroller-General of Prisons," the number of able-bodied young men ..for whom there is insufficient work at useful prison trades (or) ..who are incapable of learning trades, could be suitably and profitably employed at work of a developmental nature if the opportunity could be afforded them" (3).

The policy of producing goods and services for the State to a high standard required a skillful prison workforce combined with modern machinery and tooling. The result of this policy however was greater output with less labour, creating a surplus in prison labour:

"It is clear that unless prisoners are to be kept in comparative idleness other avenues of employment will have to be found for the surplus labour available, and this must necessarily be found outside the prison boundaries" (4)

Afforestation camps, such as those located at Tuncurry and Brookfield (Bombala) were minimum security facilities set up to exploit this surplus of prison labour. The new Mount Mitchell Camp embraced an area of about 4 145 acres, being located within the County of Gough, comprising parts of Diehard and Robertson Parishes, and parts of Mount Mitchell State Forest No.308 (5).

On 15 August, 1928, operations commenced to establish the camp site, Mr R Bartlett being Officer-in-Charge (6). As the site chosen was in virgin forest, the site itself, along with a road to the site required clearing. On the 30th of that month the first prisoners arrived, being temporarily housed in tents. As the pine nursery was a priority, land was immediately cleared of vegetation for the planting of seed, a nursery of 100 000 seedlings being established (7). Permanent structures to initially house eight officers and fifty-two prisoners were erected, along with fences and a telephone line. The road to the site was also improved, additional timber felled and burned, as well as 75 acres being planted with 33 000 seedlings (8). Mr Bartlett reported that the Camp area was well situated, with easily accessible water to supply the 5 000-6 000 acres potentially available for planting (9).

By the end of June 1930 the Camp consisted of numerous buildings, a vegetable plot of 20 acres, and recreation facilities which included a sports ground and swimming pool (10). 40 000 plants had been planted, with an additional 100 000 seedlings available in the nursery (11). The encouraging results led to the establishment of new camps at Tumbarumba and Oberon within this period (12).

On 17 August 1934 the designation of the Mount Mitchell Afforestation Camp was changed via proclamation to the Glen Innes Afforestation Camp (13). Included in this proclamation were an alteration of boundaries, which expanded the Camp to about 6190 acres (14).

With the assent of the Prisons Act, 1952 the Glen Innes Afforestation Camp was deemed to be a prison under the Act (15). According to the Act, a prison was defined as " ..any gaol or place of detention, irrespective of the title by which the same is known, and includes the whole area, whether or not walled or fenced, declared or deemed to be a prison."(16).

On 10 November, 1961, the boundaries of the Camp were again altered, the area reduced to 4 084 acres (17).

Facilities had been progressively upgraded with thirty five additional rooms built in 1966 to increase accommodation (18). A major redevelopment program was commenced in 1989, which saw the replacement of weatherboard structures with brick, the construction of twelve new cells and upgrade of the sawmill (19,20).

Since 1992 the Glen Innes Afforestation Camp was referred to in Departmental and other official literature as "Glen Innes Correctional Centre" (21,22). However it was not until the passage of the Prisons Amendment Act, 1996 that terminology was officially altered to conform to the then current practice, of designating all adult penal establishments "correctional centres" (23).

When the Department of Corrective Services was abolished on 1 July 2009 Glen Innes Correctional Centre became responsible to Corrective Services NSW. (24)


Endnotes
1. Prisons Act, 1899 (Act No.27, 1899), s. 35 (1).
2. NSW Government Gazette, 1 June, 1928, p 2560.
3. Report of the Comptroller-General of Prisons for the Period 1st July, 1927, to 30th June, 1929, p 4.
4. ibid.
5. NSW Government Gazette, 1 June, 1928, p 2560.
6. Report of the Comptroller-General of Prisons for the Period 1st July, 1927, to 30th June, 1929, p 5.
7. ibid. p 6.
8. ibid. p 5, 6.
9. ibid. p 5.
10. Report of the Comptroller-General of Prisons for the Period 1st July, 1929, to 30th June, 1930, pp 6, 7.
11. ibid. p 7.
12. ibid. p 7.
13. NSW Government Gazette, 17 August, 1934, p 2933.
14. ibid.
15. Prisons Act, 1952 (Act No.9, 1952), s. 3 (4) in conjunction with Schedule 2.
16. ibid. s. 4.
17. NSW Government Gazette, 10 November, 1961, p 3579.
18. New South Wales Department of Corrective Services Web Site: Correctional Centres - Glen Innes Correctional Centre.
19. NSW Department of Corrective Services Annual Report for the Year Ended 30 June, 1991, p 160.
20. NSW Department of Corrective Services Annual Report for the Year Ended 30 June, 1992, p 105.
21. ibid. p 126.
22. New South Wales Government Directory 1992, Second Edition 1992, NSW Government Information Service, Regents Park, 1992, p 256.
23. Prisons Amendment Act, 1996 (Act No.25, 1996), Schedule 5.
24. Public Sector Employment and Management (Departmental Amalgamations) Order 2009 (2009 No 352) cls. 20; notified on NSW Legislation website, 27 July 2009.