The Townsville Correctional Complex has unveiled a newly commissioned Remembrance Memorial wall and garden as a way to pay tribute to past officers who died during or after their service at the facility.
Attended by the Queensland Corrective Services Deputy Commissioner Gary McCahon and Minister for Corrective Services, Mark Ryan, the memorial wall has 105 plaques on it bearing the names of the 105 heroic officers.
As the oldest continual prison site in Queensland, Townsville Correctional Complex – first commissioned on the site at Stuart Creek on 9 April 1893 – has an important place in the history of the State.
Deputy Commissioner of Queensland Corrective Services Gary McCahon, who commenced his correctional career at Townsville, acknowledged the important public safety work undertaken on the site.
“We as an agency have countless interactions with prisoners every day, some through the regular course of their duties and some through emergent situations,” Deputy Commissioner McCahon said.
“The Townsville Officer Remembrance Memorial honours those who have walked the floors before and recognises the commitment, dedication and bravery of all past, present and future correctional officers,” he said.
“The Officer Remembrance Memorial is a testament to the value placed upon officers here in Townville and across the State.”
Minister Ryan congratulated the officers who built the Remembrance Memorial and said the importance of coming together to recognise the service of former officers could not be underestimated.
Deputy Commissioner McCahon paid tribute to the General Manager of the Townsville Correctional Centre, Chief Superintendent Louise Kneeshaw and the team of officers who collaborated to create this fitting memorial.
“The initiative to create the garden and wall and Chief Superintendent Kneeshaw’s unwavering commitment to this cause, is commendable,” Deputy Commissioner McCahon said.
