Jess Adamson: The extraordinary story of Evonne Penrose, who turned her life around

Evonne Penrose admits she’s done terrible things, even brushing with notorious criminal Rodney Clavell. But she turned her life around in an extraordinary way, writes Jess Adamson.

Every so often in life, you meet someone who stops you in your tracks.

In this case, her name is Evonne Penrose.

I first met Evonne late last year when she accepted the coveted Women in Civil Construction Award at a swanky ceremony at Adelaide Oval.

As she walked nervously to the stage in front of hundreds of people, I looked down at my notes to read her nomination aloud.

“Evonne was introduced to BMD Group as part of the prerelease program run by the Adelaide Women’s prison …”

Just so you know, that’s not the normal spiel I’m used to reading at a black-tie award night.

As Evonne stepped up to the lectern, I whispered “Do you mind if I ask you where you’ve come from?”

She nodded in agreement, with a look mixed with both pride and fear.

Evonne Penrose accepts her CCF SA Industry & Training award last year from Jess Adamson. Picture: Civil Contractors Federation SA

You see, Evonne Penrose by her own admission, has done terrible things in years gone by.

She’s spent 12 years behind bars in several stints, most recently for an abhorrent, violent attack on a young mother in a northern-suburbs driveway.

I cannot imagine the terror the victim must have felt.

She was headbutted, punched, spat on and told she’d be killed by Evonne’s then-partner. She was robbed and left with cuts to her head and two black eyes.

And it wasn’t over.

Hours later, Evonne returned to the victim’s home with notorious criminal Rodney Clavell, whom she’d met just hours earlier.

The former prison guard, who was shot by police 10 years earlier during a chase through the Adelaide Hills in a 12-tonne grader, was again on the run and he was agitated.

Clavell was armed with a shotgun and had his finger on the trigger as he demanded the victim’s car.

A week later, when Clavell fatally turned the gun on himself in a city brothel in front of four female hostages, Evonne Penrose went into hiding.

The Advertiser’s front page from June 6, 2014.

Rodney Clavell outside the District Court in 2007.

Police tracked her down in Mt Isa and she was extradited to face the charges. She was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison.

The mother of three, who first used cannabis at the age of 12 and later became a daily amphetamine user, lost all contact with her daughters as her life spiralled out of control.

Her father and hero, a Vietnam vet, died while she was in the Northfield Women’s Prison and all she could think of was how much she’d let him down.

But determined and motivated to change for good, Evonne was a model prisoner on a mission.

And as she neared the end of her incarceration, something extraordinary was about to happen.

She applied for a position at local construction company, BMD Group, and got herself an interview – a big deal given the only interviews she’d ever had were with police.

BMD’s Tim Bishop says she was humble, grounded and hell-bent on turning her life around.

She got the job, walked out and caught a bus back to prison.

And so, it began. Evonne started her construction career as a labourer while on day release.

She woke at 4am each day and caught a taxi to the work sites, spending her days installing pipes and pits, managing traffic, and building roads.

The company supported her parole application and in 2020, she became a full-time employee, a move believed to be an industry first.

EvEvonne Penrose on a worksite in Henley Beach in April. Picture: Tom Huntley

She’s since worked on major projects including the Daws Rd intersection upgrade and her area manager says she “works harder than most of the lads.” Sorry lads.

Evonne’s success has sparked a major change in thinking.

Faced with an infrastructure-led Covid recovery and a critical shortage of workers, BMD now regularly scouts for workers in the prerelease system and others are following their lead.

Evonne Penrose turned 50 recently.

She’s been promoted to trainee safety adviser and is saving for her own home.

She’s openly shared her shocking past with her colleagues and all of them have her back.

She’s in demand as a mentor for young trainees, some of them Indigenous with tough pasts and she’s seen as a future leader within the family-owned business.

Last month, for the first time in two years, Evonne went back to prison.

But this time as a visitor.

She was invited back by the Correctional Services Department to share her story in the hope of empowering female prisoners.

It was a big moment but one she’s very grateful for.

“I just encouraged them to dig deep – I told them it was lonely, it was hard work, and it wasn’t easy, but if I could do it, any one of them can do it.”

And so, back to that Civil Construction awards night.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Evonne humbly accepted her prize, one of two major awards in a week - the other being the National Association of Women in Construction Emerging Leader Award.

She is the unlikely pin-up girl for an industry willing to take a risk in the most uncertain of times.

Evonne fought back tears as she thanked BMD for throwing her a lifeline when she needed it most.

And she vowed to keep trying to win back the trust of her family.

She is so proud of how far she’s come and so damn grateful for the opportunity.

Evonne Penrose is the reason magistrates, judges and parole boards agonise over giving someone a second chance.

She is hope – and right now, we all need a bit of that.

Jess Adamson is one of several new columnists now writing regularly for The Advertiser - see who else is writing for us here.