Former NSW prison boss Ron Woodham tribute: ‘If you cut him he would bleed blue’

Former Grafton Jail governor John Heffernan pens a candid tribute to hard line prison boss Ron Woodham, who died last week.

In the late 1960s, a young sheep shearer from the far northern NSW country town of Inverell decided to travel to the big smoke of Sydney to seek work. He eventually found it in the most unlikely of places.

He became, of all things, a prison officer. His name was Ron Woodham and no one could have known, as the solidly built young man walked through the gates of the Long Bay Gaol that first day, the impact he would ultimately have on the NSW prison system.

The tough, no nonsense Woodham would rise through the ranks to become the first prison officer to assume the top position as the NSW Corrective Services Commissioner. His forte was security and investigations and as he ascended the promotions ladder he was given

a number of positions to complement his specific talents.

Ron Woodham.

During this period Woodham established Emergency Response Units, the Internal Investigation Unit, the Hostage Response Group, Drug Dog Detection Units, the Fire Control Unit, just to mention a few of his

achievements.

As Commissioner, Woodham continued to demonstrate his robust, hard-nosed approach to both staff and inmate management. He was uncompromising in his dealings with some of the toughest inmates in the system and literally never took a backward step when in face to

face confrontations.

Consequently, during his 10-year tenure, Woodham reigned over a regime marked by a culture of firmness throughout the department. Whilst not everyone appreciated his style of management most certainly respected his achievements. During a use of force on an

inmate, as long as policy and procedure was followed, an officer could be confident that he would receive support during any investigation that may follow.

Former NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham, pictured at Long Bay Jail.

That was the nature of the Corrections department the Coalition government inherited when they came to power in 2011.

The transition wasn’t subtle, nor was it without an amount of bloodletting. In search of a new direction, one of the first things the new Minister, Greg Smith, did was sack Ron Woodham as Commissioner.

His replacement, Peter Severin, could not have been more different than the man they once branded, “J. Edgar Hoover”. The softly spoken new commissioner’s academic qualifications included a Bachelor of Social Work. Thus, it became obvious to all the department was about to head down an entirely new path.

Since that time there has been a cultural shift, an apparent softening of inmate discipline and a subsequent erosion of correctional officers’ powers. In addition, a benchmarking process has resulted in practically every centre witnessing a reduction in officers on the ground. Given the present overcrowded conditions that is something which defies logic.

Much to Woodham’s chagrin the departmental use of force policy was revised to the point where it is now so complicated and protective of inmates that officers are extremely apprehensive when required to use force against a violent and/or aggressive inmate. Every use of force is reviewed and investigated and more often than not officers face disciplinary action for being involved in a situation certainly not of their choosing.

Inmates, quick to sense any weakness, have become attuned to the emerging new culture. As a consequence, there has been an escalation of violence within our prisons. The number of assaults on officers has increased substantially to the point where far too many have literally

become punching bags.

Retired Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham (right) at a farewell ceremony in Sydney, in August, 2012. Woodham's career in NSW Corrective Services spanned 46 years.

As Woodham was always quick to remind you, jails are violent places, they contain dangerous people. Correctional officers have to manage and control these individuals. During his term he acknowledged the obvious and provided officers with the tools and resources they needed to do their job. It appears now that many of these procedures have been replaced with a far more lenient approach, heavily reliant on negotiation.

Woodham observed much of this shift in departmental policy from the bed of a nursing home. The years since he departed had not been kind, he was on dialysis six days a week and partially paralysed after suffering a stroke. Whilst the physical strength he possessed in earlier

times was but a memory, his mind was still like the proverbial steel trap. Through reading and maintaining contact with his extensive network of current and past correctional administrators he was readily up to date on the NSW prison system.

Woodham viewed the transformation of NSW Corrections with a mixture of disappointment and anger. He held the present administration in poor regard and viewed the unravelling of many of his policies as a mistake.

Ron Woodham at the Emu Plains Correctional Centre in 2014. The centre was the first facility of it's kind to incorporate the breeding of assistance dogs into its program. "Ronnie" the pup took a shine to his namesake Woodham.

He saw his disability as little more than a distraction and firmly believed he could slip back into his former position easily and operate quite effectively from his wheelchair. So convincing was he in his belief it was difficult to argue otherwise. Just Ironside on TV, if anyone could make it work you knew he could.

Just recently Ron Woodham passed away. His passing saw the final curtain come down on an era.

During his reign I am proud to say that I was one of his prison governors. I certainly did not agree with everything he did and on a couple of occasions I found myself staring at the carpet of his office.

Woodham had a style of management that wouldn’t be tolerated in this day and age. He said it like it was, there was no political correctness, if you had a problem with that then there was the door and don’t let it hit you on your way out. You may not have liked it but you couldn’t help but begrudgingly respect his candour.

John Heffernan is the former governor of Grafton jail and has written a book about the NSW prison system called The Last Governor. He worked with Ron Heffernan for many years.

That said, he did have a degree of compassion. Many a time he went out of his way to help someone in need of assistance, professional or private.

There was a certain irony in the way he operated and it was often said, “Woodham would beat you up then sit with you in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.”

Over my 30 year tenure in NSW corrections I witnessed many departmental CEOs come and go. Some good, some not-so-good and some best forgotten but none had the impact of Ron Woodham. During his career he received five citations for devotion to duty including two for managing hostage situations, one for recapturing the Eastern Suburbs Rapist; and a ministerial commendation for bravery.

We will never again see the likes of Ronald George Woodham, he lived and breathed all matters relating to prisons and those they contained. I swear if you cut him he would bleed blue. Rest in peace sir, your watch is complete.

John Heffernan is the former governor of Grafton jail. His book The Last Governor provides a revealing and candid insight into the NSW prison system.