Prison inmates help keep Beechworth Bushrangers footy club afloat

BEECHWORTH Bushrangers were struggling to field a senior footy side until they tapped into an unexpected stream of recruits — from the local jail.

Prisoners from local jail playing football for Beechworth Bushrangers on Saturday. Prisoners from Beechworth Correctional Centre, minimal security prison, have been given the opportunity to play for the Beechworth Bushrangers Football Club. The prisoners, who cannot be identified, are allowed to leave the jail temporarily for footy games. The program allows the Bushrangers to bolster their numbers, and gives the prisoners the chance to reconnect with the community. One of the two prisoners (#24) playing with the club during the half time break. Picture: Eugene Hyland

BEECHWORTH’S Bushrangers were struggling.

The town’s footy team lacked players — almost half the team had to suit up for both seniors and reserves each Saturday.

The club had managed just one win in the 2013 season.

It was four wins last year.

And something had to give. Someone had to give.

“That was when we started to look at the jail for players,” Beechworth club president Steve Collins says.

Two years after first lobbying Corrections Victoria to add prisoners to its list, Beechworth finally got the go-ahead this year after winning the backing of Corrections Minister Wade Noonan.

The minimum-security prison allows four inmates to play each Saturday and this season, Dan, Nathan, Tim and Jack (not their real names) have proudly worn the royal blue and red stripes of the “Bushies”.

Before Saturday, Beechworth sat fourth on the Tallangatta league ladder with eight wins and five losses.

Everyone’s excited — both in town and 3km out along Flat Rock Rd, past the tannery ruins to where the very modern prison almost blends into the bush.

“We get back from playing games and as you walk in, as soon as you walk towards muster, you’ve got everyone coming up, ‘how’d you go?’,” says Tim, who’s been at Beechworth since October for drug trafficking.

“Not just personally, but everyone’s asking how the team’s going.”

Prison general manager Terry Jose says inmates from another low-security prison — Dhurringile — have also been playing for Merrigum and Rushworth in the Kyabram District League.

“It’s getting them to feel part of the community again,” Mr Jose says.

“Most of them, they’re quite clear that they’ve committed offences against the community. In general terms, a lot of them want to repay that.”

Prisoners have to be a C2 category, meaning they don’t need a prison escort to leave the facility, only a registered volunteer.

They must have good work and behaviour records. And they’re on notice — no fighting on the field or suspensions of any kind, or the deal’s off.

“There’s no protection prisoners here so there’s no safety concerns to them or to the public,” Mr Jose says.

“We go through a fairly stringent process to make sure these blokes meet the behavioural requirements and they’re good role models and they do the right thing while they’re out there.”

The idea to enlist outlaws to prop up the local side isn’t new for this prison town.

It was after Ned Kelly’s stay behind the cold granite walls of the old jail, closed a decade ago, but before Carl Williams’ stint, that the footy club’s relationship with the community’s forced citizenry began.

PICTURE GALLERY: Beechworth Bushrangers

A 65-year-old retired truckie, Kevin, remembers those days well.

He served 13 months at the Beechworth jail and won a flag in 1974, playing each Saturday on day release.

When he finished his sentence in 1975, he stayed in the town.

“I was probably lucky that I got sent here because if I went to another jail and they didn’t have any football, I’m not sure what would have happened,” Kevin says.

“I was lucky enough the governor said ‘can you play?’.

“I played footy for 12 months with all these blokes so I got to know them.

“I got a chance here to go back into society and learn a good lesson. I haven’t looked back.

“I’ve been here 40 years — I’m a local now, I think.”

Nathan, 27 and inside for robbery, says like in ’74, the Bushrangers have welcomed the new recruits.

“The club treat us like gold,” he says.

“They’ve given us uniforms, they’ve given us jumpers. They’ve even bought us suit pants to make us feel part of the team before the game.

“It was a daunting challenge but I actually wanted to step out to be rehabilitated. They just embraced us like we’ve been part of the club for years, like we’re part of the community.”

Beechworth coach Nic Barnes treats all his charges the same, from the fly-in fly-out Nauru mine worker to the prison car-pollers from Flat Rock Rd.

“It’s fantastic to have them on board,” Mr Barnes says.

“They’ve got a chance out there to prove themselves to the community — they’re giving a bit back to Beechworth.”

While four inmates can play each week, there’s one hitch — they must play in the same grade.

When the Bushrangers play top of the table Kiewa Sandy Creek, selection is ruthless.

Only Dan, a tough 29-year-old playmaker, at Beechworth for breaching parole (his original sentence was for intentionally causing serious injury), and bullocking Nathan make the cut against the unbeaten visitors.

The big and powerful Hawks kick three goals in the first three minutes of the match and it appears a thrashing is in the offing.

But the Bushrangers somehow work their way back into the contest.

During coach Barnes’ half-time rev-up, he declares Dan will move from the middle to a wing.

“Get it to him, he’s hard as nails,” Mr Barnes says, and the team raises his name in a guttural chorus.

“He sets a fantastic example,” Mr Barnes later says of Dan.

“For some reason (the prisoners) seem to work that little bit harder than everyone else. They’ve got the opportunity and they put their body on the line.”

A stunning 60m torpedo goal after the three-quarter time siren puts the Bushrangers in front by nine points. The home team has the momentum but it’s not to be as the Hawks finish too strongly.

In the rooms, before the showers, the Bushrangers down soft drinks and demolish sauce-covered sausage rolls and pies.

Dan chomps on a banana. He’s gutted by the 15-point loss and his performance, which he thought below par. Win or lose, match days are a reality check for the prisoners.

“Probably right after a game seeing them go up to their family, the kids running around, that’s where it hits home,” says Dan, who has a partner and children.

“Just enjoying a win with the team after a game — we don’t really do that, we come back.

“I’m looking forward to that, just hanging around, talking about the game afterwards. Just have a laugh.”

Dan was released two weeks ago and while he returned home to Melbourne, he is travelling up the Hume each Saturday to play for his team.

“I started a commitment and I’d like to honour it,” he says.

Teammate Thomas Cartledge, 25, says he was apprehensive about the prospect of playing alongside some real “inside minds” when the idea was first raised.

“But once the boys came to training on the first night, all they wanted to do was get among it, just make themselves part of the club,” Mr Cartledge says.

“That’s the good thing about this club.

“If someone comes in and wants to be here, they’re welcomed with open arms.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re from out the road or a 20-year local.

“They’ve broken down a few of those barriers where you might think ‘oh, that person’s no good they’re locked up out the road’.

“But when you have a chat with them after the game or during training, you hear their story a bit, where they’re from and who they are.

“Sure, they’ve made a bad decision, some might have been terrible decisions, but they really want to improve themselves and not be that person any more.”

Cartledge adds with a smile: “If I was an opposition team that had a couple of crims running around, I wouldn’t be going up to them.

“It probably works in our favour.”

Inmates have the opportunity to take day release from here ...

To chase the football and respect out here. Pic: Eugene Hyland

There’s hope the prison will change its rules and allow inmates to play across the two open-age grades for the club in the future.

“At the moment, we have eight or nine thirds kids play two games each week,” Mr Collins says.

“They’re getting pretty tired. You play against some big boys in this league.

“With our reserves, it’s a struggle every week.

“It’d be great to get about eight involved and have them play in separate grades.”

On any day, there are up to 60 prisoners working around Beechworth on community projects and Bret Lacey, a past president of the footy club and operations manager at the prison, also has bigger dreams for the jail-Bushrangers connection.

“We’d like to think our involvement would grow,” Mr Lacey says.

“Not only as players but it might be volunteers around the ground, running water or working in the scoreboard or being umpires.

“Prisoners being in town is certainly not new — we’ve been doing it for 150 years.

“The prison was built in the 1850s, which is when the town pretty much kicked off.

“Prison life has always been part of the town.’’