Assistant Superintendent at Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison honoured with Aboriginal Service Medal

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Proud Noongar woman Sharon joined the team at Wandoo in 2018, WA’s first drug and alcohol treatment prison for women. But it was her 16 years with the WA Police Force that saw her recently honoured with an Aboriginal Service Medal.
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A male police officer in uniform stands with a female prison officer in uniform presenting her with a medal

The new Aboriginal Service Medal – launched this year – acknowledges the dedication and service of Aboriginal Officers and staff and their strong role in law enforcement and keeping the community safe.

Wandoo Superintendent said Wandoo congratulated Assistant Superintendent Offender Services Sharon for her service and achievements in both the WA Police Force and at Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison.

"Sharon is a valued member of the small team at Wandoo," Wandoo's Superintendent said. "She is dedicated to improving the rehabilitative and reintergrative outcomes for all people in her care, including our Aboriginal residents".

"It was a privilege to be present at the ceremony."

Sharon said she was happy to be progressing her career at Wandoo.

"I wanted to work with women and use my experience in trauma-informed care," she said. "It's exciting being part of a great team including Cyrenian House, custodial, non-custodial, Recreation, Educaton, Chaplain, Prison Support Officer and Aboriginal Elder getting good results, with more than 100 women graduating from our therapeutic program.

"It's important to keep the women connected with their family and linked to their community; and I'm working to improve our through-care process so the residents have more support in place when they are released.

"It's also important to keep the Aboriginal women connected to their family, community and culture, and for us to share our culture with the non-Aboriginal women and staff. We're all one here at Wandoo – it's not them and us – and we can all work together and empower the women in an inclusive environment.

"For example, we had a very successful National Reconciliation Week presentation with an Acknowledgement to Country and spiritual exercise in grounding and mindfulness. The presentation was led by our Aboriginal Prison Support Officer from an Aboriginal perspective.  Our Aboriginal Elder and Chaplain united in presenting a religious/spiritual ceremony and an Aboriginal healing smoking ceremony was conducted. It's about ensuring Aboriginal knowledge and practices are involved and at the forefront, and recognise the importance of working together in unity to achieve positive outcomes. This inclusivity is endorsed by the Department's Reconciliaton Action Plan.

"We also presented a video about a Whadjuk Noongar woman, Ingrid Cumming, who had grown up in two worlds – the Aborignal and non-Aboriginal.  She had a traumatic history and lost her way, but embraced her culture and was able to get an education in both worlds and implement cultural change, even presenting at a UN women leaders forum in Israel in 2013.

"It was great for us all to hear such an inspirational story, and there was a lot of positive feedback from the residents and staff."

Sharon said her Noongar aunties taught her to face her heart towards the sun, the giver of life, "to feel the healing energy entering our hearts to heal us. I still do this!

"I'm very much in touch with my Aboriginal culture," she said. "My Mother was one of 15, so I have a big family with lots of uncles, aunties and cousins.

"I'm very close to my family, and when time permits I go home to Country in Narrogin.  My cousin has a farm in Narrogin and we feel connected and grounded. When we go home we take our shoes off and dig our feet in the ground and connect to our Country…this is something our uncles and aunites taught us from a young age.  We were also encouraged to stand in a running stream and allow the energy of the water to cleanse us.  We were taught that everything is alive – the animals, the plants and nature all are energised by a spirit. 

"We always take time to place flowers on the graves of our relatives who have passed.

"In our family, we learn by walking side by side and through story-telling. We learn to respect Elders and Country and we learn closeness to the spirit world."

At the medal presentation ceremony at Wandoo, WA Police Superintendent Regan and Aboriginal Affairs Division Manager Ms Bartholomeusz provided insight as to how far the WA Police Force has come in recent years to provide support and cultural awareness to staff to assist them when working with Aboriginal people, both in the metropolitan area and regional WA.

They also explained the symbolism of the medal, whose crossed spears and digging sticks represent both genders who serve the community, while emu feathers represent the healing and unity of the Aboriginal and WA Police Force cultures coming together, mounted on a ribbon of black, yellow and red.

"It was a great honour to receive the medal," Sharon said. "I hope in my career I can continue to generate conversations and respect, and build relationships between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities so we can all heal."