Meet the women making a difference at the Adelaide Remand Centre

This International Women’s Day, Serco celebrates the women on the front line of public safety at the Adelaide Remand Centre.

More than 30 per cent of Serco’s workforce at Adelaide Remand Centre (ARC) are women including more than 50 per cent in leadership roles.

Operations Manager Elizabeth (Jackie) Potgieter Du Preez started at the ARC as a custodial officer, soon after her ability was quickly recognised and she was promoted into an operations manager role.

“Becoming a manager has been the peak of my career. Being able to help both staff and prisoners through good leadership has been extremely rewarding,” Ms Potgieter Du Preez said.

Like Jackie, Operations Manager Rowena Fox was promoted to a management role and comes from a family of corrections workers, with her partner, father and brother all working in the industry.

“In corrections your team is very much like your family. And your team needs to be just as diverse as your cohort of prisoners, meaning we all have our differences and we all work together to ensure the team is stronger,” Ms Fox said.

As the primary admission centre for all metropolitan courts in Adelaide, Serco’s team at the ARC manage more than 700 prisoner movements each month.

Admissions Manager Leah Mackenzie, who has worked with Serco for more than ten years, said being responsible for all the statutory requirements for every prisoner movement was a big but rewarding task.

“I started out working for Serco in immigration and was looking to challenge myself and step outside of my comfort zone. I decided to join the ARC team hoping to make a difference in corrections and justice.

“During my time at ARC I have noticed that women can play a very important role in the justice space. I have found that being that ‘motherly figure’ appeals more to some inmates and allows for better communication and in turn, for us to be able to provide better care,” Ms Mackenzie said.

“Regardless of gender, everyone brings something unique to their roles here at ARC.

“From senior management down to our chefs and cleaners – it is important to know that the ARC is run by a bunch of people who love their work and love making a difference.”

ENDS

Media contact: Tim Evans, +61 409 389 358
General media enquiries: Serco media line, +61 (0) 2 9409 8700 or [email protected]