A grassroots initiative for healing and empowerment

Our team at Acacia Prison in Western Australia (WA) has opened a ground-breaking unit that is set to change the lives of Aboriginal men in custody. The Acacia Cultural Centre has been designed and implemented by the men themselves, for the men and the community. The unit aims to foster pride, belonging, and a positive, resilient, and cohesive community.

The timing of the opening of the unit was significant as it coincided with the Kambarang season, where an abundance of colours and flowers explode all around us. The yellows of the Acacias continue to abound, and the Balgas or grass trees start to flower, especially if they have been burnt in the past. It is a time of growth, healing, and flourishing, and the unit provides men with the tools to do just that.

Six Indigenous male inmates squatting in front of six smiling people

The programs offered within the unit have been created by multiple Aboriginal advisory groups in and outside the prison, and they will be facilitated by Aboriginal men and women from the community. The men accommodated in the unit have been empowered with the tools to shape their future, create, and lead initiatives that will positively impact their people. The unit is a grassroots initiative, where yarns will be held around a fire pit, cooking will be done together, and the old fellas are taking responsibility for the younger mob. In times of grief, dedicated sleepover rooms are available, and the men can stay with an Uncle who can remind them of the resilience they have inherited from their older generations.

Weekly language classes, dance, cultural mapping, and music are just some of the opportunities provided to the men in the unit, giving them a chance to give back to the community through art, message sticks, and kylies (the indigenous term for boomerang).

This Centre is a first for WA prisons, and it represents Serco’s belief in self-determination for Aboriginal people. The Acacia Cultural Centre is a powerful initiative that empowers men to heal, learn, and connect with their community, culture, and land.

Empowering those in our care

On July 2nd, Brooke Dillon, our Aboriginal Cultural Advisor, and Aunty Rosalie, our Tactical Response Aunty at Acacia Prison, who recently featured on Yorggas Yarning, a 100.9fm Noongar Radio show Boorloo (Perth), sharing insights into the transformative work being done to support First Nations men in our care.

“First and foremost, my job is obviously to keep the men in our care safe but that is the base line for us we don’t want to just keep people safe we want to make sure their supported to thrive and they are connected to their culture, their community and people like Aunty Rosalie.” Brooke said.

“Aunty Rosalie is our resident Tactical Response Aunty at Acacia. When Auntys up in block with the men show up as the very best versions of themselves” … “she is exactly what our prisons need to keep our communities strong, safe and thriving and when our fellas see our community showing up for them in their house, in the prison they feel a sense of worth and a sense of pride.”

Listen to the radio interview

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