INTERVIEW WITH LOCAL AUTHORS

Pentridge Prison – Inside Out

Adrian Didlick, Katrin Strohl and Don Osborne

The authors write: About 12 years ago Adrian started taking photographs of Pentridge Prison. His interest in preserving images of the then abandoned, 146 year old prison and its environs, grew into a fascination. A fascination that hasn’t stopped.

Over the last years Katrin Strohl dedicated many hours going through Adrian’s photographs, sorting and curating them into a 288 page book. The photos appear as Adrian took them – sometimes in a rush to get out of there. 

Don Osborne, a very good friend of Adrian and Katrin’s, a former teacher in Pentridge during its most volatile years and the author of Pentridge: Behind The Bluestone Walls, has gracefully written a brief history of the prison complex as a preface to the book and texts to all its divisions.

The intention was not to write another book about Pentridge, but to give a unique insight into this important historical landmark and show, warts and all, the conditions that people worked, lived and died in. 

MEDDLER: Why is Pentridge important to you?

ADRIAN: It is so much a part of Victoria’s history, good and bad, it held some of Australia’s most infamous prisoners, it also held children. Pentridge Prison was for many years self sufficient supplying meat and vegetables to the residents of Coburg. It supplied labour for building bridges, roads, churches and its own prison build. It is also of interest that they made some of the equipment used on the Burke and Wills expedition. During the World Wars, the gaol supplied and repaired some of the items the soldiers desperately needed, like clothing, bedding and footwear. The overall story of Pentridge is fascinating and its importance in the growth of Victoria is undeniable.

KATRIN: Pentridge is important to me as being part of Victoria’s heritage. The State of Victoria thought the same, and due to this great importance, the former HM Prison Pentridge was listed on the Heritage Victoria Database.  Like other heritage places, I see Pentridge as a great resource for local education – for people of all ages. The more we learn and know about our heritage, the more we value it and look after it. In my opinion, the best way to preserve cultural heritage is to share it with others. 

MEDDLER: How long did it take to produce the book?

ADRIAN: Just over three years ago, Katrin became aware that I had a large collection of photos of Pentridge and suggested we should put a book together. Along with the help of others, in particular Don Osborne, it evolved into a book that we are very proud of.

MEDDLER: Were you able to gain full access to the site?

ADRIAN: For about the first nine years, access was via fallen fences, open doors or gates, I even took photos through keyholes. During the last couple of years, Katrin and I were given access to areas and buildings not open to the public. 

MEDDLER: Do the new developments in the old Pentridge site respect its history?

ADRIAN: There has been an enormous amount of money spent employing specialists and historians to restore the gaol to the period of the 1890’s. It is now a safe environment after the current developers removed thousands of tonnes of contaminated material, dumped by previous owners of the site. Had this work not been done, the public would never have had the benefit of seeing it today. They would, most likely, have seen an overgrown, broken and vandalised ruin.

KATRIN: In my opinion, yes. Unfortunately, after Pentridge’s closure in 1997, a big part of the former prison complex has long been neglected. Adrian’s photos are proof of that. 
The development of the site included preservation and passionate restoration of the original fabric. Bits and pieces of heritage interpretation can be found on site, which is a good start and tours are going to commence early next year. I still have high hopes for a Pentridge Museum, which would be the best place to tell stories from both sides of the bluestone walls…

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If anyone is interested in purchasing the book, it can be found here or by contacting the authors at pentridgeinsideout@gmail.com