Usually those who spend 30 years inside a prison do so at His Majesty’s pleasure.
Last week though, Nicholas Selisky received an award from him, when he was presented with the Australian Corrections Medal as part of the King’s Birthday honours for his more than three decade career in Victoria’s prison system.
“I was extremely surprised and felt very humbled,” said the Hobsons Bay resident of his reaction to receiving the email from the Victorian Governor’s office.
“I felt privileged that my contributions to corrections over the last 34 years had been recognised in this way.”
Currently the the general manager of the Metropolitan Remand Centre (MRC) in Ravenhall, Mr Selisky’s career began as a 20 year old inside the famous bluestone walls of Pentridge Prison.
These days Pentridge is a housing, retail and entertainment hub in Coburg, having closed in 1997.
It’s an example of how much the state’s corrections system has changed since Mr Selisky joined.
“When I arrived at Bendigo Prison in 1990, the cells weren’t sewered and had no running water, prisoners used buckets to go to the toilet,” he recalled, noting that the move from 19th century gaols to modern correctional facilities was one of the biggest differences between now and the start of his career.
Mr Selisky said the shift in focus from punishment to rehabilitation was the other major change.
“The majority of people in custody will be released back into our community, and all corrections staff now have a focus on creating opportunities for people to make better decisions.”
Prior to becoming general manager at the MRC, Mr Selisky worked at the private Port Phillip Prison and has had stints at Barwon Prison, the Melbourne Assessment Prison and as a K9 handler in the Security and Emergency Services Group (SESG) as well.
He said regardless of the setting, working as a corrections officer was a much better career than it is given credit for.
“I can honestly say I have spoken to hundreds of staff over the years who have come from various professional backgrounds, and the vast majority say that working in corrections is the best kept secret, they wish they’d made the change to this career earlier,” he said.
“Anyone who has a passion for making a difference to the community, has great communication skills and an interest in working with a diverse range of people in custody, this is the job for you.”
