Fremantle Prison Excursion 2022
On Wednesday the 7th of December, a group of Year 7, 8 and 9 students travelled to Fremantle Prison, to consolidate our studies of Western Australia’s convict past. We arrived at the prison around 10am and were met by our tour guide, Debbie, who took us straight through to holding and processing. She showed us the green convict uniforms, an itchy jumper and work pants.
We walked through the shower area, which was all open with no doors and only short walls, so prisoners were very exposed.
We followed Debbie out to the long, narrow courtyard where there were archaeologists investigating an area being dug up. Apparently, prisoners used to bury their belongings. We walked into the cell block and across the bridge inside. The cell block was 3 stories high and had areas where the original stone floors were exposed. We got to look inside cells from different eras of the prison, starting in 1880 and going all the way up to the prison closure in 1991. The convict cells were tiny and had only a hammock and a bucket. The 1991 cells had a tv, bunk bed, but still a bucket for going to the toilet. The prisoners were able to work to buy luxuries such as TVs, kettles and toasters.
We then went out to view the death row cells and the gallows. We learned that the last man hung in Western Australia was a serial killer called Eric Edgar Cooke. Prisoners who died at Fremantle Prison were buried in Fremantle Cemetery. We got to go into the solitary confinement cells and Debbie turned the lights off. It was pitch black and terrifying. Through form the solitary confinement yard was the main exercise area. There we were able to see where the prisoners would clean out their toilet buckets. Someone was only paid $11 per week to clean out all the buckets. We saw some of the art created by some inmates that is still visible on the wall.
In the final leg of the tour, we got to look inside the special cell built for the bushranger, Moondyne Joe. It was heavy reinforced with jarrah and spikes. Close to his cell, was the religious artwork of James Walsh, masterpieces that had been plastered over and the cell turned in to a storage cupboard. Nearby was the relatively small catholic chapel and finally the large protestant chapel (as most of the convicts were British Protestants.
It was so interesting seeing the way that the convicts had to live when they came to Western Australia, we couldn’t believe prisoners were still living that way in to the 1990s.
- Ethan Chomicki (Year 8 Student)
