Queen’s Birthday Honours for top CSNSW staff

Five Corrective Services NSW staff members have been awarded the Australian Corrections Medal for distinguished service as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Walid Elguindy (Strategic Population Management), Kerrie Mosman (Glen Innes Correctional Centre), Gregory Rapley (Macquarie Correctional Centre), Sarah Riley-Marsh (Fairfield Community Corrections) and Adam Wilkinson (Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre) have been recognised for their outstanding service, leadership and commitment to reducing reoffending.

Minister for Corrections Geoff Lee congratulated the recipients, whose excellence has been demonstrated across a variety of areas.

“CSNSW staff work exceptionally hard to rehabilitate offenders so they can begin a new life outside prison and to keep our community safe,” Mr Lee said.

“Their tireless efforts inside and outside prison are often unseen to the public and it cannot be stressed enough how critical their work is.

“They stand as exemplary role models for their colleagues and deserve recognition for their achievements and the positive impact they’ve had on the community, enhancing our prison system and promoting offender rehabilitation.”

CSNSW Commissioner Kevin Corcoran said the five staff members were valuable, respected and dedicated leaders who are a credit to the organisation.

“Walid, Kerrie, Gregory, Sarah and Adam are an inspiration to their colleagues – they step up to challenges, they mentor peers and are a positive influence for all staff,” Mr Corcoran said.

“The Australian Corrections Medal is the highest honour corrective services staff members can receive. These staff demonstrate the calibre of people we have working in the organisation and I congratulate them for this national recognition.”

The Australian Corrections Medal is awarded to corrective services staff around Australia. The five recipients will be invested with their medals at NSW Government House later this year.

Walid Wally Elguindy, ACM -  Strategic Population Management

Mr Walid Elguindy, the General Manager of Strategic Population Management (SPM), has worked for Corrective Services NSW for 28 years, and is critical to the good order of the state’s prisons network.

He leads a team of five who actively manage the flow and placement of inmate cohorts into prison beds across NSW correctional centres, appropriate to their security risk, classification and gender.

His leadership and direction became even more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he oversaw critical infrastructure demands, prison capacity requirements, and established quarantine, isolation and staging areas.

“I am truly honoured to be nominated for this award and I am exceedingly grateful to all my colleagues that I have had the privilege of working with over the last 28 years who have provided me with ongoing guidance and support,” Mr Elguindy said.

“I continue to be inspired by the dedication, professionalism and compassion of my fellow colleagues within CSNSW that tirelessly in striving to uphold the values and ideals of our organisation.”

Kerrie Mosman, ACM – Glen Innes Correctional Centre

Ms Kerrie Mosman, a Services and Programs Officers (SAPO) at Glen Innes Correctional Officer, is an outstanding example of dedication and devotion to the CSNSW’s values of service, trust, accountability, integrity and respect.

She has been recognised on many occasions for excellent service by correctional colleagues, community stakeholders, and by the offenders whose lives she has helped turn around. Her contribution to reducing reoffending at the individual level has been exemplary.

Ms Kerrie Mosman has spent her entire CSNSW career at Glen Innes Correctional Centre and her service there exemplifies the enormous difference one dedicated officer can make to the quality of operations in one workplace.

“I am both honoured and extremely humbled to receive this award. I consider myself to be a quiet achiever and I really can’t believe I have been recognised for such a prestigious accolade,” Ms Mosman said.

"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make - my workplace presents opportunities for me to make a difference every single day and in every interaction I have.

“I am full of pride that my efforts, my commitment, and enthusiasm for what I love and do have been acknowledged. I also appreciate the support of my work colleagues, my family, and friends.”

Gregory Rapley, ACM– Macquarie Correctional Centre

Mr Gregory Rapley, the Manager of Industries (MOI) at Macquarie Correctional Centre, commenced service with CSNSW in 2007 as a Laundry Overseer. He was then promoted to Chief Industries Officer, Principal Industries Officer and then to his current position.

Mr Rapley oversees the employment and education of 400 inmates. He keeps inmates focused and engaged on their work duties throughout demanding 16-hour workdays.

Mr Rapley's project management skills were critical when he oversaw the construction of CSNSW's first dormitory-style centre. He has also managed the construction of an additional programs building using workshops and inmate labour, which has proven to be a huge cost-saving exercise.

He embodies all the hallmarks of a dedicated, relentless and passionate manager who faces unpredictable and fluid environments head-on.

“It is a great honour to be nominated for this award – I have the privilege of working in a forward-thinking correctional centre with a great team of likeminded people with a common goal,” Mr Rapley said.

“Working at Macquarie has allowed me to manage inmates in a wide variety of employment options and has enabled my team to help inmates gain trade skills and education which will help them with their reintegration to the community.”

Sarah Riley-Marsh, ACM – Fairfield Community Corrections

Ms Sarah Riley-Marsh, Team Leader at Fairfield Community Corrections, connects, challenges and empowers some of the highest risk people in Sydney’s south-west region to break anti-social attitudes and lead law-abiding lives to help rehabilitate them into the community.

She is genuinely dedicated to walking alongside troubled people, making sure they have housing, mental health and disability support.

Ms Riley-Marsh's list of achievements within Community Corrections is extensive: she facilitated literacy and numeracy programs alongside TAFE NSW; as a Domestic Violence Co-Ordinator, she worked with NSW Police, Fairfield City Council, and domestic family violence groups to implement behavioral change strategies; and working on campaigns involving White Ribbon and Woolworths.

“I am humbled by the ACM nomination and feel blessed to walk alongside our clients who are starting life again,” Ms Riley-Marsh said.

“To be a part of the re-integration journey and witness second chances and change is life changing, I am grateful to be nominated for such a prestigious award.”

Adam Wilkinson, ACM – Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre

Mr Adam Wilkinson, Governor of the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre, has served in a range of frontline roles since commencing service with CSNSW in 2006, including running the agency’s COVID-19 Command Post.

The MRRC has been Sydney's only COVID-19 reception centre for much of the pandemic. As Governor for the past two years, Mr Wilkinson dealt with a significant workload of new receptions, while also operating an isolation hub for most COVID-19 positive inmates from around the state.

Mr Wilkinson has made a significant contribution to minimising the impact of COVID-19 on NSW prisons in general and on the MRRC in particular. This has helped a vital part of the state's justice system to keep functioning during a global pandemic.

“It is an incredible honour to receive the ACM. The support and guidance from many within the organisation, combined with the dedication of my MRRC colleagues, continues to be amazing,” Mr Wilkinson said.

“I am truly humbled and appreciative for the nomination of this prestigious award.”