Left to right: Leanne and Gwenyth Owen
Two veteran corrections leaders have been awarded the prestigious Australian Corrections Medal (ACM) in the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours List, for decades of ground breaking service with the Department of Justice.
Medal recipient and Nurse Manager at Melaleuca Women’s Prison, Gwenyth Owen, has dedicated her 30-year career to caring for the health of women in the Western Australia prison system.
An advocate for change, Mrs Owen helped introduce 24-hour nursing coverage for women’s prisons as well as chronic disease and health portfolios still used across the system today.
“I feel nurses, and especially prison nurses, don’t get recognised as often as they deserve, so receiving this medal is a great honour,” Mrs Owen said.
Fellow honouree Leanne has worked with thousands of offenders to identify and deliver the best interventions for their rehabilitation, and the safety of the community.
Over her 28-year career in Adult Community Corrections and now Central Breach Unit Team Leader, Leanne has implemented training models, established frameworks, and taught future corrections officers studying at university to improve the quality of the service.
“I’m grateful for this award recognising the hundreds and hundreds of my colleagues and the hard work we do all around the State to help rehabilitate offenders and keep the community safe,” Leanne said.
Director General Kylie Maj said this year’s ACM recipients were both pioneers in very different areas of Corrective Services.
“It’s inspirational to see these women appreciated for their roles in changing the system for the better, creating lasting value in their fields and the Department as a whole,” she said.
Commissioner Brad Royce said the efforts of the medal recipients were a working demonstration of the core values of the Department.
“Their unswerving commitment to helping people in contact with our justice system reflects the efforts of so many of their colleagues dedicated to achieving the best outcomes for those in our care,” he said.
