Arbeit macht frei: - Fredrick Töben

served me well – act in such a way that your actions can become a universal
law. It is a system of ideals and principles that enables civilised association.
Mentally I compare the atmosphere of the Mannheim, Wandsworth and
Bedford prisons and find a similar pattern. Socially immature individuals
have a problem in submitting to such rules and regulations that need to
operate within a prison system.
The problem is that all too often the prisoners are the fall guys while the
real criminals are in government and other institutions where they receive
protection. Most prisoners lack education, money and social connections. I
recall my woodwork teacher at Kyneton High School, ‘Hock’ Somerville,
who never tired of reminding the class that he would rather associate with a
lowly paid person than with a criminal in a high position.
It is funny how my past life, school and other events of my childhood come
flashing through at this time, and how I appreciated individuals such as
Somerville. I recall visiting him during lunchtime when he was in hospital.
Like Kitty O’Shea, my English teacher, Somerville was a man who had
dignity. I forgive him for those occasional remarks he made about the
Spitfires and the Messerschmidts going into battle because I did not really
know what he was talking about. That is how little I knew about wartime
Europe when 15 years old, but the Germans were the baddies. Still,
Somerville was always kind to me.
In any case, I was more interested in sneaking away to meet the girls in the
long grass at the back of the hockey field during lunchtime. Although a state
school, Kyneton did have a gender separation barrier, mental and physical,
which made it all the more exciting to transgress and hide in the grass.
I spend the morning in association, where prisoners meet in a common
room. That is a room across from the cells where prisoners walk around,
talk, have coffee, tea or soft drink, and make phone calls to their loved ones
or their legal representatives. I again make contact with Gekko, who will
remain in E Division for little while longer. He informs me that I will be out
of Yatala because I am wearing overalls – he knows the routine.
After an hour or so I return to my cell, say farewell to cellmate Dave and I
am off to a holding cell where five other prisoners sit around in almost
silence. One by one we are called out and taken to reception where we
177