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| Exercise yard muster, No.2 Division, Boggo Road, 1989 (BRGHS) |
IMPORTANT UPDATE HERE
It is quite possible that the gates of Boggo Road will be open to the public again soon. While we in the Boggo Road Gaol Historical Society still don’t know exactly what will be happening in the place yet, and nobody has been given permission by the government to offer this or that service in there, now would probably be a good time to talk about tours of the place.
It is quite possible that the gates of Boggo Road will be open to the public again soon. While we in the Boggo Road Gaol Historical Society still don’t know exactly what will be happening in the place yet, and nobody has been given permission by the government to offer this or that service in there, now would probably be a good time to talk about tours of the place.
A few months back I wrote about the strengths of our ‘Moonlight Tours’ of South Brisbane Cemetery which were, briefly:- we value historical accuracy; you can talk to the guides and ask questions anytime; the tours are very affordable; and the money raised is for a good cause. Pretty much the same could be said for the day and night tours we have planned for Boggo Road (touch wood), with one very important addition: the experiential knowledge of the guides.
This is a huge thing. Outside historians can research Boggo Road as much as they want, but they will never have the personal insights of somebody who actually worked or served time in there. These people are living conduits for that history. Same people, same place, different time. Standing in the prison listening to them is as close as you will get to being inside Boggo Road back when it was alive and kicking.
It’s like talking to a historian about the landings on Omaha Beach on D-Day 1944. Sure, they can provide all manner of background information and context and facts, but it is the soldiers who were actually there who can provide the most compelling account of what happened there, on that beach, on that day. To listen to and look at somebody like that in the place where it actually happened is like stepping into a time machine.
Several months back I was part of a group strolling around inside Boggo Road in the company of a former prison officer, who was giving us a bit of a guided tour. It was unscripted but totally engaging as he used his natural storytelling abilities and massive wealth of experience to give us unique insights into stories about this exercise yard or that cellblock. Then something quite unexpected happened. There was also a former prisoner in our group, and as the officer related a story from his own perspective, the prisoner offered a version of events from HIS side of the fence. Their memories didn’t exactly corroborate each other, but there was genuine good humour all around, and listening to these two bounce stories off each other as they walked together was probably the most fascinating experience I have had in the place.
Sadly, this ‘experiential knowledge’ is irreplaceable and finite. There is only a certain time frame that this knowledge can be shared first-hand, which makes it all the more important to take the opportunity to listen to it now. In time to come, and hopefully this is still a few decades away, all tours of Boggo Road will have to be taken by people who were never there when it was still a functioning prison. People who hadn’t even been born at that time. For now, however, we get to listen to the ‘elders’ share their stories, good and bad and everything in between.
So, to sum up, what the BRGHS tours would offer (if they happen!) are:
- Experiential knowledge
- Interactive conversations with guides who who knows their stuff
- Commitment to accuracy
- Not-for-profit and for a good cause too
This is not to say we don’t have other kinds of tour experiences planned. We have both dramatic interpretation and ‘HauntedCellblock Tours' in the pipeline, but I will save those for other articles.
For now, why not take a look at the BRGHS Tour News page and sign up to join our tours waiting list by emailing us?
