GROUP BRAVERY CITATION, METROPOLITAN REMAND CENTRE – (LONG BAY) RIOT AND HOSTAGE – 23 OCTOBER, 1986 – Stefan D’Silva awarded an Australian Bravery Group Citation
33 YEARS LATER.
On 31 March 2020, I was a recipient as part of a ‘Group Bravery Citation’ that had been approved by the Governor-General David Hurley via the Australian Bravery Decorations Council. I am humbly honoured to have received this award, however, I am more pleased for the eleven members of the then Corrective Services NSW ‘Hostage Response Group and Malabar Emergency Unit’ that have been finally recognised for their heroic actions in rescuing my two colleagues and I during a riot at Long Bay Prison complex in the mid eighties.
The eleven Assault Team officers had placed themselves at serious personal risk, going into a situation without any trepidation, but with one aim, to rescue the three of us that had been taken hostage and restore order on the top landing of 13 wing in the Metropolitan Remand Centre.
These brave group of men displayed a significant level of commitment, courage and professionalism to duty in extenuating circumstances, involving a highly volatile and extremely dangerous situation.
It is with great regret that after 33 years, three members of the Assault Team have since passed away (Mark Russo, John Screen and Steve Wright).
This award demonstrates the significant dangers and risks that correctional officers confront on a daily basis.
As a group, we would like to acknowledge and thank the Governor General’s Department, and in particular, the Australian Bravery Decorations Council for making this award possible.
I would also like to personally extend a sincere thank you to Guy Zangari – MP for his continued support to our group whilst as the Shadow Minister for Corrective Services, former MP – Thomas George, an extended thank-you to Nine News reporter Simon Bouta and Seven networks ‘The Morning Show’ hosts Larry Emdur & Kylie Gillies, Journalists and book authors ‘James Phelps and Patrick Kennedy’ for featuring the incident in their respective books (Australia’s Hardest Prison and Long Bay) about this infamous riot at Long Bay, along with Bill Dodson who also detials this riot in his book (The Sharp End) and Dave ‘Emu’ Farrell who also featured the riot in his book (Old Screw).
Domenic Pezzano
Below is the article written by Michelle Hoctor – CSNSW Media Unit and broadcast to all serving Corrective Services NSW Correctional Officers and personnel (thanks Michelle);
Officers awarded for bravery in violent 1986 Long Bay riot
Showered with boiling water and violently attacked with missiles and makeshift weapons, 11 CSNSW officers risked their lives to save three colleagues who had been locked in a cell by rioting prisoners at Long Bay’s former Metropolitan Remand Centre.
Over 90 minutes on the night of 23 October 1986, officers of the former Malabar Emergency Unit/Hostage Response Group battled 70 inmates before finally taking back control of the facility and freeing their colleagues.
Today, the officers have been honoured with an Australian Group Bravery Citation, announced by Governor-General David Hurley, for their heroic work.
Receiving a Group Bravery Citation are David Farrell, Bill Dodson, David Golledge, Gary Clarke, Wayne Carmady, Anthony D’Silva, Garry Lockhart, Kenneth Newbery, Mick Pezzano. The late Mark Russo, the late Stephen Wright and the late John Screen will receive their awards posthumously. The remaining officer Bob Menzies could not be located.
About 9pm on 23 October 1986, a prison riot broke out at the MRC at Long Bay.
Domenic “Mick” Pezzano, who still contracts for CSNSW, was one of three officers alongside Ken Newbery and Bob Menzies, rostered to work on C Watch (2.30-10.30pm). Mick says inmates in the remand centre were mustered at 3pm to go into their wings, where they were free to roam about until 9.30pm.
He recalls the events of the evening:
“I was rostered to 13 Wing on the top landing which housed 70 inmates and was regarded as the Bronx, given its reputation for housing non-workers, non-conformers, long-term remands and new receptions.
“It was a quiet night, there was nothing much happening. About 8.30pm I was in the wing office doing some paperwork, alongside Ken and Bob. “Suddenly, two inmates presented at the office, one a sweeper Lee Owen Henderson, on remand for murder and other offences, and Warren Perry.
“At that time we housed the Comanchero bikies. There were a few inmates including Henderson and Perry, who were trying to stamp their authority. “As these two approached, their demeanour was very different. Henderson had a timber mallet in his hand; in those days inmates were permitted to have their leather craft in their cells. Perry had an iron bar from a dismantled cell bunk.
“They went directly behind Ken and Bob – Henderson had his mallet raised above Ken, and Perry, who had his bar raised over Bob, said, ‘Give us your keys or we’ll smash their heads in.’ “I looked up at them. Outside, I could see the other inmates grouping. I tried to negotiate with them, saying things like, ‘Lee, what the hell are you doing? Tell me what the issues are and I can sort it out with the Governor. This will not turn out good for you, don’t go down this path.’
“But they were in the zone and we were over-powered. Perry came over to me. I refused to give him my keys so he pushed me from behind and grabbed them from my lanyard. “We were pushed out of the office into the first cell on the landing – Cell 223. Once inside, we barricaded the cell with furniture. We thought that, if they came back and tried to get us out and separate us into other cells, it would be harder for us to be rescued.
“The prisoners had control of the landing and started running amok. We had a comms system in the cell that went back to the gatehouse. We buzzed up and relayed what was happening and a response was initiated.”
MEU operator 1/C David Golledge, who served 10 years with CSNSW and was in his second year at the time of the riot, responded immediately to his pager and was suited up at the MEU base at the old Katingal prison within 10 minutes.
“We were told about 100 prisoners were rioting in 13 Wing, some of them were Comanchero bikies and other dangerous criminals from the Milperra Massacre. We were told three officers had been taken hostage and were in fear of their lives,” David says.
“The assault team under the leadership of David Farrell , was John Screen, David Golledge, Bill Dodson, Gary Clarke, Gary Lockhart, Steve Wright, Wayne Carmady, Wayne Wadsworth, Mark Russo and Steve DeSilva as the first responding officers. We went up to the prison gate and we could hear the cries for help coming out of the wing.
“We proceeded across. There was screaming, flickering of lights, a fire. When we got to the top landing, the gate was closed. It was bound up with wire and bedding; mattresses and bed frames up against it. The prisoners had placed blankets and sheets over the top of the caged stairwell so it was like a very dark tunnel.
“The next thing the prisoners pulled the blankets back and threw urns full of boiling water over us and were stabbing us with broken broom handles and whatever else they could get their hands on.
“As we were about to breach the barricade, a prisoner hit an officer and broke his arm. Then it was basically just a free-for-all – a pitched battle for nine or 10 minutes with some of the most violent and dangerous prisoners.” Fellow responding MEU member Wayne Carmady, an officer with CSNSW from 1984 to 1988, says despite feelings of apprehension, he felt strengthened by the team.
“We were very apprehensive, but we belonged to a group, we worked closely with each other and we had each other’s backs. We were just intent on getting in and getting out the officers,” he says.
Mick says that as the riot was in full mode, he and his colleagues were forced to sit tight and wait. “Did we have some fear and concern? Of course we did. Our main concern was if they started a fire in the top landing and we weren’t rescued in time, who knows what would have happened?
“But once we started hearing the noise and the tear gas being fired into the wing, we knew they were on their way up. “It was quite a battle for them; hand-to-hand combat. It was courageous stuff by these guys.”
Mick, who served CSNSW for 30 years and retired as superintendent of the Offender Management and Operations Branch in 2014, says the bravery award was in recognition of the 11 MEU/HRG officers. “It’s more about the officers who rescued us because they really showed tremendous courage and resilience to do what they did that night.”
Wayne, who left CSNSW to become a police officer, says the Long Bay riot was the worst situation he had ever been involved in. “We responded to a lot of situations in the gaol, whether it was a barricaded cell or a full-on riot. This was the worst situation by far.
“Looking back, I am quite proud we were involved in something like that. It was a good outcome for everyone.” Once the assault team had rescued the hostages and quelled the riot and restored order to the wing, additional officers attended to help with post incident procedures.
Commissioner Peter Severin says the awards recipients are to be commended. “The actions of these men embody some of the finest qualities a correctional officer could demonstrate. We will always be grateful for their service.”
Below is an article published in the Campbelltown-Macarthur Advertiser newspaper by Jess Lyat – 31/3/20 (thanks Jess).
Domenic Pezzano was only two years into the job at Long Bay’s Metropolitan Remand Centre when all hell broke loose.
It was 1986 and he was working the afternoon shift on the top landing of 13 Wing. There were 70 inmates on the landing, and three prison officers.
Shortly before the prisoners were set to be locked into their cells for the night, three inmates armed with wooden mallets and iron bars confronted Mr Pezzano and his two colleagues in the wing office, took them hostage and locked them in a cell.
Now, 34 years later, the prison officers and the elite rescue team that freed them have received a Group Bravery Citation in this year’s Australia Bravery Awards.
Mr Pezzano, from Leppington, said it was wonderful to have the brave efforts of the rescuers finally recognised.
“The whole purpose of this was to gain that recognition of those 11 rescue officers for what they did,” he said. “They were able to do what they did in such a professional matter that saw nobody get seriously hurt.
“As you can imagine, this was a very scary event and quite serious – it could have gone the other way and it could have been myself and my two other colleagues on a memorial wall with other officers who have lost their lives on the job.
“The recognition is important, as it shows that work in the prisons, though it’s very rewarding, is very dangerous, especially if you’re working on the front line with inmates in maximum security.”
Despite the three decades between now and the event, Mr Pezzano can still recall the riot in great detail.
Once the three officers were locked in the cell, they used the furniture – which was all loose in those days and also was the material used to fashion the inmates’ weapons – to make a safety barricade. Mr Pezzano used the cell alarm to inform prison staff what was happening and kick-start the rescue effort.
“I immediately hit the alarm system which alerted the officers in the gate house and we were able to communicate,” he said.
“I informed them of what had occurred and basically that’s what started the wheels in motion. There was an emergency response, officers from the Malabar Emergency Response Unit were notified.
“The inmates – as we were locked in the cell – had control of the top landing and started to riot. “In those days there was no technology like there is now, there were no CCTV cameras in the wings and the intelligence was a little bit difficult to obtain, because the rescue officers weren’t physically able to see where we were.”
Mr Pezzano and his fellow hostages – one was six months on the job, the other just six weeks – were held for about two hours before the rescue team was able to free them.
He said it was a frightening situation.
“There was three of us and 70 inmates – we were hopelessly outnumbered,” Mr Pezzano said.
“We were stressed. Did we have fear? Absolutely. “Our biggest concern was that the inmates would set fire to the wing. “We had to remain calm, reassure each other, go through our training. “We stuck together and waited for help to arrive.”
Mr Pezzano said the rescue team were faced with armed inmates, throwing projectiles and boiling water. The team deployed tear gas and fought through the rioters – some engaged in “arm-to-arm combat” – to free the officers
An officer named Stefan D’Silva was the rescuer who managed to get to the cell and release the hostages.
“I can vividly recall that particular moment,” Mr Pezzano said. “We could hear him and I yelled ‘Steve, we’re here’. “I could see him through the window, he’s got a shield in front of him with one hand and in the other he’s got the keys to the cell, trying to find the right key.
“As he’s doing that he’s got projectiles being thrown at him by the inmates, he’s under the pump. “He finally gets the cell door open and we get escorted out, the officers shielding us, as we’re taken down to the bottom outside the wing.”
Mr Pezzano said it was a relief to “go out and look at the stars and breathe fresh air”.
Despite the traumatic event – “you’re never going to forget about it” – Mr Pezzano returned to work a few days later, and continued working in corrections for 30 years, eventually reaching the rank of superintendent.
“You just had to get on and put it behind you and not blame yourself for what happened,” he said. “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
