Mr Fairweather worked at the Maitland prison for nearly 30 years, during which time he rose to the rank of deputy superintendent, before retiring in 1987.

His time at the prison coincided with the facility developing from a primitive hellhole to a more modern establishment. 

“It was pretty unique because I was there before we had sewage or flowing water. Prisoners had a galvanized jug and a dish for water, and a pot to use as a toilet,” Mr Fairweather recalled. 

“We use to have four or five men to a cell in some parts of the prison. The stench from those cells when we opened them first thing in the mornings was quite horrible.” 

“It was tough in those days. It was tough on the officers too.” 

As second-in-command, Mr Fairweather had the responsibility of much of the day to day running of the prison.

“I use to look upon it as a challenge to run a good jail,” he said.

“The idea was to be firm but fair.”

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It was an attitude that helped foster a mutual respect between Mr Fairweather and prisoners – which meant he was often tipped off about break out attempts in advance. 

“If you were pretty fair, and prisoners know you’re fair dinkum, you’ll get info in jail,” he said.  

“I heard about a lot of attempted breakouts in my time there.”

He clearly remembers the day in 1977 when seven prisoners managed to escape through an exhaust vent in a shower block. 

“I happened to be in my office when three tower rang in and said ‘there’s prisoners outside the wall’,” he said. 

Racing to the scene with .38 revolver in hand, he was among the guards present when three escapees were tracked down hiding under a house. 

“One of the officers said maybe we’ll fire a few shots up there (under the house), and all three prisoners came out, hands up,” he smiled.  

Another tip-off that reached the senior guard’s ears was the rumoured presence of multiple shotguns in the jail and in the hands of prisoners. 

Extensive cell searches turned up three homemade shotguns, fashioned from bed frames. 

“Then a prisoner said to us, ‘But did you find the real shotguns?’” Mr Fairweather recalled. 

Continued searches saw “two or three” guns finally discovered, stashed under the floor cavity of an officer’s office. 

“It could have been a bloodbath if we hadn’t have found those shotguns,” he said. 

“We still don’t know how those guns got in.”

Mr Fairweather said the prison’s eventual closure in 1998 was a blow for Maitland industry, given the size of the facility.

“Millions of dollars worth of local produce went into the prison,” he said. 

“It was a great industry for Maitland.”