Q&A with Tour Guide Damien

Meet Damien, a seasoned tour guide with a passion for unraveling the enigmatic tales hidden within the walls of Pentridge Prison. As a dedicated storyteller who has become an expert on the historical significance of this iconic former prison, Damien offers a unique perspective on the intriguing narratives that have shaped Pentridge’s legacy.

A: I trained as a teacher and very quickly realised I liked being someone who did stuff outside the classroom. I have undergraduate degrees in history and sociology and just love old places and museums, so when I saw the ad I jumped at the chance to apply. Guess I must have interviewed well? We get people asking us a lot how to get a job here and honestly, there’s no one way or another, all of us have some kind of education, museum or historian experience but it really is just down to being passionate and engaged I think.

A: We’re educators but also telling a story and when you’ve got a good, interested tour group it’s a really engaging experience, almost like a performance. I’m also basically getting paid to do my favourite thing which is learn all about little-known aspects of history and share it with people. Having a captive audience to subject to my dad jokes is also great!

A: On the H-Division tour, the first fifteen minutes setting up why exactly H-Division was created is one of my favourite things to do. There are just so many amazing and, frankly, hilarious aspects to some of the security failures and escape stories. On the B-Division tour I love the last bit where I basically start off in 14th century Europe and get to take people through the evolution of prison design, before then ending with the whole story of Ronald Ryan which so, so many people still remember parts of and have opinions about to this day.

A: Absolutely, there’s quite a few. For instance I had no idea that women were at Pentridge for a very significant chunk of the 147 years the place operated. Or the absolutely appalling conditions people faced in Pentridge. As a kid, I read For the Term of His Natural Life and thought a lot of it was typical Victorian era melodrama. Turns out real life was actually worse. There’s also one particular story I tell on my tours where I think I might have some information that really pulls the rug out from underneath the assumptions about a pretty well known case. But you’ll have to come do the tour to hear it!

A: Because I like paying my bills? But also I think it’s a really world class experience. I’m the kind of person who goes to every kind of historical place like this I can and I really do think the combination of guides who are all really excited about the place and then the use of pretty knew technology is second to none. I’m also really grateful that people are coming and being engaged and interested because, as a former history teacher, I just really want these stories to be kept alive. All of it happened right there in the middle of Coburg. And especially as it’s still so, so relevant.

Yes, Pentridge started in the convict era, but it only closed when I was finishing highschool. As a historian, you dream about places like that where you have access to so many sources who are still alive and can offer so much, and the people we’ve worked with have been great in sharing so much with us.

A: There’s some really nice parkland around the lake to the north of the site (which used to be the quarries) and nice shady walks along the Merri Creek. A couple of fantastic cafes in the precinct, excellent food at the pub and restaurants on the site of the former C Division, and usually something really interesting upstairs at Divisions Gallery. Our own Warders building also has an upstairs gallery space with revolving exhibitions on, and our retail space with a lot of great books about this place. And of course, book a combo tour of both B and H Divisions!