Australia’s most notorious juvenile detention centre for girls under eighteen magdalene-sisters

When Parramatta Girls’ Training School -Australia’s most notorious juvenile detention centre for girls under eighteen - closed in the early 1970s, it re-opened almost immediately as the Norma Parker Centre, a Periodic Detention Centre for women. “Periodic”simply meant that inmates were granted leave on weekends. When I  returned to the old place in the Nineties, before the Norma Parker Centre also closed - my first visit since I was released in 1970 - I stood in the car park on a sunny Friday afternoon, amazed at the sight of a young woman dressed in her own clothes, being released for the weekend by a male officer. He unlocked a side door, and she stepped out for two days and nights of freedom. 
On my arrival at Parramatta GTS in 1970, the solid timber gates (pictured above with new, smaller iron gate) opened and the blacked-out police car drove in and parked on the gravel in front of the main entrance. The Superintendent Percy Mayhew, came down the steps from the front door to greet me. I use the term “greet” ironically, because Percy’s agenda was to intimidate and terrify me. He was the most frightening man I had ever seen. He did not need to do much besides glare at me to make me shake with fear. He reminded me of a hawk. His eyes pierced into mine. I can’t remember what he said but it wasn’t friendly or kind.

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