Since 2015 Robert Henderson has been visiting correctional centres in southern Queensland, developing relationships with not just the men who are serving time but also the staff and management of the prisons. Robert has the ability to move within the centres and meet with them men opportunistically, to sit with them and to develop relationships that reach beyond the walls and into community. These relationships are what underpin the success of the work of the foundation and what facilitates men remaining in contact well after release.

The successes of the men, their families and communities are our measure of success. We are able to make informed assessments around what options for post release employment or training are viable because of the relationships we build while the men are still serving their sentences.

A priority of the foundation is to attend to reducing the presence of unresolved grief in the target demographic by, where possible, facilitating prisoners’ transport to and from the funerals of deceased family members. The positive attitudinal impact on mindset and behaviour that attendance to cultural protocols of this programme has far reaching benefits to families, community and in no small way on the culture within correction centres, affecting staff as well as inmates.

The sales of donated prisoner art, donated works by professional artists, donations from corporate partners and most importantly by the general public will finance our endeavours.

The proper attendance to ‘Sorry Business’ is a cultural imperative for First Nations Peoples of Australia. We all benefit from assisting in those imperatives being attended to.

Wayne Weaver

Wayne Weaver, a practicing artist in his own right, has a long history of success through the implementation of education programmes in Queensland Correctional Centres.

Wayne’s impact was first felt in the now defunct Boggo Road Goal where he participated in learning and instructing in Art Therapy, Fine Arts, Alternatives to Violence programmes, Numeracy, Literacy, Social Skills, Theatre and through Literary endeavours.

These successes went on to be a part of the formation of the Borallon Corrections Centre, a training and education focused prison and the first of its kind in Queensland.

It is Wayne’s legacy that pre and post release programmes be provided to First Nations Men to provide paths to successful transition and long-term reintegration into the community.

The values and ethos within the Fine Arts are the underpinning disciplines of these programmes with healthy self-expression being a key element for healing and appropriate communication within the community.