MY VISIT TO WENTWORTH: PART
ONE
On Monday 28th February 2000, after
nearly 12 years as a Prisoner fan, I finally got to visit 'Wentworth Detention
Centre' a.k.a. Global Television Studios (and formerly Channel 10).
As part of a group of 21 British Prisoner fans, on a Prisoner Pilgrimage
organised by Blockade
, I was taken on a tour of 'Wentworth' by Val Lehman
(Bea Smith) and Annie Phelan (Myra Desmond).
Global Television Studios are a
fair way out from Melbourne's city centre and, as Val drove us to the studios,
she explained that the distance meant that, under Equity rules, the actresses
had to be paid travel expenses and, as Equity rep, it was she who ensured
Grundy's complied with this. This led to another story of the long-running
and well-known animosity between herself and Elspeth Ballantyne (Meg Morris).
While working on Prisoner, Val moved house, with her new home being three
kilometres closer to the studios. When the pay slips detailing how
much travel expenses they were being paid arrived, Val was out of the room.
Elspeth opened Val's, saw that she was still being paid the higher amount
she had previously been entitled to and went straight to Grundy's to snitch
on her. However, Val found out what Elspeth had done before Grundy's
had had chance to say anything so she went to tell them herself.
When the next slips arrived, Val pretended that she had got more money
this time round and Elspeth looked shocked but couldn't really say anything
without admitting what she'd done. Val added that Elspeth was the
one actress she'd wanted to hit everyday. 
We arrived early at the studios so Val suggested we went
to the canteen - a great suggestion as Janet Andrewartha (who played my
all-time favourite character, Reb Kean) was in there! [The studio
where Prisoner was filmed is now used for Neighbours, which Janet and several
other Prisoner actors can currently be seen in.] Janet took us outside
where she posed for photos and signed autographs. After having my
picture taken with her, I gave Janet a small present and she gave me a
kiss. We were then joined by Jackie Woodburne (Julie Egbert), also
taking a break from rehearsals for Neighbours. Jackie had missed
the reunion as she was working but she and Janet looked through one of
the souvenir booklets Blockade had produced for the event. Janet
revealed that she and Jackie had been at drama school together but Jackie
was one year behind Janet "so she's not quite as good as me!"
After Janet and Jackie had gone back to work, we started
our tour. As Prisoner finished in 1986, the sets are, of course,
long gone but other parts of the building and its grounds were used in
the show. The corridors were often used e.g. for hospital scenes
and the staircases were the scene of many a dramatic event, for example,
the death of Sharon Gilmour and The Freak's near-demise as she clung perilously
from the catwalk after a tussle with Reb Kean. Bars were added to
make the staircases look more in keeping with a prison.
Then it was outside, to take a closer look at the building
we know as 'Wentworth Detention Centre' and its grounds. While there
have been changes since the show finished, including a construction built
onto the 'front of the prison', the conjugal visiting suite and the barbecue
area used in Prisoner are both still there. The entrance to the prison
(pictured right) looks rather different as the extension to the front has
been demolished. However, the path, wall and fire hose are all very
familiar to Prisoner viewers!
Val recalled the scene where Bea attacked Vince Talbot
in the grounds for raping Doreen. She told us that the actor, John
Larking, was also a sexist pig so she was pleased when she was told she
had to rugby-tackle him to the ground and push his face into the mud.
As you will know if you've seen the scene in question, 'Bea' really goes
for it and Val took great delight in doing so. Afterwards, she asked
him if she had hurt him, knowing full well that she had, but, Val said,
his macho pride wouldn't allow him to admit it.
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