Community & Business
24 January, 2026
Quiet community service to help make amends
FROM maintaining cemetery grounds to nurturing green spaces, for more than 14 years, prisoners at Lotus Glen Low-Custody Correctional Facility have been quietly doing the rounds providing services in the Mareeba shire.
The work is voluntary, provided for Mareeba Shire Council, and is seen as a win-win for both the prisoners and the community.
“Community service is a valuable way for prisoners to learn vocational and life skills and make reparation to the community for their crimes,” Lotus Glen Correctional Manager, Robert Axford said.
“In some cases, community service has led to prisoners obtaining employment, which deters reoffending.”
Lotus Glen also provides a program supporting vocational training for a Certificate II in Rail Infrastructure.
“This opens potential employment opportunities in track work, track maintenance and track installation,” the spokesperson said.
For the council, the service helps with the budget.
“The arrangement provides council with additional labour resources for relatively low cost, which enables council to provide a level of service that would be otherwise unaffordable,” Mayor Angela Toppin said.
“They assist with maintaining cemeteries and other green spaces around Mareeba, Dimbulah and Kuranda.”
One particular project, which garnered much appreciation earlier last year, was their help with the restoration of the Mareeba Pioneer Cemetery.
The project, which is overseen by a dedicated community group, has been painting the old grave sites, researching unmarked graves – with some success - and returning the cemetery to its former glory.
But other, not-so-noticed works are carried out year-round.
“Prisoners working on Mareeba Shire Council projects carry out general maintenance, including mowing and whipper-snippering, painting, pruning trees and shrubs, guerneying and path cleaning and other appropriate projects required in the community,” Mr Axford said.
“Eligible prisoners ... have assisted Mareeba Shire Council for more than 14 years on various community service projects in the area, including maintenance of the old Mareeba Cemetery (Mareeba Pioneer Cemetery) and new Mareeba Cemetery.
“Work on the cemeteries is just one of the community service projects undertaken by select prisoners from Lotus Glen Low Custody Correctional Centre, and through the Innisfail Work Camp.”
The Innisfail Work Camp, aligned to the Lotus Glen Correctional Centre, also gives low-risk prisoners on the Cassowary Coast the opportunity to perform community work as part of prison work programs.
“Projects for Work Camp prisoners include supporting local show societies and major community events, councils, sporting clubs, state schools and Rotary and Lions Clubs with a range of tasks tailored to the needs of each community organisation,” Mr Axford said.
