Morwell River Prison escapes

An escape occurred 1962, 1967 and 1968, four times over six years. (As reported in the Canberra Times at those times.)

The Morwell River Prison was more commonly known as Morwell River Farm housing offenders, established in 1951. Off Olsens Road, on the Morwell River.

In 1962 the escape occurred with two prisoners.

Edward Blackmore and James Filliponi.

Edward was caught in October 1962, after a and half mile chase on foot in the back lanes of Fitzroy . It appears James Filliponi capture wasn’t publicised in national news.

Another escapee made it to Bairnsdale (maybe, the paper said that’s where Morwell River Prison was, which it’s not the closest town would be Boollarra), where a farmer heard someone start his car, while he was visiting relatives, he ran out of the house and met the car at the gate, the drive surrendered to him. Awaiting for the police to arrive.



The 1967 escape from Morwell River Prison

In 1967 Sidney Weeder, 35, who believed his partner was cheating on him, stole a car outside the Morwell River Farm fenceline and drove to a house in the Lilydale Region, stabbing the occupants including his partner, her son and a border who were asleep in separate rooms at the time. He received a further sentence of 14 years for his horrendous actions of wounding with intention to do grievous bodily harm. He appeared before a Queensland court in 1989 at 57 years old, however, no convictions listed.

The 1968, Morwell River Prison escapes, was a result of homebrew the three escapees had drunk.

The recipe if you’re interested was fruit salad juice, blackberries, and plums. They fell asleep outside the fence line, a woke after dark and decided they’d been gone to long they should just steal a car, acquire fuel and leave. It resulted in twelve more months for two of the would be escapees and remand for the final.

In 1994, a jail boss was suspended

Due to allowing a high profile offender leave Morwell River Prison to visit a sick relative in Melbourne escorted by four guards.

See Ngalquan Falls, Morwell River Falls and the Latrobe Valley.