Sometimes, religious figures can do what the prison systems can't

Or the time in 1987 when rioting prisoners inside Boggo Road Jail refused to negotiate with authorities until they could speak with the sky pilot of The Road, Sister Bernice, who climbed a ladder to speak with them as they perched on the roof in Two Jail.

In a matter of minutes Sister Bernice's negotiation with the rioting prisoners ended the confrontation and she peacefully accomplished what tear gas and the sophisticated weaponry of a prison system had failed to do.

In retrospect, it does seem ironic that those unassuming men and women of the cloth achieved more with their compassion and caring than was ever achieved by the full brutal weight of any prison system.

Perhaps that is why poignant memories of the sky pilots still linger long after the prisons have been vacated and demolished.

Sky pilot, sky pilot, how high can you fly?
You'll never, never, never reach the sky.