Prison Fellowship is made up of hundreds of volunteers who willingly dedicate their time, money, prayers, and love to serve men and women behind bars, and their families.
Enid Harland and John Phillips were two such people, each dedicating over 25 years of their lives to the service of those so often forgotten by the rest of society.
Enid Harland encapsulated the vision of Prison Fellowship Australia – to provide a reconciling community of restoration for all involved in or affected by crime, thereby proclaiming and demonstrating the redemptive love and transforming power of Jesus Christ for all people. For 28 years, Enid demonstrated this love to the families of inmates in Alice Springs, serving in the Visitor Centre where she provided thongs for children who wouldn’t be allowed into the prison without footwear, offered water to all visitors, helped families fill out the relevant paperwork before visiting the prison, and having loose change that visitors could use for the vending machine. Enid also helped to facilitate our vital bus service from Alice Springs town centre to the prison.
Enid’s reputation as a person dedicated to the families of inmates in Alice Springs is known Australia-wide and even internationally through Prison Fellowship’s global family. From her early 60s right up until the age of 91, Enid would often get up at 5:30am in the middle of winter, when it was below zero or work in the compact outbuilding each weekend for months on end in 40-degree heat, even when the air conditioning wasn’t working. Enid set an incredible example for us as to what it means to serve sacrificially.
Enid’s dedication was recently acknowledged by our CEO Glen Fairweather and local prison officials in Alice Springs, who renamed the Visitor Centre in her honour.
Enid welcomed more than 120,000 people to the Visitor Centre since 1996 (half of those would have travelled on the Prison Fellowship bus). Given that many people were repeat visitors, we estimate that she would have interacted with at least 20,000 – 30,000 individuals over those 28 years, assisting them in that moment with various needs and helping them to settle their nerves as they prepared to visit a loved one.
Importantly, none of this was done for her own honour or accolades, but to show Christian love to those who are often forgotten in our society.
John Phillips quietly volunteered his time, energy, and compassion to inmates for over 30 years. John visited inmates in prison and ran The Sycamore Tree Project countless times in Albany Prison. During morning tea and lunch breaks, John would chat one-on-one with the guys, getting to know more of their stories and building rapport. The inmates who knew John spoke of his ability to share stories from his own life, full of meaning and wisdom. The inmates really respected John and it was obvious that he deeply cared for each one.
When talking with John a few years ago, CEO Glen Fairweather asked him why he was so passionate about the ministry and mission of Prison Fellowship Australia. John’s answer was a simple one – “There aren’t many people who support charities that care for inmates. So that’s what I’ll do.” John felt the weight of Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, “I was in prison and you came to visit me”, and strived to carry this out in his own life.
John also served on the National Board and the Western Australia State Council for many years. Fellow council member, David Maxwell, remembers John as a “Wise, humble, caring, and loving man who made a huge difference to the work of Prison Fellowship over many years. From his many hours as a volunteer, his wisdom and guidance, to his generous financial support – we cannot express our appreciation enough for everything John did. Several of us from Prison Fellowship have served alongside John over the years. He was an awesome gentleman and when he spoke we wanted to listen to the wisdom he had to offer.”
John and Enid are missed greatly, but their legacies live on in the lives of those they served and in our memories.
Thank you, Enid. Thank you, John. Well done, good and faithful servants.
