Published Wednesday, 30 January, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Sport
The Honourable Judy Spence
Prison-made Dr Who Dalek to entertain kids at Royal Children’s Hospital
Kids at Brisbane’s Royal Children’s Hospital are being given the chance to transform themselves into a Dr Who Dalek.
Corrective Services Minister Judy Spence today handed over a 1.6m high replica of the famous sci-fi villain, along with a collection of other toys and furniture made by Queensland prisoners.
“I have no doubt this Dalek will provide a great source of entertainment for the children here at the Royal Children’s Hospital, over the next couple of weeks,” Ms Spence said.
“Kids can climb inside it to manoeuvre it around and can also amplify their voice through a built-in voice synthesiser – making them sound like a Dalek.
“It’s a little too large to take up permanent residence at the hospital, so at the end of its hospital stay, the Dalek will be auctioned online to raise funds for the RCH Foundation.
“Daleks have a wide cross-generational appeal, so we hope to raise a healthy sum for the hospital through the auction.”
Ms Spence said the Dalek was built by five prisoners in Woodford Correctional Centre’s timber workshop, as part of their vocational education and training.
“The Dalek project was instigated by Woodford’s Trade Instructor Mike Burrell, as a way to challenge and extend the skills of prison industry workers.
“Prisoners faced many challenges during the design and building process. The original plans were in imperial measurements, so they first had to convert all measurements to metric.
“The size and cumbersome shape of the Dalek required prisoners to build it in separate sections, with many unusual shapes to fabricate and assemble.
“Most of the raw material had to be sourced from existing stock or scrap from the prison industries workshop, so prisoners had to use their imagination and resourcefulness in putting the Dalek together.
“This project has not only been a great learning experience for the prisoners involved, it has also provided offenders with a positive opportunity to give something back to the community.
“I expect young patients will reap hours of fun playing with the Dalek during the coming weeks, and the additional toys and furniture items being presented today will give those brave children a chance to laugh, play and have fun.”
Bids for the Dalek can be made on eBay from today, with the auction expiring in 10 days.
Media Contact: 3239 6172 (Media - please call to obtain photos of hand-over)
Corrective Services Minister Judy Spence today handed over a 1.6m high replica of the famous sci-fi villain, along with a collection of other toys and furniture made by Queensland prisoners.
“I have no doubt this Dalek will provide a great source of entertainment for the children here at the Royal Children’s Hospital, over the next couple of weeks,” Ms Spence said.
“Kids can climb inside it to manoeuvre it around and can also amplify their voice through a built-in voice synthesiser – making them sound like a Dalek.
“It’s a little too large to take up permanent residence at the hospital, so at the end of its hospital stay, the Dalek will be auctioned online to raise funds for the RCH Foundation.
“Daleks have a wide cross-generational appeal, so we hope to raise a healthy sum for the hospital through the auction.”
Ms Spence said the Dalek was built by five prisoners in Woodford Correctional Centre’s timber workshop, as part of their vocational education and training.
“The Dalek project was instigated by Woodford’s Trade Instructor Mike Burrell, as a way to challenge and extend the skills of prison industry workers.
“Prisoners faced many challenges during the design and building process. The original plans were in imperial measurements, so they first had to convert all measurements to metric.
“The size and cumbersome shape of the Dalek required prisoners to build it in separate sections, with many unusual shapes to fabricate and assemble.
“Most of the raw material had to be sourced from existing stock or scrap from the prison industries workshop, so prisoners had to use their imagination and resourcefulness in putting the Dalek together.
“This project has not only been a great learning experience for the prisoners involved, it has also provided offenders with a positive opportunity to give something back to the community.
“I expect young patients will reap hours of fun playing with the Dalek during the coming weeks, and the additional toys and furniture items being presented today will give those brave children a chance to laugh, play and have fun.”
Bids for the Dalek can be made on eBay from today, with the auction expiring in 10 days.
Media Contact: 3239 6172 (Media - please call to obtain photos of hand-over)