He was among 10,000 Correctives Services staff who were celebrated on National Corrections Day, Friday, January 21, for their commitment to giving back to the community through their work.
‘Giving back’ was the theme of the day, which focussed on how staff go beyond the call of duty to protect the community, mentor staff, fundraise for important charities and contribute to vital community projects and partnerships.
A classification officer at Newington House at the Silverwater Correctional Complex, Mr Singh decides where inmates are placed and where they have the best chance at turning their lives around.
He has spent 27 years with Corrective Services NSW, working as a staff trainer, case manager in various rehabilitation programs including sex offender programs, and now classification.
Having dealt with some difficult cases and high-profile offenders, he said “sometimes it is very hard to get those people back into society but it builds your skills so you can help others”.
As a Sikh, Gurpreet practises ‘sewa’ – the act of selfless service – which means working or giving back to the community without any thought of reward or personal gain.
“Whether it’s fundraising, serving food at a gurdwara (a Sikh place of worship), cleaning kitchen utensils or sharing earnings with the needy – it’s all about cultivating altruism, or sewa, and helping the wider community,” he said.
