Queensland Corrective Services – National Honours (with audio grabs and photos)
- Queensland Corrective Services Deputy Commissioner receives Public Service Medal (PSM)
- Two Queensland Corrective Services officers receive the Australian Corrections Medal (ACM)
- Officers recognised for creating stronger, safer communities
- The PSM, awarded twice a year by the Governor-General, recognises employees of the Australian, state, territory and local governments who have given outstanding service.
- The ACM recognises distinguished service by an operational member of an Australian state or territory civilian corrections service for adults.
Three officers from Queensland Corrective Services have been recognised nationally for exemplary service.
QCS Deputy Commissioner Gary McCahon has received the Public Service Medal (PSM) while Lotus Glen Correctional Centre Custodial Correctional Supervisor John Rosset and Logan City Community Corrections District Manager Selina Shea have received the Australian Corrections Medal in the King’s Birthday 2024 Honours list.
 QCS Deputy Commissioner Custodial Operations Gary McCahon |
 Lotus Glen Correctional Centre Custodial Correctional Supervisor John Rosset |
 Logan City Community Corrections District Manager Selina Shea |
Queensland Corrective Services Minister Nikki Boyd thanked the Deputy Commissioner and the officers for their outstanding service.
“Working in challenging environments, these officers have demonstrated initiative and flexibility in leading positive change among those in their care to keep our communities safe,” Ms Boyd said.
“As a Commonwealth honour for distinguished service, the Public Service Medal and the Australian Corrections Medal is awarded to exceptional officers with outstanding skills and community commitment.
“Congratulations to DC McCahon, John and Selina on national recognition for the great work they do for Queenslanders every day.”
QCS Commissioner Paul Stewart APM congratulated the officers for their service and dedication to the top tier public safety agency.
“On behalf of QCS, I want to congratulate DC McCahon, John and Selina for their outstanding commitment in creating stronger and safer communities,” Commissioner Stewart said.
“Their dedication to improving lives and keeping our community safe speaks volumes and I am incredibly proud of the impact they’ve made through their work and in our community.
“Corrections is challenging work but our officers, through their unwavering commitment, work tirelessly every day to improve the lives of those in their care and under our supervision to keep Queensland communities safe.
This year the recipients for the PSM and ACM are:
QCS Deputy Commissioner Gary McCahon began his journey with QCS commencing as a Prison Officer at the Townsville Prison in 1984. Demonstrating exceptional leadership capabilities, he swiftly rose through the ranks, taking on various roles including State Coordinator Dog Squad where he introduced competency-based training/assessments including implementing Specialist Narcotic Dogs within the North Queensland Region. He held various senior executive roles of General Manager/Governor Correctional Centre positions throughout Queensland and New South Wales including General Manager of NSW State Operations Group, Director Custodial Operations Northwest and Southwest Regions and Director of Corrective Services Brush Farm Academy. During 40 years of service as well as leading strategic reform projects in Corrections he transitioned two privately run prisons to public operations and implemented the Officer Safety (Use of Force) review recommendations, positioning the jurisdiction as the best trained and equipped in Australia and on par with global standards.
Lotus Glen Correctional Centre Custodial Correctional Supervisor John Rosset commenced his career with Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) in 2004 as a Custodial Correctional Officer, devoting the past 19 years to providing exceptional service delivery and leadership to the officers and prisoners of Lotus Glen Correctional Centre. During this time, he has also fulfilled the role of trade instructor, which saw him provide skills and training to positively contribute to the prisoners he supervised. Mr Rosset advanced in his career in 2018 by undertaking the role of Acting Correctional Supervisor, followed by his permanent appointment to the role in 2019.
Logan City Community Corrections District Manager Selina Shea commenced employment with Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) in 2007 as a Probation and Parole Reporting Officer, in the Brisbane South Community Corrections office. With more than 16 years of distinguished service with QCS in predominantly frontline leadership positions, Ms Shea iscurrently serving as the District Manager of Logan City Community Corrections. In this role, she is responsible for the management and oversight over 1200 offenders subject to supervision in the community. Throughout her career, Ms Shea has consistently demonstrated her unwavering commitment to community safety and has made significant contributions to QCS, including developing meaningful partnerships to establish and build critical intervention initiatives such as pharmaceutical rehabilitation services.
Audio grabs
John – reaction to ACM in King’s Honours List
John – why he enjoys working in corrections
Selina – reaction to ACM in King’s Honours List
Selina – how she got into corrections
Selina – talking about one of her career highlights