"Don't worry, it's not loaded."
Ethel May Parslow was a former inmate of Wentworth Detention Centre.
Ettie was transferred from Barnhurst where she knew several of the inmates and workers at Barnhurst she knew officer Meg Morris, Meg was basically raised by her.
Ettie spent most of her life behind because and was never given her court appearance or charged with a crime, this gets her released from Wentworth to live in a retirement community, so Ettie begins to by accomedation for wayward girls.
Ettie is last seen being refused entry to Wentworth as the riot had taken place.
Time in Prison[]
Ettie is convinced that the Second World War is still ongoing and encourages everyone to do their bit for the war effort and to look out for spies. While talking to Meg one day she realised she used to look after Meg as a baby. Ettie used to know Meg's mother Bertha Coppen who was in Barnhurst with her when Meg was born. Ettie volunteered to share a cell with Bertha because she was good with children, helping look after the baby Meg Coppen, giving her the nickname 'Little Meggie-Pops' (522).
She shares a cell with Janice Grant and attempts to help her with her alcoholism. Due to Janice's efforts it's discovered that Ettie has been in prison for 45 years without a trial. She is released and awarded compensation of $250,000, although she tells the press it's $250 million.
At first she moves in with Meg and frustrates her by giving away large amounts of her money to less than deserving people and bringing home drunks to Meg's apartment. She finds life on the outside strange, insisting that the bank give her 'real money' of pounds, shillings and pence instead of the 'prison money' of dollars (525) and is also unable to choose between two films at the cinema, assaulting the manager for showing what she considered 'filth' (526). Meg eventually arranges for her to move into a retirement village (530).
She cannot settle and commits a series of crimes to be sent back to Wentworth. Eventually contacts Lionel Fellowes who uses her as a diversion for another bank job. Shoots a policeman by accident (545) and is sent to Wentworth on remand (which she initially, and understandably, mistakes for Barnhurst due to the presence of the former Barnhurst inmates who had been transferred to Wentworth following the riot and fire that killed Bea Smith). Delivers a message to Fellowes for Ruth Ballinger, but messes it up, thus sealing Ruth's fate.
When she is found guilty and given two year's probation (559), she is released a second time, and uses her money to buy a block of flats as accommodation for wayward girls, and Ann Reynolds goes to help her there while she is on leave of absence. She is seen in (594) talking to Ann about Roach Waters and her boyfriend Bongo Connors, but her last appearance is in (600) when she tries to deliver a birthday present to Julie Egbert at Wentworth but is refused entry by the gate guard as he tells her the prison is on lockdown and she cannot enter (because of Lou Kelly's riot).
Trivia[]
- Lois Ramsey appeared previously in Prisoner as social worker Agnes Forster in the 1980 season. She is the mother of Penny Ramsey who appeared in Prisoner as Jim Fletcher's wife Leila and as Amy Ryan, the scheming mother of prison handyman Steve Ryan.