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	This Family Gets an Apology from the Christian Brothers Broken Rites February 24, 2010 http://brokenrites.alphalink.com.au/nletter/page220-christian-brothers-goulburn.html In 1989 a Christian Brother appeared in the Goulburn Local Court in southern New South Wales. He was convicted (and was given a suspended jail sentence) for sexually abusing a boy at St Patrick’s College, Goulburn. This was then a boys-only boarding school, conducted by the Christian Brothers. The Christian Brothers managed to keep the court case out of the media at the time. Broken Rites learned about the court case four years later, in 2003. Therefore, details of the court case are sketchy but the basic situation appears to be as follows. The boy, “Gus” (not his real name), was a boarder at St Patrick’s College, Goulburn, in the late 1980s, aged in his early teens. Gus alleged that, on a number of occasions (either in the evening or after lights-out), Brother X took him to another room, where the boy was sexually abused. Gus eventually made a police statement, and the New South Wales police then prosecuted Brother X in the Goulburn Local Court. Not wishing to worry his parents, Gus had refrained from telling the police everything that Brother X did to him. Therefore the charges made in court were reduced to "a "touch-up" offence. After leaving St Patrick’s College, Gus's life deteriorated and eventually (in his twenties) it became a "complete mess". As Gus’s situation worsened, his parents finally learned that the sexual abuse was more than a mere "touch-up". Statement by the victim In 2002, desperate for help, Gus decided to complain to the Catholic Church’s Professional Standards Office in New South Wales. He eventually had an interview with a senior representative of the Christian Brothers. Gus gave the Christian Brothers a written statement, dated 5 March 2003. This statement said in part: "On several occasions [Brother X] called me out of the second half of night study and took me to his bedroom, where he sexually assaulted me. "He would begin by cuddling me from behind, leaning up against me so that I could feel his erect penis. He proceeded to put his hand down my pants and fondle my genitals. On two occasions he removed my clothes and his own and engaged me in mutual masturbation. "On another occasion he woke me late at night and led me to the room in the boarding school where the mattresses and blankets were stored. Here he removed my pyjamas and his own clothes and involved me in mutual masturbation and oral sex. "I do not know why he began to take an interest in me. Maybe it was because I was good at sport… At shower time, he would stand near the first cubicle and stare at the genitals of the boy who happened to be showering there. He did that to me on more than one occasion. "I did not like what was happening and reported to [a very senior Brother in the school’s administration] the day after [Brother X] interfered with me in the mattress room. I did not tell [the very senior Brother] or the police who interviewed me later everything because I was embarrassed and because I did not want to make things worse for my parents who were dealing with the sexual abuse of my sister by a teacher at [another school in New South Wales]." Apology After 2003, Gus moved to various addresses around Australia, while his life continued to deteriorate. Meanwhile, his parents were still worried about the damage that had been done to Gus and the whole family. The damage was caused not only by the offences but also by the church's cover-up. In December 2007 (when Gus was in his thirties), his parents had an interview at the Sydney offices of the Christian Brothers. Those present at the meeting included: 1. Gus's father; 2. the mother; 3. a very senior Christian Brother representing the order's New South Wales administration; and 4. the Brother from the Goulburn court case — Brother X. At the meeting, Gus's parents demanded a written apology for the damage that had been done to their family. In early 2008, they received a hand-written letter, signed by a Brother from the Christian Brothers Oceania Support Centre (NSW, ACT and PNG) in Sydney. The writer was the person whom we have referred to in this article as Brother X. The letter, dated 1 February 2008, stated: Dear Mr and Mrs ******, I refer to our meeting last year which I felt was an important one. In writing to you as requested I am a little unsure about what I can say, given the orders made by the judge in Goulburn about non-publication and confidentiality. I readily apologise to you for my behaviour and realize the hurt my behaviour has brought to the whole family. I likewise apology to [your son] and acknowledge the grave adverse consequences of my actions. I can assure you that I am very much aware of my responsibilities in this regard which will always weigh on me very heavily. I have fully co-operated with the police in relation to the matter and will carry a very heavy responsibility forever. I think all I can say is that all of you are in my thoughts and prayers and hope that our meeting in December might help a bit in allowing you to go forward. Kind regards, Brother ******* ****** Another case In 2008, Broken Rites learned about another former pupil of St Patrick's Goulburn (let's call him "Felix") who says he was a victim of Brother X in the late 1980s. Felix says that after this abuse his personal development was disrupted.In 1995, when he was experiencing severe personal difficulties, he first told his parents about the assault. His parents complained to the Christian Brothers headquarters in Sydney, where they were told that Brother X "was convicted of assault in Goulburn Local Court in 1989 and received a suspended sentence". By mid-2007, Felix was diagnosed with severe depression and alcoholism, and had suicidal tendencies. He was hospitalised and was admitted under the Mental Health Act. His wife finally learned what had happened to him at school and she loyally stood by Felix through this terrible time. Felix used all his sick leave and long-service leave and by mid-2008 he was on sick leave with no pay. Felix had a meeting with a representatives of the Catholic Church's Towards Healing program, who told Felix that he was the fifth person (as of mid-2008) to make a complaint against Brother X. A third example Another boy (let's call him "Barnaby") allegedly had an encounter with Brother X at St Patrick's College Goulburn in the 1980s, when the boy was aged 12-13. According to Barnaby, Brother X suddenly left the school about 1988-9. Barmaby heard rumours that it was because of his molesting. Barnaby also heard about Brother X being convicted but had no details. In 2009 Barnaby obtained a letter of apology (signed by a very senior Brother in the Christian Brothers administration). The letter said, vaguely, that the apology for "what happened to you" — but the letter did not name the Brother who committed the abuse. Settlements The Christian Brothers have continued to look after Brother X. After the 1989 Goulburn court case, the Christian Brothers headquarters retained him as a member of the religious order and merely transferred him to another position in Sydney. He was given an administrative position in the Christian Brothers' Sydney offices. Meanwhile, two decades after the Goulburn incidents, the alleged victims were still feeling hurt. Eventually (and separately) several of them tackled the church authorities, seeking compensation for the damage done to them. Finally Gus, Felix and Barnaby (and possibly other former students) each extracted an out-of-court civil settlement from the Christian Brothers. These modest settlements, which require a victim to give up his right to sue in the Supreme Court for damages, are a cost-effective way for the church to remove its legal liability. However, the settlements are not enough to compensate the victims for their damaged lives. More reports St Patrick's College, Goulburn, was one of the earliest schools established by the Irish Christian Brothers in Australia. It was conducted by the Christian Brothers until 1999, when it amalgamated with Marian College for girls in Goulburn to become Trinity College, Goulburn. The Christian Brothers then left the school, being replaced by lay teachers. In 2009, ten years after the amalgamation, a re-union was held for St Patrick's former students. One of these students later told Broken Rites: "I have just come back from a school reunion for St Pat's College Goulburn. "During the reunion weekend, for the first time, I heard stories of some of the behaviour of the Christian Brothers, and particularly the sexual misconduct of Brother ****** [that is, Brother X], who was reported for sexually assaulting a student in the late 1980s. "The victim's house captain found out what happened and knew that the school would not act appropriately, so he rang the victim's parents and advised them to collect their son from the school. Once the victim's father was at the school, the house captain told the story of what happened and the victim was removed from the school. "The Christian Brothers transferred this Brother to Sydney." Archives St Patrick's College, Goulburn, has played an important part in the history of the Christian Brothers in Australia. It would be interesting to see whether the archives of the Christian Brothers can provide any information about the incidents at Goulburn in the late 1980s resulting in the 1989 Goulburn court case (and culminating in the hand-written apology signed by Brother X in 2008). The Christian Brothers NSW province has an archives office in Sydney. According to a website of the Australian Society of Archivists (apparently dated 2009), the archivist in charge of the Christian Brothers archives in Sydney is Brother Dominic Obbens.
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