Salvation Army Kardinia Children’s Home (or: What Is Still Hidden?)

lewisblayse.net
January 4, 2014

http://lewisblayse.net/

The next hearings, due to begin 28th January, of the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, will focus on four Salvation Army Boys’ Homes. As covered in a previous posting, there is much less information on Girls’ Homes than on Boys’ Homes.

It is presumed that the Royal Commission intends to cover Salvation Army Girls’ Homes, and those run by other churches and the State, at future hearings. One of the Girls’ Homes worthy of consideration is the Salvation Army’s Kardinia Children’s Home in Belmont (Geelong), Victoria State.

One of the victims at this Home was Eunice Allsop. From the age of 16, she has claimed, she was molested every day for two years. Her abuser reshuffled other children’s’ sleeping arrangements to improve his access to her. The abuse began when other children had gone to church.

Her abuser was very controlling. She says he “kept coming into my room. He destroyed all the friendships I had. He hated me taking the bus and tried to control where I went after school. When I got out of there, I had nightmares. As time went on, I blocked it out, did nothing and told no one.”