Royal Commission to hear boys as young as five ...

By Emily Moulton
Herald Sun
April 26, 2014

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/royal-commission-to-hear-boys-as-young-as-five-were-abused-for-decades-at-christian-brothers-homes/story-fnii5thm-1226896747251

Former brothers and members of the Catholic Church’s hierarchy are also expected to be called to give evidence throughout the inquiry.

BOYS as young as five were raped, tortured and emotionally abused for decades at four Christian Brother’s homes in WA, a national inquiry into child sex abuse will hear on Monday.

And many of those children were sent to Australia from the UK and Malta after the war for what was supposed to be a better life.

Janette Dines, chief executive of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse, revealed the harrowing details ahead of the first WA public hearing which will start on Monday.

She said the commission would this week be looking specifically into the experiences of those former residents who were sent to Castledare, Clontarf, Bindoon and Tardun orphanages from the late 1940s up until the 1960s.

“Some of these men were sent to the residences as child migrants from the UK and Malta, while others were wards of the state,” she said.

“Tragically, some of the boys experienced abuse from as young as five years old and that abuse continued throughout their residency.”

The details come after it emerged the Catholic order knew of the widespread abuse in WA for decades but covered it up.

A secret report, which has never been made public in full, was prepared for bosses in Rome during the 1990s and contains evidence of correspondence between Brother PA Conlon, the principal of the order in WA during the 1940s, and another brother about the possibility of “scandals”.

It also contains notes written by Brother Conlon where he says there was a need to hide the complaints from “outsiders” so they “do not become aware” of the abuse.

Ms Dines told The Sunday Times since commission began, it had received more than 700 calls from people in WA want to share their experiences. As a result it had held more than 161 private sessions - and there were plans for several more.

She said the commission was also looking at other institutions, with another hearing scheduled for next month.

So far around 170 WA institutions have been reported to the commission.

It is understood 12 former residents are expected to share their stories to the commission this week.

Former brothers, members of the Catholic Church’s hierarchy as well as state representatives are also expected to be called to give evidence throughout the inquiry.

Adults Surviving Child Abuse president Cathy Kezelman said she hoped this week’s hearing would not only serve to bring justice to victims but also hold the Catholic Church and successive WA governments to account.

Norman Johnston, who was sent to Clontarf from the UK when he was just eight, said survivors have been waiting all their lives for the truth to be made public.

“We hope this royal commission goes a long way to getting the answers for how we were allowed to be treated so cruelly in Australia but the truth about how we got here is also essential,” he said.

Mr Johnston also said survivors wanted the UK Government to set up a judicial inquiry to explain why children “were taken from their beds and trafficked to Australia”.

Around 25 survivors and their families are expected to hold a vigil outside the hearing this week.