Victim tells ...

By David Killick
Courier-Mail
November 19, 2014

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/victim-tells-of-20year-wait-for-apology-as-royal-commission-hears-of-sex-abuse-claims-at-exclusive-school/story-fnjj600z-1227128881817?nk=c12c83881d7c9901505928057f5ad682

Commissioners Andrew Murray and Jennifer Coate listen to evidence.

Victim tells of 20-year wait for apology as Royal Commission hears of sex abuse claims at exclusive school

A  VICTIM of child sexual abuse at Hobart’s Hutchins School has told a royal commission he was insulted when the school sent him an apology just weeks ago — after more than 20 years of requests.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse yesterday held its first day of public hearings into the exclusive boys’ school.

The witness, known by the pseudonym AOA, repeatedly fought tears as he recounted how he was repeatedly sexually abused by headmaster David

Ralph Lawrence during private French tutoring in the mid-1960s.

AOA was one of four former Hutchins students who gave evidence that such abuse, involving multiple members of staff, was rife at the school during the 1960s.

“At least three members of staff, between 1964 and 1965, had widespread reputations among some staff and senior management for showing an unhealthy interest in boys,” Counsel Assisting the Commission, Angus Stewart SC, said in his opening address.

He said one teacher, Geoffrey Ayling, would give evidence he told the late MP Michael Hodgman that Lawrence — who died in the UK in the 1970s — claimed to have sacked a teacher because he shared Lawrence’s interest in young boys and Lawrence was afraid of being found out.

“Mr Ayling will give evidence that he believes Mr Hodgman did report it to the board, but nothing was done about it,’’ Mr Stewart said.

Yesterday’s hearing heard Lawrence left the school suddenly in 1970 after a letter to him by AOA was intercepted by Lawrence’s secretary.

In more than three hours of emotional testimony, AOA, now 65, said he first reported the abuse to the school in 1993 and sought apologies throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

He said he was repeatedly fobbed off with letters he believed were drafted by lawyers.

In 2010, current headmaster Warwick Dean sent AOA a ­response he regarded as “a waste of time”.

“All I ever wanted from the school was a face-to-face ­acknowledgment I was abused while I was a student at the school and a genuine, heartfelt apology,’’ he told the hearing.

“Neither were forthcoming and I had to fight to get the school to recognise the abuse even occurred.”

The hearing was told the school sent a three-paragraph letter signed by Mr Dean to AOA’s former address a month ago, which he eventually received via the Royal Commission.

“I’m almost speechless because it doesn’t acknowledge the 17 or 20 years that I’ve been asking for it and what it was like me for go through this process of facilitating an apology.

“It’s not what I asked for in terms of a face-to-face heartfelt [apology], I feel f...ing insulted by it.”

A second witness AOB, 64, gave evidence yesterday afternoon. He said he was sexually abused by a teacher, the late Lyndon Hickman, in the mid 1960s.

In 2011, he telephoned former headmaster John Kerr and repeated his allegations.

He said Kerr replied: “You should be ashamed of yourself. So what if the headmaster was buying gifts for ex-students?”

AOB said he eventually received an apology.

Witness AOD, aged 57, said he was sexually abused by music teacher Ronnie Thomas during guitar lessons in 1969 and, along with other boys, abused by physical education teacher Ken ‘Ted’ Dexter during PE classes.

Witness AOE, 60, was a student at Hutchins between 1964 and 1972 and told the commission that in either grade six or seven he was abused by Thomas and Dexter and Lawrence on separate occasions.

The school’s lawyer, Neil Clelland, QC, said: “The school accepts that the four witnesses who are former students at the school were sexually abused by members of staff in the 1960s,” he said.

“The current board wishes to apologise for the hurt and distress caused to each of them.

“The board also acknowledges to AOA that an apology should have been provided to him at an earlier time.”

The school said it would cooperate fully with the Royal Commission.

The hearing continues today and is expected to continue into next week.

■ Relationships Australia is ­offering support for people ­affected by the hearings. For more information call 1300 364 277.