Child abuse Royal Commission hears Geelong Grammar failed to act on abuse complaints

By Samantha Donovan
ABC - World Today
September 1, 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2015/s4303817.htm?site=melbourne

ELEANOR HALL: The Royal Commission into child sexual abuse has been hearing today that Victoria's prestigious Geelong Grammar School failed to act on reports of abuse from students.

The commission is examining the handling of abuse at the school from the 1950s to 2007.

Several former students are to evidence they were assaulted by teachers or staff.

Samantha Donovan is following the commission hearings and joins us now in Melbourne. And a warning her report will contain some disturbing information.

So Sam, what has the commission heard about Geelong Grammar School today?

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Well counsel assisting the royal commission, Eleanor, David Lloyd has started off by describing the school's history and a little bit about its campuses this morning. He's said its Australia's largest co-educational boarding school; it was first established in 1855 and many of its former students have risen to prominent positions in business, law, politics and medicine.

It's known of course to many Australians, Eleanor, because Prince Charles attended its Timbertop campus in the 1960s.

It started off as a boy's school, but is now co-ed; there are now about 1,500 students and about 350 staff.

So the royal commission's examining how Geelong Grammar handled complaints of sexual abuse from students over four decades from the 1950s.

ELEANOR HALL: Have any former members of staff been convicted of child sex offences?

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Yes several Eleanor, by my count this morning that five former teachers or staff have actually been convicted of child sex offences and we've heard that the commission will be hearing of evidence of other assaults that were conducted by staff or teachers that have either died or not been charged.

One of the convicted paedophiles though, Phillipe Trutmann, was a boarding house assistant at the school from 1985 to 1996. He pleaded guilty to more than 40 charges of gross indecency and indecent acts with a person under 16 in 2005, and that all of those offences related to about 40 Geelong Grammar students.

He was also convicted on child pornography charges; they didn't relate to the school's students.

And he was jailed for six and a half years.

A teacher, John Hamilton Buckley, taught at the school from 1962-1991, last year he was charged with 30 child sex offences and he's currently on remand awaiting sentencing.

The first survivor witness this morning, BKU, has given evidence about his abuse at Buckley's hands this morning.

BKU: Also in year 7 I was first sexually abused by John Buckley in his room. Buckley was a junior house resident master, took me for art classes and some sport.

In second term I had attended a drama performance and had extensive body paint on me; Buckley offered to help me remove it. He took me to his study where he insisted I remove all my clothes and my underwear to allow him to remove the paint. I was acutely embarrassed. He began stroking and feeling my penis. I was so timid I kept turning away.

Buckley also used to come into the showers in the boarding house and watch us.

Occasionally, house stewards would pass through the showers to hurry us up or tell us to be quiet. But Buckley would come in and watch.

I became silent and unable to respond in his presence. Buckley would tease me; he referred to my silence in his presence as me having a spasm.

In later years, Buckley became a friend of one of my brothers, who by the way I have never told about any of these issues at the school. This friendship has complicated my journey in later life and this is part of the reason I am estranged from that brother.

ELEANOR HALL: That's the evidence there from witness BKU at the royal commission into child sexual abuse. Samantha Donovan our reporter covering the hearings in Melbourne.