When He Reported Sexual Abuse, Royal Commission Told
By Candice Marcus
A senior Salvation Army officer punched a young boy in the head when the child told him he had been sexually abused, a royal commission in Adelaide has heard. David Reece, now 62 years old, told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse of the constant physical, emotional and sexual abuse he endured at the Box Hill Boys' Home in Victoria home in the 1960s. He said he tried on a few occasions to report the abuse to senior officers and they either punished him, disbelieved him or became violent. "When I reported the abuse to Captain Swift he punched me in the head," Mr Reece told the commission. So many of my friends have committed suicide because of what happened to them. One of my biggest desires is for justice, not only for myself, but for those who are unable to achieve justice for themselves. Former Box Hill Boys' Home resident David Reece "I had headaches and dizziness for a while after." He said one officer found out that he loved animals and forced him to kill chickens. Mr Reece said when he realised no-one was going to protect him, he had to try to protect himself. "After a while I started to fight back. I would hit them in the testicles and run away while they were in pain," he said. Mr Reece said other staff members who were not abusing boys must have known what was happening, but did nothing to stop it. "At night you were able to hear boys screaming and saw them coming out of officer's rooms crying, but when we reported it, no one believed us," he said. "The Salvation Army officers were brutal and the teachers barbaric. We lived every day in constant fear for our lives." Mr Reece said life at the home was horrendous. "The abuse has haunted me all my life," he said. "I have spent a lot of time trying to help other victims. "So many of my friends have committed suicide because of what happened to them. "One of my biggest desires is for justice, not only for myself, but for those who are unable to achieve justice for themselves." The commission is inquiring into child sexual abuse that took place in four Salvation Army children's homes in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia last century. Victorian compensation claims settled for $4.2 million Alan Hall, from the Victorian Department of Human Services, told the commission there had been 110 compensation claims for the Box Hill and Bayswater Boys' Homes in Victoria. He said they had been settled for a total of $4.2 million, half paid by the Salvation Army and half paid by the Victorian Government. Salvation Army Commissioner Floyd Tidd, who is Territorial Commander, Australia Southern Territory, is expected to front the inquiry today. Mr Reece told the commission that victims were not given adequate compensation and there needed to be a better redress scheme. He said he was given just $17,500 in compensation from the Salvation Army in 2002. "Compensation should fit around the damage done to the victims," he said. "I do not believe pittance payments, hush money, is the way to go. "We didn't ask for the abuse. They took away our childhood and this is all they were offering us, it did not feel good." He said he felt like "a number" throughout the compensation process. "The Salvation Army did not stop to ask what I wanted," he said. "They assumed all I wanted was money, but an apology is worth so much more."
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