Xavier College Kew Victoria sex abuse show posts

Xavier College Principal, Willian Doherty, and the Society of Jesus have been talking to
some survivors and their supporters for 3-4 years, but when it comes to Xavier College
actually doing something (a smoke and mirrors something), they are completely ignored.

Thu 21 Apr 2022
St Kilda football club does a similar deal with In Good Faith Foundation.

In Good Faith Foundation have done a similar deal with the St Kilda football club.
Jack Rush QC is on the St Kilda board, formerly a president.
Where did St Kilda get the idea from? From Jack Rush? Is IGFF "ambulance chasing" for clients?

Their statements are a carbon copy of the Xavier charter statements.
"We want to be proactive in providing support wherever practicable,
but we also understand the natural hesitancy which might exist in survivors engaging with the club," Finnis said in a statement.
(because there is no proper person to contact!)

"We hope that by partnering with In Good Faith Foundation we can provide a safe place for survivors to tell their story,
be heard, and connected with practical support and care."

An IGFF statement continued: "We hope that by assisting to acknowledge the wrongs of the past,
those survivors that wish to re-engage with the St Kilda Football Club,
will be able to do so knowing that they can be supported by IGFF's independent team of experienced caseworkers and advocates."

Question:
Has the St Kilda football club also made a donation to IGFF?

This "solution" might become common now the precedent is set.
Its a perfect solution for the corporation because they don't have to address the problems internally, or talk to survivors etc. it is all kept at a safe distance.
♦ www.abc.net.au

The secret "Charter of Cooperation" between Xavier College and In Good Faith Foundation.
This would be a first, for an "institutional abuse recovery" charity to enter into a secret agreement with one of the worst sex abusing schools in Australia.
To allow themselves to be manipulated and used by Xavier College for Xavier College's PR and reputation management strategy is staggering.
Are they blind to what they are doing or is it about the money?
Charter_of_Cooperation

An email was sent to In Good Faith Foundation with a list of questions.
hello Joe,

I have some questions about the Charter of Cooperation with Xavier College I hope you can answer.
1. Can I have a copy of the actual document?
2. What does it do for a Xavier survivor that you don't do for your regular clients?
3. How much money did Xavier College donate to IGFF?
4. Is the government grant money you receive tied to helping clients with the Redress Scheme?
i.e. its not for helping a client not going to the Redress Scheme.
5. Does a client you refer to a psychologist etc. have to pay the psych out of their own pocket?
6. What information about Xavier clients will you supply back to Xavier College?
7. Do you have a privacy statement about client information?
8. "It is our collective hope.... that we can reconnect parts of the Xaverian community that have been separated". How would this be achieved?
9. Would your advocacy include demanding information from the Xavier and Jesuit archives that relate to an alleged offender?
10. Would your advocacy include interviewing living Jesuits and teachers who were at Xavier College at the time of an alleged abuse?
11. Would IGFF support the installation of a Loud Fence at Xavier College?
12. How do you resolve the problem of believing survivors stories when Xavier College denies they were abusers?

CORRECTION I stated there was No reply.
This was wrong, the reply went into my spam/trash by accident.
On August 3, 2021, Joe Stroud said "I will endeavour to provide you with information to the questions, where appropriate in as prompt a fashion as is currently practicable.".
Thanks Joe.

August 10, 2021 Clare Leaney responds
Clare-Leaney-igff

A reply from Clare Leaney saying we are not going to talk to you.
Doing this is one way of avoiding answering important questions.
♦ OFFICIAL_CORRESPONDENCE_20210810.pdf

Under the Copyright Act use of the IGFF logo is permitted under the "Fair Dealing" Exception (reporting the news)

"..refrain from making further misrepresentations or false/inaccurate characterisations in future."
A generalized criticism with no detail exactly like Jesuit Provincial Fr. Quyen Vu SJ's letter of dis-engagement.

Firstly, there is no doubt that IGFF does good work in helping survivors of sex abuse.
BUT.... What we have here is a registered charity receiving $400,000 in govt. grants refusing to be "open, accountable and transparent" (ACNC requirement).
They can't just say we are not answering questions because we don't like you.

Program Requirements for the National Redress Scheme Counselling Service in Victoria
In Good Faith Foundation Ltd. is a National Redress Scheme Service Provider

The expectations and requirements of Victorian service providers who deliver counselling and psychological care (CPC) under the National Redress Scheme for people who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse (the Scheme).

Referral process
To access the National Redress Scheme Counselling Service in Victoria, a Person must first accept an offer of redress under the Scheme.

The Victorian Government has elected to deliver a CPC service directly to Victorians entitled to redress.

Trauma-informed and Person-focused support
Service providers will employ practitioners with necessary qualifications and experience to work with people with complex trauma and a history of childhood abuse.

Counselling and psychological care
The National Redress Scheme Counselling Service in Victoria will offer a therapeutic counselling service and Aboriginal healing service.
People who accept CPC are entitled to a minimum of 20 hours counselling and/or Aboriginal healing.
Additional services, including peer-led support, advocacy, and linking people with external services, will be provided as required.

Conflict of interest
Service providers will have procedures and processes in place to identify, disclose and manage conflicts of interest.
Service providers will be alert to conflicts of interest, actual or perceived, with organisations or individuals responsible for institutional child sexual abuse.

Xavier College has made a substantial donation to the In Good Faith Foundation, so that IGFF will take on Xavier College survivors. This is a serious conflict of interest

In Good Faith Foundation Ltd. Registered as charity on 15 August 2014
Financial report 2020.
Total income: $420,053.00
Government grant as a National Redress Scheme service Provider: $404,006.00 (96.18%)
Other income: $16,047.00
Total Expenses $385,153.00
Total Expenses From Employees $307,259.00 (85.79%)
Contacts: Claire Leaney clare@igff.org.au tel: 03 9940 1533

In Good Faith Foundation Ltd. Financial statements.

2014	Government grants	$52,412.00
	Donations and bequests:	$16,380.00
2015	Government grants:	$261,013.00
	Other revenue/receipts:	$0.00
	Total revenue/receipts:	$261,303.00
2016	Revenue	$231,200
	Government grant revenue	$109,219
	Donation revenue	$102,539
	Employee benefits expense	$185,773
2017	Revenue	$285,181
	Government grant revenue	$102,136
	Donation revenue	$152,699
	Government grant revenue	$102,136
2018	Revenue	$257.521
	Employee expenses	$219,010
	Donation revenue	$134,279
	Case work income	$6000
	Government grant revenue	$103,326
2019	Donations and bequests:	$49,086
	Revenue from government including grants:	$150,660
	Revenue from providing goods or services:	$37,000
	Total income/receipts	$236,746.00
2020	Total Revenue	$420,053
	Government grants (DSS)	$293,988
	Government grants (DHHS)	$100,000
	Government grants (cash flow boost)	$10,000
	Donations	$11,405

note: the DSS grant is from the Federal Dept. of Social Services for National Redress Scheme Counselling Service.

You can see here that donations rose and fell with the publicity around the Royal Commission.
In 2014 it was $16,380 then to a high point of $152,699 in 2017 then down to $11,405 in 2020.

Keep in mind that the Program Requirements with a National Redress Scheme Counselling Service Govt. grant say it is only to assist survivors who have accepted a Redress Scheme offer of compensation.
There is some confusion here, another service provider said they use the money to assist survivvors to prepare them for a Redress Scheme application.

"Sexually abused students need ongoing, not piecemeal, support"

As if by magic another article in The Age, July 29 2021, with glowing approval of Bill Doherty's outsourcing initiative.
This one by a professional public relations person.
How and why did The Age publish this PR release?

That's two glowing articles in a week.
Not one word from a sex abuse survivor who has a different opinion of the "initiative".
This lack of balance in The Age is very concerning.
A letter was sent to The Age editor, Gay Alcorn, explaining our concerns and asking about a right of reply, and there has be no response.

In brief, what Xavier College has actually done is pay In Good Faith Foundation to be a part of their PR push to look wonderful. The magicians trick of misdirection "look over there".
How much money Xavier "donated" to IGFF must be disclosed.
Their annual income is $420,000 so another $100,000 would make a big difference to them.
2020 financial year donations were a mere $11,405
The ONLY thing this "Charter of Cooperation" does is give priority to Xavier abuse survivors.
How could IGFF get tough with Xavier College about providing information for example, when they are effectively working for of Xavier College.

Conflict of interest
National Redress Sccheme Service Providers will have procedures and processes in place to identify, disclose and manage conflicts of interest.
Service providers will be alert to conflicts of interest, actual or perceived, with organisations or individuals responsible for institutional child sexual abuse.
( from Program Requirements for the National Redress Scheme Counselling Service in Victoria )

Xavier College has made a substantial donation to the In Good Faith Foundation, so that IGFF will take on Xavier College survivors. This is a serious conflict of interest

This also raises the question did Xavier College make a donation to IGFF at the time of the installation of the memorial rock and plaque on Sunday 22 May 2016.
(Then they went for a cup of tea in sex abuser Eldon Hogan's building.)

And it raises concerns about a survivor's privacy, what is IGFF going to tell Xavier College about the survivors.

Boys' schools must challenge entrenched attitudes
By John Simpson July 29, 2021

♦ www.theage.com.au - Sexually abused students need ongoing, not piecemeal, support

"The school is set to tackle the consequences of past child sexual abuse and to do so in ways that are open, transparent, meaningful and hopefully of lasting support and assistance to survivors. In other words, Xavier wishes to be more “human” in its response strategy and less institutional."
This "human, open, transparent, meaningful" response is to tell you to go somewhere else.

"BP, Shell, BHP and Fortescue Metals Group have all adapted to new and challenging operating environments"
By handling it inside the company not by outsourcing to a third party.

"Xavier has signalled it wants to actively do something rather than bury its past - shocking as it is."
Actively rip down the Loud Fence twice, actively block survivors getting archives information, actively call the police to remove a person, actively accept a sex abuser's money, actively not talk to two survivors about their abuse when Mr. Doherty heard them disclose it, actively try to block historical sex abuse information at a reunion, actively accuse this website of using "dark language" and being inaccurate and untruthful.

"Whether directly or indirectly involved in the shameful scourge of child abuse, all schools should see the wisdom and humanity of Xavier’s efforts and implement their own change in this, the 21st century."
This is an extraordinary statement. Mr. Simpson needs to disclose if he has a personal relationship with Mr. Doherty.
This "wisdom and humanity" is to point survivors to a charity in Brunswick because we don't do it here at the school.
Mr. Simpson knows nothing of what abuse survivors really need.

John-Simpson

John Simpson is a member of the Monash University council and a former member of the Scotch College council.
He is a Fellow of the Monash University Centre for Strategy & Governance and, as a trained journalist and broadcaster, is a contributor to The Australian and several online platforms including The Spectator and The Conversation.

Mr John Simpson spent the majority of his career with Shell.
He was Director - External Affairs at Shell. (So he has a great deal of experience in professional public relations.)
His work history shows no contact with or expertise in child sex abuse, unless there was some as a Scotch College council member.
He has been a Director of some 12 organisations including Scotch College, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the the NGV Foundation (Vic) ( Allan Myers AO QC, a prominent catholic and strong supporter of Geaoge Pell, is a member).

Xavier College washes its hands of helping abuse survivors.
The Age article and analysis

Top private school’s attempt to climb out of the legal trenches and start to heal
July 24, 2021 ♦ www.theage.com.au
By Richard Baker
July 24, 2021 — 5.00am

♦ Read the article here .....

For a few years now, the principal of Melbourne’s Xavier College, William Doherty, has wanted to do something meaningful beyond apologising to students whose lives have been irreparably damaged by sexual abuse perpetrated at the school in the past.

But with the involvement of lawyers, insurers and religious orders desperate to minimise damage and bad publicity, Xavier had, at times, been “stuck in a culture of fear”, Mr Doherty said. This had stopped it connecting with and supporting former students who have suffered.

Now the principal wants that to change and instead to “own” its past. This weekend Mr Doherty will announce to the broader Xavier community – among the best-connected and most influential networks in Melbourne – that they will have access to counselling and support services from the In Good Faith Foundation, an independent support organisation for sexual abuse survivors.

“It is our hope that, by ... working in trust and partnership with an external party and where there is a mutual desire to care for people who have been hurt through abuse, we can best care for those Old Xaverians who may be living with the scars of abuse,” he said.

Some of Melbourne’s most prestigious schools have been paraded through the courts in the past few years and parted with multimillion-dollar payouts after former students have sued for past wrongs. Recent changes to Victorian legislation to remove the statute of limitations in sexual abuse cases and allow previous deeds of release to be set aside if compensation amounts are deemed unfair has given rise to eye-watering compensation and lost-income payments to former students.

In May, lawyer Michael Magazanik, a partner at Rightside Legal, helped a former Wesley College student win what is believed to be a record Victorian payout of $3 million plus costs for his repeated abuse by a teacher and a counsellor in the 1970s. The case was settled on the third day of a Supreme Court trial.

Weeks later, Wesley College had Australian of the Year Grace Tame, a sexual abuse survivor and advocate, address the school’s staff and implored them to listen carefully to their students.

A number of schools, including Geelong Grammar and Trinity Grammar, have accepted responsibility for past failings and established new policies to better protect students. Trinity joined the National Redress Scheme in 2018 and headmaster Phil de Young has also unreservedly apologised to students and parents for the school’s failures. The school last year paid out more than $1 million to a former boarder who was abused in the 1970s.

Geelong Grammar under principal Rebecca Cody’s leadership has formed a recognition committee which includes survivors of abuse to help guide the school’s response to claims and now employs a sexual abuse liaison co-ordinator.

“There definitely is in some schools a clear change in attitude,” Mr Magazanik said. “You can divide them into two categories: there are those continuing legal trench warfare and aggressively fight every case, while others have emerged blinking into the 21st century and recognise that nuclear weapons at 40 paces does them no good.”

Fighting and losing legal cases was “becoming a matter of reputational damage in what is an extremely competitive marketplace [for private schooling],” Mr Magazanik said.

“Some school leaders are accepting that the right thing to do after decades of bullying survivors is to actually practice the values they preach.”

Another plaintiff lawyer, Judy Courtin, said: “I totally commend what is happening at Xavier and other schools. But the problem is the second there is litigation, the gloves are off and it’s a dirty, dirty fight.”

Dr Courtin said religious organisations behind the schools and their insurers still too often re-contested claims of abuse which had already been well established, drew out the legal process to increase costs, threatened to appeal adverse judgements and delayed settlement offers until the eve of a trial or days into during proceedings.

The Victorian Education Department has also been accused of heavy-handed legal tactics in cases involving government schools. This is despite the department being bound by “model litigant” guidelines under which it is meant to pay legitimate claims without litigation or delay.

Many survivors have found the Jesuit religious body behind Xavier, the Society of Jesus In Australia Limited, difficult to deal with.

But Melbourne businessman Richard Jabara, an Old Xaverian who was sexually abused at school and is now an ambassador for the In Good Faith Foundation, said the establishment of a support network would help former students who were yet to tell their stories.

“One of the things about Xavier and a lot of the other private schools is that these are lifelong communities that continue on through families, marriages, business, sports. You feel guilt, shame and isolation about what happened to you and you fear what might happen if you are seen to shit-can your school,” he said.

“So for the school to be saying it is OK to bring this out into the open is something I support 1000 per cent.”

Mr Jabara was the catalyst for a permanent memorial to be placed at Xavier’s senior campus in Kew in 2015 to acknowledge the victims of abuse.

Xavier’s Mr Doherty told The Age that although legal recourse was an entirely appropriate avenue, schools could not control it, and for survivors it was often a difficult and lonely journey.

He wanted to establish a safe place for those who suffered to “unpack and resolve their trauma and pain” without having to be re-traumatised by attending the school premises where their abuse might have occurred.

In Good Faith chief executive Clare Leaney said there was “no wrong door” for any Old Xaverian to walk through to get help. Ms Leaney said as well as getting a sense of justice, many abuse survivors wanted to end their isolation from their school community.

Under the Xavier model, In Good Faith will be available to help young and old Xavier students with mental health support, to navigate the legal system, liaise with police and deal with financial, employment and housing problems.

An accredited provider of services under the federal government’s National Redress Scheme, In Good Faith helps about 600 clients across Australia. It will be available to past and present Xavier students even if they are involved in litigation with the religious order responsible for the school.

Mr Magazanik and Dr Courtin also said it was incumbent on plaintiff lawyers to bring more matters to trial so the courts and the public could properly understand the extent of the damage that has been done.

“We are talking about the only category of injured person that has had to wait decades to be heard in court,” Mr Magazanik said.

Dr Courtin represented former St Kevin’s College student Paris Street in a case that became public in February last year after it emerged the school’s former leadership provided court references to a former sports coach convicted of sexually abusing Mr Street.

The fallout saw the school’s principal, Stephen Russell, and dean of sport, Luke Travers, depart. Earlier this month, Mr Russell’s successor, Deborah Barker, released an independent review of the school’s culture which found misogynistic attitudes and sexist language were still a problem 18 months after the Paris Street case became public and a video recording surfaced of St Kevin’s boys singing a sexist chant on a tram.

Mr Magazanik said some schools with troubling histories of dealing with sexual abuse had recently appointed women to senior leadership positions, such as Ms Barker at St Kevin’s and Rebecca Cody at Geelong Grammar, who has established a recognition committee to help guide the school’s response to abuse cases and employed a survivor liaison co-ordinator.

Analysis
First thing to note is the misleading headline.
Xavier College has never entered a legal trench, it is not sued, it does not make compensation payments, it does not handle sex abuse complaints.
It is all handled by the Society of Jesus.

The original article said "Xavier College has had a number of sexual abuse cases ..." this was removed I imagine because it is very misleading, there have been a LOT of claims.

"have access to counselling..." This is also very misleading, they will have a case worker give them a psychologist's name to go to.

"eye-watering compensation and lost-income payments to former students."
Dog whistling that survivors don't deserve the compensation amounts.

But with the involvement of lawyers, insurers and religious orders desperate to minimise damage and bad publicity,
Xavier had, at times, been “stuck in a culture of fear”, Mr Doherty said.
This had stopped it connecting with and supporting former students who have suffered.
That is an admission that they have done very little.
Very different to the Rector Fr. Middleton saying that a document I made saying Xavier had done nothing was all lies.
The "erection" of a rock and plaque helps the school but its debateable if it actually helps survivors.
And still Xavier College itself is not connecting with or supporting the survivors.
Its a nonsense that this "culture of fear" has stopped Xavier College doing something.
So what happens now is if you go the school wanting to make a complaint you are told to go to the Society of Jesus, if you go asking for support you are told to go see the In Good Faith people, Xavier College washes it's hands of it all.

Too often, the only recourse for the victim has been a legal journey, and a lonely and difficult one at that.
Another admission that Xavier College does not welcome or assist survivors.

Now the principal wants that to change and instead to “own” its past.
"owning the past" requires a lot more than outsourcing the engagement with survivors to a third party.
There has been a very strong wall built around Xavier College to stop any infiltration of sex abuse history and discussion about it.
This outsourcing initiative continues that policy.
"without having to be re-traumatised by attending the school premises where their abuse might have occurred."
Another excuse to keep anything about sex abuse from entering the school perimeter.

It is difficult to re-visit the place where you were abused but it can also be helpful to stare the devil in the face, this can reduce your fear and lessen the power the place still has over you.

Survivors "will have access to counselling and support services from the In Good Faith Foundation"
They already have that from the In Good Faith Foundation if they want to go there.
The only discernable difference is that they have established a Charter of Cooperation which prioritizes Xavier College abuse survivors.
Note: the In Good Faith Foundation do not do counselling, they are a support and referral service.
You will still have to pay for your psychologist/counselling.
Exactly what Xavier College's money is being used for is not known.

Clare Leaney says " many abuse survivors wanted to end their isolation from their school community."
"Survivors of Institutional Abuse are often ostracised by the very communities where they have the strongest personal connections. This Charter has the potential to be the bridge that reconnects old Xaverians, isolated by historical abuse, to the present-day Xavier community."
Of all the abuse survivors I know, not one of them wants to re-engage with the school community.
But how this thing could reconnect them is a mystery.
The Old Xaverians Association will not go anywhere near a sex abuse survivor.
They have on numerous occasions refused to get involved in helping survivors.
There is nothing nor noone at Xavier College for a survivor to connect with.

"Xavier College has demonstrated over these years of collaboration, an unwavering commitment to redress for crimes of the past, but also a dedication to educate current/future students to avoid the acts if the past from ever occurring again in future.” " Clare Leaney

"commitment to redress" means that Bill Doherty will tell you that there are "channels" and that is to go to the Society of Jesus' Director of Culture, Risk and Professional Standards.
"educate current/future students" means that you call the police to remove a man handing out Eldon Hogan information from the footpath outside xavier College.
And means that you try to prevent sex abuse information being made available at a 50 year reunion.

And means that you rip down a Loud Fence twice even though you promised it would remain.
A Xavier College teacher said recently:
"I did ask about the ribbons, but no one would talk. The culture of fear amongst staff is high and only the super ambitious are ‘in’ and they are ruthless. "

Background to the initiative

Mr. Doherty has said to me that things I have said over the past few years and in conversations with him, that it made him think they should do something more.
At the Old Xaverians anuual general meeting I invited myself to attend and spoke about the school and the Old Xaverians doing nothing to help survivors.
The President Dr. Chris Worsnop said that he and the school had been talking about doing something.
I said it was crucial that a survivor be included in these talks, and they agreed it was a good idea but as far as I know it was never done.

What they have come up with is the outsourcing described above.
And the Old Xaverians Association has again retreated from getting involved.

Contrast this with Geelong Grammar School who have appointed a Survivor Liaison Coordinator and an Independent Counsellor.

The missing bits - What survivors really need from the school

1. Access to and provision of information from the school and the Jesuit archives.
This includes dates and locations for the alleged offender.
Any notes about the alleged offender's behaviour, why he was moved or dismissed, any action taken to reprimand him etc.
As it is at the moment.
A survivor will not be given any information that is not his personal information, that information is supplied to conform with privacy law.

From a school which is truly sorry and truly remorseful and truly wants to help the survivors, and understands these were crimes that should not be covered up, you would expect they would say "we will investigate this person you accuse very thoroughly and give to you all the information we find in all the archives and make inquiries with people and students who knew/know him, because if there criminals and crimes committed in our school we want to know about them".

2. The school to commission a thorough legal/academic study of the history of sex abuse at Xavier College by an independant expert.
This can be paid for by the Eldon Hogan Trust monies.
Since the Trust has financed many publications lauding Xavier College why not have sex abuser Eldon Hogan's money used for a proper purpose.

3. Humbly accept criticism and public demonstration of support for survivors.
A Loud Fence was installed twice at Xavier College, both times it was ripped down, even though Mr. Doherty promised it would remain.

Mr. Doherty has said to me:
"your commentary regularly lacks truth and is unfairly and unjustifiably misleading. It is most unfortunate that this is the case and severely limits our ability to interact with you and achieve any positive outcome."
Be it for legal reasons or fear of getting involved with actual facts and events Mr. Doherty's and the Society of Jesus criticisms of this website are always wide generalizations, they will not discuss details or offer their corrections which I have often invited them to do.
"assertions you are making about the College, my staff and our approach which are simply not correct and are being expressed without validation."
Tell me what they are and we can get it right.

Both Mr. Doherty and the Society of Jesus try to exercise their perceived power and say that if only you would be reasonable then we will talk to you.
It always has to be on their terms. As at school, we will punish you if you don't behave.

4. Honestly answer important questions.
e.g. (a) How does the school justify accepting money from sex abuser Eldon Hogan's trust? The school and the Board have been asked and won't answer the question.

(b) Under what legal provision does the school provide private personal sensitive student information to the Society of Jesus?
Mr. Doherty won't answer the question, only to say he is comfortable with what they do.

(c) Name the offenders.
Since the Society of Jesus won't do it, the school should publish a list of credibly accused sex offenders.
This would be a sincere mea culpa.
There are many reasons they won't do this and all are about protecting the school's reputation and real concern for the survivors comes a bad last.

The Sounds of Silence

Emails were sent to the Editor Gay Alcorn
gay_alcorn

and the Opinion Editor Margaret Easterbrook
margaret_easterbrook

with concerns about balance.
No reply.

Off topic slightly, August 2, 2021, The age Opinion section runs "Reciting the Lord’s Prayer important" by Dr Kevin Donnelly is a senior research fellow at the Australian Catholic University. ♦ www.theage.com.au
An illogical piece of christian/catholic promotion.

August 4, 2021 Another catholic centric Opinion piece. ♦ Lapsed Catholics need to reflect their beliefs in the census

August 17, 2021. Another pro Christian opinion piece.
Religious belief deserves protection
♦ www.theage.com.au

Accountability

Effectively Xavier College and the Society of Jesus are not accountable to anyone except themselves.

A serious case of bullying and physical assault at Xavier College was reported to the VRQA and MACS and nothing was done.
Principal Bill Doherty invited the victim to leave the school.

The bodies who are supposed to be involved in oversight are all disinterested paper tigers.
They include the Victorian Registrations & Qualifications Authority (VRQA), Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), the Victorian Department of Education, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
As of July 2021 the VRQA is responsible for auditing/regulating Victorian boarding schools.

If you were to report to any of these bodies that Xavier College was not abiding by one of it's own stated policies (e.g. the Complaints Handling Policy, Child Protection etc.), nothing will happen.
VRQA definition:
Child abuse includes any act committed against a child involving:
• a sexual offence
• a grooming offence; or
• the infliction on a child of physical violence, serious emotional or psychological harm or serious neglect.

♦ more... Accountability

Letter from Xavier College

♦ College_Letter_to_OX_re_XC_and_IGFF_Charter

"Xavier College has established a Charter of Cooperation with the In Good Faith Foundation"

" Xavier has been working closely with the Society of Jesus in these arrangements"
This would be the biggest roadblock to doing something meaningful. The whole of Xavier College's response to historical sex abuse has been dictated by the Society of Jesus.

" We can never shy away from the simple truth of what is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong.
That people suffered abuse is wrong. That we should stand with them and their care is right."
Mr. Doherty, the Rector Fr. Chris Muddleton SJ and Board Chair Tony Nunan are standing in Kew the survivors are given a map to go stand in Brunswick.
A nice comfortable distance.

" May we continue to find further ways of embracing our fellow Xaverians, better ways of achieving fulfilment in Christ, ongoing ways of being men and women for and with others."
Okay, here's a suggestion.
Let's have a Survivors Day at Xavier College. All staff, students and parents are invited.
Have a few talks and seminars and guest speakers.
AND
Have a Survivors Support marquis at the Maytime Fair.
How about stop ripping down the Loud Fence?
loud_fence_P1040082Wmin

"Those who have suffered abuse and trauma through past experiences need a safe place to tell their story."
Xavier College must not be a safe place to tell their stories.

Doherty_Jabara_Leaney_directions_min

Contrast with Scotch College

There are some things Scotch College has done that are a proper response.

Mon 25 May 2015

Scotch College says it settled five claims, mostly related to sexual abuse dating back to the 1960s.
The school is attempting to contact others who may have been victims through a letter sent to thousands of former students.

Xavier College has been asked to actively seek out the victims of sex abuse and has refused.

“OSCA [Old Scotch Collegians Association] and the school take matters most seriously, seeking both to support Old Boys and assist them to contact appropriate agencies and authorities.”

Xavier College and the Old Xaverians Association refuse to engage with survivors and send them to IGFF.

The school principal, Tom Batty, also sent a letter to parents of current students informing them about the historical incidents.

♦ www.theguardian.com
Xavier College, nor Riverview, has never informed parents of any incidents or names of offenders.
In fact they try to keep it a secret.
Riverview Principal did write to parents about two offenders facing court, calling the "two men" and saying a little as possible.
They are Fr. Theo Overberg SJ and Fr. Lawrence Leonard SJ, both high profile Jesuits.

But going back in time a bit Scotch did not respond well and the Achurch case has strong similarities to Xavier's Eldon Hogan.

June 8, 2015

Abuse survivor Matthew Stuart says the top Melbourne school presided over a painful history of denial and omissions, including naming an award after the perpetrator
Michael Achurch, his house master and a respected geography teacher, standing beside his bed.
His teacher was indecently assaulting him.
Mr Stuart reported the sexual abuse to then principal Philip Roff, who removed Mr Achurch as house master, despite opposition from senior members of the school community.
He wasn't offered counselling over what happened either.
Mr Achurch crashed his car into a pole and died.
His popular teacher's sudden death, however, propelled him into a revered status.
one of the school's magazines ran a glowing three-page tribute.
the Michael Achurch Award was still being given out to boys who competed in Scotch College's 24 Hour Hike.
Recipients were never told of the sexual abuse cases.
The school's 2001 history book, A Deepening Roar, then downplayed the abuse and questioned, again, if he was lying about it.
♦ www.theage.com.au

♦ Name of Scotch College teacher accused of child molestation used to support youth education

Xavier College has prizes with Eldon Hogan's name, a boat, a building, published books, all financed by Eldon Hogan's Trust money.

Irish Jesuits admit failure on abuser fuelled trauma

August 12, 2021
Belvedere College, a private Jesuit Secondary School for Boys which James Joyce attended from 1893-1898.
The head of the Jesuits in Ireland has said the order must take full responsibility for the wrongdoing of Fr Joseph Marmion,
whom a number of former students say sexually, physically and psychologically abused them in the 1970s when he taught at Belvedere College in Dublin.

In a 50-page report, Joseph Marmion – The Jesuit Response, Fr Leonard Moloney SJ says that
while Marmion’s actions inflicted severe trauma on individual pupils, this was “magnified by
the failure of the Jesuits to recognise the danger he posed to schoolboys in our care and in later ministries or to understand and respond to your needs as his victims”.

He said that the Jesuits did not grasp the destructive effects of his abuse.

More than 40 people who had not previously shared their stories about Marmion with the Jesuits’ safeguarding office did so in the wake of a Jesuit statement in March this year.

(This undelines the crucial importance of the institution itself admitting and investigating the truth. But is also a reason why they won't do it)
♦ more.... www.thetablet.co.uk

Art_1563_min

forever on the edge of falling

Nearly 3 million Australians have survived sexual violence

“We know now only 1.5 per cent [of reports] result in conviction; 98.5 per cent of sex predators are considered innocent in eyes of the law. Something is wrong with that system,”
Hayley Foster, chief executive of Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia

The ABS’ Sexual Violence – Victimisation report found women who experienced child sexual abuse are three times more likely than other women to experience sexual assault as adults. Men who survived child sexual abuse are five times more likely to experience sexual assault in later life.

Ms Foster said the low reporting rate was not surprising given survivors know the chances of getting convictions are low and the court experience is harrowing, with survivors “ripped to shreds in the stand”.
♦ www.theage.com.au

Comment: The roadblock to justice for thousands of victims of sexual assault is a combination of the courts being too busy, the court case histories, and the police/OPP assessment of the likelihood of a conviction.

The last point means, in effect, that the police/OPP are the judge and jury.
Most often this when its a one against one "he says - she says" complaint.
The police say they believe the victim.
The victim should have the right to get the alleged offender in court,
no matter what the assessment of success or failure, to test his/her allegations in the justice system.
And not have it decided by an anonymous government employee.

Father Bryan Desmond Coffey - Survivors abused by 'sadistic' priest win compensation battle, but money 'won't change' impact

They choose to fight

One of the Coffey settlements relates to a man known as PFS, who sought compensation from Bishop Paul Bird as nominated defendant for the Ballarat diocese, as well as the Trustees of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan
"They know so much about what happened but instead of helping us, they choose to fight." Survivor "PFS".

Ken Cush and Associates solicitor Sangeeta Sharmin, who was part of the team representing PFS and MJG, said it should not be necessary for victims to fight so hard for compensation.

"The legal process should occur in a timely and respectful manner, with complete discovery made of all relevant documents, offers of support made to the victim and liability admitted where appropriate at an early stage — not on the eighth day of trial.
♦ www.abc.net.au

Father Bryan Desmond Coffey was committing indecent acts against children from Day One, a court is told

A Catholic priest, Father Bryan Desmond Coffey, was indecently touching young children immediately after being ordained, an Australian court has been told. During Coffey's 37 years in the priesthood, church leaders kept hearing about his criminal behaviour but they always concealed this information from the police

Several victims told police that Coffey's offences were reported to the church authorities in the 1960s and '70s but the church did no more than transfer Coffey to a new parish, thus giving him access to new victims. The police were never notified during those years.

Another Coffey victim informed the church authorities about Coffey in 1995 but the matter was still kept from the police.
♦ brokenrites.org.au

The Fighting Ballarat Boys

Bishop Paul Bird
Michael_Myers

Michael Myers, Director of Professional Standards. Younger brother of high profile QC and George Pell defender Alan Myers.

Questions via Michael Myers to Bishop Bird.
Will you publish a list of credibly accused sex offenders from the Ballarat diocese?
Were you aware of any sex abuse going on at Marist Brothers Hamilton High School (Newcastle) when he was a student there (early-mid 1960's) ?
March 21 2019. No reply yet

Related:
♦ Bishop Paul Bird denies as many as 14 Ballarat priests involved in abuse

St_Patricks_Church_Port_Fairy

St. Patrick's catholic church, Port fairy.
(i spent many summers at Port Fairy in the 1960's -70's. I remember attending midnight mass once just to please my mother. Its quite likely Father Bryan Desmond Coffey said the mass.)

The Francis Follies

Vatican City. August 25, 2021 — Hypocrites are afraid of the truth, fearful of who they really are and incapable of truly loving, Pope Francis said during his weekly general audience.

What hypocrites do "is like putting makeup on your soul, like putting makeup on your behavior" and hiding the truth, the pope said Aug. 25 to those gathered in the Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican.

All this pretending, he said, "suffocates the courage to openly say what is true and thus the obligation to say the truth at all times, everywhere and in spite of anything can easily be evaded," he said.

"Hypocrisy in the church is particularly detestable. Unfortunately, hypocrisy does exist in the church and there are many hypocritical Christians and ministers," he said.
♦ www.ncronline.org

Comment: Could not have said it better myself.
But I have the feeling he wasn't talking about his priests and bishops and heads of religious orders.
"Christians and ministers" - spreading the blame. Hypocritical not to say catholic priests and bishops.

pope Francis "reforms" canon law

There is no zero tolerance for seually assaulting a minor.

There is still no compulsion to report abuse to civil authorities.

Sexual abuse comes under “Offences Against Human Life, Dignity and Liberty”

if there has been a criminal trial it may be thought that the civil punishment is enough and no further punishment might be necessary.

Canon 1324’s reference to those who were “gravely and unjustly provocative” (blaming the child).

Child abuse was designated an offence against the sixth commandment.
(Thou shalt not commit adultery.)

being satisfied that the accused cannot be reformed is still a precondition to disciplinary action.

The canon law equivalent of the defence of insanity is “imputability.”
canon 1321 § 3 “imputability is presumed, unless it appears otherwise.”
a priest cannot be dismissed for paedophilia because he is a paedophile

the standard of proof is “moral certainty,” (beyond reasonable doubt.)

Canon 489 requires bishops to have a “secret archive” where documents relating to an accused priest who has died and those which are more than 10 years old are to be destroyed.
(remains the same).

The new Canon 1398 creates a “grooming” offence in respect of children, those with disabilities and where there is an “abuse of authority.”

the inclusion of automatic excommunication for those who attempt to ordain a woman and for the woman who attempts to receive sacred orders.

reference:
♦ Kieran Tapsell johnmenadue.com
♦ www.thetablet.co.uk
♦ www.americamagazine.org

Marie Collins, an Irish abuse survivor and former member of the papal clergy abuse commission says:
"They had the opportunity to nail it down in black and white, They haven't done that."
Collins expressed concern with the way the new provisions describe a priest who abuses a minor or a vulnerable adult as committing "an offence against the Sixth Commandment" with that person.
"As a survivor, I find that highly derogatory," Collins said of the provisions' language. "As if somehow, the child was colluding with the priest to break the Sixth Commandment."
"Victims, children, who have been sexually assaulted or abused or raped do not see how that comes within the sin of breaking the Sixth Commandment," she said.
♦ www.ncronline.org

Everyone interested in reporting on the story was told that this was the result of years of intensive work — 11 years in the preparation, inputs from senior lawyers including experts in criminal law. It could hardly be more thorough, more far-reaching, more exhaustive, more reforming.

And then you read it, and you realise it’s codswallop.

penalties must be reduced if the perpetrator was drunk, acting in the heat of passion, or was “gravely and unjustly” provoked.
There is no court in the democratic world where a person accused of abusing a child can admit the offence and still escape punishment by claiming to have been under the control of alcohol or responding to provocation by the child.
♦ www.irishexaminer.com

Attempting to ordain a woman into the priesthood is a greater crime than raping a child.

The few bad apples theory won't go away.

ROME — A cleric who sexually abuses a child and a bishop or religious superior who covers up that abuse are personally morally at fault, but the Catholic Church as an institution is not,
said Cardinal Julián Herranz, retired president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

In a letter published on the front page of the Vatican newspaper, the 91-year-old cardinal said
that "the errors, sins and sometimes even crimes of her members,
including senior members of the hierarchy" cannot be allowed to
"cast doubt on the credibility of the church and the salvific value of her mission and her magisterium.* "

Confusing "the relative personal and institutional responsibilities"
for the crime of sexual abuse, he said,
"risks undermining public opinion and, perhaps in the consciences of the faithful, also the credibility of the church and her Gospel message."
♦ cruxnow.com

[*] The magisterium of the Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the Word of God

comment: This position that there is nothing wrong with the catholic church is still very pervasive among the power elite.
Pope Francis has said:
"another type of persecution, the continuous accusations to smear the church,"
"Our mother is holy, but we her children are sinners"
people who are using these scandals ”the sins of her children” for other purposes, seeking to smear the church and its moral authority in various fields.

This cardinal and the pope states clearly the reasons why they must be in denial.
The result would be credibility destroyed, power diminished.
To hold this position they must completely deny or ignore all the evidence that sex abuse was and is an institutional pandemic.

The other result of this is the neccessity to cover up, minimize, do damage control, manage or explain away the world wide horror of sex abuse.

Thursday May 6, 2021 - Xavier College Loud Fence Removed Again

Chris Middleton SJ Bill Doherty
The machinations of power at Xavier can only be guessed at.
Since Mr. Doherty promised to let the first Loud Fence remain it would be a fair assumption that the Rector, Chris Middleton SJ was resonsible for both removals.
His job is to keep an eye on the school and report to the Provincial.
Mr. Doherty does not run the school, the Society of Jesus in Victoria Ltd. runs the school.
Mr. Doherty's wishes can easily be over ruled.

It has been reported that the ribbons have been removed again.

All you can say is that Xavier College and the Society of Jesus will do anything to stop anything about the history of sex abuse becoming public knowledge.

They have no shame, no conscience and all the "mea culpa's" are salad dressing.

This is a deliberate slap in the face to all survivors of sex abuse at Xavier College.
Especially those who were there putting up the ribbons.
It is immoral re-abusing of them and telling them to fuck off.

Friday May 7, 2021 - An enquiry to the Principal's office (PA Sally Nightscales, not Mr. Doherty) got the response that the ribbons were causing a "hazard"

The upside is that now the Rector, Fr. Chris Middleton SJ can get a good night's sleep.
There is a rumour that Opus Dei members were stripping their shirts off, standing with backs to the ribbons and getting a good lashing and mortification of the flesh for free. Not a good look for the school.

Xavier College Loud fence re-instated

May 01, 2021. A small group of concerned people returned to Xavier College today to re-instate the Loud Fence.
And a new sign was placed as well saying
"More than 27 Child Sex Abusers Worked here". (that includes Burke Hall and Kostka Hall).
And given the event of the past week a sign in support of the student who very courageously told the school he/she was transgender
said "We Welcome LGBTQIA". (effectively what the school stated in the letter to parents).

After leaving the site, within one hour, the sign "More than 27 ..." was taken down and broken into pieces by person/s unknown.
By 6:30pm the LGBTQIA sign had disappeared.
The ribbons remained in place.

Since a storm blew down the ribbons last time (official explanation) it is hoped the weather will kinder this time.

Xavier_Loud_Fence_May01_2021_signaftermin

We are looking for a very tidy person.
Xavier_Loud_Fence_May01_202107B

a simple statement of fact.

The broken sign rescued. The installation went smoothly.
No Xavier staff member appeared, most of the sport had finished and there were just a few people going in and out the main gate.

One man engaged in a heated argument with a few of us.
One student on the sports field shouted abuse.
One man said I fully support survivors but this is inappropriate.
A Scotch College teacher said to me "good on you, more strength to your arm, god bless you".
The truth is hard to face when it reflects badly on you or your school.
Your history defines who you are, the good and the bad.

Trying to whitewash or deny the bad is a moral failure and is directly continuing to harm and abuse the survivors of sex abuse.

First Xavier College Loud Fence Gone.

Xavier College Principal Bill Doherty gave an assurance the ribbons and sign would not be removed.
But as of Tuesday 16 March 2021 the ribbons and the sign are gone.

Xavier College struggling with LGBTQIA Policy.

April 30, 2021. Recent events have brought into sharp focus the school's lack of LGBTQIA Policy.
The school has found itself caught between its legal obligations and catholic moral teaching.

A letter was sent to parents which can only be described as a pre-emptive legal defence move.
It is believed that some students are agitating for the adoption of a formal policy.

Rainbow_Flag

♦ LGBTQIA glossary: Common gender and sexuality terms explained

♦ USA - 17 psychological groups call for greater protections of LGBTQ students at religious schools

Pathways Victoria - So shy about the $$

Archdiocese of Melbourne's new Complaints Handling Policy.
Pathways_Redressmin

As with the National Response Protocol that Pathways Victoria is based on they are terribly shy about mentioning monetary amounts in the redress proposal.
2023. Have been told that the maximum amount is $250K.

♦ Open the Archives

Campion House ,Kew. Home to a mountain of information
Brian McCoy SJ received Marilyn Warren's Victor Higgs Report 23 Dec. 2019.
Ms. Warren says it is "highly desirable" and "reasonably expected" that the Society of Jesus investigate the other 21 instances (of suspicious moves) between 1968 and 1971.

This website is calling for an independant investigator be given unfettered access to all Jesuit and school archives, to uncover the history of sex abuse and the cover ups and make it public.
Please support this call for transparency and justice.
♦ Marilyn Warren Report

"Jesuits, too, whose central archives have been a mine for historians.
Jesuit Superiors and other officials around the world were required to write regularly to Rome about the state of their Province and the challenges they faced. The practice continues, although the technology has expanded."
Fr Andrew Hamilton SJ
♦ jesuit.org.au

UK Abuse victim begins legal action against the Diocese of Westminster

comment:
This is an interesting legal move and would apply to Fr. Brian McCoy SJ and Fr. Quyen Vu SJ in relation to not communicating, disrespecting survivors, closing the archives, making untrue statements etc.
Especially in light of the admission by the Chilean Provincial in the story on the right.
To promise survivors transparency and openness and not deliver is very re-traumatizing for them
As is denying the abuser was an abuser.

Makes you wonder if a class action might be possible.

Chile's Jesuits confess 'crimes, negligence and errors' on sex abuse

May 29, 2021
ROME – In an internal report made public this week, the Jesuits of Chile acknowledge that based on accusations and
investigations that emerged over a fifteen-year period, at least 64 people have been sexually abused by 11 Jesuit priests in the country.

The report compiles investigations carried out by the Jesuits in Chile between 2005 and 2020...

The report published by the Center for Abuse Prevention and Reparation (CPR) of the Society of Jesus
indicates that a total of 17 Jesuits were investigated and faced canonical processes for allegations of abuse in a span of 15 years.

The report notes that 11 of those priests were found guilty of abusing 34 children and 30 adults.

"Within our institution there have been serious crimes, negligence and errors that should never have occurred ...."
Father Gabriel Roblero, provincial of the Society of Jesus in Chile.

"Abuse within the Church and the Society of Jesus is a painful truth that we must recognize and confront,"
Roblero wrote in the report.
"For a long time, this was a reality that was not adequately addressed, there was denial, silence, minimization, blindness, invisibility and even, in some cases, attempts to justify what happened."

"...but we have also become aware of the impact that these attitudes generated, increasing the pain of the victims, deepening their wounds and perpetuating a wrong and harmful institutional culture," he wrote.

♦ full story cruxnow.com

The report was not meant to be made public
Chilean newspaper La Tercera obtained a copy of the report and published many key elements that had not been previously published by the Jesuits.
Jesuit Father Juan Cristobal Beytia told Cooperativa that it’s “unacceptable” that a newspaper got the report, and he claimed the prosecutor’s office had leaked it:
“I can assure you that it was no one from the Society of Jesus.”
♦ angelusnews.com - New revelations on sex abuse hit Chilean Church

comment: some interesting things here.
It is a private secret internal report never meant to be made public.

It was done by the Center for Abuse Prevention and Reparation (CPR) of the Society of Jesus Chile.
It is not known if other Provinces have such a group, the Australian Province certainly doesn't.

It only happened because of the public scandal in Chile.

It is only years 2005 - 2020 (damage control).
These years are when child sex abuse inside the Jesuits should have been well and truly over.
That points to a complete failure to root out the disease within their society.

The confession that their attitudes and responses continued to harm the survivors is a welcome admission of the truth.

With the 6 North American Jesuit provinces releasing names of credibly accused offenders, the Irish Jesuits naming an offender and now this, the Australian Society of Jesus is increasing its reputation as the great denier.

The Society of Jesus in Chile is being certified internationally with the Praesidium consulting firm
♦ website.praesidiuminc.com

One lawyer did say that the reason the Society of Jesus won't admit offenders were offenders is that they will lose their insurance.
Its all about the money here in Australia.

Ex-Wesley College student wins record settlement over abuse by two teachers

May 20, 2021
A former Wesley College student has received a $3 million record settlement for institutional child abuse in Victoria, after he was sexually assaulted by two former teachers in the 1970s.
One of them was John McMillan who later taught at Preshil school and continued his abuse of kids there.
♦ www.theage.com.au

♦ Full story on this site

Jesuits tell how priest teacher had abused boys in his care at prestigious Dublin school

A priest abused boys at Dublin’s prestigious Belvedere College, the Jesuit order has confirmed.

It said in a statement that the late Fr Joseph Marmion is now being examined for possible other abuse at other schools where he worked – Cresent College in Limerick and Clongowes Wood College in Kildare.

It emerged that Marmion was removed from Belvedere in 1978 after a number of parents complained of sexual abuse of students.

"Every effort will be made to communicate this information to former students in all schools."
♦ extra.ie

UK Abuse victim begins legal action against the Diocese of Westminster

A survivor of child sexual abuse who says she was re-traumatised by the way her case was handled by Cardinal Vincent Nichols and the Diocese of Westminster has begun her legal action against them for personal injury.

Her legal team have spent months assembling evidence, including psychiatric reports, about the distress she has experienced.
♦ www.thetablet.co.uk

This is an interesting legal move and would apply to Fr. Brian McCoy SJ and Fr. Quyen Vu SJ in relation to not communicating, disrespecting survivors, closing the archives, making untrue statements etc.

To promise survivors transparency and openness and not deliver is very re-traumatizing for them
As is denying the abuser was an abuser.

Makes you wonder if a class action might be possible.

St. Augustine's school, Brookvale 40 year reunion.

Someone is promoting the St. Augustine's school, Brookvale, Sydney 40 year reunion with a photo of alleged child sex abuser Peter Bohrsmann with a group of kids.
Its assumed that the person does not know about Peter Bohrsmann.
The school was not aware of this and is looking into it.
Peter_Bohrsman_StAugustines_Brookvale_400

Peter_Bohrsman_StAugustines_Brookvale_400

♦ Peter Bohrsmann biography
♦ www.narrabeen.net/classof1980_40years/

The Sound of Silence

Since he began as Jesuit Provincial on Jan. 1, 2021, Fr. Quyen Vu SJ has not said one word about historical sex abuse in the Society of Jesus.

Except for his letter to me saying he will no longer communicate with myself, he said they are always ready to speak to sex abuse survivors.

♦ Seattle archbishop is stonewalling push for more transparency of church sex-abuse cases

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: Jan. 2, 2021.
Paul Etienne took over as Seattle’s archbishop in 2019.
An alliance of practicing Catholics say the archbishop has refused to discuss their call for a citizen-led review of the Seattle Archdiocese’s private records on clergy abuse.

Their ranks include ex-federal prosecutors, a retired judge, a one-time assistant police chief, even a former priest.
But a group of prominent Catholics say they still can’t get an audience with Seattle’s new archbishop in their push to address the fallout of a lingering scandal.
♦ www.ecaglobal.org

The same struggle for truth and transparency as with the Society of Jesus Australia.

St. Ignatius, Riverview Principal Paul Hine again witholds important information.

"Dear Member of the College Community,
I have written to you previously and undertook to keep you informed of the progress of the judicial
processes against two former members
of the College staff facing charges in respect of allegations of abuse at the College in the 1970s.
The case against one of these men will return to court in Sydney tomorrow,
Thursday 18th February 2021."
♦ Paul_Hine_Letter_to_the_Community_17_February_2021

Mr. Hine has demoted them from Jesuit priests to "men" and still will not tell the college community their names.
This is a deliberate cover-up of public information so members of the college community, who know no better, might be misled to think they were lay teachers or lest their names trigger memories in former students. Memories the school do not want to hear.
Previously he said "fully informed " , he has downgraded this to "informed".
It is most probably a directive from Jesuit head office not to name the names or say they are Jesuit priests.
Information control and damage limitation is the name of the game.

Previously Mr. Hine said:
"I am aware that both alleged perpetrators were named in various media outlets as my own letter was being distributed."
"The College has been circumspect about naming alleged perpetrators and/or mounting any investigations prior to any criminal trial
so as not to contaminate information that is presented by the prosecution in the court. "
"I have committed on a personal level to open and transparent communication with the community. "
You have run out of excuses Mr. Hine.
Paul_Hine_riverview_principal_2019

Paul Hine
"With due respect, I do not have the time to go through historical records and find the details of when Fr Overberg, nor Br Leonard, were employed and in which capacity."

"I can say to you, hand on heart, that I am not part of any cover up in relation to this matter. I have personally led the charge on making known the abuses that have occurred in this College"
June 21 2019

Are you breaking up with me ??!!

The wife of Philip Wallbridge (dec.) speaks.

Margaret Scanlon - The wife of Philip Wallbridge (dec.) speaks.
Feb. 6, 2021 THE AGE FORUM
Gradual enlightenment

Bravo, Daniel Comensoli for speaking up – ″⁣Debate on conversion bill reveals hypocrisy″⁣ (Opinion, 3/2).
It is well worth writing on the subject of LGBTIA. We commend you.
The Catholic Church has a long history of inability to deal with matters of sexuality, and many good people have suffered as a result.

One of our family took a brave stand in support of adolescent boys,
some suffering severe mental health issues in dealing with their emerging sexuality. He paid a very high price for his courage.

There are countless tragic stories woven into the fabric of the long journey of suffering, along the route to some enlightened thinking both within some Christian churches and the wider community.
Margaret Scanlon, Carlton North
♦ www.theage.com.au

I don't want to disrespect Margaret Scanlon, she is still suffering from the loss of her husband.
But here we see a common reaction to the awful truth, you create alternate facts and excuses.

"a brave stand in support of adolescent boys" means as Rector of Xavier College he got groups of students together to masturbate with them and talk about sexual fantasies and look at porn.
And also sexually assaulted some boys.
His "high price" was to take his own life when the stories were public and the police were investigating him.
♦ Philip Wallbridge s.j. Biography

Margaret Scanlon - The wife of Philip Wallbridge (dec.) speaks again.
WORKPLACE CULTURE
Brittany Higgins’ story is sadly still far too common (‘‘ Confronting the toxic culture in Canberra’’ , The Age, 18/2).
We still see it across many settings – sporting clubs, businesses, care institutions, churches, schools, medical and law precincts.
You are not a team player if you speak up in defence of someone.

Silence and solidarity cover up failure, and put the institution before the individual.
We have personal, painful experience of someone losing not only their reputation but their life to anxiety,
because this toxic culture is so dominant. Leaders are still subscribing to ‘‘ nothing to see here’’ ,
shifting the blame, often to the victim. Why in our society is it so hard for justice to be achieved for any victim?

The #MeToo movement revealed many horrific stories, but still it goes on.
Racial intolerance is alive and well. We still have a long way to go as a society.
It is the duty of every one to call out that which we know to be wrong and unjust. Do we have the courage?
Margaret Scanlon, Carlton North

CLC - The Christian Life Community ( Australia)
A jesuit associated Ignatian Spirituality group.
Its a bit of a stretch to call theses folks a cult , but they have some elements.
1976 - Co-Founded by sex abusing priest Noel Bradford s.j.
♦ Noel Bradford s.j. Biography
Xavier College teacher 1960's - 1970's.
1984/85 CLC courses held in Melbourne –more Vic CLC's formed
Noel Bradford based at Riverview –‘father’and. co-ordinator of CLC in Australia

1986. Vic -Mary Nolan, Margaret Scanlon and Jim Slattery invited by Noel Bradford sj. to form ‘Guiding Community’coordinating group for CLC Victoria.
Kevin Penry s.j. and alleged sex assaulter Patrick O’Sullivan s.j.
♦ Patrick O'Sullivan s.j. Biography
were asked to join and the Guiding Community of five began to meet.
Andrew Hamilton s.j. (ex-Xavier 1966-67) is their current ecclesial advisor.

27 July 2019, North Melbourne
The Geelong CLC group invites CLCers, friends/family to CLC In the Pub to celebrate The Feast of St. Ignatius. This year, we will be joined by Peter Norden AO
♦ http://www.clcvictoria.com/

Catholic Church makes record payout in child sex abuse case

Bertram Adderly
The Catholic Church has made what is believed to be its highest ever payout to a victim of sexual abuse after church lawyers forced a 52-year-old man to give harrowing evidence in court about his rape by a priest in the 1970s.

Peter* will receive $2.45 million plus legal costs to compensate him for abuse by teacher and priest Bertram Adderley, who groomed and raped him between 1977 and 1980 when he was aged 10 to 12.

Mr Magazanik said the laws had changed to allow people to seek compensation, "but the church has not yet accepted that the ground has shifted under its feet.

"You can't expect the church to act sensibly or charitably, you have to force them to do it and that's why my client had the courage and amazing determination to actually get into the witness box and tell his story. That really forced the church to surrender."

Prior to the $2.45m settlement, Peter had been offered and accepted $50,000 from the church.
♦ Full story here... and ♦ www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Claim against Celso Romanin SJ and Society of Jesus Settled .

Friday 2 October 2010. - This civil suit due for the Supreme Court on Monday was settled this Friday.

17/12/2019 9News - Sexual abuse claim by former Xavier pupil
A former Xavier student is claiming he was subject to public, humiliating sexual and physical abuse while boarding at the prestigious Melbourne school.
Albert* is suing the Australian Society of Jesus and Father Brian McCoy of the Australian Society of Jesus for compensation over his treatment while at the school in the 1960s and 1970s, starting when he was just 12 or 13 years old.

"The sex abuse in this Xavier case is especially unusual because the abuse was so alarmingly public and humiliating," RCT Law Senior Associate, Amy Olver, said in a statement.
"In most cases sex abuse is behind closed doors but, in this case, imagine the additional trauma of being assaulted in front of your peers, who were all also innocent young boys at the time and were forced to continue on with school and boarding."

Ms Olver said the compensation sought is for the loss of wages, pain and suffering Albert has endured.
Albert alleges he witnessed years of abuse by priests and teachers while attending Burke Hall and Xavier College in grades seven to 12, from 1965 to 1971.
When he was 12 and 13, boarding at Xavier's junior school, Burke Hall at Kew, he alleges he became a target for abuse by then Father Celso Romanin.

He was also subjected to abuse by another teacher at the school.
Albert says he reported the abuse at the time, but the complaints were not acted on, and his allegations have been corroborated by other students.
"We are calling on other witnesses or survivors of abuse at Xavier to come forward, because when survivors' stories support one another, claims are made stronger and the truth can be told," Ms Olver said.

The Australian Society of Jesus said they and Fr Romanin cannot comment because of a current legal proceeding.
*Albert's name has been changed to protect his identity

♦ 9News - Sexual abuse claim by former Xavier pupil

Celso Romanin SJ

♦ Celso Romanin s.j. Biography
Currently enjoying his retirement at Campion House, Studley Park Rd., Kew.
Like many, he has escaped any criminal charges for sexual assault of a minor.

Ex-student says:
"Dear old Celso - got me out of bed in the middle of the night took me to his room - stripped me naked soaked my pjs in water placed me on the bed and drew a target 🎯 all over my bottom and around my balls with texta - charming"

Burke_Hall_staf_1964

Alleged sex abuser Celso Romanin SJ, Alleged sex abuser G. "Mac" Larkin SJ, Convicted sex abuser Willi Kovac , alleged sex abuser G. Schneider SJ.

Fr. Chris Gleeson SJ speaks at the funeral of Peter Quin SJ,
an alleged sex, physical and emotional abuser at Jesuit schools.

When they say "he was a tactile man" it means they know he was doing improper things to boys.

Fr. Chris Gleeson SJ, ex-Xavier Principal ignored two abuse complaints
Chris_Middleton_SJ_Chris_Gleeson_SJ

Fr. Chris Middleton SJ , current Rector, and Fr. Chris Gleeson SJ saying Mass, Xavier College 2020.

Former Xavier student reports
I was a student at Burke Hall & Xavier College from 1977 until 1984 when I graduated HSC.
In 1982, I was in Year 10 and 15 years old. For that year's Work Experience Programme
I chose to work with mentally & physically disabled children for two weeks at the St John of God Brothers facility Churinga in Greensborough, Victoria.
Two other Year 10 Xavier students did work experience there at the same time.

On one occasion toward the end of my stay there, the director, Brother Bede Donnellan followed me into my room
and asked to watch me undress so that he could, see how I was "developing"".
I told him that I was not comfortable with that and he left the room.

I told my parents what had happened at Churinga.
My father, an old Xavierian himself, was especially upset and contacted and spoke directly with the Xavier principal at the time, Fr Chris Gleeson S.J.

My father demanded that Xavier investigate. After investigating a less than sympathetic Fr Gleeson told my father
that Fr John (Jack) Sweeney S.J. (head of the social work program at Xavier) had investigated the matter
and Brother Bede Connellan told him that I had propositioned him!

Fr Gleeson insisted that I see a psychiatrist or face expulsion from the school.
My father was distraught at this response & considered removing me from school.
I did see a psychiatrist who wrote a very positive report about me.
My remaining two+ years at Xavier were punctuated by several incidents in which teachers appeared to be attempting to intimidate or provoke me in some way.

I heard that Brother Bede Donnellan passed away some time ago & that the SJOG Brothers had closed Churinga after revelations about their abuse of the minors there came to light.
I still recall some of the names & faces of the boys who were there at the time & who were defenseless victims of Brother Bede & other SJOG Brothers.

And Fr Chris Gleeson covered up the actions of Br Bede Connellan toward me.

November 23, 2002: Fatigue has been blamed for the abrupt departure of Father Christopher Gleeson, one of Australia's leading Catholic educators, as rector of St Ignatius' College Riverview.
His exit earlier this week has attracted intense speculation.
♦ Fatigue takes its toll on school rector

____________________________________________
Brother Bede Donnellan (real name John Joseph Donnellan) in Broken Rites report ♦ brokenrites.org.au

Another Gleeson cover up
In 1981, as Xavier College Principal, Fr. Chris Gleeson ignored a complaint from a student about Philip Wallbridge SJ.
he told the boy he could help him with his failing studies and other things but said "I'm sure he doesn't mean any harm" about Wallbridge.
Nothing was done.
Wallbridge went on for another 10 years to abuse other boys at Xavier and St. Aloysius College (Nth. Sydney)

Other Rectors and Principals/head of School who have dismissed or ignored abuse complaints.
Fr. Paul Keenan SJ.
Fr. Jim Hawkins SJ.
Brendan Ellis
William Doherty

PERSONS OF INTEREST

Any information about these persons would be very helpful.

Fr Walter Logue SJ “in a perpetual volcanic fury”
Walter_Logue_head

Fr Walter Logue SJ
♦ Walter Logue SJ biography

At Kostka Hall 1979 lay teacher Mr. Malcolm Joseph.

Rev Kevin Carroll SJ
Allegation of sexual assault.
♦ Kevin Carroll s.j. Biography Full report here.

Born Dublin 1911 - Died 1 Feb 1972, Melbourne.
Xavier College and Kostka hall 1937 -40
Minister and prefect of Discipline St. ignatuius , Riverview.
St. Aloysius, Sydney 1947-50
At St. Ignatius , Riverview 1957-63. Maths teacher and 1st Division Prefect.
Then New Zealand, Toowong, Hawthorn parish.
kevin_carroll_min

Kevin Carroll entry from the Australian Jesuit Dictionary of Biography.

Peter Meyer
A teacher at St. Ignatius, Riverview in the 1970's is also a person of interest. ♦... more here ... ♦

Geoff Pearson
A new alleged sex offender's name (at Xavier College) has been reported.
Br. Geoff Pearson SJ at Xavier College around 2007 After that he left the order and the priesthood.
The circumstances of him leaving Xavier and leaving the order are unknown.

Paul Challis
Paul_Challis_1978_320

Xavier College
1978 - 1979 VCE mathematics year , (don't have in between school lists)
1984 - 2002.
2004 gone.
William Cochrane
Information wanted.
St. Ignatius, Riverview Position: Teaching Staff

Former students reports:
Taught at a Sydney Jesuit school ca 25 years ago ?
I did call Chris Gleeson SJ, who was then rector of Riverview.
He did not recall Cochrane teaching at the school If it helps,
Cochrane had a Ph.D from an English university

Tim Clifford
Tim_Clifford_1978_1

Information wanted
1976 - 2018 Xavier College position: Media Teacher
2018 Mr Tim Clifford and Ms Ann-Marie Rieusset, who have both served Xavier in the area of Audio Visual, will also be departing Xavier College this year.

George Belfrage (ex-SJ)
Laicised Deceased - Information wanted
1949 - 1954 Seminary
1966 - 1966 Xavier College
1971 - 1972 Toowong parish
1973 - 1975 Salisbury North parish, SA
1977 - 1980 Richmond parish
1982 - 1985 Toowong parish

Fr. Geoff Schneider SJ (deceased)
Geoff_Schneider_02

Long time highly respected teacher at St. Ignatius, Riverview, Sydney.

Geoff Wainwright
Xavier Lay Teacher 1989 - 1995

DEED OF RELEASE SET ASIDE then Appeal failed.

Church's legal defence 'dismantled' after sex abuse pay-off thrown out.
A victim of sexual abuse who signed away his rights to sue the Catholic Church has had the settlement overturned in a landmark Supreme Court judgment, paving the way for hundreds of other survivors to seek compensation.

The man, known as WCB, was paid $32,500 in 1996 in exchange for his silence after he was repeatedly sexually abused as an altar boy by Warragul priest Daniel Hourigan.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court overturned the deed of release, removing the legal barriers for WCB to sue the Catholic Church for damages.
Justice Andrew Keogh described the abuse as "horrendous" and said the evidence supported a "significant assessment of damages" for WCB.
♦ theage.com.au

December 18, 2020 - Church’s appeal loss paves way for abuse survivors to sue.
The Catholic Church has failed in its appeal over a compensation payout to a sexual abuse survivor, and now faces the prospect of being sued by hundreds of other victims who received meagre payments in exchange for their silence. ♦ www.theage.com.au

♦ Also in the Law page here...

Jesuit settlements as well?

For example in the late 1990's, a former Xavier College student asking for sex abuse compensation was told that if he signed for (about) $30,000 his abuser in the next room would apologise to him as well.

If he didn't sign they would ruin him financially with the legal processses and wished him luck trying to find a body to sue.
He signed away his rights and the Society of Jesus covered up a crime and protected the criminal.
There are many similar settlements.

The Money Solution

The following witness testimony provides an example of an attempt by Pell to buy a victim's silence.
David Ridsdale, a victim of his uncle, Gerald Ridsdale , was struggling in his adult life and decided
to ring family friend George Pell for some advice regarding the CSA he had suffered (RCICA 2015d, 72).
The following is the response he received from Pell:
I told George I had been abused by Gerald.

His first reaction was, "Oh, right". There was no shock.
His tone then became terse relatively quickly and I could sense anger in his voice.
I started to get a sense he was insinuating things
about my story and I felt like I'd done something wrong.

George then began to talk of my growing family and my need to take care of their needs.
He mentioned things such as, I may soon have to buy a car or a house for my family.
I do remember with clarity the last three lines we spoke together:
Me: 'Excuse me, George, what the fuck are you talking about?'
George said, 'I want to know what it will take to keep you quiet'.

My response was, 'Fuck you George, and everything you stand for'.
I hung up the phone. (RCICA 2015d, 73)
(quoted from Sally Muytjens thesis p. 201-202)
*RCICA Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse

Yangon_sule_pagoda_10

Central Rangoon (Yangon) 1990's. Sule Pagoda and City Hall. Aung San Suu Kyi calls for Myanmar protests in wake of coup
♦ www.theguardian.com
A brutal exercise of power using a completely specious reasoning, many similarities to the Society of Jesus.

Back to the bad old days in my favourite country Burma (Myanmar).
The Tatmadaw (military) after the election sees its power threatened.
Using the flawed 2008 constitution to seize power.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has had to play a long game to try to create a genuine democracy.

In the 1990's there were barbed wire barriers everywhere, military trucks and soldiers with guns.
I was followed around Yangon by government spies.
Even as a tourist I did not feel safe, knowing that I could be arrested at any time for photographing the wrong thing etc.

Staying illegally in a Burmeses friend's apartment I was told to lock the door and not answer it for anyone.

Irish archbishop: Don’t scapegoat Church on mother-and-baby homes
(it was only half our fault) ♦ cruxnow.com

Jesuit order in Spain apologises for decades of sexual abuse by members Jan. 22, 2021
♦ www.theguardian.com ♦ cruxnow.com
♦ Jesuits Australia won't do it...

Catholic school didn't tell of claims.

Article in The Australian (Dec. 2, 2020) . ♦ www.theaustralian.com.au
The_Australian_Dec2_2020_headline

EXCLUSIVE
KIERAN GAIR
JOURNALIST
7:25AM DECEMBER 2, 2020
The principal of a prestigious Sydney Catholic school has been accused of failing to disclose vital information for almost
two years about allegations of child sexual abuse by two ex-students who say they were sexually assaulted in the 70s by former staff members.
Saint Ignatius' College Riverview principal Paul Hine allegedly knew two years ago that Father Theo Overberg and Father Laurence Leonard had been accused by at least three ex-students of child abuse and were likely being investigated by police.
Father Overberg, who is now secretary for the Jesuit Conference Asia-Pacific at the Jesuit Curia in Rome, and Father Leonard, who recently served as spiritual director at the Corpus Christi seminary in Melbourne,
were each charged on September 25 with indecently assaulting three boys during the 1970s.

The school, which counts former prime minister Tony Abbott and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce among its alumni, did not alert the school community to the allegations until they had been published by multiple media outlets on November 10.
The alleged victims, who both requested anonymity, say the principal's delay in notifying the college community was in contrast to a self-imposed precedent set in 2015, when Dr Hine sent a letter to former students about an allegation that concerned "child sexual abuse over 30 years ago".
The unnamed staff member in that letter, former brother and serial pedophile Victor Higgs,
was later found guilty in 2018 of 16 counts of indecent assault at Riverview against six boys.

On January 4 last year, one of Father Overberg's alleged victims emailed Dr Hine,
urging him to issue a new alert explaining that allegations against another former staff member had been made.
Dr Hine did not respond to the request to alert the college community, but instead noted that he would refer
the complaint to the professional standards division of the Australian Jesuits.

On January 14 last year, Dr Hine allegedly received another complaint,
this time about Father Leonard, who was a brother in the 1970s.
Dr Hine acknowledged he was aware the alleged victim, now 58, had complained to the professional standards division in December 2017,
but said the school was "not in a position to mention specific allegations, alleged perpetrators or alleged victims."

Father Leonard's alleged victim was so distressed by the school's lack of action that he emailed
more than 120 former students from the class of 1979 in the lead-up to their 40-year reunion in August last year,
revealing that he was "sexually abused by a Jesuit" in Year 7.
"I had previously contacted the current headmaster of Riverview and asked him to contact old boys …
and advise them that he had been advised by a past student of an allegation of
historic sexual abuse by a Jesuit in the junior school in the 1970s. He declined my request," it read.
Read St Ignatius' statement to The Australian
"Unless other past students come forward with credible allegations, it is unlikely that criminal charges will be laid," he said.

The Australian can also reveal that the college board, which provides oversight of issues
including historical episodes of child abuse, was told that Father Overberg and Father Leonard had been charged with multiple counts of indecent assault at a meeting on October 28, two weeks before the school community was notified. In a letter to families sent out on November 10, the same day that the allegations against the pair were published in a number of media outlets,
Dr Hine condemned child sexual abuse and called on victims to come forward and report incidents to police.

In a statement, he said: "Where the college and or the province has received any allegation,
this information has been immediately forwarded to the police for their action and to any other authorities.
It is for the police to determine what they do with this information."
Child protection advocate and founder of Bravehearts Hetty Johnston said Riverview had a "moral obligation" to inform the college community.

"They don't have to be specific, they just have to say allegations have been made about the behaviour of two staff members from this year to this year," Ms Johnston said.
"When survivors believe they are the only ones, that usually secures their silence.
The school has an obligation to inform students who may have been affected about the allegations."

Riverview College Board response

Letter to the community
♦ Riverview College Board response

The Old Ignatians Union response
Dear Member of the OIU Community,
Please see attached letter from the Chair of the College Board and supporting information in response to an article released via The Australian newspaper overnight.
To that end I again gently encourage any former student of Riverview who has experienced abuse during their time here, to come forward in the manner and timing of their own choosing.
There are a number of pathways available including contacting either Dr Paul Hine, Principal of Saint Ignatius' College Riverview on 0456 808 132 or the Director of Professional Standards for the Australian Society of Jesus on 03 9810 7312.

For any person not wishing to contact the Province or College, independent assistance is available by contacting the National Redress Scheme on 1800 737 377 or through their website on www.nationalredress.gov.au
I encourage anyone who may have any evidence of criminal conduct or associated information - no matter how long ago it may have occurred – to forward that to the Police by contacting Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Yours sincerely,
Brent Cubis
President of OIU

The problems with reporting

As can be seen from the above the options are not attractive.

A. Go to the institution vicariously responsible for your abuse and they will use their Complaints Handling Policy (if they have one).
Problems:

It has been shown time and again that institutions cannot honestly self-regulate or self-examine or handle reputation threatening complaints honestly and ethically.
They simply cannot be trusted to act properly.
The complaint and the complainant are now in the hands of a body most interested in protecting itself.
The Society of Jesus for example has shown it will not be thorough or transparent in investigating a complaint/report.
With the Victor Higgs ex-SJ move from Adelaide to Sydney (1971), Jesuit Provincial Brian McCoy said "all available files had been examined" and there was nothing to show he was moved because of a sex abuse complaint.
Marilyn Warren found the opposite because she looked harder.
The Catholic church in Australia (including all the orders) refused to accept the Royal Commission recommendation for independant oversight of complaints handling. That speaks for itself.

B. Go to the Redress Scheme.
The Redress Scheme is for minimal compensation and does not investigate the alleged sex abuser or the complaint.

C. Go to the police.
Problems:

It can be very difficult to take that step.
A police investigation (if there is one) takes a very long time.

D. Civil suit
Problems: 1. Difficult, time consuming and expensive.

2. Will not necessarily obtain more complete information about the alleged sex abuser.

Solutions?
1. The bare minimum is independant oversight of complaints handling.

2. Better is independant handling and investigation of a complaint/report.
A simpler, quicker method than the police or a civil suit.

Fr Arturo Sosa SJ, Superior General, has appointed Father Quyen Vu SJ as the next Provincial of the Australian Province.

Many survivors will be very happy to see the last of Fr. Brian McCoy SJ.
Will anything change? The interesting thing here is the new guy is an outsider.
He has never been active in Australia.
Father_Quyen_Vu_SJ

Fr Dominic Vu Kim Quyen was born in Saigon and came as a refugee with his family to Australia.
He entered the Society of Jesus in 1994 and was ordained in 2004. He took final vows in 2014.
His early tertiary studies were in Science, Theology and Education.

He has been serving in Cambodia since 2015 and is currently Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education of the Jesuit Mission in Cambodia and director of Xavier Jesuit School Sisophon.
He previously served in Timor Leste and completed post-graduate studies in Education in Boston 2009-11.
He will assume this new role on January 1, 2021.
♦ jesuit.org.au

Labor MP Chris Hayes in hospital after collapsing in Parliament during impassioned speech

New South Wales Labor MP Chris Hayes has been taken to hospital after collapsing in Parliament while delivering an emotional speech about child sexual abuse.
Mr Hayes became visibly upset as he spoke about his cousin's experience of child sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church.
He was delivering the speech in Parliament when he suffered a medical episode and collapsed.
♦ www.abc.net.au

The secondary trauma on friends and family can be profound.

The Devil Is Attacking Our Priests

the cleric in question had hired two self-described dominatrices to engage in sex with him. On the altar.
the desire by some clerics not merely to gratify their worst desires, but to serve the Prince of Darkness
♦ /www.crisismagazine.com

OXA Presents Remember the days of the old school yard.
POSTPONED: One member not available it seems.

Two emails to Davina Calheim , the manager of the Old Xaverians, asking about a new date for the zoom meeting and asking if she sent my queries to the speakers have gone unanswered. Though the OXA facebook says event is postponed until mid September then says Thursday 27 August 6:30pm Zoom meeting. So, dunno, one of those I guess.

Graham_Sharp_etal

"Join The Gang of Four - Roly Howard, Graham Sharp, Graham O'Rourke and Paul Henderson for a trip down memory lane.
Come armed with questions and recollections of your time at Xavier College. "
Former teachers at Xavier College with a long history of involvement from the
1960's to the present.
None has ever said anything about the school's history of child sex abuse.
My attempts to contact Graham Sharp and Paul Henderson failed.
I have a few basic questions for them.
Will you disclose everything you know about sex abuse at Xavier College?
Will you disclose everything you know about the covering up of sex abuse at Xavier College?

And perhaps a few more...

Do you think its appropriate that the school takes money from a sex abuser's (Eldon Hogan) trust and have his name on a building and prizes for students?
Should the OXA do something to help the survivors of sex abuse?
Should Xavier College do something to help the survivors of sex abuse?
Did you read Marilyn Warren's report on Victor Higgs and do you agree with her recommendation that it is "highly desirable" and "reasonably expected" that the Society of Jesus investigate the other 21 instances (of moving sex offenders) between 1968 and 1971.
Do you agree with her conclusion that "there was a serious pattern of deviant criminal behaviour being perpetrated across the Society"
Do you think its right that non-personal archives information is denied to sex abuse survivors?

Silence is Complicity

The problem with getting people like these to disclose what they know is that the next question is always "why didn't you do something at the time"?
Which makes them look bad and morally compromised.

So it takes a lot of courage by a person to come out and speak the truth and accept that they were wrong at the time.
I don't think any of the above have any potential legal problems, at least for any inaction before 1994, but if they knew of sex abuse after the 1994 mandatory reporting law was introduced and didn't report it, they could be in a bit of bother.

Alleged sex abusers some or all of the above men would have known at Xavier College.
P.J. Stephenson s.j.
Noel Bradford s.j.
Philip Wallbridge s.j.
Peter Quin s.j.
Victor Higgs s.j.
Stan Hogan s.j.
Peter Beer s.j
Richard Galbraith s.j.
Lawrence Leonard s.j.
Willi Kovac
Brian O'Reilly
Glen Walls
Paul McMahon ex-SJ
Boarder Master A

THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE TOP 10++

Fr. Brian McCoy SJ
Brian_McCoy_sj_head

Brian won't talk on the record or reply to emails.

Paul Henderson
Paul_Henderson_01

Failure to face the music on ZOOM

Davina Calhaem
Davina_Calhaem

Failure to explain cancellation of "face the music on ZOOM".

Brendan Ellis.
Brendan_Ellis_1979_head

Xavier College teacher and Principal 1976 - 2009
Brendan won't talk.

William Doherty
Bill_Doherty_03_headmin

Xavier College Principal.
Bill won't talk on the record.

Peter "Roly" Howard
Peter_Howard_1969

Failure to face the music on ZOOM

Fr. Chris Gleeson SJ
chris_gleeson_head

Chris won't talk about his cover-ups.

Peter Norden
Peter_Norden

ex Jesuit priest. Consultant / Social policy advisor.
Peter won't talk.

Graham Sharp
Graham_Sharp_03

Failure to face the music on ZOOM

Graham O'Rourke nopic

Failure to face the music on ZOOM

Andrew Hamilton s.j.
Andrew_Hamilton_head

Kostka Hall and Xavier College teacher.
Andrew will talk but say nothing.

Michael Head s.j.
Michael_Head_sj

Superior of Campion House and Jesuit Archivist
Michael won't talk.

Chris Hayes suddenly resigns from St. Joseph's College, Sydney.

Headmaster of Sydney private school announces sudden resignation
The headmaster of St Joseph's College in Hunters Hill has announced his sudden resignation to the school community after less than three years as head of the high-fee private boys school.

In a letter to parents on Friday afternoon, headmaster Dr Chris Hayes said he would be leaving his position "effective immediately" and would not return after the school holidays.

Dr Hayes did not provide reason for his sudden resignation from the school.

"After much reflection, prayer and discernment with my loving family, I have chosen to resign as headmaster of the college effective immediately," he wrote.
Dr Hayes was formerly principal of Xavier College in Melbourne and headmaster of St Edmund’s College in Canberra, and had worked at Saint Ignatius' College Riverview in Sydney.
♦ Full text at www.smh.com.au

St. Joseph's College Old Boys Union facebook page posted Chris Hayes statement and the statement from Dr Frank Malloy, National Director of Marist Schools Australia.
But there is not one comment from any member.
I posted a comment "anyone know the real reason Chris Hayes resigned?". And it was removed.
SJC OBU ♦ https://www.facebook.com/SJCOBU/

The college website ♦ https://www.joeys.org/ does not say anything about it all.

The college facebook page says nothing about it. ♦ https://www.facebook.com/StJosephsCollegeHuntersHill/

The Letter from Marist Schools Australia says in part: " In particular Chris’ collaboration with victims and survivors of sexual abuse, as well as their supporters, has been important in progressing the creation of a memorial, which is to be situated in the College grounds."

There is a strange amount of silence about Hayes' "resignation".

Chris Hayes Xavier Principal - 2017

Chris oversaw the "apology" at Xavier College installing two plaques and a rock and holding a ceremony and the removal of Fr. Patrick J. Stephenson's name from the Sports Centre.
These events also provided us with one of the best alternative facts statements ever made.
"The Jesuits do not believe that the complaints against Fr Stephenson have been substantiated, but nor have we dismissed the allegations as wrong," College Rector Father Chris Middleton said in a statement.

"On the available evidence, there is room for genuine misunderstanding as to his intentions, as is explicitly acknowledged by one complainant"
♦ www.abc.net.au

Fr. Philip Wallbridge showers with the boys.

He was a teacher and the Rector and coached football and cricket.
The shower room was open with no privacy at all.
To encourage team spirit he would strip naked and shower with the senior boarders.
♦ Philip Wallbridge s.j. Biography

Fr. Noel Bradford's sports massage.

As a sports coach and caring for his teams fitness Fr. Bradford would come into the dormitory at night and massage a boy's penis.
♦ Noel Bradford s.j. Biography

Fr. Theodore Overberg s.j. celebrates 50 years of getting away with it.

Fr. Theodore Overberg s.j. celebrates 50 years of getting away with Child Sex Abuse in the Society of Jesus. ♦ Theo Overberg s.j. Biography "The entire Jesuit Curia in Rome gathered yesterday in the domestic Chapel of the Annunciation to thank God for the gift of Fr. Theo for his great contribution to Society of Jesus for the past 50 years." (08-Feb-2015)
Theo Overberg s.j. was the Boarders' Master at St. Ignatius College, Riverview , Sydney in the 1970's. where he had boys strip naked, lie face down on his bed, and hit them on the arse with his strap.
Three boys (so far) clearly remember this event
♦..... More.....♦

Archives Closed to Survivors

June 20, 2019. Been waiting 2 weeks for a yes or no about staff names I want.
The Archives question is getting more and more confused.

It looks like , as with abuse complaints, archives information requests from ALL archives in the country are being funnelled to the Provincial.
Who gets what or who gets nothing is up to him.
♦..... More.....♦

DEFAMATION

♦ Looking at Defamation (just in case)

Marilyn Warren / Victor Higgs Report

♦ Marilyn Warren / Victor Higgs Report

Ms. Warren says it is "highly desirable" and "reasonably expected" that the Society of Jesus investigate the other 21 instances between 1968 and 1971.

AND: "there was a serious pattern of deviant criminal behaviour being perpetrated across the Society"

The Jesuit's "Survivor Led Response"

♦ Lawyers, Lawyers and Lawyers.....
What happened in a Supreme Court ordered mediation.