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Victims' Stories (listen and read)
StoryCorps Interviews with SNAP members: http://www.snapnetwork.org/stories
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- You be the Judge - The Marita Murphy Story
CLICK on the title above to view the video documentary.
You
be the Judge is a documentary about Marita Murphy, a child sexual abuse
survivor. Marita details her life and her fight in the justice system
and her difficulties being heard.
In
Marita's words: Hello world, l'm Marita Murphy. I was seven years old
when l was sexually abused. Over forty years later, after my Mother was
dead, and when I could no longer hold it in, I went to the Police. When
l first rang them l found l couldn't utter a single word!!
The
Policeman kindly said "Lady I don't know what's happened to you but I
think you need to see a counseller." I did that, but what I really
needed was justice and to be heard.
The documentary “You Be The Judge” has been published on Youtube as well as The FAQyMe Gene, which is a website made by John Brown to address the issue of child sexual abuse.
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Body of Evidence – Older Survivors
and the Law- Keith Thomas Davis' Story
Over
time the Australian Independent Media Network (AIMN) has, amongst many
of the other things it does, proven itself to be a sensitive and
non-judgemental supporter of Survivors of childhood sexual abuse. It
has provided Survivors a platform to express their sometimes quite raw
and confronting stories.
As
a Survivor who was afforded such an opportunity by AIMN I fully realise
that in this life you cannot just take, it also requires that you stand
up and give back. There must be a balancing in such things.
As
I write this I am thinking about Survivors in my age group who might
just now be thinking of whether, after the passing of the majority of
their lifetime, they should finally embark on the difficult legal
journey to attain justice and redress.
They
represent a cohort of Survivors in our society who will never get the
chance to stand up in Court and directly confront their abusers. They
will never get that chance because their abusers are long dead, and
those Survivor’s claims for justice and fair compensation are deemed to
be historical, and therefore, very difficult to prove.
I am specifically directing this article to Survivors of my generation. I
am soon to be 69 years old. My experiences were hardly unique. How
those experiences impacted on my whole life may be unique to me, but
the abuse experiences themselves represent a commonality of experience
unfortunately endured by far too many children in those years that are
now almost a full lifetime ago.
To read the full story about Keith Thomas Davis' CLICK HERE.
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What happened to Rosemary's testimony?
Hundreds of pages detailing the destruction of a family and
the daily humiliation to which a little girl was subjected were handed to the
Royal Commission. Friend Sylvia says, "I know, because I helped edit them. Rosemary gave everything
she had to recalling her childhood, because only she knew what it had cost her,
and finally she had a chance to share her story. By the time she had finished
recounting her painful memories, she had written something evocative and
powerful". To continue reading about Rosemary's story and to view her documents CLICK HERE
BEGA District News readers may remember “John”, a victim of child
sexual abuse at the hands of Maurice Van Ryn. He has also shared his experience of finally receiving an apology from
the Church – 55 years after the abuse began. “Everyone should have the courage to stand up for the child and speak
out against the paedophile,” John writes. John has offered a compassionate and understanding ear to those trying to
come to terms with abuse.
He is willing to speak with people further about his own experiences or
child abuse in general, with confidentiality integral to any contact.
Send an email to BDN editor Ben Smyth on ben.smyth@fairfaxmedia.com.au or
call Ben on 6492 1177 and he will get you in touch with John.
Click here to read John's story ... From Bega, NSW, John's Story
She again was abused more
than twenty years later, this time by the Catholic Church when she reported to
them the crime committed by one of their members. She then embarked on a
lonely, hopeless road to alert the Australian government of the fraudulent and
intimidating practice of the Catholic Church when dealing with victim
compensation. Articles published by Secret Tears on May 27, 2015 and August 5, 2014 are at this ABC link: https://open.abc.net.au/people/14922
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March 4, 2014. Father Tom Knowles, to the horror his victim, Jennifer Herrick, and
others who had suffered abuse at the hands of priests, was returned to
active ministry at St Francis’ Church in Melbourne. However, due to parishoners objection, on February 24, 2013, The Age reported that the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne had removed Knowles from one of Australia’s busiest churches.
Jennifer's story can be assembled from the press accounts that
have covered her case. Her latest post in the press comes from an
article in Freethinker by Barry Duke, "I also want to tell you, Barry – and I’m sure you will be pleased to
know – that I recently have taken out civil court proceedings against
Tom Knowles and the trustees and the still-living provincial leaders of
his Order (who ought to have been aware of what he was doing, being
responsible for him) in the Supreme Court of NSW."
http://freethinker.co.uk/2014/03/04/freethinker-helps-abuse-victim-gain-support-in-lawsuit-against-a-catholic-priest-in-australia/
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/priest-in-pulpit-after-big-payout-20130119-2d08i.html
http://www.smh.com.au/national/predator-priest-returns-to-duty-20130119-2czy4.html
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/church-backflips-on-predator-priest-20130223-2eyef.html
http://www.smh.com.au/national/backdown-as-catholic-church-removes-priest-20130223-2ey3j.html
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February 8, 2014. Paddy* was abused and tortured at the hands of his primary educator. He talked
to Natalie Holmes about the bitterness and the brutality. Paddy* was just a kid
when he was abused by a staff member at the Catholic college he attended. At
first, it seemed like a lovely place, but the dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
Now, more than half a century later, those memories still haunt him and Paddy
recalls some of the horrors of that time at the hands of someone into whose
care his parents had entrusted him. CLICK HERE to read the full story.
*Paddy’s name has been changed
to protect his identity. He has also chosen not to name his attacker or the
school he attended.
February 8, 2014. Di Frost was just four years old when abuse started at home. Her
nightmare escalated when she was also abused by a member of the
Catholic Church. She recently made a statement to the Royal Commission
into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and was brave enough
to share her story with NATALIE HOLMES. CLICK HERE to read the full story.
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September 13, 2013. Child abuse survivor Tony Nolan explains why he believes it's important
to speak up, as the Royal Commission on Child abuse prepares to hold its
first hearings in Sydney. CLICK HERE to view video of Tony.
May 20, 2013, North Queensland Register article. By a campfire at a school retreat, a 10-year-old boy sings Fire and
Rain, James Taylor's sad and sweet ballad of the times. It is 1972. The
boy is John Saunders, the youngest of nine children from a Catholic
family that loves to sing. Listening are schoolmates from Marist
Brothers Primary, Mosman, and a lay teacher in whom John has found a
friend, a man he has come to love and trust. Twenty-five
years later, in March 1997, Saunders will recall this evening while
making a statement to police, detailing how the teacher betrayed that
trust. And in December that year, Saunders will describe his spiral into
depression to an eminent clinical psychologist commissioned by the
Marist Brothers. CLICK HERE to read the full story
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Interview of Patricia Feenan by Carol Duncan, ABC Newcastle, (Local Radio)
March 26, 2013. . When senior NSW Police Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox told ABC TV's
Lateline programme that the Catholic Church had covered up crimes by paedophile
priests, silenced investigations and destroyed evidence to avoid prosecution -
the public outrage triggered a Royal Commission into institutional child abuse.
One of the stories that led to this is that of Patricia Feenan's son, Daniel, a
14-year-old altar boy when first raped by a priest in the Newcastle/Maitland
diocese. CLICK HERE for the audio interview
Sunday
Mar. 10, 2013, Herald Sun article. MOST people don’t understand the impact of sexual
abuse. They rattle off words like ‘rape’ and ‘molestation’ but
they don’t really understand it. If they did, they’d do something about
it. My husband, John, and I have four boys, Daniel, Luke, Dominic and
Bernard. We raised them on a 25-acre property 40 minutes from
Newcastle, NSW, and led a happy life with a strong Catholic faith. The
boys were 11, 10, seven and three when Father James Fletcher arrived in
our parish. CLICK HERE for the rest of the story
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Mon. Nov. 12, 2012 . Anti-child
abuse campaigner Chrissie Foster who is fighting for change within the
Catholic system discusses the tragic story of her daughters, who were
abused over a number of years by members of the clergy.
CLICK HERE for the rest of the story
When will the other churches come to the party? Why are they silent and letting
the Catholics take all the heat? Aged 17 I was groomed and assaulted by an
Anglican church official. Nearly 14 years after I first complained, they are
still telling me to go away. In 1997, they said I had to withdraw my complaint
from the Police before they would investigate. Then they said "he didn't do it"
and told me to go away. Then after continued pressure, they appointed a
barrister who said my complaint was substantiated. Then they fired the
perpetrator and told me to go away. Although they magnanimously paid for some
counselling, they have never once apologised or taken responsibility for the
destruction of my childhood. They say at 17 I should have known better. But I
had only just turned 17 and was a school leaver. I had never even seen a male
unclothed before he exposed himself to me in the cathedral organ loft. I am
still waiting for any form of justice. This is despite a memo obtained from the
Diocesan office that detailed his molestation of a 12 year old in the 1950s!
CLICK HERE for the rest of the story
StoryCorps Interview with Nicky and other SNAP members: http://www.snapnetwork.org/stories
Direct link to interview with Nicky Davis: CLICK HERE.
Interview:
MICHAEL EDWARDS (ABC News PM): A gloomy sky and rain provide a sombre backdrop for Nicky Davis
as she visits St Anthony in the Fields Church for the first time in decades.
As a child she attended mass at the parish, which is located in Terrey
Hills, a suburb north of Sydney.
NICKY
DAVIS: It's certainly extremely uncomfortable. It's not a place I ever
want to be. I'm trying not to go down the path of remembering the abuse
itself but
there's also lots of feelings of how badly I was treated.
MICHAEL EDWARDS (ABC News PM): Nicky Davis says that she was
abused by a member of the Passionist Order, Vincent Crawford, or Brother Brendan
as he was then known. Looking inside the church she recalls attending
mass there as a young girl. She says her memories of Brother Brendan are
terrifying. ... CLICK HERE for the rest of the interview .................... CLICK HERE for Nicky's letter to Pope Benedict relating her story and struggles.
I am a single Mother of 6 beautiful children. I am a member of the Catholic
Church community in Healesville. My eldest son who was just 14 at the time, was
devoted to his faith and participated in the mass as an altar boy of the St
Brigid’s Parish, He had worked under several priests before Fr Pavlou was
introduced to our parish. Fr Pavlou became infatuated with my son to the
point he couldn’t go a day without seeing him. Even when I set Boundaries of
their interaction he continually broke them and encouraged my son to lie to me
and teachers. CLICK HERE for the rest of the story.
Dear Pope,
I heard the other day that you apologized to five people in America who have
been abused by Roman Catholic priests. Unfortunately, I feel that, like all of
the Catholic Church’s efforts to deal with clergy sexual abuse, this was a
gesture designed to protect the good name of the church.
But, you were not the one who had to lay awake at night, wondering if the car
travelling at breakneck speed, disappearing in the distance, was the last time
you would hear your son, a victim of a now convicted Roman Catholic priest,
alive.
You were not the one who had to take your son to hospital at 2.30 in the
morning, because he had broken three bones in his hand, in a fit of anger and
guilt, because his mind had been so poisoned, that the priest was able to
convince him everything was his fault. CLICK HERE for the rest of the story.
It has taken most of her life to discover, but Noreen Wood knows now she is a
fighter. Like most victims of sexual abuse, she has many needs - financial,
physical and emotional - but the most urgent, the one that drives her even when
she feels that tackling the Catholic Church is like tilting at windmills, is for
the truth to be heard and acknowledged. CLICK HERE for the rest of the story................CLICK HERE for Related story
One August evening in l947, nine-year-old Betty Millar (then Betty Payne) was
called into the school hall of St Anthony's orphanage in Feltham, Middlesex,
where she lived with 70 or so other children. Betty noticed that some of the
home's young charges were puzzlingly absent. Without any preamble, the missing
girls were brought in and the head of the orphanage announced these children had
been picked to go and live in Australia, sailing the following day. Some of the
children who had been picked had led such sheltered lives they thought Australia
was a coastal resort in Britain, where they were going for a day trip.
CLICK HERE for the rest of the story
A
NEWCASTLE woman, whose statement to future Catholic Archbishop Philip
Wilson about pedophile priest Denis McAlinden prompted an attempted
secret defrocking of McAlinden in 1995, has lodged a formal complaint
with police. "On behalf of all of the victims of Denis McAlinden, I am
seeking justice," the woman wrote to Lake Macquarie Detective Inspector
Dave Waddell yesterday. CLICK HERE for the rest of the story
ONE of Victoria's most senior Catholic figures, Bendigo's Bishop Joseph
Grech, broke church rules by leaking an abuse complainant's details, and
allegedly described her as ''crazy''. Bishop Grech was forced to write a letter of apology to Eaglehawk resident
Michelle Goldsmith after an internal church inquiry headed by a senior Catholic
cleric. Bishop Grech breached the confidentiality designed to protect a clerical
abuse victim when he spoke about Mrs Goldsmith with the former Eaglehawk parish
president. ... CLICK HERE for the rest of the story
Michael Rounce's Story
More
than 30 years ago Mary and Mike Rounce told Catholic Bishop Leo Clarke
of their concerns about priest and St Pius X teacher John Denham and
his behaviour with their son Michael. On Friday in Sydney District
Court Judge Helen Syme sentenced former Hunter paedophile priest John
Denham to jail until at least June 2022. Today the Rounces will tell
Maitland Newcastle Bishop Michael Malone how Bishop Clarke’s failure to
act, along with many others including St Pius X principal Tom Brennan,
contributed to Michael’s death. ... CLICK HERE for the rest of the story
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