‘Absolutely distraught’: Former students tell of girls impacted in Pembroke footy fines debacle
Former students have revealed their female siblings at Pembroke School are avoiding the college after revelations of a misogynistic and racist fines list.
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Former students at the state’s most expensive private college have revealed the toll a racist and misogynistic fines list has taken on their female siblings, who no longer want to go to school.
Multiple sources have told The Advertiser that some footballers at Pembroke, which charges more than $31,000 in fees for year 12, created a spreadsheet of finable “offences” that included “kissing a whale”, “you’re having sloppy seconds” and “your girlfriend’s crazy”.
Another offence involved a disgraceful racist slur degrading and targeting Indigenous women.
A recent graduate of Pembroke, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Advertiser their sister, who is currently finishing year 12 at the school, does not feel comfortable attending the college following the incident.
“She’s had a lot of difficulty getting to school in the morning which is very unlike her,” the former student said of their sister.
“She’s absolutely distraught.”
The old scholar said their sister has been to school once since the incident and refused to go to school on Wednesday because some of the students involved in creating the spreadsheet have not been punished.
“It’s definitely the feeling that these boys are still walking around on the school grounds and acting like nothing happened and actually making a joke out of it,” the graduate said.
She was one of multiple students who do not want to come to school, the former student said.
The former student said all of the students involved needed to be suspended or be part of “intervention programs where a cultural leader could come in and discuss the impact”.
It is understood a school assembly was held last Friday to address the issue and that dozens of students have been spoken to.
The school has not said what, if any, disciplinary action was being taken but principal Mark Staker said Pembroke was adhering to its duty of care to young people.
Since the incident was made aware to staff, the graduate said they believed the spreadsheet had been “completely wiped”.
During the former student’s time at the school they observed “misogynistic language towards women from the footy boys”.
Girls at the school were called “bitch”, “whale”, or “slut” in language that was “very body shaming”.
“I was called a bitch a lot and a whale,” one graduate said.
“It’s a very difficult thing to navigate when you’re young and it definitely made me very self conscious.”
Another former student, also with a sister at the school, said the fines list was “disgusting, misogynistic and showed a lack of care about other people and a sense of entitlement”.
“It made her feel extremely uncomfortable and she’s always felt that Pembroke was a safe space but now she doesn’t feel comfortable in the school environment anymore,” the graduate said.
The old scholar said there was a “societal influence with influencers such as Andrew Tate” on the footy players.
“It’s definitely a problem with a group of boys,” they said.
Parent Linh Thomson of Fulham Gardens said her 15-year-old daughter, a student at Pembroke, told her about the concerning behaviour displayed by a few students.
However, Ms Thomson acknowledged the situation to be complicated for young people who are growing up in a world with easy access to phones and social media.
“Kids nowadays live in a very complex society, with social media … they sometimes don’t understand the impact of what they say online will have on a person,” she said.
Ms Thomson said she was worried about the effect this will have on young girls.
“(The girls) are so young, it’s such a sensitive topic to them, their confidence and feelings about their outward appearance would be affected,” she said.
In a statement to The Advertiser on Tuesday, Mr Staker said the school was “working in partnership with families to move through this challenge sensitively, delicately and educatively”.
“It has been an extensive process which remains ongoing and it is being managed in a way where dignity, support and fairness are extended to all,” he said.
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