Brisbane Grammar old boys shun sex abuse victim bid to sue school

Brisbane Grammar Old Boys’ Association has turned against one of its own, refusing to support sexual abuse victim David Welsh in his public fight for $30m in damages from the elite school.

Brisbane Grammar old boys have been accused of turning against one of their own by refusing to support sexual abuse victim David Welsh in his public fight for $30m in damages from the elite school.

Closing ranks around the 152-year-old institution, the Old Boys’ Association has removed a Facebook post backing Mr Welsh’s campaign.

It comes after The Courier-Mail revealed Mr Welsh intended to sue the school for economic loss after he quit his $1m-a-year investment banking job in 2002 due to psychiatric conditions caused by abuse by paedophile counsellor Kevin Lynch in the 1980s.

Mr Welsh, 51, who lives with his parents in Morningside and is unable to hold down a job or form relationships, said he was very disappointed with the Old Boys’ Association.

He said it appeared to believe its role was to support the school “at all costs”, despite having “absolutely no idea of the damage the school has caused”.

The deleted Facebook message, which pointed to Mr Welsh’s crowdfunding campaign to pay his legal costs, was posted on May 31 by a recently graduated student of the school.

David Welsh spoke exclusively to the Courier-Mail about abuse he suffered while at School in Brisbane. Pics Adam Head

Within minutes it had been deleted by site administrator Adam Franklin, a 1997 senior.

When the younger man asked if the truth was offensive, Mr Franklin replied: “The truth is the truth, and awful what has happened. And at the same time the OBA must support BGS as a school.”

The younger man then said: “We should be a unified front when it comes to supporting our fellow old boys.”

Mr Franklin replied: “100% need to support survivors of abuse. And lots has been done publicly and privately.”

The younger man said: “So we stop trying to help victims and survivors of abuse? This isn’t what a Grammar man would do, we would and should support each other through thick and thin.”

Mr Franklin said supporting survivors was a key focus of the OBA, which would address the issue at its next meeting in June.

He said the GoFundMe account had the express goal of raising money to sue BGS and “that goal goes against the OBA constitution”.

However, the younger man said the stated objectives of the constitution clearly prioritised supporting old boys, and removing his post was wrong. The objectives, in order, are:

1: to effect a bond of union among past students

2: to promote a spirit of comradeship to form an effective link between past and present students

3: to promote the welfare and interests of the school

4: to promote, advance, carry out, and do such acts, matters and things, which may be conducive to the general wellbeing of the life members of the association and the school;

5: to promote and preserve the history of the school and the association; and

6: to do all such other acts and things as may be necessary to carry out and give effect to all or any of the above objects.

The Courier-Mail contacted Mr Franklin for comment.