Sex, texts, ‘wangers’: Qld’s elite school scandals exposed
From historical sex abuse claims to fraud charges and more, the punches have just kept coming for our elite schools.
Education
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It has been a tough couple of years for some of southeast Queensland’s best, and most expensive, private schools.
From historical sex abuse claims to an allegedly vicious anti-women culture, fraud charges and more, the punches have just kept coming.
But, amid the scandals, there are thankfully signs a corner has been turned for many of these schools.
PMSA/SOMERVILLE HOUSE
Secret nude strategy meetings in a Korean bathhouse by two PMSA officials were just the start of the woes to befall prestigious South Brisbane girls’ school Somerville House four years ago.
The leaking of a string of embarrassing texts between the executive and chair of the PMSA (Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association) in October, 2017, precipitated a chain reaction of events.
It culminated in beloved Somerville House principal Flo Kearney, who was left to deal with the public relations fallout from the bathhouse revelations, being wrongly stood down by the PMSA after she confronted its executive and chair.
Outraged parents staged a street march to defend Ms Kearney, launched mass petitions and law suits began flying between a parent lobby group and the PMSA.
Ms Kearney later received an undisclosed payout and belated public apology from the PMSA.
PMSA executive Rick Hiley, who attended the Apollo Day Spa meetings with then PMSA chair, Robert McCall, fronted court in October last year on charges, related to the texts, of dishonestly obtaining computer data records.
The charges were later dropped and Mr Hiley also received a payout, said to reach six figures.
Despite mostly quieter times since new principal Kim Kiepe took over, complaints emerged that Somerville House had been without a functioning P&F association since November last year amid allegations of a million-dollar cash freeze.
The scandals led to the formation of lobby group Beyond PMSA and an overhaul of the PMSA. All but one of the 2017 board members have since left.
Incoming PMSA board chair Morgan Parker set about what he called the herculean task of modernising the organisation, which oversees Somerville, Brisbane Boys College and two other elite private schools.
But Parker quit his voluntary role in April and new chief executive officer, Sharon Callister, recently also left.
PMSA/BRISBANE BOYS’ COLLEGE
While the PMSA bathhouse saga was unfolding south of the Brisbane River, on its northern shores in Toowong the first signs of serious trouble were emerging.
In August, 2019, BBC was rocked by “wanger-gate’’.
Rowing coach David Bellamy was given his marching orders for telling his squad not to twirl their “wangers” (penises).
The school later was forced to admit Mr Bellamy never did anything wrong, but it took a five-year battle to clear his name.
A confidential settlement between the parties in the Queensland Supreme Court is understood to include a payment and Mr Bellamy’s legal costs, said to top $1 million.
The PMSA was again forced to issue a grovelling apology.
Then, in October last year, the PMSA received a complaint from parents of four BBC boys who were expelled for allegedly hitting a boy incorrectly accused of sexting another boy’s girlfriend.
Parents of the boys sought up to $750,000 in a negligence claim.
They claimed school staff tried to force confessions, that allegations of sexting were not investigated and BBC should pay for therapy and for new school enrolments for each boy.
Then things got really bad.
Principal Paul Brown’s handling of the bashing matter was seen as the reason for Mr Brown later tendering his resignation, although supporters claim he was unfairly pushed by the PMSA.
In August last year then BBC Council Chair Mark Gray delivered a blistering, public resignation letter claiming there were plans to ramp up the school’s contributions to the PMSA’s “bloated’’ running costs.
Then, well respected BBC Council member Bridget Cullen was forced to resign and publicly apologise for creating a Facebook page, triggered by the theft of her BMW, which disparaged people from lower socio-economic areas.
It was claimed a senior staff member leaked details of the page in an effort to destabilise those questioning the performance of the staff member.
Deputy Headmaster Peter Franks resigned soon after in March, one week after his wife Lea Walker-Franks - the school’s director of community engagement and foundation executive officer. More resignations have followed.
Despite the string of bad headlines, insiders say BBC has turned a corner.
They say the PMSA is now reformed thanks to the efforts of its former head Morgan Parker, who also recently resigned.
BRISBANE GRAMMAR SCHOOL
In June last year news broke that arguably the most prestigious school in Queensland was being sued for $2 million by a former student who claimed he was horrifically bullied.
The landmark case alleged BGS failed to protect the student, now 20, from school bullies and that regular beatings had triggered brain damage, obsessive compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder.
The athletics scholarship student alleged he was bullied between 2013 and 2015, a claim filed in the Supreme Court stated.
The man said he was grabbed in a headlock and punched in the neck, lashed in the calves with a computer cord, choked with a computer cord for 30 seconds by a group of boys and repeatedly punched in the face by other boys.
The school has said it will fully defend the case, but said it could not comment on an ongoing court matter.
In April this year news broke that a dozen former BGS students had lodged historical sexual abuse compensation claims in the past year.
The students joined the National Redress Scheme, created in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
A statement from the school said it was possible there may be “future claims from other former students in relation to historical sexual abuse”.
The claims were understood to be related to sadistic serial paedophile Kevin Lynch, who worked at Brisbane Grammar as a counsellor in the 1970s and 1980s.
The horrific crimes of Lynch were laid bare during the Royal Commission, with Brisbane Grammar settling claims with more than 130 former students over the past two decades and paying out more than $2.6 million in the past four years alone.
Lynch committed suicide in 1997, a day after being charged by police.
He went on to work as a counsellor and continue his crimes at St Paul’s School.
Last year’s annual report also revealed BGS spent more than $1.1 million that year in settlements, counselling and fees relating to Lynch.
Last week it was revealed that another former BGS student, former high-flying Goldman Sachs investment banker David Welsh, was suing the school for $30 million in a personal injury claim related his alleged abuse at the hands of Lynch.
KIMBERLEY COLLEGE
Former school principal Paul Thomson is facing court over allegations of embezzling millions from the private school he founded, but claims he is owed $1.3m because he did not take a paid holiday or any long service leave for nearly two decades.
Thomson, 76, is suing Kimberley College Limited and three of the college’s directors in the Federal Circuit Court in Brisbane.
He was sacked for what the College alleged was serious misconduct, including the alleged misappropriation of “significant funds”.
Thomson was charged by police in September 2019 over the $4.6 million embezzling allegations, which are yet to be heard.
He is facing six charges including fraud, extortion, using a restricted computer without permission and making a false declaration.
Details of Mr Thomson’s claim against the school were revealed in a decision handed down
in December by Federal Circuit Court Judge Michael Jarrett, who refused Mr Thomson’s application to stay the rest of his compensation claim against Kimberley College until after criminal charges are heard.
Judge Jarrett ruled that Mr Thomson had “actively waived” his right to remain silent on issues related to his criminal charges “by engaging in these proceedings to the extent that he has”.
Amy Ferguson is charged with charged with extortion, perjury, using a restricted computer without consent and two charges of fraud.
Jennifer Thomson and Kevin Ferguson are each charged with two counts of fraud.
But in August, 2020, a Supreme Court judge struck out the college’s statement of claim in its case against Mr Thomson and the other family members.
Justice Jean Dalton ordered the case be stayed for three months.
The decision by Justice Dalton, including four costs orders against the college, was described by Anthony Morris QC as a “huge win” for Mr Thomson and his family.
The judge said there was a general allegation that the defendants caused or permitted the college to pay them $2.3 million “for an improper purpose”.
However she said some paragraphs of the pleadings did not make any factual allegations and they were only “an idea”, but not one with any legal content.
“What this signifies is that so far, the college has not been able to come up with a viable claim to run in the court,” Mr Morris said outside court.
ST COLUMBA’S COLLEGE
Michael Patrick Robertson, a popular teacher at the inner-city primary school, took his own life in February this year amid allegations he filmed students in change rooms.
The Year 6 teacher, 51, died two days after the school informed parents a police investigation was under way.
He had been charged by police with making observations or recording in breach of privacy relating to filming children with his mobile phone in a change room.
He had been due to face court on April 30.
It was later revealed Robertson had previously faced investigation into mishandling a child protection complaint at another school.
The arrest of the veteran teacher and racehorse owner, well-known in Queensland’s social circles, shook Brisbane’s Catholic community where he had taught at several prestigious private schools.
It was alleged Robertson had used a mobile phone to attempt to film a number of girls while they changed for a swimming event.
After the students told their parents and the school, police were immediately called on February 18 and electronic devices seized, including Robertson’s phone and computers.
In 2014, Robertson was named in a parents’ complaint about the alleged mishandling of a child protection issue surrounding a female student at a primary school at which he had previously taught.
Parents had raised concerns with Robertson about a highly sexualised student who had been accessing pornography, among other claims.
Parents complained to Catholic Education, accusing Robertson and the school of being dismissive and not following mandatory requirements to report their concerns to the Department of Child Safety.
SEX ASSAULT CULTURE, MULTIPLE SCHOOLS
In March this year explosive allegations were aired about an allegedly violent, misogynistic culture at exclusive boys’ schools including BGS, BBC, Toowoomba Grammar School, Nudgee College, St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace (“Terrace’’), Anglican Church Grammar School (“Churchie’’) and St Laurence’s College.
The revelations were sparked by a petition created by Sydney student Chanel Contos, which went viral.
Ms Contos said distressing stories from Queensland girls quickly flooded in after the petition was shared on social media.
One posted by a former All Hallows’ student alleged she was raped by a boy from the prestigious St Laurence’s School in Brisbane, while a second All Hallows’ student claims she was coerced into losing her virginity to a Churchie boy and woke up “covered in blood”.
Another wrote there were “multiple occasions with various students from St Laurence’s and St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace – I learnt the hard way about consent’’.
“I was raped and left in the dark, bleeding between my legs as I was robbed of my virginity. “It was painful and I didn’t tell anyone because I was ashamed.”
A claim by a former Stuartholme student alleges she was raped at a party by a Terrace student.
A post claiming to be from a former St Aidan’s Anglican Girls School student alleges she was raped in Year 9 by a Year 10 Nudgee College student.
“Immediately after the assault I told a friend and she slut shamed me and told me I was ‘too drunk’ and asked ‘what did you expect’,” it read.
A fellow St Aidan’s student wrote she was “digitally raped” at a school dance by a BBC student while his friends laughed.
In February this year, a former BGGS students’ allegations on the petition went viral.
Another girl, Stephanie, said she was just 14 when she was allegedly raped by two Churchie boys at a house party in Brisbane’s north.
Earlier this month Villanova College was rocked by the release of footage of male students using “offensive and extremely misogynistic and sexual language” in a social media post.
QUEENSLAND ACADEMY FOR SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND TECHNOLOGY
Despite posting the highest university entry scores in Queensland, this “smart state’’ college has been plagued by bad headlines in recent times.
The most recent, earlier this month, involved revelations principal Kath Kayrooz and deputy principal Tanya Haggarty employed relatives over a number of years at the school.
One of Ms Kayrooz’s children has reportedly been employed at the school for more than five years in multiple roles, including for six months from August 2018 as “personal assistant to (the) principal” – their mother.
Their LinkedIn page has them listed as currently being employed at the school as both a teacher aide and as an international and domestic tour organiser, arranging STEM tours for students.
They were also listed as being employed at the school as a laboratory assistant for two years, from 2016.
Another of Ms Kayrooz’s children was listed as working at the school for more than two years from 2015 as a freelance videographer, then as a part-time marketing assistant from January 2018 until last month.
Meanwhile a child of Ms Haggarty’s is listed as being employed at QASMT since May 2015.
They too were recorded as being previously employed as an “executive assistant to the principal”, appearing to have taken up the role vacated by Ms Kayrooz’s child at the beginning of 2020.
Prior to that, they were employed part-time as an administrative assistant at QASMT, with their current position listed as part-time teacher aide.
There is no suggestion that the children of the principals were undeserving of the positions.
NUDGEE JUNIOR COLLEGE
Now known as Ambrose Treacy College and based in Indooroopilly, historical child abuse allegations were revealed earlier this month.
The abuse allegedly involved young boys who attended the Catholic boys’ school from the mid-1960s to mid-1980s.
Principal of Ambrose Treacy College, Chris Ryan, said he was unaware of any specifics around the allegations.
“I empathise with and feel compassion for anybody who has experienced harm in any way,” said Mr Ryan, who joined the college in 2020.
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers placed an advertisement in The Courier-Mail stating it was “investigating allegations of abuse at the school” and needed the help of students who attended between 1965 and 1985.
During the time the alleged abuse occurred, Nudgee Junior was predominantly a primary boarding school run by the Christian Brothers.
A spokesperson for the Christian Brothers Oceania Province declined to comment.
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