More alleged victims of abuse at prestigious Geelong schools come forward
Some of Geelong’s most prestigious schools have seen allegations of abuse continue to mount. More than 30 alleged victims of historic sexual and or physical abuse have come forward in three weeks.
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Abuse allegations continue to mount against Geelong’s most prestigious schools.
In three weeks, 31 alleged victims of historic sexual and or physical abuse across Geelong Grammar School, Geelong College and St Joesph’s College have come forward, activist Michael Advocate says.
Allegations span from the 1970s to the early 2000s, Mr Advocate said.
Geelong Grammar has been the highest represented among the victims who have come forward, followed by Geelong College and then St Joseph’s College, Mr Advocate said.
Mr Advocate launched his Victim Justice support program for victims locally about three weeks ago.
“These critical issues should have been dealt with years — and actually decades ago,” Mr Advocate said.
“Some victims stated that in hindsight they now realised how mentally traumatised and incapacitated they actually were at the time they signed the deed.”
Mr Advocate, who uses a pseudonym, said a number of victims had complained about unjust settlement deeds they had felt pressured into entering.
The principals of both Geelong Grammar School and Geelong College have recently written to their school communities, informing them more historic abuse cases involving the school were expected to go to court.
“We can only move forward if we recognise the devastating effects of childhood sexual abuse, keep sight of the learnings as to how such depravity was enabled, and by doing all we can to prevent such trauma ever being repeated,” Geelong Grammar principal Rebecca Cody wrote.
“Whilst we cannot undo the failures of the past, together we can recognise the pain caused, and together, we can support and enable a culture which fortifies against such devastating harms and places child safety at its core.”
Geelong College principal Peter Miller said the school was expecting to see “a small number of cases” of historic abuse escalate to court in the near future.
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The school last month stumped up about $1 million to settle a case with a former student who was sexually abused by a teacher in 1969.
Mr Advocate’s program is designed to offer support, with a focus on wellbeing, to victims preparing to come forward and seek redress or launch litigation.
Abuse by staff at Geelong Grammar, St Joseph’s College and Geelong College was raised in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
— Survivors can contact Michael Advocate at michael.advocate@outlook.com or 0475 410 200