HTTP/1.1 200 OKServer: nginxContent-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8X-Powered-By: WordPress VIP Host-Header: a9130478a60e5f9135f765b23f26593bX-Content-Type-Options: nosniffX-XSS-Protection: 1x-rq: syd2 177 249 80Cache-Control: must-revalidate, max-age=300Expires: Mon, 23 Jun 2025 13:28:05 GMTDate: Mon, 23 Jun 2025 13:23:05 GMTTransfer-Encoding:  chunkedConnection: keep-aliveConnection: Transfer-EncodingSet-Cookie: TPH=TSN-1780:72; expires=Mon, 21-Jul-2025 13:23:05 GMT; path=/; secure; HttpOnly; SameSite=StrictStrict-Transport-Security: max-age=600 ; includeSubDomainsContent-Security-Policy-Report-Only: frame-ancestors 'self'; report-uri https://www.news.com.au/csp-reportsContent-Security-Policy: block-all-mixed-content; style-src https: 'unsafe-inline'; script-src https: blob: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; img-src https: data:; frame-src https:;X-ARRRG5: /blaize/decision-engine?path=https%3a%2f%2fwww.news.com.au%2fweb-stories%2ffree%2fnews-com-au%2fgrace-tames-powerful-speech-at-the-school-where-she-was-abused%3fnk%3dd4fd537ff29480321d64cc0d8815e26d-1711775422&blaizehost=cdn.news.newscorp.blaize.io&content_id=&session=d4fd537ff29480321d64cc0d8815e26dX-ARRRG4: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/X-PathQS: TRUEX-R: GYYTUUZ2IZAUYU2FHJDECTCTIU5FIRKTKREE6TKFHJXHK3DMHJSGKZTBOVWHIOSSKM5EIORRFU4TQOSBHI4TSLJZHE5EEORRGAYC2MJQGA5EGORRGAYS2MJQGE5EQOSUKJKUKOSGIFGFGRJ2KRJU4LJRG44DAORXGI5GIZLGMF2WY5B2KJEDURB2GEWTSOB2IE5DSOJNHE4TUQR2GEYDALJRGAYDUQZ2GEYDCLJRGAYTUMJXGUYDMOBUHE4DKX-CookieTest: 72Vary: User-AgentAkamai-GRN: 0.6c4e6168.1750684985.28187b61
'Full circle':Grace Tame's powerful speech to former high school
Words: Nina FunnellProducer: Bianca Farmakis
This story discusses sexual assault. If you, or anyone you know needs support, contact:Lifeline 13 11 14Beyond Blue 1300 224 6361800-RESPECT 1800 737 732
Grace Tame stood before her former high school, speaking to students the same age she was when she was sexually abused by a teacher years ago. In a rousing speech, she discussed the impact of child sex abuse, and how we reshape the future.
Grace, the Australian of the Year 2021, revisited St Michael’s Collegiate Girls’ school in Hobart, detailing the grooming and repeated assault that occurred on school grounds by her former maths teacher Nicolaas Bester. Despite the support she received from select staff members, she faced immense cruelty after speaking up.
Grace, who had been a dual scholarship holder at Collegiate, was mercilessly bullied on the playground, called a “homewrecker” and a “slut” by her peers, who she says lacked the framework to properly understand abuse.
When Grace eventually returned to another school, she graduated with an ATAR of 98.3. Her abuser had already completed his two year and six month jail sentence and enrolled at University of Tasmania, living in student quarters. As the only university in the state, Grace moved overseas to study safely.
Now Grace wants all students to know what she didn’t at that age: that abuse is never the child’s fault.
thrives in silence. 
“
They groom everyone in order to get what they want.
Perpetrators don’t just groom individuals.
—Grace Tame
Evil
Describing grooming as the “careful manipulation” of our minds to “normalise and accept abuse”, Grace pointed to the corrupt culture gripping society that allows such crimes to occur.
Nothing is incapable of being
“
to be done.
There remains
—Grace Tame
work
But nothing is set in stone.
transformed
redefined.
and
																																								

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/web-stories/free/news-com-au/grace-tames-powerful-speech-at-the-school-where-she-was-abused