Ballarat’s children: Denis Ryan a hero in John Day pedophile cover-up

A pedophile priest, aided by authorities, abused more than 500 people in rural Victoria. One man who acted paid a price.

Former detective Denis Ryan and, inset, pedophile priest John Day.

Today, the first episode of The Australian’s new investigative podcast series, Ballarat’s Children becomes available.

It tells the remarkable story of an unrestrained pedophile priest in Mildura, Monsignor John Day, and the protection afforded to him by the most senior detective in the region, Jim Barritt, and Clerk of the Courts - then the most senior officer of the court in Mildura, Joe Kearney.

In the 1960s, the three men ran Mildura like they owned it. They profited from scams, fraud and extortion but the primary purpose of their cosy little racket was the protection of Day as he preyed upon children.

Day was a prolific pedophile. As far as I can tell his victims number somewhere north of 500.

There are few heroes in this terrible episode. But one who could lay claim to it was Denis Ryan, a detective senior constable in Mildura. Ryan was a skilled investigator and had a bright future in the force.

In 1971, Ryan learned of Day’s dark side and began an investigation in to the priest. Within weeks he had Day banged to rights but then came the intervention of senior police from Melbourne who put a stop to the investigation, let Day walk away and destroyed Ryan’s career.

Former Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Mick Miller, believes the conspiracy went all the way to his predecessor’s office. Then Chief Commissioner Reg Jackson was the architect of the conspiracy that led to Ryan losing the job he loved and worse, Monsignor John Day was allowed to elude justice. Day was moved out of Mildura to another parish where in his 70s, he offended again. Day died unrepentant and unpunished in 1978.

If not for the book I co-authored with Ryan, Unholy Trinity and the Royal Commission’s investigations, it might have ended there -- victims silenced and Ryan dispatched to professional and economic oblivion. Hard evidence had piled up to the point where it could no longer be ignored.

After 41 years, the Victoria Police Force has finally acknowledged its mistakes, its manifest failures and the appalling corruption within its ranks that led to Ryan being forced out.

In a ceremony at Victoria Police HQ on 9 August this year, Ryan received a formal apology from the Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton.

Afterwards, the Deputy Secretary of the Victoria Police Association, Bruce McKenzie offered an apology for the Association’s failure to offer Denis any support during the days when he remained a lonely and isolated figure.

What was offered hardly stands as a public apology. Only one journalist was invited to attend – John Sylvester who covered the story for The Age. Had an invitation been extended to other journalists, including myself, questions would have been asked regarding the level of responsibility the Victoria Police Force has in regard to the outrageous business of clerical pedophilia within the Ballarat Diocese.

I can point to figures, data and statistics the police should already know. When senior police intervened to prevent the prosecution of John Day in 1972, the Bishop of Ballarat, Ronald Mulkearns assumed what police expected of him was to move offending priests on to new parishes, new communities and new groups of unsuspecting children. Pedophile priests like Ridsdale and Paul David Ryan presumed they had the green light and could rape kids with impunity.

The effect of the 1972 conspiracy was to escalate the offending to levels that simply boggle the mind and of which there is no real precedent in Australian criminal history.

As well as to Ryan, the Victoria Police Force should be apologising to victims.

Ryan received a small amount of compensation, a figure of $90,000. He accepted the sum on legal advice but declined to sign a non-disclosure form.

“I acknowledged the apology and felt well about it but I was bitterly disappointed with the compensation,” Ryan told me later. “In fact I was insulted but as I told everyone there, it was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. I do consider the issue of compensation unresolved.”

The figure offered was entirely inadequate compared with Ryan’s loss. An actuary hired by the police association, Corinna Leug, calculated Ryan’s loss at $3.1 million and that was economic loss only – loss of wages, pension and superannuation at the rank of detective inspector, a position Ryan would easily have achieved if his career had not been so abruptly curtailed. The figure also calculated interest over 41 years but did not include other damages like loss of reputation and pain and suffering.

The $90,000 falls a long way short of what any reasonable person would consider appropriate.

In a sense VicPol’s hands were tied. The state government imposed a ceiling on VicPol’s discretionary spending back in the days when Christine Nixon was Chief Commissioner. The ball now is firmly in the Victorian Government’s court.

Back when Ryan gave evidence to the Royal Commission in December last year, the praise lavished upon him was effusive. He received a resounding burst of applause in the courtroom and afterwards, there was much back-slapping and shaking of hands. Former Police and Emergency Services Minister Race Mathews told me discussions between the police and the government were underway. Ryan would be properly compensated.

Assurances were made by everyone from the Chief Commissioner down. Things would be made right.

Within days the good intentions dissipated and not a word has been heard from the state government since.

I’ve known Ryan for a long time now and I consider him a hero. He put everything on the line to protect children and lost the lot. He did his duty to uphold the law while those around him bowed to a perverse sense of loyalty that allowed a priest to escape the clutches of the law and then stood complicit while Ryan’s career and livelihood were destroyed.

What Denis Ryan did in 1972 was the essence of courage. In that dark time and place, he was the only one who stood firm. His is arguably the only good story to come out of the scandal of clerical pedophilia that infects the Ballarat Diocese to this day.

Ryan’s story should be known and celebrated. We would all like to think that when challenged as Ryan was, we would do as he did, but it is only in understanding the nature of his courage we may seek to emulate it.

Ryan can’t pursue a legal claim against the government. The statute of limitations expired a long time ago. Even if the opportunity existed, Ryan doesn’t have the money to mount a legal claim against the government.

So now Ryan sits in a rented flat in Mildura waiting for things to be put right.

He turns 85 next month. Time is running out for the state government of Victoria to do the right thing.