Teacher’s Pet: Cromer High captain confirms male teachers hooked up with vulnerable girls

A former school captain of Cromer High has backed allegations of male teachers in sexual relationships with girls.

Jane Linwood, Cromer High School Captain in 1983.

A former school captain of Sydney’s Cromer High has backed allegations of male teachers in sexual relationships with teenage girls when murder suspect Chris Dawson taught there.

Jane Linwood, the school captain in 1983, said there was a culture of teachers socialising with students after hours including at pubs and parties.

She later saw the damage inflicted on a friend who had an intimate relationship with a teacher.

“I wasn’t vulnerable. But definitely those that were vulnerable were preyed upon,” she said.

“When you get older you think I certainly wouldn’t want my grandchildren or my daughter having to experience this.

“But you didn’t think of it going through it. It was just how it was.”

In one instance she rejected an advance from a teacher as he drove her home from a babysitting session when she was around 16 years old.

“I just pushed him away and laughed and said ‘what do you think you’re doing’. And luckily, I suppose, he left it at that,” she said.

Ms Linwood was commenting after Cromer High’s 1983 vice-captain Robyn Wheeler said “at least six” male teachers were having sex with teenage girls at the school around the early 1980s.

Both women also said teachers were supplying drugs and alcohol to students aged 15 and 16.

The Australian’s podcast series The Teacher’s Pet has been investigating the 1982 disappearance of Lynette Dawson.

Two coroners have previously found she was murdered by her husband Chris, a former physical education teacher who was in a ­relationship with a 16-year-old student, Joanne Curtis, while at Cromer High.

Mr Dawson has never been charged in connection to his wife’s disappearance and maintains his innocence.

True crime podcast 'The Teacher’s Pet' has shone light on the 36-year unsolved murder of Lynette Dawson.

Hedley Thomas who investigated and wrote the podcast joins us, along with Lynettes niece, Rene Sims. pic.twitter.com/9T9gC7hYa1

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 26, 2018

Ms Linwood personally witnessed Mr Dawson’s close relationship with Joanne while training for cross-country at the school playing fields.

“I remember coming around a corner and Chris Dawson was one of the teachers on that day to keep an eye on us and Joanne was straddled on his lap, kissing him,” she said.

“It was very open. For them to say they didn’t know anything about it, it was just rumour, well, it’s got to be rubbish.”

The Teacher’s pet podcast series

Steve Kerin, an experienced compensation lawyer, yesterday said the school had a duty of care to protect students and investigate suspicions of inappropriate teacher behaviour.

“One of the women said they picked on the marginalised girls, not the mainstream ones in the power groups, but the ones on the fringes,” Mr Kerin said.

“That is typical predatory behaviour. You pick on the weak, the disenfranchised, the lonely, the marginalised.”

One avenue for the women was to launch a common law damages claim against the NSW Department of Education. There was no longer a time limit for child victims of sexual or serious physical abuse to lodge legal claims, he said.

From July, the women involved could also seek compensation for sexual abuse through the national redress scheme.

1970-1979

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Chris Dawson marries Lynette Simms, both aged 21. They have two children and Chris begins working as a PE teacher at Cromer High School.

1980

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Chris begins a secret affair with Joanne Curtis, 16, his student, soon after introducing her to his family as the babysitter. He starts asking her to marry him.

1981

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Lyn is persuaded by Chris to let Joanne move into their family home as the teenager's step father is violent. Lyn discovers the relationship.

December, 1981

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

With his marriage to Lyn in trouble, Chris flees Sydney with Joanne to start a new life in Queensland, but along the way Joanne changes her mind and wants to take a break. They return to Sydney.

January, 1982

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Joanne goes camping with her sister and school friends to mark the end of year 12. Chris and Lyn attend marriage counselling together. On January 8, Lyn speaks with her mother on the phone. The next day, Lyn fails to meet her family at Northbridge Baths as planned.

January 10-11, 1982

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

One or two days after Lyn's no-show at the pool, Chris drives up the Central Cost to pick up Joanne and they return to Sydney. He asks Joanne to move in with him. He does not report Lyn missing until almost six weeks later.

1983-1985

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Chris divorces the missing Lyn and marries Joanne. The couple move to Queensland and have a daughter together. They separate in 1990 and Joanne returns to Sydney. She contacts Lyn's family and police and provides information about Chris and Lyn.

1992-2000

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Areas of the Dawsons' former Sydney home are excavated by police on different occasions, and a woman's cardigan is found, in pieces and bearing what appear to be slash marks. Forensic testing does not make a positive match with Lyn.

2001-2003

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Two inquests are held into Lyn's disappearance. Two coroners find she was murdered by someone known to her. Chris does not appear at either inquest. The DPP does not support a prosecution for murder or the laying of charges, citing a lack of evidence.

2010-2014

Timeline: Lyn Dawson

Rewards of up to $200,000 are offered for information to help solve the case.

“It’s no defence that the girl was 16 and consenting. That may apply to a criminal charge, but it certainly doesn’t apply in a civil case,” he said.

“I strongly urge each and every one of these victims to get immediate legal advice.”

The NSW Police Force yesterday said in a statement it treated “all reports of sexual crimes seriously and any report will be thoroughly investigated”.

“It is never too late for a victim to make a report to police.”

The NSW Department of Education said it could investigate historical cases where staff members were still employees.

“Any allegations of sexual abuse should be reported to the police in the first instance,” a spokesman said.

Schools “always had an obligation to report allegations of criminal conduct”.