A message for Brian Morrissey and lessons from the Royal Commission

"A disturbing defamatory posting has been placed through your website Indymedia.

The posting is false and defamatory and submitted by an anonymous (not verified) source.

It infringes your editorial policy. (sic)

Please have this posting deleted immediately.

Brian Morrissey

Head, Administrative Services

Catholic Education Office

Gilmour St

Kelso NSW 2795"

This is the usual response to allegations that children have been, or are being, harmed. It's not disturbing to Brian Morrissey that there may have been child abuse. It's disturbing to him that it's become somewhat public.

It might be argued that emotional, psychological and physical abuse is not as bad as sexual abuse. But it damages children, nonetheless. 

It's time the chickens came home to roost. The Bathurst Catholic Diocese has not just covered up sexual abuse. It has very actively covered up all other forms of abuse as well.

Over decades - yes, decades - not just 2015, but DECADES - parents have made complaints of various types of abuse. Children have been scarred. I have spoken to some, now grown up, who have never got over their year in one of your classes. One said he developed a stammer, such was his terror.

Concerned parents were made to 'go through the school'. First stop was the classroom, where all was denied. The children are lying. I never did that. Yes, I have a loud voice, but I'm not abusive. I never threw books. I never caused the bleeding scratches on her arms. I never dragged the children, pulled their hair or threatened them. "Children are liars"....sound familiar?

Next stop the principal's office. More denials from Sister Narelle Whiteman - a seemingly sweet nun, who nonetheless participated in the cover-ups over the years. Suggestions that you remove the child from the school if you feel there is a problem.

Then you try Bathurst Catholic Education Office. You are told nothing happened. There will be no investigation. You are further threatened with action against you.

Next comes the letter from Bathurst CEO lawyers threatening to sue you for defamation. Then various types of reprisals from friends and supporters of the teacher. 

Two families that are known - though there are probably more - were sacked from their jobs and run out of town by these supporters. 

I obtained a copy of an interview between a parent and former Deputy Commissioner of Police, David Madden. Here is an excerpt from this document.

'INTERVIEW BETWEEN DAVID MADDEN AND ******

1...coming home with their arms bleeding from scratches of the nails of the teacher.
2 And we then went to DOCS who interviewed some of our children and verballed them. We went to the
3 Police and wanted them to lay charges of assault against **** and they wouldn't.
4 And finally my child was expelled from St Patrick's School for allegedly
5 telling lies against ********** [the teacher] And myself and four other parents contacted Sue Williams at the
6 Sun Herald about this and the first Sunday in June an article appeared in the paper without any
7 names or schools mentioned, which said that our children had been abused and we hadn't
8 been able to get anything done to stop it.'

Stay tuned because this article is being sought and will be re-published here. I might add that the person interviewed has nothing to do with this article other than having given me the above record of interview and a few facts.

You found the Sydney Indymedia article disturbing. I find your response, in the light of all the findings against the Catholic Church by the current Royal Commission, to be even more disturbing.

I invite anyone who suffered abuse at this school over the decades to make a comment below.

Perhaps you can get together a group to take class action. 

Below is an article from the Sun Herald, 1st June 1997, with several parents interviewed about abuse at St Patrick's School, Lithgow. 

Serial Child Abuser at St Patrick's School Lithgow N.S.W., Now Deceased

On 27th May 2019 Ellen McManus was killed in a car accident in the Blue Mountains. The Lithgow Mercury claimed there was an 'outpouring of grief'. Only in their imaginations. 

This woman ruined countless lives and was protected by various principals at St Patrick's, including Sister Narelle Whiteman who refused to acknowledge McManus had done anything wrong.  

The original article is below.

For many years there have been allegations and rumours of psychological, emotional, verbal and physical abuse at St Patrick's Lithgow. Some of these allegations have been made under oath in various courts as targetted whistleblowers have sought justice. The current Royal Commission has shown the extent to which various churches will go in order to cover up sexual abuse - so it's only to be expected that other forms of abuse have also been covered up over the years, and whistleblowers' lives destroyed. 

The reason I have written this short article is to alert parents that this has been the situation at this school for many years.

I would encourage parents who feel their child is being belittled, derided, intimidated and otherwise put down to think carefully before acting, but not to allow the child to spend a whole year in fear.

If your child is terrified of going to school, having nightmares and generally being fearful, consider whether to move them to another school for the year.

Years of experience of other parents have shown that the Catholic Education Office in Bathurst will go all out to attack anyone who complains. Instead of protecting the children they threaten to sue in order to protect the school. The lives of two families that we know of have been destroyed by them, people have lost their jobs and have been run out of town by the CEO vigilantes and friends of the teacher.One year a group of parents went to the media with their complaint. Yet it seems after all this time the teacher is still there and nothing has changed.

Just be warned that if you do complain, you may lose everything you have. Better to just take the child out of the school in order to protect them.

A good organization to speak to is Broken Rites Australia.  http://www.brokenrites.org.au/drupal/ 

I believe this article is in the public interest. The reaction from the Catholic Education Office in Bathurst also shows that the Royal Commission has taught them nothing. 

The article also has the aim of protecting children and encouraging parents who feel something is not right to do something. Because the Catholic Education Office won't.

Defamation?

Under the old Australian system of individual state laws, almost anyone or any organisation or company could bring an action for defamation. However, under the Uniform Defamation Law of 2006, corporations with 10 or more employees cannot sue. 

The first paragraph of this article (only) was originally published on Sydney Indymedia. There it sat for two months undiscovered, until this week, when the following was received by Sydney Indymedia from the Catholic Education Office in Bathurst.

 "A disturbing defamatory posting has been placed through your website Indymedia.
The posting is false and defamatory and submitted by an anonymous (not verified) source.
It infringes your editorial policy. (sic)
Please have this posting deleted immediately.

Brian Morrissey
Head, Administrative Services
Catholic Education Office
Gilmour St
Kelso NSW 2795"


Goodness me, 'submitted by an anonymous (not verified) source'.
Clearly Mr Morrissey does not understand what independent media is about.

Unfortunately, as they are not experts in defamation law, the collective voted to take the article down.