Glen Fearnett says he doesn’t have the words to express how he feels about an inquiry’s report into the alleged historic child sexual abuse that occurred at his primary school five decades ago.
“There’s no joy. There’s no happiness. There’s no celebration,” he tells Guardian Australia.
“But I’m not let down, it’s a good day. We’ve got this report, what happened to us is written down and documented. The evidence is there for all to see.”
Since mid-2021, Fearnett has been fighting for recognition from the Victorian government for the abuse he and other children allegedly suffered at the hands of paedophile teachers at Beaumaris primary school in the 1960s and 1970s.
Through his advocacy and that of other victim-survivors, the government established a board of inquiry into allegations of child abuse at the school in mid-2023.
Its report, tabled in parliament on Wednesday, identified 109 alleged victims of the four teachers at the centre of the allegations: Graham Steele, Darrell Ray, David MacGregor and “Wyatt”, a pseudonym used for legal reasons.
All four were teachers at Beaumaris primary in the 60s and 70s, though the inquiry was also expanded to examine 23 other schools where they worked.
Three of the alleged perpetrators – Ray, Wyatt and MacGregor – have been convicted of child sexual abuse offences. Steele was never prosecuted before his death in 2013.
About 120 victim-survivors and their loved ones shared their experiences with the board of inquiry. Most who gave evidence were aged between nine and 12 years old at the time of the alleged abuse.
They recalled being sexually abused in the school library, office, sick bay and classrooms, in front of other students, at school camps or on trips away.
Victim-survivors spoke of how the alleged perpetrators made them feel “special”, or took an interest in their hobby, such as reading or sport, in an effort to manipulate them and isolate them from peers and other adults.
The board of inquiry said for many, the alleged abuse has had lifelong effects, including on their mental health and wellbeing, relationships, education and employment.
“For some people, the weight of trauma can be too heavy to bear, and their loss causes deep grief for those left behind,” the report said.
“Earl” attended Beaumaris primary school from the late 60s until the mid-70s. For legal reasons, the inquiry gave him and the teacher who abused him pseudonyms.
“The worst stuff happened to us when we went to footy, because we were with them from 8am in the morning until 8pm at night,” he says.
“I was lucky because my dad was an umpire, so sometimes he would drive me home. But I’ll never forget all the kids pushing and shoving to get into the car with us to avoid being alone with [the abuser].
“It was always the weaker ones that got left behind.”
Earl says his behaviour went “off the rails” after the abuse and he was eventually told to leave high school.
“I just went from a happy-go-lucky kid living in that beautiful cul de sac called Beaumaris to a really bitter young man among a hornet’s nest of paedophiles,” he says.
Earl kept the alleged abuse to himself for 50 years but found that the inquiry provided him with the closure he needed to move forward.
“I’ve got the rest of my life to live,” he says. “I’ll never forget it but I need to start to move on.”
It is a similar feeling for Rick Turner, another Beaumaris primary alleged victim-survivor, who along with Fearnett, attended every day of the inquiry’s public hearings.
“I have found the whole experience very healing,” he says.
“A lot of people will say that today was symbolic and it doesn’t mean much but I think that sometimes that is important too.
“For what happened to be acknowledged, while it is triggering ... we need to have these conversations to move forward.”
All three men back the inquiry’s recommendation for a statewide truth-telling and accountability process for victim-survivors from other state schools.
Turner says it is key this occurs before a state apology, another recommendation that has already been accepted by the government.
“If they don’t understand what’s happened in other schools, I don’t see how they can meaningfully apologise for the harm that’s occurred,” he says.
The Sandringham MP, Brad Rowswell, whose electorate takes in Beaumaris, has called on the government to implement a statewide inquiry into historical child sexual abuse in government schools.
“Anything less than this is unacceptable,” he said.
• In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800; adult survivors can seek help at Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International
• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
