Amongst the growing amount of public acknowledgment, that âthose foreign cases of #childabuseâ are in fact happening within their own neighbourhood, at their own school, or âworst stillâ to their own children – itâs understandable that some parentâs concerns wonât be for that safety of their own victimised child, but for themselves to be able to reclaim âwasted moniesâ. As we now live in a consumerist society, occasionally we hear of broken families, where their sole-concern is in filling their own hip pockets with some of that đ°, as fractures often occur in these horse-or-cart structures. (Experienced Satire)
As examples of some Private/Elite schools in Brisbane whoâve offered out some damages-compensation-(not hush money), here are some examples + links:
As these were just a handful of examples of how a church-founded country of Australia, can be dealing with immersed control of a tax-free body, whilst still battling for equal rights of colonial-Indigenous after-effects – there are many more layers to unpack!
The Marist Brothers argued that the death of paedophile Brother Francis âRomualdâ Cable rendered it unable to fairly defend itself from a civil claim by a survivor. Photograph: Getty Images
A Catholic order has lost its latest attempt to use the death of a known paedophile clergy member to shield itself from allegations of child sexual abuse after a judge found that allowing such a course would âbring the administration of justice into disreputeâ.
In recent months, the Guardian has revealed how the Catholic church, in particular its Marist Brothers and Christian Brothers orders, is increasingly using the deaths of clergy members to argue for permanent stays of cases brought by abuse survivors in the civil courts.
The church, which for decades covered up sexual abuse and thwarted justice for victims and survivors, has been emboldened by a win in New South Walesâs highest court last year, which found a perpetratorâs death made a fair trial impossible.
In a more recent case, the Marist Brothers argued that the death of notorious paedophile Brother Francis âRomualdâ Cable rendered it unable to fairly defend itself from a civil claim by a survivor known by the pseudonym of Mark Peters, because it can no longer call Cable as a witness.
The Marist Brothers made that argument despite the fact that Cable was alive for 22 months after Peters first notified it of his claim. After learning of Petersâs claim in October 2020, it did nothing to seek a response from Cable before he died in September 2022. Cable was 88 years old and behind bars when the Marist Brothers learned of the impending case.
On Friday, the NSW supreme court rejected the churchâs attempts to use Cableâs death to justify a permanent stay.
âThe defendant should not, in my view, have the benefit of its own inaction,â justice Nicholas Chen found.
âThe defendantâs alleged inability to meaningfully deal with the claim is, I find, a product of its own unreasonable failure to attempt to make contact with Cable, and to take steps to secure his evidence.
âIn my view, to accept otherwise would, adopting what was said by [former chief justice Thomas Bathurst], âitself bring the administration of justice into disreputeâ.â
Court documents allege the Marist Brothers have known of abuse complaints against Cable since 1967, but concealed his crimes from police and other authorities for decades and instead shuffled him between its schools, where he continued to abuse children.
The Marist Brothers argued to the court that it didnât seek a response from Cable to Petersâs allegations while he was alive because he had earlier rebuffed them in 2015 and said he did not want to have any more contact with the orderâs leadership team.
But the court rejected that submission for five separate reasons. It found that 2015 was a particularly sensitive time for Cable, given he had just been convicted for child abuse and was awaiting sentence, meaning he may have been more likely to want to talk five years later, if the Marist Brothers had attempted to contact him again.
Our Australian afternoon update email breaks down the key national and international stories of the day and why they matter
The court also found that Cable may have been willing to talk to a lawyer or investigator, rather than a member of Maristâs leadership team.
Cable had also subsequently pleaded guilty to a raft of other child abuse charges in the period after the Marist Brothers approached him in 2015. He knew he would likely be in jail until he died, the court found. That âsuggests that Cable, if contacted, may well have agreed to discuss what happened to the plaintiffâ.
âAt an absolute minimum, I consider that the defendant should have attempted â on an ongoing basis â contact with Cable following the letter notifying the defendant of the plaintiffâs intent to commence proceedings in 2020, and those steps should have been intensified once proceedings had been commenced,â Chen ruled.
âAs it happens, nothing was done by the defendant to ascertain whether Cable would speak to them, their lawyers or investigators about the plaintiffâs claim.
âI do not accept that the defendant can simply stand back and do nothing, which is what has occurred here.â
It is unclear whether the Marist Brothers will attempt to appeal the ruling. But the win allows Peters to proceed with his case and either agree to a settlement or take it to trial.
Posted Fri 19 Mar 2021 at 12:33pmFriday 19 Mar 2021 at 12:33pm, updated Fri 19 Mar 2021 at 11:30pmFriday 19 Mar 2021 at 11:30pm
Brisbane Boys’ College Captain Mason Black with his mother Michelle Monsur.(Supplied: Brisbane Boys’ College)
The school captain of one of Brisbane’s top private boys’ schools has called on his peers to put an end to rape culture and be proactive in stopping the sexual assault and harassment of women.
Key points:
Brisbane Boys’ College captain Mason Black made a powerful speech to his peers
The Queensland government has ordered a review of how sexual consent is taught in both independent and state schools
Queensland public and private schools were named in anonymous testimonies about sexual assault in an online viral petition
Brisbane Boys College (BBC) captain Mason Black made the resounding speech in front of peers on Thursday, calling on them to “accept this injustice against women and stand up for what is right”.
It follows thousands of Australian students anonymously detailing harrowing accounts of rape and sexual assault on a viral petition calling for sexual consent to be taught earlier in schools.
BBC was among the Queensland public and private schools identified on the petition in testimonies from young women.
A video of Mr Black’s speech calling for a change in culture at the college and broader society, has attracted about 260,000 views on Instagram and tens of thousands on Facebook.
In his speech, Mr Black revealed his mother had been sexually abused at just 10-years of age.
“Are you brave enough to ask your mum about her experiences? What about your sisters? Friends?” he said.
“I wish I grew up in an Australia where the narrative that one in three women will be physically or sexually abused at some point in their life wasn’t true, but it is.”
It comes as the Queensland government undertakes a review of sexual consent education in both public and independent schools across the state.
“I feel so ashamed that this issue is a part of our history and our culture.
“I feel ashamed that the action of some reflects poorly on us all, but realistically it isn’t just those who are mentioned in the media.
“If you have ever objectified a woman based on her looks, talked about females in a misogynistic way, or taken advantage without consent, you are part of the problem.
“Seemingly harmless comments can have such devastating effects.”
He called on his peers to “stop being boys” and “be human”.
“Every person in this room must not just be an advocate for equality, but in our every action and deed we have to be proactive in stopping the abuse.”
The student called on his peers to put an end to slurs and derogatory comments, to stand up to “any man” if they see it happening, and keep their mates accountable.
“Each and every one of us have an obligation to each other to not follow the ways of the past, and to take our future on a new path,” he said.
The speech was lauded on social media for inspiring a change in culture but drew some criticism that the same attitudes were not held among his peers.
One 16-year-old Brisbane schoolgirl, Anya, voiced her frustration that the speech had received so much praise “over the voices of millions of women around the world, some of whom in recent weeks have had the courage to be vulnerable when sharing their past experiences with sexual assault”.
“It’s been widely recognised a massive part of the problem is the way men are praised for doing the bare minimum yet women are compelled to overcompensate for their lack to “keep them safe”, her post on Instagram said.
A senior teacher at one of Sydneyâs most prestigious schools used his work laptop to access a stash of âdepravedâ child abuse images.
Cody Michael Reynolds, 37, will spend the next 18 months behind bars after being sentenced at Downing Centre Court on Tuesday, more than a year after he was stood down from a prestigious role at Moriah College in Sydneyâs eastern suburbs, where parents pay about $35,000 a year.
Police arrested Reynolds following a raid of his inner city home in March 2022. Officers uncovered a cache of child abuse material on multiple devices and online storage service Megalcoud, including at least 1000 child abuse images and 50 videos.
Investigators uncovered a further 111 images and six videos on Reynoldsâ iPhone in a folder hidden on the phoneâs camera roll as well as nine images and two videos on his work-assigned laptop.
Cody Michael Reynolds, the former head of English at Moriah College, arrives for sentencing on child abuse material charges. Picture: Simon Bullard
Judge Phillip Mahoney told the court the material was âdepravedâ and showed mostly pre-pubescent males and females aged between 9-16 masturbating or performing sex acts, including with adults.
âThe material included sadistic material where children are engaged in sexual activity under gunpoint,â Justice Mahoney said. âIn another, a four year old was forced to put his hand on the penis of an older boy.â
The court was told Reynolds used multiple aliases to share child abuse material with users through a concealed WhatsApp application, including an explicit conversation with a user called Xavier about âplaying with young boysâ.
âThe offender transferred videos to a like-minded user encouraging their own gratification,â Justice Mahoney said.
âHe deliberately used a sophisticated method, including end-to-end inscription, to minimise detection.â
Cody Reynolds formerly served as head of English at Moriah College.
Reynolds pleaded guilty late last year to using a carriage service to transmit, publish, or promote child abuse material and using a carriage service to possess or control child abuse material.
At the time of his arrest, Reynolds was head of English at Moriah College, a coeducational Modern Jewish Orthodox private school, but was stood down by the elite school within 24-hours of his arrest at his Surry Hills home.
During sentencing, the court was told how Reynold went from being a high-flying teacher presenting his academic studies in Australia and overseas to consuming child abuse material.
âReynolds would avoid going home to his partner and would instead sit in the storeroom of his apartment building drinking and viewing the child abuse material,â Justice Mahoney told the court.
âHe used it to cope with negative emotions (…) rather than develop healthy coping mechanisms.â
Justice Mahoney said Reynolds had âdone everythingâ to seek out rehabilitation after being charged,
Cody Reynolds used his work laptop to access a stash of âdepravedâ child abuse images. Picture: Damian Shaw
The 37-year-old was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder at 21 and later with PTSD following his arrest.
Reynolds âacknowledged in hindsightâ the emotional harm that the offending had caused to children depicted in the videos.
The court was also told Reynolds had not met the criteria for a pedophilic disorder and co-operated with police following his arrest.
He was joined in court by his family, who had relocated to Sydney to support him.
Reynolds was sentenced to a total prison term of two years and 10 months.
But Justice Mahoney ordered that he be eligible for release from November 2024.
After that time, he will be required to pay $1000 and continue with rehabilitation treatment.
Timed perfectly(?), an encounter with some graduates + a younger BBC student occurred on a train TWG-CEN: (eMail contents to BBC, OCA & QR)
/ / / Belatedly & with âitâs a generational thingâ regret as both an Old Boy, OCA-Bursary recipient & past BBC Teacherâs Aide
#duckduckgo, retrieved 2022
volunteer, the following results from a QR TWG-CEN ~3:43pm: – QR/TransLink Concession Card Recepients (4/5 seniors, 1 green)- uniformed BBC Students ârepresent the school & should give the greatest (public) impressionâ (QR, BBC & OCA)- similar BBC Admin messages have been successfully enacted, yet âyounger learn from olderâ isnât practiced- passionate language was triggered, resulting from overall âuntouchable/innocentâ response(?) (predominately seniors)- immediate conversation with QR staff reinforced these âstudents from private schoolsâ conundrum.
Now would be a good time for BBC to seperate itself, from the herd-mentality. Otherwise, expecting ongoing feedback re: these matters.
Sexual abuse was rampant at St Josephâs Orphanage in Clontarf, WA. The Christian Brothers would leer at the boys while they showered, and in the evenings, the Brothers would choose boys to take to their bedrooms. One of the survivors said this was âpretty much a nightly occurrence, or at least it occurred more often than notââŚ
As long-lasting as the poor memories of our time at BBC may be, loss of positive ones can be just as striking. Chicri Maksoudâs passing is striking many of his Mathematics 𧎠students with awe. Itâs moments like this, which can reprioritise our âmost important thingsâ/bucket lists âŚ
NERVOUSNESS As anxiety is setting in for some of those preparing to attend to the BBC/OCA commemoration service, here at RCbbc itâs understood that some followers may also be affected by the loss of Chicri Maksoud. As I will be attending the service at 4pm in College Hall, I will also bring a bundle of the Living Well booklets. Should any of you wish to collect some, Iâll be in seat H-34.
Beloved Brisbane Boysâ College teacher dies after long illness (Courier Mail)
Beloved Brisbane Boysâ College maths teacher Chicri Maksoud died yesterday after battling a long illness, the Toowong private schoolâs Old Collegians Association announced this afternoon.
Mr Maksoud at his desk early in his career.
Mr Maksoud was an honorary Old Collegian and taught at the school for nearly four decades, inspiring a love of maths and transforming its teaching.
Also a house master and co-curricular coach, he had a passion for coaching BBCâs rugby, cricket, athletics, and cross country programs and was known for an ability to intertwine maths and sports.
He routinely gave up his own time to tutor students, holding a weekly lunchtime mathematics club and running the middle school mathematics competitionsâŚ.
PUBLISHED: 15:28 AEDT, 3 February 2021 | UPDATED: 15:28 AEDT, 3 February 2021
A lawyer accused of ‘stereotyping poor people’ on a Facebook page she set-up after her luxury car was stolen has stepped down from the board of an elite Christian school group.
Dr Bridget Cullen created the tongue-in-cheek page after her black 2017 BMW 5 series sports car was stolen from her Indooroopilly, west Brisbane, home in December last year.
The high-flying lawyer jokingly pretended to be the alleged offender on a page called Bridget’s BMW Rescue Journey.
But the attempted humour was not well received by parents and other members of the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools’ Association.
The governing body oversees the prestigious Brisbane Boys’ College, Somerville House, Clayfield College and Sunshine Coast Grammar schools.
A self-described ‘bad-ass middle-aged mother’. Dr Cullen announced her departure on Tuesday night following a social media backlash.
Dr Bridget Cullen (pictured) said she started a Facebook page to assist police with their investigations after her luxury car was alleged stolenDr Cullen’s black 2017 BMW 5 series sports car was allegedly stolen from her home in Indooroopilly, west Brisbane in December last year. The vehicle has since been recovered
The public page, which has since been deleted, followed a fictional meth-addicted teenager whose mother is a prostitute living in government housing in Redbank.
The series of satirical posts followed the teenager as he drove the vehicle around the local area and continued to break the law, including stealing mobile phones.
‘Driving the beast all over town, buying up big on pseudoephedrine for big cook-up tonight,’ one post read.
According to the posts, the fictional teen had spent time at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre, used fake IDs and referred to people who live in ‘Indro’ as ‘c**ts’.
The teen would also go on ‘benders’ and revealed how when they visited their grandmother for her birthday they yelled ‘What the f**k are you trying to do?’.
Almost 600 followers joined the page, reportedly including Liberal National Party candidate for the Brisbane seat of McConnel in the 2020 state election, Pinky Singh.
Criminal lawyer Tam Elabbasi was also reportedly a ‘top fan’ of the page and allegedly wrote on the Facebook page on January 26 ‘I’m negotiating your movie deal! Easy money lol!’.
A series of posts on the Bridget’s BMW Rescue Journey Facebook page which Dr Cullen set-up in response to her vehicle allegedly being stolen
A senior source within the schools told the Courier-Mail the posts were ‘wildly inappropriate, and stereotyped poor people in disadvantaged areas’.
Another said they were shocked by the ‘horrific language’ used.
Dr Cullen had been frustrated police were unable to use tracking technology to locate the vehicle because of privacy laws.
She said she created the page ‘to harness the power of social media to assist police in their investigation’.
Queensland Police eventually recovered the vehicle and Dr Cullen said she was grateful for their work and for those who provided information in response to her posts.
A senior source within the schools said the posts were ‘wildly inappropriate, and stereotyped poor people in disadvantaged areas’. Pictured: Clayfield CollegeDr Cullen announced her departure on Tuesday night following a social media backlash. Pictured: Somerville HouseThe Facebook page had close to 600 followers but has since been pulled down after a backlash
Any attempt to suggest that my posts were more than this would be driven by an agenda that does not respect my status as a recent victim of crime,’ she said on Monday evening.
‘I am committed to social justice, for all persons in our society. It is often the case when a woman is in a leadership position that some people will look for an easy way to cut them down.’
The governing body’s code of conduct states that members must ‘treat every individual with courtesy and respect’ and ‘use social media appropriately and responsibly’.
PMSA chair Morgan Parker acknowledged Dr Cullen had ‘worked tirelessly during the transformative journey of the PMSA and she has made it clear that she has no interest in becoming a distraction to this significant body of work’.
‘We would like to reassure our community we are committed to the highest standards of conduct and ethical behaviour that are consistent with our Christian values,’ Mr Parker said.
Her departure comes in the wake of Mark Gray’s shock resignation as Brisbane Boysâ College (pictured) Council Chair in August last year over gripes with managementDr Cullen was recently appointed to to the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools’ Association which owns Brisbane Boys’ College, Clayfield College, Somerville House and Sunshine Coast Grammar School (pictured)
From âWhen British Royals Are Pedophiles, Itâs Called Peccadilloesâ (Frank Report 2019), James Saville fronts the article (as follows).
James Saville
Through reading of this article, attention is drawn again and again by the following second paragraph:
Watch the deck being reshuffled over and over again as the âeliteâ take care of their own.
Despite receiving intense amounts of counselling, therapies, medications and distractions: many CSA Victims continue to speak about the intensity of their CARC Session and-or their NRS Submission, ripple effects within marriages and families whoâre reluctant to admit that these (unkown) Abuses âever happenedâ (âunder their responsibilityâ), disputes and victim-blaming that may result when the CSA Victim has to retell/relive these past experiences to uninvolved relations âfor interest sakeâ, splits that may often be blamed on the CSA Victim for âbeing the needle in the haystackâ of their family separation.
many CSA Victims continue to speak about the intensity of their CARC Session and-or;
their NRS Submission;
ripple effects within marriages and families whoâre reluctant to admit that these (unkown) Abuses âever happenedâ (âunder their responsibilityâ);
common descriptions of young victims being so targeted, that they did not even know of what parts of the human anatomy were involved: âbefore I had ever even heard of sex or knew what anatomy was usedâ (Shivani, 5th paragraph, 2019);
patterns of predators should always be reported + shared with others in that community type (just as this RCbbc.blog). this allows for cautious advice to be shared with others (previous, existing + potential);
disputes and victim-blaming that may result when the CSA Victim has to retell/relive these past experiences to uninvolved relations âfor interest sakeâl;
an earlier victim of a known CSA Predator has gone from being victim, to re-enacting these same behaviours on a new victim. these actions should not occurr + Police should be contacted ASAP;
splits that may often be blamed on the CSA Victim for âbeing the needle in the haystackâ of their family separation;
Hike these are only some of the potential âhaystack needlesâ, they do describe some of the experiences that some of the BBC Students had experienced, witnessed or ignored during their enrolment. These articles were never meant to make accusations, only to provide another POV in the often controlled world of âfree media exposureâ. Comments are welcomed, yet relevant threats will now be reported through applicable QPS CPIU channels (previous OCA comments included). As overlapping instances of Qld Baptistâs SDBC have been cited, these warnings are also made via SDBC_RC.
Prince Charles with Sir James, suspected of being a long standing pedophile.
Having completed my initial NRS Experiences and Impact Statements (NRS Fact Sheet, 2019), it initially felt ironic that the most nerves I had felt was actually at the final stage: Apologies. Advice that has given earlier indicates that description of each individual instance, together with personal impacts from each of their ongoing effects supports the evidence throughout the Instances and Impact Statements. While I had previously had the wrong POV, that completing Instances and Impact Statements, my work would be over – taking a wider POV, itâs now clearer that each section confirms and complements related matters throughout the NRS Submission.
NRS icon
As exciting as all this may sound, the journey of its lodgement isnât over. knowmore (Community Legal Service) is another body involved in the National Redress Scheme. There are also Senior Staff within Blue Knot, who are able to offer their advice into the fine-tuning/tweaking of the order, expressions, focus and editing of Preliminary NRS Submissions.
In working my way through some of the updated NRS data, I came across the following list of possible example list of impacts of CSA experiences (Describing Impact of your Application, 2019). In closer focus, it began to both horrify my and reminded me in the instance(s) that Iâm drafting up a list of requested apologies. I also realise that I am âbut one fish in the seaâ of previous CSA Assaults. Although I feel fortunate for the beneficial discussions Iâve had, my deepest request/suggestion goes out to any other Surviving-Victim of CSA: Seeking Help can be done anonymously! When youâre ready to take things further, Expert Guidance is available.
