SEX ABUSE IN ST. STANISLAUS? VIEWS OF SOME OLD BOYS - AND MYSELF!
Stannies' Old Boys Want Vincentians Out
CN CathNews September 11, 2008 [quoting article in Sydney Morning Herald below]
In the wake of allegations against former teachers and priests at Bathurst's St Stanislaus College, a group of ex-students has called on the Vincentian order to withdraw from the college.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports old boys from St Stanislaus' College have started a petition, asking the Vincentian order to remove itself from the school.
Police Strike Force Belle has arrested three Vincentians who previously taught at the school, charging them with a total of 125 offences dating back to the 1970s and 1980s.
The petition, already signed by 16 former students, has been forwarded to the Old Boys Union and requests that the school be placed under a non-demoninational governance structure.
"We have a collective view that the future of Stannies can only be assured by the exiting of the Vincentian order and its representatives from all aspects of the college's administration and governance," the petition stated.
Petition signatory Dallas McInerney, who was a former boarder at the school in the mid-1980s and has given a statement to Strike Force Belle, told the paper that while he has confidence in the investigation, there is a deeper culture at the school that needs to be addressed.
"If you look at some of the teachers under investigation, very few of them had any formal tertiary education qualifications and I don't see that they were ever able to run an institution like [St Stanislaus']," he said.
"And then when it comes to the point where a complaint is made, the Vincentians' track record is very poor," he said.
Old Boys Union representative Tom Buckley, told the paper he could not comment on the petition after receiving legal advice.
School principal John Edwards said the school was cooperating fully with the police investigation but in no circumstances would consider a move towards a non-denominational structure.
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=8962
Call for Vincentians To Quit Sex Probe School
Sydney Morning Herald, September 10, 2008 by Jonathan Dart
Old boys from St Stanislaus' College in Bathurst have started a petition, asking the Vincentian order to remove itself from the school as police continue their investigations into a raft of sexual abuse complaints against former staff.
Police Strike Force Belle has arrested three Vincentians who previously taught at the school, charging them with a total of 125 offences dating back to the 1970s and 1980s.
The petition, already signed by 16 former students, has been forwarded to the Old Boys Union and requests that the school be placed under a non-demoninational governance structure.
"We have a collective view that the future of Stannies can only be assured by the exiting of the Vincentian order and its representatives from all aspects of the college's administration and governance," the petition stated.
One of the signatories, Dallas McInerney, was a former boarder at the school in the mid-1980s and has given a statement to Strike Force Belle.
He said that although he has confidence in the investigation, there is a deeper culture at the school that needs to be addressed.
"If you look at some of the teachers under investigation, very few of them had any formal tertiary education qualifications and I don't see that they were ever able to run an institution like [St Stanislaus']," he said.
"And then when it comes to the point where a complaint is made, the Vincentians' track record is very poor. Their method is to shut down, protect their own, and resort to a geographical solution - just dispatch these guys to another parish."
The president of the Old Boys Union, Tom Buckley, said he could not comment on the petition after receiving legal advice.
School principal John Edwards said that the school was co-operating fully with the police investigation but in no circumstances would consider a move towards a non-denominational structure.
"This school is a Catholic school, it was built by the Catholic community in 1867 and I would reinforce that there have been many, many Catholic teachers that have been commended for their service to this community," he said.
"Now if there are some who have strayed from the teachings we have said that we do not condone that and we are as open as possible to any investigation. But let it be clear, we are very committed to our Catholic tradition and we have the overwhelming support of the community in that."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/call-for-vincentians-to-quit-sex-probe-school/2008/09/10/1220857606018.html
COMMENTS:
1. So some 16 old boys out of some 10 -15,000 over the last 30 years want the Vincentians out of Stannies and the Herald thinks that's news worthyPosted By: John W
2. While I in no way condone the behaviour of the people charged with the abuse at Stannies, I think Mr. McInerney's suggestion is not only unfair but quite unreasonable.
There are many examples one might use to illustrate this point, but the bottom line is that those responsible for their behaviour will pay the penalty.
Should we go back to the days of Prohibition simply because alcohol is seen to be our number one concern vis a vis our young people? Perhaps we ban/cut off Internet use because of the rubbish it contains?
The Vincentian Order should not be punished for the behaviour of several of its members, any more than every priest or religious labelled because some of their number let the side down. One might say the same about police persons, doctors, lawyers etc.
If anything, the innocent are burdened with the guilt of the offenders.
The next thing on your list Mr. McInerney will be Inquisition and burnings at the steak!
Let us learn from history instead of repeating its folly.
I'd also be interested to know what having tertiary qualifications has to do with the issue. Is Mr. McInerney suggesting that those with Uni. degrees are less likely to offend?
Methinks you protest too much Mr. McInerney.
I am not playing down the serious nature of the issue sir (I am an abuse victim myself), but please try to keep a cool head and a rational view. Guilt must lie at the feet of the person/s responsible. Allow the Law to deal with it. They know what they are doing. Emotional and unreasonable demands only cloud the issue and make the job the police face even more difficult; as if it was not difficult enough already.
The reputation of many good people has been tarnished enough already Mr. McInerney without you adding to the chorus.
Posted By: paul
3."a non-demoninational governance structure"? Oops, the gang of 16 exposed their agenda to exterminate the Catholic Church.
McInerney seems to be suggesting that having higher tertiary qualifications somehow prevents a man from committing abuse!
Why is this nonsensical "petition" even publicised? I'm sure any large school has a lot more than 16 disgruntled ex-students.
Posted By: Ronk
4. Methinks you missed the point of Mr McInerney's observation re tertiary qualifications. What were the said non qualified staff doing there? Why were they allowed to work in these roles if they held no formal qualifications to do so? Who was protecting whom?
The SMH 11/9 reported the current Principal referring to those accussed as having 'strayed from the teachings'. Is Mr Edwards serious? How about a clear message of the College's distaste for such actions along the lines of abhorrent, appalling and disgraceful.
Straying from the teachings is more like missing Mass on Sunday and pinching money from the till at work.
God bless the victims, may you find peace.
Posted By: Neil
5. Accuser Has Own History Of Shame
Western Advocate, by Andrew Meenahan 12 September 2008
http://bathurst.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/
accuser-has-own-history-of-shame/1270594.aspx
Former St Stanislaus College boarding student Dallas McInerney who is campaigning to have the Vincentian Order removed from the school in the wake of child sex offence charges against three priests, was once convicted of harassment and described by a police prosecutor as conscientious and over zealous.
Mr McInerney was fined $1000 and put on a two year good behavior bond when, in 1995, as a 22-year-old electoral office worker for the Member for Sutherland Chris Downy, he made a number of abusive calls to a pizza shop owner who displayed Labor Party posters in his business window during an election campaign.
According to a statement signed by the pizza shop owner, Mr Vince Musico, the calls threatened violence against his staff and were sometimes of a sexual nature.
Sutherland Local Court heard Mr Musico received 10 to 20 calls a day for four weeks and he said they left him feeling unhappy and flustered.
The controversy destabalised Mr Downy’s campaign and prompted then Opposition Finance spokesman, Michael Egan to call for Mr Downy’s resignation. Mr Downy denied all knowledge of the calls which were traced to his office by Telecom.
Mr McInerney has been one of the most outspoken former students who have come forward in relation to the St Stanislaus allegations, speaking at length with police, corresponding with school principal John Edwards and making public claims about unorthodox prayer sessions filled with: “chanting, music, no electric lighting, the whole atmosphere one of sedation”.
It was reported yesterday that he had presented a petition to St Stanislaus Old Boys Association containing the names of 16 other former students who supported his campaign to exclude the Vincentians from the college but according to an Association member the letter contains only four names and no signatures.
The association is seeking legal advice this afternoon about how to deal with the letter.
The three former College priests, Brian Spillane, John Gaven and Peter Dwyer will face Bathurst Local Court on Monday on a number of child sex offence charges.
The offences were alleged to have been committed as far back as 1973.
Posted By: Rory Connor
6. Neil, apparently you didn't notice that St Stanislaus is not a State school. If the Church and the order who own and run the school think that somebody is qualified to run the school, whether he has any tertiary "qualification" from a State university is irrelevant. Thank God in Australia the State does not decide who is and is not fit to run a Catholic school.
Your lame attempt to link the current staff and principal to the alleged behaviour of some of the staff of the 1970s is itself "abhorrent, appalling and disgraceful." They have done nothing to suggest they are anything less than totally repulsed and rejecting of the alleged behaviour.
Posted By: Ronk
7. How is it that the identity of the accusers is protected, as are their accusations, yet the accused is plastered across the front page of news papers- effectively having their lives destroyed before their trial. What consequences are there for media savvy, mud throwers? None.
Im appalled. I was a boarder at Stannies in the late 80s, I am friends with these men and I find the allegations impossible to believe.
What really should be questioned is why McInerney is so intenet on destroying the college when he himself has admitted to not being a victim.
Posted By: Grateful Old Boy
8. Mr Nathan Rees has just been elevated to the highest political office in NSW, despite the fact that for years he was private secretary to Milton Orkopoulos whilst he committed pedophilia against scores of children. Mr Rees' statement that he knew nothing of the crimes has been implicitly accepted as no bar to his promotion.
Yet some people in NSW apparently damn ALL Vincentian priests and brothers (even those who never went near Bathurst during the 1970s) as "guilty by association" because one brother and one lay teacher have been convicted of abuse 30 years ago and there are allegations against others in the same period.
The double standard against committed professed Catholics is sickening.
Posted By: Ronk
9. The original story was mischievous. That paper is renowned for catholic bashing. The real so called "petition" was as follows:
FIVE names.. ZERO signatures.
Posted By: Michael P