AUSTRALIA
ABC Ballarat
By Lily Partland
Peter Watson’s life was torn apart when his school priest sexually abused him. Now Peter’s brother, Mick, is calling on other victims of the former Ararat priest to come forward.
Mick and Peter Watson were raised as Catholics and attended a Catholic secondary school in Ararat, Marian College.
“It was just a normal childhood out on the farm. We played sport, did all the usual things,” Mick Watson told ABC Ballarat’s Steve Martin.
That was until 1991, when a relatively young priest arrived at the school. He “wasn’t a stereotypical priest”, and a lot of the kids got on well with him. One of those who became friendly with Father Paul David Ryan was Peter.
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