AUSTRALIA
The Canberra Times
June 12, 2014
Primrose Riordan
Reporter at The Canberra Times
The headmaster of Canberra’s Marist College Richard Sidorko has asked parents and students to pray together after meeting a sex abuse victim currently giving evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Canberra.
In an emotional letter sent to Marist College families dated June 11, Mr Sidorko said he was shocked by statements from witnesses at the commission.
“When listening to these statements I experienced a variety of emotions including shock, disbelief, sadness and anger,” Mr Sidorko said.
At the hearing this week he said he approached witness DD – a former student of the college who had been assaulted while he was a year 7 student – after DD gave his testimony. Mr Sidorko said in the letter that he thanked DD for intervening when he was in year 12 and saw another boy in year 7 being groomed by his abuser.
Mr Sidorko said: “I’m sure DD’s memories of Marist College are not positive. That saddens me because in him I saw qualities that I believe are Marist.”
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