AUSTRALIA
The Standard
By Melissa Cunningham
Dec. 16, 2015
A FORMER Mortlake teacher was applauded after taking the stand at the royal commission into child sex abuse on Wednesday.
Ann Ryan, a teacher at St Colman’s School in Mortlake from 1973 to 1996, revealed a Ballarat bishop lacked “compassion or empathy” when told about disgraced priest’s Gerard Ridsdale’s rampant sexual abuse in the town.
Mrs Ryan, of Warrnambool, said she was once a staunch Catholic, but the church’s response to child sex crimes had destroyed her trust in people and authority.
During her testimony, Mrs Ryan spoke of a broken community which had to rebuild with no help from the Catholic Church.
Mrs Ryan said she immediately disliked Ridsdale and was increasingly disturbed by changes she observed in children after he began working there in 1981. Ms Ryan said grade five and six boys became absorbed with things of a sexual nature.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.