A survivor of abuse endured while in the Catholic church’s care in Christchurch in the 1970s says he “adapted” to the sexual abuse inflicted on him.
Survivors abused at the St John of God Brothers in Christchurch began giving evidence at the Abuse in Care Royal Commission on Wednesday.
The hearing will run over six days in Tāmaki Makaurau, with the Catholic church acknowledging the offending there against disabled boys was statistically more serious than any other Catholic institutions, with 144 people reporting abuse.
It was just before Donald Ku's 10th birthday that he was taken to Marylands School, 48 years later he finally had a chance to speak out about the horrific abuse he suffered.
He endured it for four long years.
“You say after a while I started to adapt to the sexual things that happened at Marylands I was threatened by Brother [Bernard] McGrath to keep quiet about what was going on… once he took you to the hospital morgue as a way of silencing you,” Ku said.
Ken Clearwater, survivor and advocate, says New Zealand “has to hear what happened and the best place to hear it is from those it happened to”.
The St John of God order’s Australian leaders acknowledge brother Bernard McGrath as one of Australasia’s worst child sex offenders.
“This is deeply shameful to the Catholic church and it should never have happened,” said Catholic church counsel, Sally McKechnie.
Twenty-five other Brothers and employees had allegations of abuse made against them too.
“Why was there such a failure to recognise harm? There is no doubt Marylands was a very dark chapter in St John of God’s history,” McKechnie said.
Clearwater still supports many of the survivors and is demanding change.
“These are heinous crimes against disadvantaged boys… sorry, anybody who continues to support the molesters, the soul stealers, the child rapists shame on you,” Clearwater told the commission.
He's calling for comprehensive support for the men who lost their childhood innocence at Marylands.
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