9/11/2015

TheWorldTodayRoyalCommission:GeelongGrammarprincipalkeptaccusedteacheronstaff09/09/2015

TheWorldTodaywithEleanorHall
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RoyalCommission:GeelongGrammar
principalkeptaccusedteacheronstaff
SamanthaDonovanreportedthisstoryonWednesday,September9,201512:41:17

|MP3download
DAVIDMARK:AformerprincipalofGeelongGrammarSchoolhastoldtheRoyalCommission
hedidn'tremoveateacheraccusedofchildsexualabusefromtheschool.
JohnLewisgaveevidencethattheparentwhomadetheabusecomplaintdidn'twanthisson
embarrassed,sohefollowedhiswishes.
MrLewiswastheprincipalofGeelongGrammarfrom1980to1994andwentontobePrince
William'sheadmasteratEtonCollegenearLondon.
SamanthaDonovanisfollowingtheroyalcommissionhearingsinMelbourneandshejoinsme
now.
SoSamwhowasthisteacherandwhatwasheaccusedofdoing?
SAMANTHADONOVAN:Welltheteacher,David,wasJonathanHarvey,andhe'sgiven
evidencetotheroyalcommissionthisweek.Hewasconvictedandjailedin2007for10monthsfor
thesexualabuseofaGeelongGrammarstudentinthe1970s.
But,thecommission'sheardthattheschoolneverreportedtothepoliceanyconcernsaboutHarvey
thatcamefromparentsovertheyears,andtherewerequiteafew.Andhetaughtattheschoolor
washousemasteratGeelongGrammarforthebestpartofthreedecades.
In2004though,theschooldecidedheshouldretireayearearlybecausecomplaintsabouthis
dealingswithstudentshadsurfacedagainandtheschoolpaidouthiscontractwe'veheardinfull
andgavehimagoodreference.
Thecasethecommission'sbeenaskingtheformerprincipal,JohnLewis,aboutthismorningarose
inabout1986whenastudent'sfatherwenttoMrLewisandraisedconcernsthatHarveyhad
sexuallyabusedhissononanoverseastrip.
DAVIDMARK:NowwementionedthatJohnLewisdidn'treporttheaccusation,howdidhe
explainthat?
SAMANTHADONOVAN:Wellhe'sgivenevidencethatthefatherspoketohimtwiceabouthis
concernsaboutwhatwentononthattrip,spoketohimonceatacricketmatch.Butasyou
mentionedMrLewissaidthefatherwasveryconcernedabouthissonanddidn'twanthim
embarrassedbyanysortofinvestigation.
SoMrLewishasgivenevidencethismorningthathedidn'treportthemattertothepoliceorreally
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TheWorldTodayRoyalCommission:GeelongGrammarprincipalkeptaccusedteacheronstaff09/09/2015

investigatehimself,becauseofthefather'swishes.
HetoldcounselassistingthecommissionDavidLloyd,thatheinheritedadilemmafromthefather
whichhedidn'tthinkhecouldsolve.
JOHNLEWIS:Ihadnoreasontodisbelievehim,atthesametime,Ihadnocertainknowledgeof
whatwasbeingallegedandcertainlynoknowledgeofwhatwasbeingallegedwastrue.
DAVIDLLOYD:Didyouagreethat,whateverthedifficultiesofthesituationMrLewis,itjust
can'tberightthattheendsolutiontothedilemmathatyou'vedescribedistonotlaunchany
investigationorotherwisetakeanystepstodealwithateachercurrentlyonstaffagainstwhomit
appearedtoyouanallegationofsexualabusehadbeenmade.
JOHNLEWIS:Ithinkmanypeople,includingmanyparents,wouldtaketheviewthat,inamatter
ofthissort,theirwishesmustbeabidedbyandadheredto.
DAVIDLLOYD:WhatabouttheparentsofalltheotherboyswhocameunderHarvey'scareat
thattime?
JOHNLEWIS:WellMrHarveyhadbeenahousemastersince1976therehadbeenno
complaintsraisedagainstMrHarveytomyknowledgebeforeIarrivedasheadmaster.Theonly
previouscomplaintIknewoftookplacein1982.Ididnottaketheviewthatboys,ingeneral,or
pupilsingeneral,wereatdailyorregularriskofbeingabused.Idonotthink,inaninstitution,that
youcaneverconceivablyeliminateallpossibilityofrisk.
DAVIDLLOYD:Doyouagree,MrLewis,thatthecircumstancesasI'vedescribedthemtoyou
andthatyou'veagreedapplied,whateverthedifficultiesyou'veidentifiedwiththesituationare
simplyintolerable.
JOHNLEWIS:They'reveryunhappy,butuntilfatherhadtakenadifferentviewinwhathe
believedwerethebestinterestsofhisson,thatwaswherethesituationstoodinmyjudgement.
DAVIDMARK:That'stheformerprincipalofGeelongGrammarJohnLewis.Andearlierwe
heardfromourreporterSamanthaDonovan,who'scoveringtheroyalcommissioninMelbourne.

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