The woman, who The Courier cannot identify, lived with her family in Harvey’s Ballarat neighbourhood when he indecently assaulted her inside his home in July 1990.

She said the despicable sexual assault she suffered as a nine-year-old changed her world where she felt scared, unsafe and confused.

To this day, the woman now aged 37, has only just started to understand why Harvey’s actions set off a string of events in her life.

The woman broke her silence after The Courier revealed on Friday the dark past of the Country Fire Authority where Ballarat Fire Brigade junior members were sexually abused by Harvey – the station officer – between 1977 and 1983.

Harvey was convicted of these crimes in November 2017 and had two relevant priors, including a conviction of indecent assault in 1982 – eight years before he indecently assaulted an innocent girl.

“The police knew he was a repeat offender and we moved into the neighbourhood and nobody told us,” the woman said. “We were never adequately warned. It brings police into disrepute.

The woman said she first remembered Harvey, aged in his late 50s to early 60s, standing outside the front of his house watching cars drive past.

She believes her father started chatting to him and eventually learned he had been in the Ballarat Fire Brigade.

The woman and her siblings were allowed to visit Harvey, however, she did not remember other people visiting him.

“I remember his house was full of things to attract kids. There was an elaborate fish tank with a seahorse and clownfish. There was a huge railway track that filled the garage. There was a Nintendo my brother would play,” she said.

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She said Harvey started to tickle her around her thigh area one day, which she thought was a test to see if she would tell anyone about it.

“I told Mum. I was a bit embarrassed to tell her where he tickled me. He kept tickling me, then he touched me where he should not have,” the woman said.

She said she had learned during a program at her primary school about child abuse prevention and she knew Harvey’s actions in July 1990 were wrong.

“As soon as Mum found out the police were called. We never went there (to Harvey’s house) again. We were not allowed to play in our front yard.”

When her parents asked their daughter if she wanted to move from the neighbourhood, she said ‘no’ because she did not want another child to go through the same thing as her.

About a year after the offence, Harvey was convicted and sentenced to nine months’ jail, suspended for 12 months.

The woman said she believed there were more of Harvey’s victims, who she encouraged to come forward in a duty of care to protect other vulnerable children who may live near convicted peadophiles.

She commended two men of their bravery after they told The Courier this week about the sexual abuse they suffered as children at the hands of Harvey while he was the Ballarat Fire Brigade station officer.

“The more people come forward it builds cases against people,” she said.

“It matters that people come forward to protect other children.”

She sent a strong message to other parents – not to trust anyone to be alone with your children you don’t know extremely well.

She said it was important to teach children early about what is wrong and right when it comes to their own bodies. She said all information and communication matters.

“We need some kind of system to warn people who have children of a vulnerable age if a sex offender lives close to them. They have that in the USA and it helps keep people safe,” she said.

Harvey, now aged 89 and with terminal cancer, is currently serving a two-year jail term, suspended for two years.