A colourful community support initiative in Ballarat, born out of a feeling of helplessness commemorates its three-year anniversary this week.
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“I can’t quite believe it has been three years,” said Maureen Hatcher, one of the initiators of the ribbons on the fence campaign at the former St Alipius Christian Brothers primary school, “but I hope the ribbons stay for another three years, or another 300.”
Maureen said she was a pupil at the St Alipius parish school at Ballarat east, around the time that so many of the boys at the Christian Brothers-run school suffered abuse.
“It was happening less than a block away and we had no idea. I am 52 and I didn’t know until three years ago [when the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse began], that all of this horrific stuff had been happening … to kids the same age as me. In those days we knew everyone and the Church was a big part of the community, we had Parish picnics … all the families knew one another.
“It still amazes me, even now, that all of that went on and we didn’t know. So, when the Royal Commission began and we were hearing the stories, we felt so deceived and the community felt hoodwinked. We all wanted to do something to help, to show support.
“So, on 21 May 2015 my school friend, Jacinta, and I put a message out to say that we’d be at the school (now the St Alipius Parish Hall) with some ribbons for anyone who wanted to come and put up a ribbon.”
While Maureen started the loud fence initiative, she is quick to pay tribute to other community leaders and supporters, including St Patrick's College principal John Crowley and St Alipius School principal Eileen Rice who had earlier tied ribbons in a show of support at their schools.
The name ‘loud fence’ denotes the end of the silence around child sexual abuse, while the bright colours were meant to signal a bold protest against the misuse of power and authority.
“We did have a discussion about ribbon colour, … some have a particular relevance; a survivor may have died or someone may prefer a particular colour; I think the choice of colour is what resonates with the individual,” Ms Hatcher said.
“There are no rules around this, the ribbons are a poignant message of support and hope and a sign that these children, who have suffered so much, have been heard.”
“We’ve had a few times when the ribbons have been cut down, some people see it as a form of protest against the Church and others have inferred that they don’t like to see the ribbons.
The ribbons mean hope ... hope for the kids. It makes me happy to drive past the fence now.
- Dominic Ridsdale
Child sexual abuse survivor and former St Alipius Christian Brothers primary school student, Rob Walsh said the fence was “beautiful and a testament to what it stands for and a show of support for the future.”
Stephen Woods, also a former student, suffered years of abuse from the age of 11. Mr Woods no longer lives in Ballarat but strongly supports the ribbons and loud fence initiative.
“I think the ribbon fence is an incredible success, it’s a touchstone for the community. It’s a form of powerful protest … a reminder that so many lives were damaged by an uncaring and unsympathetic authority, it’s a beacon of light into the dark hallows (to quote Harry Potter) of the leadership of the Catholic Church,” he said.
Survivor Phil Nagle agreed the fence was a “show of support from the community and for survivors going forward. He said he remembers the day he heard the ribbons were going up “and the hairs stood up on his neck.” “The ribbons are comforting and a positive sign for the city.”
Survivors Brett Matthews, Gary Sculley and Dominic Ridsdale all turned up to commemorate the three-year anniversary and show support for the loud fence to continue.
“Since the start of the loud fence the community has really shown a lot of support for survivors. Clergy abuse is so widespread and the community really wants to do something to fix this in the hope that it doesn’t happen again,” Mr Sculley said.
Asked what the fence meant to him, Mr Ridsdale said: “The ribbons mean hope … hope for the kids. It makes me happy to drive past the fence now.”
Ballarat CASA director Shireen Gunn said the fence was an enduring and positive show of support for survivors. “Ongoing support is extremely important.”
For support: Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Support (CASA) - (03) 5320 3933 / National CASA – 1800 806 292 (Free call)