Gerry Georgatos
Last week the Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail reported that on Good Friday, Bridgetown was plastered with graffiti alleging one of the town's most prominent citizens is a paedophile.
'Warning to Parents' was painted in large letters and then alleged a noteworthy individual in a position of trust was a paedophile.
The Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail received calls from three individuals about the graffiti. One photo of the graffiti and the accusations, smack right across Coronation Street, was forwarded by a Bridgetown resident to the Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail.
Early on Easter Saturday morning the Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail newspaper visited the locations as advised by the callers. Coronation Street had been cleaned up and there was no sign of the graffiti however it was still visible at a busy overpass bridge at the Blackwood River. Someone had tried to wash it away however it could be read in its entirety.
The Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail newspaper found more graffiti at a Steere Street workplace, where a very large 'Warning to Parents' remained at the front entrance of its car park. However some 10 metres at a walkway to the building there was evidence of efforts to remove the rest of graffiti which presumably was similar in content to the rest of it around Bridgetown.
These are the most serious of allegations, and there are appropriate avenues for the lodgment of complaints or the seeking of inquiries however somebody's anguish was such that this person needed to en masse confront Bridgetown residents with warnings.
The Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail is aware of whom the allegations have been made against however at this time it would be impropriety to refer to the person in question. Police are aware of the graffiti, as were many within the community, and the matter is being investigated.
In lieu of the events, and the subsequent education, of Katanning's generational sexual abuse scandal it would be improper for the Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail not to have reported the large scale graffiti writing in Bridgetown and the confrontational nature of its content.
The Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail can report that it had been approached in the recent past by a couple of sources, one a noteworthy incumbent councillor, with accusations of paedophilia and/or a paedophile 'ring' in and around Bridgetown. It is understood a police investigation resulted however nothing was substantiated.
Bridgetown-Greenbushes shire chief executive officer Tim Clynch was disappointed by the graffiti and said it was 'unBridgetown-like'. However, it was only several years ago during a council election that an elector apparently drove around town putting up posters accusing a councillor of distributing illegal drugs and of a connection or involvement in paedophilia.
If someone has cause for concern about anyone conducting themselves improperly in relation to children then one should go to the police. If you are a child or adult who has been the victim of child abuse or paedophilia, or if you have information about someone else being abused, you should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. If someone is concerned for themselves in terms of acrimony and putting people offside and wants to maintain anonymity to avoid inverse attention or perceived recriminations one can contact the police hotlines and provide information anonymously. You can report child abuse to the Child Abuse Squad on 9428 1500. The Child Abuse Squad said it will maintain the strictest confidence. There are victim support services.
In a timely occurrence South West Academic Services will present in Bridgetown Keeping Kids Safe workshops for children in pre-primary to year seven during the school holidays. They present these throughout the south west. Program coordinator Jasmine Baker said they present 'dangers from predators' in a child friendly and non-confronting manner.
One of the presenters, school psychologist Brad Nugent said childhood should be about growing, learning and playing. "But when we know that, in Australia, between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 children are victims of childhood abuse then childhood is not about those things for too many of our children. That is why I am so passionate about getting this message out there to as many kids as possible. Especially in regional areas"
Mrs Baker said "I didn't think we needed these kinds of workshops regionally, however I was so shocked when one of my children came out and disclosed that he had been going through years of abuse. If that could happen in a home with open communication I realised how much worse it could be for others."
The Bridgetown workshops will be held on Monday and Tuesday the 23rd and 24th of April.
"We will also run a parent information night on the Monday night," said Mrs Baker.
If anyone needs someone to talk to you can reach the 24 hours crisis support Lifeline on 131114.
Comments
Re: Allegations of paedophilia hit country town - what to do
so where does a child who is a victim of abuse go to when there abusers are persons in power or in positions of trust in the community that are the ones abusing them? According to your article people did initially go the police and nothing came of it.
This person graffitying was obviously trying to warn parents of the dangers of the criminal elements in their town preying upon their children, that do so in order to satisfy their own depraved sickness.
Protecting our children from more than just Stranger Danger
Gerry Georgatos
Protecting Kids from Predators workshops for children and parents were held in Bridgetown last week. A two day workshop for children coordinated by the Busselton-based South West Academic Services covered everything from predators to cyber bullying and was attended by 30 Bridgetown students, and an evening session was conducted for parents.
The program's coordinator Jasmine Baker said, "We present these workshops all over the South West because the risks posed by child sexual predators are great, and they are not confined to big cities however just as rampant in country areas, if not more so."
"We have to keep confidence however we are aware of incidences in Bridgetown, just like in all country towns, and parents have spoken to us."
"We are aware of incidences in towns from Collie to Albany."
"There are paedophiles, child sex predators, sexual predators and the circulation of inappropriate materials in every town."
"It is important to educate children to what really is stranger danger, that predators can be anybody, and usually they are someone known to us, and to educate our children as to boundaries and in feeling comfortable in reporting or discussing concerns with others," said Ms Baker.
Ms Baker is a mother of five children, two of whom were abused by people known to her, and as a result she has since made it her calling to educate children and their parents.
The workshops were presented by Brad Nugent, a school psychologist of the last 18 years. He has been presenting these workshops for the last 6 years.
"Many predators set themselves up in small country towns, place themselves in positions of trust and develop relationships with those they abuse over extensive periods of time," said Mr Nugent.
"A predator generally has many victims, not just one, just like McKenna in Katanning."
"The statistics are varied however it is generally acknowledged that one in four Australians has been sexually abused and unfortunately only thereabouts one in ten victims of abuse report the crime."
"We need to educate our children to the early warning signs, how to say 'no', about support networks in family and within the community, and also ourselves that we must not fear in speaking up and we need to share this message again and again," said Mr Nugent.
The parent workshop discussed the recent allegations of a paedophile in Bridgetown which were anonymoulsy made by graffiti, painted in some ten locations throughout the town on Easter Friday. Most parents knew of someone who was a paedophile or of someone who had been abused as a child. "What we have to do is be alert to the warning signs, provide our children with prior knowledge and build trust with them so that they feel comfortable in speaking up at all times," said Mr Nugent.
According to Mr Nugent and Ms Baker country towns are attractive propositions for paedophiles, who often are tormented by a history of abuse themselves, and the best way to protect children is by arming them with knowledge. Mr Nugent said that just because someone has a 'Working with Children' card, this does not mean they are trustworthy, no-one is. "We know that children are most likely to be victims of sexual abuse at the hands of someone they know, either from a family member or friends or associates of the family."
A child should never go with anyone anywhere, even with extended family nor with one of the community's pillar folk - not without the express permission of either parent.
South West Academic Services will return to Bridgetown for more workshops during the school term breaks. "We've reached 3% of the 1,000 kids in Bridgetown on this occasion, we'd like to reach more, and we will come to the surrounding towns too," said Ms Baker.
If someone has cause for concern about anyone conducting themselves improperly in relation to children then one should go to the police. If you are a child or adult who has been the victim of child abuse or paedophilia, or if you have information about someone else being abused, you should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. If someone is concerned for themselves in terms of acrimony and putting people offside and wants to maintain anonymity to avoid inverse attention or perceived recriminations one can contact the police hotlines and provide information anonymously. You can report child abuse to the Child Abuse Squad on 9428 1500 or 9428 1600. The Child Abuse Squad said it will maintain the strictest confidence. There are victim support services and including Crisis Care on 1800 199 008.