Church abuse survivors to be honoured in memorial

Gary Sculley's hands are steady as he ties a bright blue ribbon to the green iron-wrought fence of St Patrick's Cathedral in Ballarat.

For a moment, the sun shines on an otherwise blustery spring day.

It's not the first time ribbons have been tied to the fence, a display honouring and memorialising victim-survivors of clergy abuse.

But this time, it means something a little different.

On Saturday, it was announced that a permanent memorial at both St Patrick's Cathedral and St Alipius Primary School will be put in alongside the ribbons.

"It's been quite a battle… We've had some great strides over the years but also some terrible setbacks," Mr Sculley said outside the Ballarat Cathedral.

A long road and battle

Mr Sculley was assaulted by multiple teachers in the 1960s at what was then the Christian Brothers' St Alipius School.

During the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, between 2013 to 2017, a plea came out of Ballarat calling for a permanent memorial to honour the victim-survivors.

It coincided with the Loud Fence movement, where ribbons were tied to churches and schools signifying support and solidarity for those affected by abuse.

Since the first length of satin was tied to a fence post, the gesture has been adopted across Australia and internationally.

A memorandum of understanding has now been signed between victim-survivors, the Ballarat Diocese and other advocates to have the two permanent memorials completed by 2028.

"It's been years. Ten years or more," Mr Sculley said.

On how the memorials will look, only time will tell.

Mr Sculley said the memorials need to be both on the site grounds itself, and also on or near the front fences, as some victim-survivors have never been able to walk into a churchyard again.

"It'll be worked out between the victim-survivors [on] how that's going to materialise," he said.

A rocky road to present day

The Catholic Church has a long and fragmented history of painful litigation with victim-survivors and attempts to shirk responsibility.

Ballarat-based victim-survivor and member of the Loud Fence Inc. Peter Buchanan said he was very pleased at this next step.

"Two years ago the Ballarat Diocese made a decision to appeal a [sexual abuse] case and make the claim that priests weren't employees," Mr Buchanan said.

"That was particularly hurtful because we were in discussions [about the memorial] with the [former] bishop at the time he was making the appeal, unbeknownst to us. That's when the process stalled."

In July this year, it felt as if the hope for a permanent memorial would never come to fruition.

Carefully placed ribbons on the Dawson Street side of the cathedral fence were cut down.

"At that time, Loud Fence and the Ballarat District Survivors group vowed the ribbons would return," Mr Buchanan said.

Church 'to be humble'

New Ballarat Bishop Mark Freeman joined the group of advocates in an emotional morning tying ribbons to the St Patrick's Cathedral fence.

The ribbons have been removed during maintenance works or targeted attacks multiple times in the past.

Bishop Freeman said after commencing in the Ballarat Diocese at the start of this year, he has been part of ongoing conversations with both Loud Fence and the Ballarat District Survivors group.

"The purpose of [the memorial] is to really have something that best supports survivors, if they are the focus rather than what suits the environment of the church," Bishop Freeman said.

"Obviously we will work together on that — we want to have something really worthy, that is symbolic."

A will and a way

Loud Fence board chair Mark O'Brien said the process "came to a screaming halt" in 2024 after ribbons were cut off the fence.

"We've been able to get back on track with new leadership in the diocese," Mr O'Brien said.

"It's just great to see that [victim-survivors'] voice is still loud, and people are still not wanting to forget what has happened."

Mr O'Brien also praised the new Bishop.

"It's a willingness not on litigation, and how those processes work. But more about healing," he said.

"I am hoping — it is still early days, but so far we've got to this point. I didn't think we would get to an MOU."

Advocates and survivors hugged outside St Patrick's Cathedral.

Loud Fence group volunteer Dot Cherry had tears in her eyes as she tied the very first ribbon of the day on a post.

Ms Cherry has been involved in Loud Fence for 10 years, paying for the slips of silk out of her own pocket.

"I have cut thousands of these ribbons," Ms Cherry said.

Though it will take another two years until those permanent memorials are unveiled, the groups are determined and hopeful.

"I understand it is going to be a difficult process — and some victim-survivors don't want to be involved in it," Gary Sculley acknowledged.