THE Hunter man whose statement led to Archbishop Philip Wilson being charged with concealing a child sex allegation against another priest spoke to police after attending the Shine the Light meeting at Newcastle Panthers in September 2012 during the Newcastle Herald’s campaign for a royal commission.
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‘‘The whole meeting had a huge impact on him,’’ said a Hunter relative of the man who was also at the meeting where former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons galvanised the room with the quote that evil flourishes when good men do nothing.
It prompted Hunter Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox to speak at the meeting and challenge the then NSW premier Barry O’Farrell’s belief that police alone could deal with the child sex abuse issue, which proved the catalyst for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.
After the meeting, the Hunter man spoke to family members about his abuse by Hunter paedophile priest Jim Fletcher in the 1970s when he was an altar boy, and later made a statement to Newcastle strike force Lantle.
The man was encouraged to speak to police because of the strong community support for the Herald campaign, the depth of feeling at the meeting, the support of people who attended, and the speakers who demanded action by people in authority, his relative said.
‘‘This thing has taken an enormous toll on his life,’’ the relative said.
‘‘I encouraged him to attend the meeting.
‘‘Everyone there who spoke was dynamic.
‘‘Peter FitzSimons told it straight from the heart.
‘‘[NSW Greens MP] David Shoebridge was so strong, and out of that came Peter Fox.’’
The relative was in tears when he spoke about the man as a young child in a very strong Hunter Catholic family.
‘‘He was a great little bloke,’’ he said.
He was pleased to hear that Archbishop Philip Wilson had been charged.
‘‘I think that’s great,’’ he said.
‘‘It shows the pain and sadness that people experienced during the [NSW Special Commission of] inquiry was worth it and that people are being held to account.’’
The relative stopped attending church for many months during the campaign for a royal commission.
He had since returned to church.
‘‘I pray for the victims of this tragedy,’’ he said.
‘‘I pray for my family and anyone who’s sick or having difficulty in their lives.
‘‘But in terms of the service itself, it doesn’t mean much to me at all.’’