NEW COLLEGE SEX CLAIM NEW

REVEALED: Letter details fresh concerns of historic teacher abuse

claims of historic offences by teachers against students at Geelong College have emerged.

A letter from the College sent to former students revealed the incidents mostly involved male teachers having inappropriate relationships with senior female students.

NEW claims of historic offences by teachers against students at Geelong College have emerged.

In a letter to former students late last week, the college revealed the incidents were alleged to have “originated from the early days of co-education at the college”, and mostly involved male teachers having inappropriate relationships with senior female students.

Geelong College went co-ed in 1974.

The letter sent on Friday was signed by college principal Dr Peter Miller, school council chairman Dr Hugh Seward and Thane Joske, president of the Old Collegians Association.

“These concerns primarily relate to the behaviour of some former male members of Senior School teaching staff who engaged in inappropriate relationships with some female Senior School students,” the trio wrote.

“We apologise unreservedly to those who were directly affected and harmed by these events. We also recognise the wider impact on other members of the school community who may have witnessed, or otherwise been distressed by them.”

The letter also cited a speech earlier this year when Dr Seward publicly apologised for the “sordid, disturbing, and shameful” acts of sexual abuse perpetrated by staff against students in the past.

The speech was given on March 3, less than a month after Geelong College confirmed two former students had alleged “questionable be- haviour” by former Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle when he was a teacher at the school, between 1978 and 1981.

The school said at the time it had alerted police to the claims.

Victoria Police was unable to say yesterday whether those claims were under investigation.

The letter distributed to former students and published online by Geelong College on Friday was further evidence of the school accepting responsibility for the sins of past staff members, apologising to vic- tims and offering support.

Doctors Miller and Seward have been at the forefront of this approach, while therapist and counsellor Pauline Ryan has been working as an “independent facilitator” for the school.

In the letter, anyone affected by staff misconduct at the college was encouraged to contact Dr Miller, Ms Ryan or Victoria Police’s Geelong Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team.

Dr Seward reflected glowingly on his 14 years of schooling at the college, but acknowledged he was “innocent” and “naive” to what some of his contemporary students endured.

“There was a sordid, disturbing, and shameful side to a small number of those teachers we had trusted so explicitly,” he said.

“Some will never forgive the school, but I hope many of those who have felt harmed will be able to accept our apology.

“We will now strive to live up to our own intentions to be a leader in the way we support our survivors.”