Brave survivor – I was groomed and raped at Scouts
Dumping my bags on the oor, I hugged my mum, Dalleen. ‘Did you have a good time, darl?’ she asked.
‘It was amazing,’ I gushed. We lived in Gisborne, Vic, and aged 12, I’d got back from a Scouts’ trip to Sydney.
‘Glad to have you home,’ my dad, Ron, grinned.
I’d joined the youth club a year before and adored the outdoor adventures.
My parents were friends with one leader, Michael, who went to the same church.
‘I’m glad Michael goes on the trips, I know you’re safe with him,’ Mum said.
After Michael started messaging me on
Facebook, he soon became someone I con ded in.
You can talk to me about anything, he wrote.
When I was 14, Michael, then 51, offered to take me on a private camping trip, which hadn’t been sanctioned by Scouts Victoria.
He told Mum it wasn’t really allowed, but I felt lucky to get special treatment and the chance to earn some more badges.
Plus, he said a friend could come with me, so I asked my mate Tristan*.
At the campsite, there was a converted church that now had bunk beds.
Michael suggested we had a drink and poured us
straight vodka.
‘Have another,’ Michael kept saying, topping up my cup.
Eventually, Tristan went to bed and, as Michael plied me with more vodka, everything became a blur.
Waking up in the morning, I was in the same bed as Michael, in the church building. I was also naked.
‘Quick, we need to get dressed before Tristan wakes up,’ Michael urged.
What happened after Tristan left? I panicked, feeling lost and sickened, but too scared to ask.
Michael was quiet on the way home and it felt very tense in the car.
At home, I couldn’t shake the sick feeling.
Why had I been naked? What had happened?
Did something happen last night? I texted Michael.
You were so drunk that I could have taken advantage of you, he replied.
Did you? I asked.
But he didn’t answer the question. I didn’t know what he meant and I didn’t want anything to happen with him. Michael was my friend and Scout leader. I wanted to forget all about it.
A few weeks later, Michael texted Mum about taking me on a day trip to practise putting up tents.
‘Michael’s taking you out this weekend,’ she said.
I wanted to learn, so I pushed the last incident to the back of my mind.
This time, Michael
Nikita adored the Scouts, but then the unthinkable happened
Nikita Gibbons, 18, Bendigo, Vic
brought cider for us, which made me drunk again.
That night, Michael raped me. Terri ed, I froze and silently cried.
‘Don’t tell anyone or we’ll both get into trouble,’ he said.
After that, Michael would try to get me alone.
One time, he persuaded Mum to let me join a Scouts trip on the Great Ocean Road. Mum thought I’d be excited.
How could I tell her the truth and break her heart? I felt helpless. While all the other kids hiked, Michael gave me a lift ahead of the group, against Scouting rules, and raped me again.
Afterwards, he kept warning me not to speak up or we’d both go to jail.
Unable to take the pressure anymore, I tried to take my life. Luckily, my parents found me and rushed me to hospital.
Coincidentally, on that same night, Tristan told his mum that we’d all been drinking at the church.
She told my parents, and they went to the police. Searching my iPad, of cers discovered the messages from Michael.
Shockingly, they also found pictures of my body on his phone taken while I was asleep.
‘I wish I could have protected you,’ Dad said, devastated.
In time, Michael Schulz appeared at the County Court of Victoria and pleaded not guilty.
It meant I had to give evidence, via video camera.
On June 26, 2018, Schulz, 53, a married father of two, was found guilty of grooming, three counts of sexual penetration of a child under 16, an indecent act with a child under 16 and possessing child pornography. He was jailed for 10 years and four months.
It was a huge relief, but my trust had been shattered and the smallest thing can trigger a bad memory.
I’ve also faced victimblaming, even claims I started an affair with him – this just should not happen to abuse survivors.
I was a child and he was in a position of trust. He groomed me. But I won’t let his vile actions control the rest of my life.
Equine therapy has helped me recover. And my family and friends are so supportive.
I want to encourage other survivors to con de in someone. Opening up isn’t going to get you in trouble, but it will protect you. And that’s what we all deserve. ●
‘I wish I could have protected you,’ Dad said,
devastated