Killed schoolboy’s memorial returns
Plans to reinstate a memorial for murdered 10-year-old Glen Bo Duggan have been unveiled at the opening of a new education centre for children in state care.
Glen was a student at Richmond School in Christchurch when he was beaten by his mother’s boyfriend, Peter Wayne Ryder, and died in 1994.
The school was shut down in 2013. Arahina ki Otautahi, the first service of its kind, was officially opened at the refurbished site yesterday morning.
The education centre was set up to help young people in Child, Youth and Family (CYF) care transition into school and other work-related training.
It involves a partnership between Kingslea School, CYF, the Ministry of Education, Ngai Tahu, police and the Canterbury District Health Board, which would ‘‘have a key role in re-engaging these young people in education’’, Kingslea principal Tina Lomax said.
Kingslea board of trustees chairman Alan Direen said: ‘‘If you are in care and you are not in school, your chances of ending up involved in crime, drugs or being unemployed are pretty high. This new service is going to be critical in helping these young people set a different path for their life.’’
Three teachers, an educational psychologist and an assistant principal would work with up to 10 students, aged 10 to 16, at Arahina and provide support to another 30 students as they moved from the programme into further education or work-related training.
Last year, The Press’ Faces of Innocents project, an investigation into child homicide revealed concerns about a memorial for Glen at the site, which appeared to have been neglected.
Two trees were marked as protected on the proposed plans for the former Richmond School, but not a silk tree planted in his memory. A plaque etched with his name had disappeared from under the tree.
The Ministry of Education later said it was ‘‘grateful’’ the discrepancy was spotted and it had changed the plans to protect the tree. One of Glen’s friends, Craig Hall,came forward with the plaque after reading details of The Press investigation. He had rescued it from the site after Richmond School closed and had been keeping it safe in his garage.
At the opening of Arahina, Lomax acknowledged Glen’s links to the site and confirmed the plaque would be reinstated under the silk tree in a private ceremony.
‘‘We didn’t know about Glen’s history when this site was [selected],’’ she said.
‘‘I just feel very privileged that we have that memorial here so we are always mindful. He’ll never be forgotten.’’
Hall and another of Glen’s friends, Julian Phillips, attended yesterday’s event.
Hall, a concrete placer, said he was resetting the plaque in concrete and hoped to install it under the tree in a private ceremony next month.
Phillips said that as a community ‘‘we failed Glen’’ and he was glad the memorial was being reinstated.
‘‘I think that if you’re going to have a school for vulnerable children you have to remember the history of this site and for them to pay homage [to Glen] . . . in the way they did that shows there’s an intent here to make a difference. I think that bodes well for the success of this place.’’
Glen, who spent several years in foster care before returning to live with his mother, died on April 18, 1994 – four days after he was admitted to Christchurch Hospital with serious brain damage.
A court would later hear Ryder kicked, punched and hit the child with a hearth brush during a two-day beating at an inner city home. The assault started after $5 went missing from his wallet.
Ryder was found guilty of murder.