Dilworth survivor and advocate Neil Harding told the Herald he was unsure whether he’d attend or not, but he had trouble trusting the Dilworth establishment.
For years, abuse was covered up at Dilworth and at times a child abuse ring operated.
One in the early 1980s involving the now-imprisoned Wayne Gillman Moonie and also allegedly involving the late Dilworth scout volunteer Richard Galloway and the late Ken Wilson.
Harding said the Dilworth establishment had excluded many well-intentioned survivors from discussions about the school’s governance and future.
“Most of the guys want to know that the place is safe now.”
Multiple child molesters from Dilworth have been jailed since the police revealed the existence of the Operation Beverly investigation in 2020.
“The Dilworth Trust Board of today will give the apology, taking ownership for the failings of the school’s leadership and governance of the past,” the Dilworth Response page says.
It adds: “The acknowledgement and apology is being offered in the hope that it will contribute to the healing of survivors, old boys and our wider community, and reconciliation within the Dilworth community.”
The page says the Dilworth Independent Inquiry Report was a strong starting point to inform the apology event.
It says further insights were gained through personal apology requests made by survivors through the independent Dilworth Redress Programme, research conducted by research company Ipsos with the old-boy community, and a hui in November.
It says survivors, Dilworth Old Boys’ Association council members, Dilworth trustees and senior leaders attended that meeting.
A survey sought feedback and input from the wider Dilworth community about what the apology should cover and when and how it should be delivered, the webpage says.
“The main themes arising from responses about the apology were that it should address the abuse that was allowed to happen, the harm it caused, the long-term impact on survivors’ lives, mental health and emotional well-being,” it says.
“There were consistent comments about the need to address the betrayal of trust, the silencing of boys, their families and staff, and fostering a culture of silence.
“Respondents wanted an expression of accountability and remorse for what the school’s former leadership had allowed to happen.”
The Herald last year revealed Dilworth School set aside $43.7 million for redress to people believed to have suffered serious physical and sexual harm during their time as students.
In a video published this week and shared with the Dilworth community, Dilworth Trust Board chairman Aaron Snodgrass said the board was mindful of “appalling” abuse and the impact that abuse had.
He said the board had responded to 19 recommendations made by the Dilworth independent inquiry into historical abuse at the school.
“To date many applicants have received redress payments as well as support for future counselling and other non-financial redress,” Snodgrass said.
“We cannot make up for the travesties of the past or stop apologising for the historical abuse that occurred at our school.”
Dilworth today told the Herald the event would be private because the apology was “first and foremost for the Dilworth community, specifically for former students who were abused at Dilworth School and their families”.
A Dilworth spokeswoman said the school’s priority was to ensure the community felt safe and secure in coming together for the event.
“We know some attendees will wish to maintain their anonymity and others could be in a vulnerable state of mind at the time of the apology,” she said.
The acknowledgement and apology would be live-streamed from the Dilworth Response website.
Steve Brown, a former Dilworth Old Boys’ Association president, in October told the Herald some people had the perception a Dilworth redress payment was “a pay-off” to shut people up.
“While I acknowledge it is paying more than other schemes, it is also not transparent, so people do not really know what they’re getting redress for,” he said at the time.
