Napier man Claude Thomas suffered physical abuse at schools for being left-handed. Photo / Warren Buckland
Napier man Claude Thomas suffered physical abuse at schools for being left-handed. Photo / Warren Buckland
Hawke’s Bay survivors of abuse in state care say “words will never be enough” and are “empty and meaningless” without financial redress, following the Government’s public apology.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon offered an official apology in Parliament on Tuesday to the thousands of victims of abuse in state care, as a response to the damning Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care for state and faith-based institutions.
Luxon also stated his intention to introduce a new redress system next year for the victims, although details remain light on that scheme including how much will be paid to victims.
Disability advocate Gary Williams, who suffered shocking abuse at Hawke’s Bay’s now-closed Pukeora Home for the Disabled, was the first survivor to speak during the public apology event.
“Your words will never be enough for survivors, we’ve had decades of hearing words like that,” he said, in response to an apology from the heads of government agencies.
“[There is] a long way to go before changes can put it right, and I just want to say we can’t wait until next year [for redress] because people are dying every day without any kind of restitution.”
Pukeora survivor Gary Williams was the first survivor to speak at the apology event at Parliament. Photo / Supplied
He said, after the event, that on reflection “the apology was symbolic but not something that resonated with me”.
“One thing that occurred to me today is that no one is ultimately accountable,” he said.
Flaxmere-based survivor Malcolm Richards was a victim at the notorious Lake Alice child and adolescent unit in Manawatū-Whanganui, and was an integral figure during the Royal Commission process.
Richards recently underwent a triple bypass heart operation and was unable to attend the public apology, as he recovers at home.
“I would have liked to have been there to support all of the survivors that have supported me and the ones that I bullied to speak up at the Royal Commission and generally to have been there for that, not to hear the words the Prime Minister is saying because they don’t have any meaning to me,” he said.
“It is empty and meaningless words that have got no actions to back it up. There is no redress.
“They gave our legal fees back but they haven’t inflation-adjusted them, so they are trying to keep everything to the minimum amount they have to do.”
Malcolm Richards was unable to attend the apology after undergoing life-saving heart surgery. Photo / RNZ
He said financial redress could not be done as a group settlement process, and must be done as a “one-on-one” process between survivor and the state.
Napier survivor Claude Thomas, 83, suffered shocking physical abuse at schools about 70 years ago, including in Hawke’s Bay, simply because he was left-handed.
While at Eskdale School, he was hit in the side of his head so hard by a teacher that it burst his eardrum, for using his left hand to write. He has lost hearing in that ear.
Thomas watched the apology from his home and said it “doesn’t change anything” without reparation.
He said the abuse had a lot of ramifications for his relationships as an adult, including his inability to trust others, and left him as “an angry person”.
He said it had also ultimately cost him financially.
The Government offered survivors of abuse free travel and a night’s accommodation if they wanted to attend the public apology in Wellington, or a related event in other major centres.
Christopher Luxon making an official apology for abuse in state care. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Thomas registered to go to Wellington, but claimed he never received a confirmation letter and plans.
He said he was called by a taxi company at 3.48pm on Monday saying they were outside to take him to the airport, but it was too short notice and he could not make it.
A Crown Response Unit spokeswoman, for the abuse in care inquiry, said they sent emails to Thomas about the travel plans but added an apology.
“In his early contact with the Crown Response Unit, Claude confirmed his preferred method of contact is via phone. Unfortunately, the Crown Response Unit’s subsequent contact with Claude were via email.
“The Crown Response Unit reached out to Claude and apologised for this oversight and regret that as a consequence he missed attending the apology event at Shed 6.”
Luxon, inside the House of Representatives, offered the public apology and thanked the more than 2400 victims who bravely shared their testimonies during the royal commission. He also announced a $32 million boost to an existing redress system.
He said “to all of you I am sorry” and “I have read your stories and I believe you”.
“You deserved so much better and I am deeply sorry.”
Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins said politics would be put aside and both major parties would work together on financial redress for victims.
“There will be a big bill but it is nothing compared to the debt that we owe those survivors, and it must not be the reason for any further delay.”
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
