Whangārei woman tells of sexual abuse by Catholic priest at historic national inquiry

Annie Hill told a Royal Care Commission of Inquiry's redress hearing about the years of sexual abuse she endured at the hands of Father Michael Shirres. Photo / supplied

She was aged only 4 when a prominent Northland Catholic priest began a chain of sexual assaults that lasted almost a decade.

Last week, Whangārei's Annie Hall, 58, addressed the horror of the past and her quest for justice by telling the historic Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry of Father Michael Shirres and his abuse of her as a child.

Hall's testimony joined the voices of around 25 survivors shared experiences of sexual, physical, emotional, and psychological abuse in the care of the New Zealand Catholic Church, Anglican Church, and the Salvation Army during a two-week hearing in Auckland.

After her testimony, Hill said the redress was the beginning of a "huge reconciliation process that has so much work to be done".

"It's easy to say 'we hear you' but in my mind we have to understand this is a crisis that has stretched into a lifetime for the people affected," Hill said. "We have to truly ask how can we help, because you can't help in five minutes."

Shirres was suspected of having abused dozens of children for decades, including some in Northland. He was a revered figure within Maori communities in the Far North, where he had visited regularly as a guest speaker since 1973. The priest died of motor neuron disease in October 1997, aged 68.

Father Michael Shirres (pictured) is suspected to have abused dozens of children, some in Northland, during his time as a prominent priest. Photo / supplied

From the witness box Hill, a former art teacher at Pompallier College, described how Shirres entered her family's life in the 1960s when they abandoned London for New Zealand.

Shirres quickly became entrenched in the family's life after gaining her parents' trust by paying them special attention at the parish.

Their confidence in Shirres was so firm he would babysit Hill at the family home. She recalled one "shameful event" when her parents returned home to find their 4-year-old daughter semi-naked, and scolded the youngster for her lack of clothes.

People were quick to warn Hill's parents about the priest's sinister side and advised the couple to avoid leaving their children alone with him.

Hill said her father's unwavering faith in a Catholic priest and her mother's vulnerability, because of social isolation, prevented them from absorbing the early warnings.

Cracks in her father's trust in Shirres appeared the following year and he was convinced the priest had abused children.

One day the couple had an explosive argument about Shirres and things turned violent. As police took Hill's father away he tried to expose Shirres but his claims fell on deaf ears.

AFter the breakdown of her parents' marriage, Hill and her siblings were dropped on the doorstep of the Star of the Sea orphanage in Auckland – without an explanation or a goodbye.

Over two years there, nuns barely spoke to them and numbers were used to identify the children instead of their names. Her time at the orphanage was littered by regular visits by Shirres in the private parlour – rather than the sewing room where the children met other visitors.

"We were expected to be excited and grateful to see Michael in the parlour. The door to the parlour would be shut when we were in there with him, so it was very private," Hill said.

The end came for Hill when she was aged 12 and someone close to her told the schoolgirl she didn't have to let him "touch" her anymore.

"I turned around to him one day when he was groping me and said 'no'," Hill said. "I do not recall any abuse after that but do remember him being very angry and I thought he was going to hit me."

Hill went on to become a teacher yet Shirres' abuse continued to have an impact. She quit her job at Pompallier College in 1995 after suffering severe panic attacks brought on when she discovered Shirres had been invited to talk at the school.

She was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the abuse.

Hill said she had been haunted by the knowledge she was not the only victim and that others had suffered a similar fate.

"After Shirres apologised in writing for my abuse in 1994, no one from the Dominicans ever discussed offering meaningful pastoral care to others," she said.

Her contact with a senior Dominican priest in 2016 urging him to seek out other victims was followed by that priest eulogising Shirres in a Catholic newspaper for his pioneering work in Māori theology.

She also sought redress through the Abuse Protocol Committee of the Archdiocese of Wellington and a complaint to the police.

These experiences had strengthened her resolve to be involved in this week's redress hearing and to reach out to others who may not realise how easily they can be helped.

"All you need to do is contact the Royal Care Commission and let them know you have experienced abuse of that nature and you don't have to do anything more than let them know," Hill said.

"That's all the commission needs to be able to help and no one can help you if you don't know you have the right to help."

Representatives from each of the accused institutions will present evidence and respond to survivor statements in March next year.

Do you need help?
If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline on: 0800 227 233 (08002B SAFE).

If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.