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Allegations
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More former Berhampore
Children's Home residents have alleged abuse at the hands of Walter Lake
after a softening of Presbyterian Support's hard-line approach toward
complainants. Shona Brown, 49, and
her brothers Michael, 44, and Ross, 46, told The Dominion Post yesterday they
had suffered sexual and physical abuse for years. "He ruined my
childhood. It was bad enough being an orphan and not having parents, let
alone being abused by him," Miss Brown said. At least 14 former
residents went to police last year with claims they were sexually abused
during the 1950s and 60s by Lake, who was made an OBE for social services in
1986. He died in November, aged 84, just as police were to charge him. Their claims had been
largely ignored by Presbyterian Support, which ran the Wellington home, till
Sunday, when the agency announced it would meet complainants to discuss
compensation. It had earlier said it was not liable, would not "write
out cheques" and would not deal with any complainant who hired a lawyer
or went public. Miss Brown and her
younger brothers were sent to the orphanage in 1966 after their mother died
of cancer and their father left the country. Queensland-based Miss
Brown had thought she was the only one sexually abused at the home till she
read a Dominion Post article this month that revealed others' claims. "I had no idea he
was doing it to the little ones, too. No one talked about it. I thought it
was just me." She was sent to the
home when she was nine. She cannot remember when the abuse started, but said
Lake sexually assaulted her frequently, usually in his car on the way to the
church office. He would touch her genitals and constantly follow her around
the home trying to touch her breasts, she said. Her brothers said they
would never forget the horrendous beatings by Lake that often drew blood and
left bruises. The most memorable for Cromwell-based Michael was a punishment
for taking apples off a tree. "He beat me so
badly for that. He used a dog collar with spikes all over it and I couldn't
sit for a week after that. I was only about seven." Ross, now in Dunedin,
said the damage done from such a "terribly unhappy childhood" had
taken years to mend. Miss Brown was still being treated for serious
depression. The siblings have
welcomed Presbyterian Support's about-face and are considering lodging their
complaints with the agency. "It's good that
they are acknowledging that it happened. He should never have been in charge.
He was a horrible man. It's important we all know we are not liars,"
Miss Brown said. Michael said he planned
to "go for it" in terms of compensation. "They ruined my
childhood. I was there for six years. It's a long time. I deserve something
for that. It was a nightmare." |
