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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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A Rotorua man has backed
claims of horrific physical, psychological and sexual abuse of cadets as
young as 15 at the New Zealand Army's Waiouru Cadet School. More than three decades
after his six-month stint at the army camp, Bert Robinson still bears the
scars of his 187 "days of hell" -- and he is delighted the
Government is finally doing something about it. Fighting back tears, Mr
Robinson said he was keen to get in touch with ex-soldier Ian Fraser, who has
prompted the Government to investigate claims of sadistic treatment of cadets
at the school during the 1960s to 1980s. Mr Robinson, now 48,
entered the camp as a 16-year-old from Taumarunui in January 1973. More than 30 years
later, he blames his depression, alcohol abuse, visits to clinical
psychologists, broken relationships and severe arthritis on the constant
abuse he suffered at the hands of his superiors at the cadet school. He also claims a
beating he received has left him sterile. Returning to his
darkened barracks one night, he found eight men waiting for him. He claims he
was so severely sexually assaulted with a spoon that the following morning
his scrotum had swollen to the size of a small rugby ball. When asked to stand to
attention, he passed out and woke up in hospital. Once well, he was
medically discharged and held in the military police cells "for his own
protection" before leaving. Years later it was
discovered both his hips had been broken while he struggled in the attack. Mr Robinson said his
attack would have been one of many that occurred at the camp. "How in the hell
could it go on for so long? My sergeant at the time was so sadistic. There
was one kid who had a body odour problem ... they would take him into the
showers and scrub him with a yard broom until he bled. They did it more than
once," he said. "If you let the
company down ... they would come for you in the middle of the night. (The
cadets) would come back the next morning and they wouldn't be able to
walk." Mr Robinson said cadets
were sometimes wrapped in a wet mattress then bashed with batons. The mattress would
prevent visible bruising but still leave the men seriously injured. "Some cadets
disappeared overnight and never came back ... You just can't bury it. I don't
trust anyone above me in work. I don't trust anyone close to me. "It screwed me
right up for a lot of years. I have never been physically violent but I get
angry with myself. I have scared a lot of people." Walking into a dark
room or being woken suddenly is stressful for Mr Robinson, who admits he once
accidentally struck his partner when she woke him up unexpectedly. In 1990, he tried to
get his medical records from the army, but only received copies of his
discharge papers. He contacted the media
"many years ago", but was discouraged when a law change excluded
defence forces from possible ACC compensation claims. He said the alleged
abuse at the school needed to be aired, even though it would mean a lot of
old wounds would be reopened. Mr Robinson said he was
aware of many other victims, and believed hundreds of people could have been
affected. "I just hope
others out there who feel ashamed or affected can come out and get closure.
There is no amount of dollars that will make someone well again. "I used to want revenge
but revenge is not the way to go now." |
