The abuse at the Dilworth school happened as early as the 1950s: former student

WARNING: REFERENCES TO SEXUAL ABUSE, SUICIDE

Sexual abuse at the Dilworth school was happening as early as the 1950s, says a student who has kept his alleged abuse a secret for 70 years.

Seven men were charged last week with unrelated historical abuse crimes in Dilworth that took place between the 1970s and the late 2000s.

Charles Peter Reynolds, 79, attended the school in the 1950s. He said he was repeatedly sexually abused by a senior at school and physically abused by other students.

Reynolds was enrolled in boarding school because his parents were struggling to manage his behavioral difficulties.

“My first memory is a student who comes up to me and says: ‘You’re new here, don’t say anything to anyone because it will get you in trouble. That stuck with me, like’ My God, what do parents bring me? here? ”

He said that, in his opinion, there was “rampant” bullying by other students and prefects and that he was abused during his seven years at the school, claiming that the students beat him and that his glasses broke the foot of the bed.

There was also a punitive culture in the school. He was flogged “for the least infraction” and was not allowed to go out on weekends for “frivolous reasons.” A teacher brutally beat him (corporal punishment was still legal), often leaving him bleeding.

“It was really brutal, but I thought it was the norm. My father was in the military, so I thought I had to hang on and stick with the program.”

There was also sexual abuse, Reynolds said. A senior got him out of bed after dark and into a cabin at school.

“For a minute I thought he was trying to help me, but the next minute he put his hands down on my pajamas. And I knew I had to stay there.”

Reynolds claimed that the sexual abuse occurred repeatedly over several years and, in her opinion, she felt she couldn’t complain about it.

He believed that “thugs would come out to catch me and crucify me” and felt that there was “a hierarchy system where you didn’t dare to lose your step, no matter what.”

He is one of several older children over several decades who alleged that the school quietly moved on teachers or staff who were suspected of abuse.

The abuse had a lifelong effect on him, he said. He attempted suicide and battled alcohol addiction for 20 years.

Dilworth Trust Board President Aaron Snodgrass admitted last week that the school’s historic procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse had fallen short.

“They were inappropriate and we apologize to our Old Boys for this,” the school said through a spokesperson.

After finishing Dilworth, Reynolds left New Zealand for England and later moved to Canada. Later she moved to the United States and worked for a cruise company. He is now retired in Florida.

In her old age, and having gone through three bouts of cancer, she decided it was time to talk about the abuse.

“I put it all in the back of my mind and left it there for over 70 years. I just repressed it.” he said.

“I thought, you know what, I have to somehow clear my mind before I leave this world.”

Where to get help:

• If it is an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
• If you have ever been sexually assaulted or abused and need to speak to someone, call the confidential Safe to Talk crisis helpline at: 0800 044 334 or text 4334 (available 24 hours , 7 days a week).
• Male Survivors Aotearoa offers a variety of confidential support in New Zealand centers; find the closest one here.
• Mosaic – Personal Care: 0800 94 22 94 (available from 11:00 to 20:00)
• Alternatively, contact your local police station
• If you have been abused, remember that it is not your fault.