Sunshine Coast resident and 2020 Queensland Australian of the Year, Rachel Downie has broken her silence about the sexual abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of a music teacher while attending an exclusive Central Queensland private school in the mid-1980’s.
Rachel is well known for her work as an influential child-protection advocate through Stymie, and as a former Australian Survivor contestant.
She is suing The Rockhampton Grammar School for at least $5m in compensation, alleging that the abuse she endured and the school’s profound failure to appropriately address her reporting thereof, caused her significant ongoing injuries, loss and damage.
According to a claim filed in the Supreme Court of Queensland, Ms Downie was 14 years old and in Year 10 when she attended private after-school music lessons with Arnold Prius Wilson and was subjected to exposure abuse and penetrative sexual abuse.
In her statement of claim, Ms Downie recounts the school’s egregious mishandling of the situation once she had alerted the school about what had occurred. Having reported the abuse to the Head of Boarding, she was allegedly locked in the school’s sick bay for three days, inappropriately dosed with sleeping tablets, and was denied contact with her friends and family. Ms Downie further alleges that she was then forced to recount the incidents in the Deputy Principal’s office, in front of a group of unknown men.
Ms Downie also alleges that while Mr Wilson was dismissed the day after the report of sexual abuse, he was subsequently relocated to another grammar school within Queensland, where he continued to teach – a claim which has been denied by The Rockhampton Grammar School.
The statement of claim also notes that at no time was this incident reported to Queensland Police or any other appropriate authorities and alleges that the school also took no further steps to support and protect Ms Downie, who was subsequently also subjected to severe bullying as her peers became aware of the situation.
Ms Downie, now in her 50s, is revealing her identity for the first time in relation to the claims and is calling for greater awareness and action to protect vulnerable children.
“It has taken me a long time to reach this point where I can share my story and take action about what happened,” Ms Downie said.
“I’ve grappled with overwhelming feelings of shame, guilt and a fear of being judged, blamed or dismissed – just as I was by the school when I first came forward. I also carry the guilt of not speaking up earlier, knowing the person who abused me may have harmed others. But I’m sharing my story now as it’s never too late to speak out; institutions do need to be held accountable, and it is integral to healing this harm and rebuilding my self-worth.”
Ms Downie was recognised as the 2020 Queensland Australian of the Year for the online platform ‘Stymie’, which she developed to enable children to confidentially report bullying, self-harm, suicide ideation, sexual harm, family violence, illegal activity or anything else affecting their physical or psychological safety.
“Having these early experiences personally, and later as an adult witnessing another student I was teaching suffer, I knew I had to act and threw myself into making a solution for young people to report harm,” Ms Downie said.
“I thought, if something like that had been available to me at school, I might have been able to report the grooming and sexual abuse I experienced and saw others experience.”
“Stymie is born from the belief that harm grows in silence, and our message is ‘If you see something, say something.’ I want children to use our platform to feel empowered to speak up about what’s happening to them.
“I think the school’s perspective on the ways in which the abuse has impacted my life is despicable. They have no idea what I have had to endure, and it never leaves; some days it’s just not as loud but it’s always there. As a teacher myself, I believe that a student’s physical and psychological safety when in our care should be second to none. Parents trust us with their children, and we must do everything we can to ensure they are safe.
“I hope to send a message to all targets of sexual abuse that the shame doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to the people and institutions that abused you and your trust. You deserve all the help you need,” Ms Downie said.
Ms Downie’s claim states that The Rockhampton Grammar School failed to take reasonable steps to ensure her safety and well-being, failed to safeguard her from the risk of abuse by its employees, and failed to comply with its statutory obligations.
Travis Schultz, managing partner of Travis Schultz & Partners, says while it isn’t appropriate to comment on the specifics of her case, schools must recognise their vicarious liability for the actions of their staff towards students.
“The law imposes an obligation on employers to manage risks arising out of the conduct of their employees, especially in environments where there is a foreseeable risk of harm, such as schools,” Mr Schultz said.
“This duty of care requires implementing proactive measures to identify, mitigate and respond to risks to protect those under their care and when an employer fails to uphold this duty, it can be held accountable under the law for any harm caused by both its negligence and inaction.
“As a matter of law, in many situations, employers will be liable for the misconduct of their employees where it occurs in the course of their employment. This principle of “vicarious liability” is well established, and for all employers, not just schools, it adds another layer of risk management that needs to be understood and mitigated.
“Ms Downie’s case also provides an important opportunity to remind those carrying a similar burden that following the Royal Commission, limitation periods related to childhood sexual abuse have been abolished and as a result, justice can still be secured by victims, unless a fair trial isn’t possible.”
Ms Downie recently started a charity called #nohateheremate that is focused on anti-bullying strategies based on her research findings as a Churchill Fellowship recipient. She continues to promote Stymie that since 2014, has delivered over 600,000 notifications and run face-to-face Stymie Launch Days with more than 800,000 students.
To learn more about Stymie, visit: stymie.com.au
