Something for certain Clarence Valley shire councillors past and present to remember....

Certain Clarence Valley shire councillors past and present were almost fawningly eager to have this reverend lead prayers before council meetings:

At all relevant times the Anglican Diocese of Grafton had responsibility for the children in the North Coast Children’s Home....

By 26 September 2006 Reverend Comben and Peter Roland knew of at least 20 instances of sexual abuse against former residents of the North Coast Children’s Home...

From September 2006 Reverend Comben failed to take steps to refer all allegations of criminal conduct against children formerly resident at the North Coast Children’s Home to the NSW Police...

The Diocese of Grafton comprehensively failed to treat former residents of the North Coast Children’s Home who had been sexually and physically abused in a way which was sympathetic to their needs, fair and provided appropriate redress. Many of the former residents who informed the Diocese of Grafton of the abuse they had suffered at an Anglican Home for which the Diocese had responsibility were treated so poorly that the effect of what should have been a redress scheme, in fact, did more damage to them.

[Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses To Child Sexual Abuse, Public Inquiry Into The Response Of The Diocese Of Grafton Of The Anglican Church To Claims Of Child Sexual Abuse At The North Coast Children’s Home, Submissions Of Counsel Assisting The Royal Commission, 31 January 2014]