Louise Greentree, 5th September 2008
For more than 12 months Louise Greentree has been chronicling and analysing the story of the behaviour of the clergy and lay leadership and parishioners of Figtree Anglican Church concerning the allegations made against Dr. Scott Dobbs, and the abuse of the whole of the Dobbs family by clergy and members of that parish and by some of the diocesan staff and by senior clergy over in all some 18 months. This is set out in the articles referred to at the end of this article. The previous anonymisation of the identity of the complainant and the family and others involved in the matter has now been discontinued because diocese is now required to refer the matter to a public Tribunal hearing of the relevant material.
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A Mother’s Story
Contents Table
Part 1 A summary for new readers
Part 2 Machelle’s Story – who we are and how it all started
About Emma Nicholls
Our relationship with Figtree Anglican church
When the bullying & abuse started
Abuse, harassment & bullying of myself, my sons & daughters from Saturday 10th February 2007
Child abuse of my four daughters by C-R-
Bishop Goodhew expresses alarm that I am at church
Strange comments by other parishioners
Shunning by parishioners at church
Bullying & harassing – by Yvonne Gunning & Rev. Bruce Clarke
Part 3 The abuse continued and the pain was multiplied
Child abuse of Tiara
Delay & the triviality of the complaints
False accusations against me and my daughters
Shunning behaviour by parish councillor obedient to Figtree leadership directive
Shunning behaviour by School teachers obedient to Figtree leadership directive
Bullying behaviour by J-R- pastoral supporter obedient to Figtree leadership directive
Bullying and harassment by spread of gossip and denial of presumption of innocence
a. by Yvonne Gunning
b. by Bruce Clarke
Abusive and harassing behaviour by R-S- Figtree parish councillor & head Christian organisation
Part 4 New and spurious allegations are brought by Helen Irvine
Part 5 We are all banned from coming to church
Bullying by Rod Irvine & Bruce Clarke
Bullying by false suggestion of refusal to meet
Part 6 Overt bullying of my children
Bullying of Ellesha by members of the youth ministry
Bullying of Charis by Bruce Clarke & efforts of her friends to protect her
The rest of us were targeted &treated as lepers
Part 7 Warnings of child abuse, bullying and harassment
To Figtree leadership, diocesan leadership and Director PSU
To the diocesan hierarchy
Part 8 Last Words
Letter from Tiara (written at age 13) after being excommunicated by Figtree Anglican Church
Lament
Other articles about the Figtree case
A Cautionary Tale
This is an anonymised account of the history of the making of the allegations and an analysis of the diocesan materials after the investigator’s report was received in January 2008. As anonymity in no longer an issue it can be said that ‘Harriet’ of the cautionary tale is Emma Nicholls and the identity of others referred to in the article can be inferred from this article.
There is also the Executive Summary of A Cautionary Tale, which was handed out and emailed around parishioners, staff and clergy of Figtree Anglican Church.
A Cautionary Tale – the cover-up begins
This is also an anonymised account of the further developments after the Professional standards committee had made their report. Again ‘Harriet’ is Emma Nicholls and the identity of others referred to in the article can be inferred from this article.
There is also the Executive Summary of A Cautionary Tale – the cover-up begins, which was handed out and emailed around parishioners, staff and clergy of Figtree Anglican Church.
‘The First Stone’ Revisited’
This is an examination of the allegations made by Corinne Cortese, and by Helen Irvine apparently on behalf of the anonymous girl Y, and the strange case of ‘Anna Maria’, who did not make any complaint. It reviews them alongside and in the light of the examination of the Ormond College, University of Melbourne case of alleged sexual harassment which was so tellingly examined by Helen Garner in her book ‘The First Stone.’ It concludes that the ideology of ‘victim feminism’ that Helen Garner (among others) deplores is alive and well in Corinne Cortese and Helen Irvine, with the apparent support of the Sydney diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia, to the great detriment of the serious purposes of the feminist movement.
‘Sex, Lies and Videotape’
This was prepared and handed out, mailed and emailed to parishioners and leadership of Figtree Anglican Church after the regional Bishop made a video of himself reading from the letter and report of the Professional Standards Committee and the Rev. Barnett showed it at each of the services on Sunday 29th June 2008.
The article was required in order to make clear what the Bishop failed to make clear: that the so called recommendations had no foundation or authority, and they had been arrived at without a proper hearing from both sides. Also, as at that time it was known by the Bishop that Scott Dobbs had NOT written to accept the recommendations and the time to do so had expired, the Bishop’s actions was yet another abusive process: he knew that the report and recommendations were rendered irrelevant because the matter would now have to be referred to a Disciplinary Tribunal for a hearing.