This is my mum's and my own story    Paul Levey  1968- 1970 Lived in Singapore as my father was a soldier in the Australian Army 1970- 1973 lived in Melbourne with mum and dad in army housing. 1973-1979 Lived in Keysborough Vic with mum and dad I went tho Chandler Primary. 1980- 1982 Lived in Keysborough went to St Bede’s College Mentone In 1982 mum and dad separated. Also in 1982 we met Gerry Ridsdale through a Nun Sister Genieve who thought it would be good for mum and I to go on a camping trip with Ridsdale and others to White Cliffs NSW. Ridsdale was Studying NPI Elsternwick Vic. At White cliffs the sexual abuse started where he would come in when you were in the shower block. I Remember David Ridsdale being there and other relatives and one in particular Dominic and his father Peter. We went to White Cliffs several times over this time and 1983.   In between trips Ridsdale would come to the family home and sometimes from St Bede’s and pick me up and we would go to the beach Mentone and Black Rock we would play with fire crackers and stuff you were not allowed to normally do. He would take me into the Tea Tree bushes and assault me there. I would sometimes stay at NPI with him where he had a little self-contained unit. He would assault me there every night. I can remember seeing other adults there but I would mainly stay there on the weekends when it was quiet. In 1982 my parents separated so mum could not afford St Bede’s School fees so I left there after completing year 8. 1983 I went to Chandler High School for a little time Ridsdale would visit the family home I remember one day I came home from school I had a girlfriend with me and we kissed outside the house and I remember Ridsdale going mad and telling me that I should not be kissing girls I was too young I remember him saying what he was doing was a learning thing for young boys. He always told me to not tell anybody as we would get into trouble for doing all those things like the firecrackers driving his car and shooting. He used to wear a T-shirt with fozzie bear on it and we called him fozzie bear. I was playing up at school and it was suggested to my mum I move to Keysborough Tech School so I did I never attended school much and one particular day Ridsdale was staying but was going back to Mortlake where he was the Parish Priest. I had taken some of his keys by mistake I told mum and him I was going to school but I never did and Ridsdale went to the school to get the keys I was not there and Ridsdale was told I had not been to School for weeks. He came back and waited till I got home he then told mum what was going on and next minute I was sent to live with my dad but that was short lived and I was sent to live at the presbytery at Mortlake with Ridsdale where I went to School at Noorat it was a campus of the Catholic Regional College. In this time the assaults were all the time. We also visited his family he took me to meet his parents we would stay there and he assaulted me in their house we also went to family functions at his brothers and sisters house.   There was a housekeeper at the presbytery and there would be people coming and going all the time I remember people having meetings there. My friends would visit me at the presbytery I would also try to stay at there houses as much as I could It was common knowledge that I was living there. We also visited a lot of family’s in the area especially ones with children I remember this because he would say you have to come out to the farms and you can play with the kids. He would also assault me in the car on the way home from these visits. He used to play this game with the clock in the car when ever it hit a multiply of 11 Like 3.33,4.44 1.22 he would pull over and assault me this game still haunts me today I have trouble going to back to sleep if I see the clock at one of these times.   Then one day all of a sudden I was moved from the presbytery out to a farm with the Smith family I cant remember how long this was for before I went back to dads in Sunbury for a little while Ridsdale would visit me there. I had accident on a trampoline and hurt my neck I was admitted to Austin hospital he came to visit me there I can remember telling mum I don’t wont him near me and I don’t like him touching me. 1984 I went to Albury and lived with mum and went to school at Albury High school until I got a job on the NSW railways in this time there was a lot of alcohol Drugs and fighting. I moved out of home and had my own flat for a little while I moved back to mums and also joined the Army Reserves there was no contact with Ridsdale he was still in contact with my father he would write letters to me and leave them with dad. One day dad told me he was going to New Mexico for treatment My Father told me Ridsdale had told him it was because he had been a naughty boy!    1985 I joined The Regular army all my life all I wanted to be was a Soldier  I injured my knee and was corp’s transfered, I was on a massive alcohol and drug ride in November 1989 I had to show cause why I wanted to stay in the Army so I left. I stayed with friends from the army in Melbourne were I attempted suicide several times as I thought my life was falling apart. I moved to Glenrowan and was in another relationship with a girl from the Army the problem was we both liked to drink and smoke dope so we were on a collision course I was living with her mother and just spent all our time partying until she could not cope anymore and the Army put her into rehab. I took another overdose and had a short stint in a psych hospital. 1989 I was moving to Hong Kong and I was seeing a girl and her parents would not allow her to come with me unless we were married. 1990 So I got married and we moved to Hong Kong. But before we got married I received a phone call from New Mexico from Ridsdale he had got my number off my dad. He wanted me to wait for him to return so he could marry us I said “no way fuck off “ he found out where I was living and called in one day there was lots of people around what could I say? 1991 we separated due to my drinking and drug use she returned to Australia I stayed on for another 18 months.  She came home and we got divorced.  1993 I took another overdose and attempted to cut my wrist and did another stint in a psych unit 1993 I moved to Sunbury I started work at the Royal Hotel Sunbury as a Manager I soon got into another volatile relationship she was a gambler and I was an alcoholic in charge of a hotel but I always managed to keep my jobs. In this period Derryn Hinch named and shamed Ridsdale so my family went into panic mode, my father made contact with me and I told someone for the first time. We made a complaint at Sunbury Police Station and a formal statement and it was handed over to Warrnambool Police Station It went to court and he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years I think, around the same time I was contacted by Maurice Blackburn to sue the Catholic church we settled out of court for around 18k I think I got 7k at the end of it that was it! All done and dusted according to everyone else! My mum was a staunch Catholic and thought it was wrong what I was doing with the Catholic Church we did not talk for many years. 1995 I had my first daughter Nicole 1996 my girlfriend was pregnant with my second daughter Tayla but we were separated by this stage. I had started a new relationship with my partner Michele 1997 Tayla was born I was still on a downward slope drugs and alcohol. Michele stuck by me and we got through it, it was a hard road Michele had a daughter who was 9 all of them meant so much too me all 3 kids my ex partner gave us hell but again Michele stuck it out. 1997 I went to the Sunbury Football Social Club as the Social Club Manager 1999 we bought our house in Sunbury around this time I started to talk to my mother again with the help from Michele 2004 we bought a hotel in Tasmania we put in a manager who stuffed up big time so in 2005 I went over to sort stuff out 2006 we sold it and bought the lease of the Clarkefield Hotel 2014 I had a serious motor vehicle accident and ended up in the Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries I was moved to Brunswick Private Hospital for rehab where I was seeing a psychiatrist and psychologist I was previously on anti depressants to help me sleep. The psychologist recommended I see someone from casa (centre against sexual assault] I was seeing both regularly as an outpatient at Brunswick until I was discharged from BPH in 2015  I am now heavily medicated and see my GP weekly for medication and support I also see a specialist for my injuries as well as a Naturopath, psychologist, psychiatrist and counsellor on a regular basis they have diagnosed me with depression, anxiety and PTSD I still continue to drink and smoke to help with everything. Now with the Royal Commission I hope to put it in the background and only bring it out when I choose.   Over all these years I have been treated for alcohol related medical problems, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety and PTSD and have a great list of medications.      To this day Ridsdale still haunts me, I am also so angry that others have not stood up to their actions in helping cover all this up.   This is only a sneak peak of what Ridsdale has and continues to do to me.   I have also been charged with drug related offences and assault offences where I was made to attend anger management courses which I contribute to what Ridsdale did to me all these years and still today. It has become easier with the help of my support group Michele has been with me through some of the worst times of my life, if it were not for her I would not know where I would be.        Regards Paul Levey   My Mum's Story 1.        I was born in  Victoria. I am now 73 years old. 2.        I am the youngest of 4 children and have 2 brothers and a sister. 3.        I was born into a very strict and strong Irish Catholic Family. My mother was a housekeeper for many priests in the Parish of Ormond, located in South-Eastern Victoria. She was a very strict Catholic who brought all her children up to respect the church, Priests and its leaders - they were placed in such high esteem. My mother even had a room and couch dedicated for when the clergy visited the house; we were never allowed to use this room.  4.        I was baptised at birth and later confirmed at St Kevin’s Catholic Church in Ormond. This was our family church. 5.        I have been a practising Catholic all my life and attended church every Sunday from the day I was born. I continued this practice until a few weeks ago, when I heard what was in the media while the Royal Commission was in Ballarat. The lies, the cover-ups and the horrific stories from survivors are the reasons I stopped going. Although Paul didn’t give evidence, he is also a survivor of child sexual abuse. I am happy with my decision but I do feel a loss each Sunday when I would normally be going to church. 6.        I met my ex-husband, Geoffrey Levey, in or about 1965 and we were engaged by 1966 when he left to go to the Vietnam War.  He became a catholic during the war so we could marry in the church. We were married in 1967 at St Kevin’s. 7.        Geoffrey and I had one child, Paul who was born on 26 March 1968. We raised Paul to be a catholic and he was baptised and confirmed a catholic, he attended church, religious education and church outings and was always taught to respect the clergy all throughout his childhood. 8.        In 1980 he attended St Bedes College Mentone (Form 1) this was a great privilege to have Paul at such a good catholic school with the De La Salle brothers teaching him. We were living in Keysborough at the time. 9.        In 1981 when Paul was in his Second year at St Bedes (Form 2), a friend of the family, Sister Genevieve from the presentation Order at Dandenong and whom we had met through our local church at Keysborough, introduced us to Father Gerald Ridsdale (‘Ridsdale’). At the time, Ridsdale was studying at NPI Elsternwick. 10.    Sister Genevieve suggested that Paul and I go on a camping trip to Whitecliffs opal fields with Ridsdale. Geoffrey couldn’t go as he was working. 11.    We agreed and went to Whitecliffs for two weeks during the school holidays. There was a group of people including other kids and adults; some were Ridsdale’s family members. 12.    On that trip Ridsdale spent a great deal of time with Paul and I never thought anything sinister was happening. 13.    After we returned to Melbourne, Ridsdale become a family friend and would often visit the family home (in Keysborough) and pick Paul up from school. 14.    Times were hard near the end of 1981, my husband had walked out and Paul was misbehaving and not attending School. I pulled Paul out of St Bedes, as I could not afford the school fees on my own. 15.    Paul then attended Chandler High School in 1982 for a short period of time. He was again misbehaving and not attending school. Ridsdale continued to see Paul taking him away on weekends and there was another White Cliffs Trip. Paul would also stay overnight sometimes on weekends at NPI and Ridsdale would take him out to the movies etc. 16.    During this period, I was working full time in a factory and Paul’s father never took him places and I thought it was wonderful that Ridsdale did. This is why I allowed it to occur. 17.    Ridsdale later became the Parish Priest of Mortlake, Victoria. 18.    Around the same time, I moved Paul to Noble Park Tech School to try and settle him, as we thought it was because of the separation of my husband and I that he was misbehaving. 19.    One day Ridsdale contacted me saying he had just been to the school to get some keys from Paul but the Principal had told him he had not been attending school. So Ridsdale offered to take Paul up to Mortlake to live with him and he would put Paul into the Catholic Regional College (CRC). Between my husband and myself we thought this might be good for Paul it gave him a male figurehead, as his father did not see Paul much after the separation. 20.    While Paul was at Mortlake, Ridsdale called me one day to ask me to give him the family allowance (child endowment) I received from the government. I said no. 21.    I did not like the situation at all after awhile but his father kept saying it was a good idea to have Paul at Mortlake. 22.    At some point during Paul’s stay at Mortlake, I visited him with my mother. I showed up at the presbytery in Mortlake to see Paul and Ridsdale told me that he was at the football. I asked that he go and get him as I had come up to visit him for the day. When Paul arrived, we all went into the presbytery. We stayed in the living room and I do not recall going into any of the other rooms. 23.    One day I thought enough was enough and I called the Bishop of Ballarat’s office, at first they would not put the Bishop on the phone, but I kept calling and finally said I would not stop calling until he spoke to me. Bishop Mulkearns finally answered my call and I told him “That I no longer wanted Paul in that environment and Ridsdale would not allow Paul to leave as he had his father’s approval”. Bishop Mulkearns then told me there was nothing he could do as Ridsdale had Geoff’s approval”, and he hung up on me. I don’t recall anything else that was said during this conversation; only that Bishop Mulkearns wasn’t going to do anything about the situation. 24.    A short time later I called back the Bishop’s Office and again insisted that I speak to Bishop Mulkearns. Again this took several times to get him to talk to me. When Bishop Mulkearns finally got on the phone I was angry and upset so I said “I will get the Police involved if you don’t do something about Paul and Ridsdale”. He hung up on me again. 25.    I then got a phone call from Paul’s father saying they had moved Paul out of the presbytery and out on a farm in Mortlake with a good family. 26.    I don’t recall if it was after the first telephone conversation or the second that I received a call from my brother to say that Ridsdale had been to see him at work and told him that he was having trouble with me. I had not spoken to Ridsdale directly and had only spoken to Bishop Mulkearns about it. I assume Bishop Mulkearns contacted Ridsdale and told him about the call/s. 27.    Shortly after Paul had moved in with the family in Mortlake, Paul’s father called me to say that he had received a call from the Nun at CRC (the school Paul was going to in Mortlake) and she said to him “You need to take Paul back to Melbourne as you need to take him out of this environment”; so Paul went to his father’s in Sunbury for a short time where Ridsdale would continue to see Paul until he was moved to Sydney. 28.    One incident in particular I have always membered was when Paul was in hospital Ridsdale came to visit him and Paul said to me “Mum I don’t like him here and touching me”. I do recall that Ridsdale touched Paul on the hand and I went to the Nurses Station and said that Ridsdale wasn’t allowed to visit Paul again. I didn’t think much of it, only that Paul was clearly uncomfortable. 29.    In or about 1983, Paul suggested we move to Albury as we had friends up there. We moved from Keysborough to Albury and I hoped it would give him a fresh start. Unfortunately, Paul continued to go off the rails with school, discipline and authority until he left and joined the Army. 30.    It was not until the 90’s when I saw vision of Ridsdale on TV and an interview with Paul saying he was pressing charges against Ridsdale that everything came together. I was devastated, angry and upset and still could not believe this happened to Paul by someone everybody respected. I remember racing to the public phone box down the street to call him and he apologised for not telling me before I saw it on the TV. He didn’t realize they were going to advertise the interview and he had planned to tell me before it aired. 31.    Paul and I didn’t speak for many years; our family was broken because of what had happened. It was because my belief in the church was so strong that it drove my family apart. 32.    It is clear to me now that Ridsdale preyed on Paul as he and our family was vulnerable and going through a lot of changes at the time due to the separation. 33.    I feel that Ridsdale had formed a friendship with Paul’s father so that they could join forces to turn Paul away from me, and that’s how Ridsdale was able to keep Paul living with him in Mortlake. 34.    Ridsdale made himself a large part of our lives and I later found out he even had the cheek to ask for a meeting with the bishops in regards to my annulment. I cannot recall who told me this. My annulment was never granted 35.    The worst thing about all of this is that I was blinded by the church and it’s powers. I never thought something like child sexual abuse could happen. Especially since so many people knew that Paul was living with a priest, which everyone trusted and respected. If I had known this was happening I would have reported it to the police. 36.    Looking back with the knowledge I now have, I can’t believe that Bishop Mulkearns, who I had spoken to about Ridsdale, had known that he was a pedophile and still allowed Paul to live at the presbytery with him in Mortlake. 37.    I haven’t come forward with this information before now because someone told me a few years ago that Bishop Mulkearns was dead. I now know that he is alive and well. 38.    Since finding out about the abuse that Paul suffered, it has been hell having to live with that. I am constantly reminded of it everytime someone talks about child sexual abuse on the radio, in the newspapers or on the TV. It is especially painful when they are talking about Ridsdale. 39.    I continue to feel guilty and blame myself for not having had my eyes open at the time the abuse occurred.                                                                                                         Beverely Anne Levey                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 17/07/2015     To The Royal Commission Into Institutional responses To Child Sexual Abuse   To whom it may concern,                                             Please find enclosed my letter in regards to my son Paul Geoffrey Levey, Gerald Ridsdale and Bishop Mulkerns.         Regards     Beverley Anne Levey