A former master at Australia's most elite school, who can't recall expelling a boy who complained of being sexually abused, says he always put children first.
He's also told the child sex abuse royal commission that such a response to a complaint would have been uncharacteristic of him.
Robert Bugg was headmaster at Geelong Grammar's Highton Campus when 40 students were abused by live-in boarding house assistant Philippe Trutmann.
He said on Thursday that if he had the "slightest whiff of an allegation" of sexual abuse he would have been very distressed and investigated it thoroughly.
Mr Bugg, 76, insisted at a hearing on Thursday that he had "absolutely no recollection" of being told in August 1989 that a boy, known as BIW, had been molested by an intruder as he slept.
He agreed with counsel for the commission David Lloyd that expelling the boy would be "absolutely unjustified".
"I had a reputation, I hope it was well earned, of looking after children and caring for children," Mr Bugg said, adding he always put the child first when making decisions.
Mr Lloyd put it to him that his evidence to the commission that he could not recall being notified of BIW's allegation of sexual assault, a subsequent meeting with the boy or being involved in the decision to remove him from the school was "untruthful".
Mr Bugg replied: "I have sworn an oath: I take it quite seriously."
He said he disagreed that he was trying to distance himself from the actions of Trutmann.
In reply to counsel representing BIW and his mother, Mr Bugg denied again that his statement to police in 2005 that there were no complaints about Philippe Trutmann was a "fabrication".
He said he had not sought legal advice about that statement or his current evidence to the commission.
Mr Bugg said the only time he sought legal advice was when he was issued a civil writ for damages in 2008 in relation to another abuse case.
