No fees refund for abused students

Former Brisbane Grammar School students abused by counsellor Kevin Lynch in the 1970s and 80s won't have their fees refunded, the school says.

Brisbane Grammar School won't refund tuition fees on top of compensation paid to former students abused by pedophile counsellor Kevin Lynch in the 1970s and 80s.

Grammar's board of trustees says the school has decided against joining the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, which is responsible for St Paul's School where Lynch also abused students, in refunding fees to victims.

"The school will continue with its existing approach to redress and compensation for those who have been abused by Kevin Lynch, reflecting the recommendations of the Royal Commission," the board said in a statement on Friday.

So far 76 former Brisbane Grammar School students have been paid an average of $75,000 in compensation by the school which also funds on-going counselling for victims.

The school has offered personal apologies to the former students and continues to encourage any other victims to come forward.

Last year the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, Phillip Aspinall, said the church would repay school fees for all abuse victims within the diocese, which stretches from Coolangatta to Bundaberg and west to the Northern Territory border.

This is in addition to compensation agreements.

A royal commission looking at child sex abuse last year heard Lynch abused scores of boys during separate stints at both Brisbane Grammar and St Paul's from the mid-1970s until 1997.

Lynch killed himself in 1997, a day after being charged with child sex offences.

Grammar has also removed the name of former headmaster and defender of Lynch Dr Max Howell from the school's indoor sports centre as part of the healing process for the abused students.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world