Commissioner Les Strong,

Territorial Commander.

Australian Eastern Command.

Dear Sir,

James Luthy REDACTED

I am writing to register an official complaint in regards to retired Salvation Army

officer, Major ~IX_1_1 __ ~ This complaint deals with the actions oflX11 I when he was an officer at the

Gill Memorial Home for Boys at Goulburn.

I firstly want to say that l complained about his behaviour to the Salvation Army

verbally a number of years ago and my complaint was dismissed and ignored as

being of no relevance.

With the recent Senate report detailing the abuses perpetrated on many children by

various care providers and the fact that we are now believed I feel that it is necessary

to once again present in a formal way my complaints against this officer.

I wish to state that;

• On a daily basislX11 lwould physically abuse children who were in his

care.

He has physically abused me. This occurred on a regular basis. This was not

for any disciplinary reasons. IX11 I would assault me for no particular

reason- he just felt the need to bully and hit boys Wio he believed had no

capacity to defend themselves.

After one such incident at the bottom of the playground he hit me for no

apparent reason, I retaliated and hit him baCk. He then saw it as a personal

vendetta to try to physically abuse me at every opportunity.

One of his favourite sayings to the boys was, "Do you want a smack in the

mouth." At times it was issued as a statement and at times a question. At all

times however it was issued as a threat, and many times acted upon.

He hit me regularly with both his dosed fist and open hand, and on the last day

that I was at the Gill he took me aside and gave me an invitation to meet him

anywhere and at anytime for a fist fight.

TJLG

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Apart from anything else ~IX_1 _1 _Is action is an invitation to break the law- this I

believe is not ethical or the actions of someone wro professes to be a

practicing Christian.

This particular incident occurred because his canary died and I happened to be

the first person walking past his quarters and so I got the blame. Due to his

paranoid and irrational behaviour he accused me of entering his quarters and

strangling the bird. When I denied any responsibility (no boys ever entered his

quarters) he grabbed me by the shirt front and threatened to assault me, before

pushing me roughly onto the ground.

On another occasion ~IX_1_1 __ ~I hit me in the rrouth because I stood up to

him as he was hitting one of the young boys at the Gill who had wet the bed.

The boy was only four years old at the time and lX11 lhad wrapped his

urine stained sheets around his head and face ard was dragging him down the

stairs. The young boy, aged four, was crying and screaming as he was being

dragged down the stairs and along the pa~ageway. When I tried to stand up

for this child lX11 I hit me again in the mouth. The punishment for the

young bo~ was to be smacked and to be physically thrown under a cord

shower. This was a regular occurrence that was particularly cruel as it was late

autumn and Goulburn is a very cold place.

I sawlX11 !constantly goading one of the boys to hit him in the mouth.

1x11 ~ept on asking the boy to hit him. I think he wanted to show his

prowess with his fisls. After be;ng pushed and pushed to hit him, the young

man obliged and as a result IX 11 I had to go and get medical hefp. This boy

was then was made to stand at attention atthe top of the playground for a

month whenever there was any free time.

IX11 ltorced me to crawl around the playground floor on my hands and knees

and he would then get on my back and make me crawl with him on me. This

happened on quite a number of occasions and ft v.ould last until this man got

tired of it. I still suffer from back pain I believe as a result of his actions. ~lx_1_1 __

thought it was a funny thing to do by pretending to be a cowboy riding a horse.

I have witnessedlX11 !hitting and buHying one child in particular. His name

was . m!Jlwas constantly bullied and hit bylX11 I for no

apparent reason. m;Jwas seen as an easy person to hit and bully because

he lacked the ability and capacity at that time to fight back.

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I also witnessed IX 11 I make one boy swing along the beam of the ~----

garage and as he swung he was hit on his sunburnt legs to make him swing

faster. I can still remember the screams of pain from the boy.

This behaviour was not limited only to the boys.IX11 I also asked his fellow

officer, REDACTED to step outside and fight him because he was angry about

a mix up over some personal ironing that had been placed in the wrong persona[ pile.

IX11 larso sent me outside one Saturday night with a broken seat to take to

the shed. Whilst that may not seem an unusual thing the fact was that it was

one of the coldest nights of winter. It was had been sno~ng and [t was sleeting.

lt was particularly cold with an exceptionally strong icy wind blowing. I was

forced to carry the seat by myself with absolutely no protection. IX11 I made

me take off my dressing gown so it wouldn't get wet, and I was sent, I believe

only because it gave lX11 la sense of smug and arrogant power. There was

no reason that it had to be done that night as it would not have been looked at

until Monday at the earliest.

• 1x11 I was a thief. I was given a birthday present which consisted of a tin

of biscuits. This may not seem to be too exciting or worth terribly much, but I

had spent Christmas at the Gill. and all that the Salvation Army gave me was a

boiled egg as a Christmas present. Any present therefore was considered

valuable. IX11 I however thought that it wou!d be a funny thing to eat the

contents in front of me. This I believe is stealing. It matters little about the

monetary value, the principle is that a Salvation Army officer stole my present

and because of the power that he exercised he felt that he could beflave fn this

manner and get away with it. Basically the Salvation Army's representative

thOUght it was a laughable matter to steal some-one else's possession.

+ 1x11 I verbally and emotionally abused me.

When I was cleaning the brass on the front door one winter's morning~1x_1_1_~ asked me if I could see the lights of the Goulburn gaol. When I replied that I

could he told me to get used to the sight because I was going to go from one end

of Goulburn to the other. In other words from the Gill to the gaol. This really

impacted upon me because I realised that he had absofutely no regard for me as

a human being. He thought that it would be funny to visit me in gaol as the

chaplain.

1x11 !rarely spoke to me without raising his voice.

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He Shouted at me constantly or else was simply sarcastic in his approach. If

other boys, or I ever asked him for help his constant reply was,' What do you

want me to do. Stand in a bucket of water and clap my feet.' Whilst this may

seem humorous, to have this retort used constantly as a way of communicating I

believe shows a distinct lack of empathy and understanding.

There was never any way that any of the boys could ever discuss any problem

or concern with lX11 !because he trivialised every feeling and emotion

that any of us had.

I fert that I dismissed bylX11 I as being of no consequence as a human

being, and the constant barrage of verbal abuse has impacted on my self­

esteem, relationships with my wife and children, and has also impacted on my

working career. I feel that I have been unable to properly reach my full potential

and have suffered in many ways because of his put downs.

If it were ever necessary I would be prepared to stand in a court of law and validate

what I have written. I have only stated the truth, and some of these truthful

statements are further contained in my statements to the Senate Inquiry.

I also want to make it quite clear that if the situation were available that I could take

police action I would be willing to press charges against him for his abusive

behaviour.

J believe that it is only right to give permission for these complaints to be sent to

MajorlX11 ltor his comments in order for him to challenge what I have written.

However, what I want to stress is that regardless of what may be said, commented

upon or denied by lX11 lthese things did happen.

It is neither possible nor necessary to make these assertions up. They were, I believe

not acted upon initially because it was beyond belief that these things could actually

occur. In other words the victims were thought to be lying.

Thankfully the Senate Inquiry has showed the extent of these abusive practices.

They happened and they were endemic, and as such I wish to formalise my_

complaints about the behaviour of IX11 I and also to hope that the complaint

is taken more seriouSIY. than when I first complained about his abusive behaviour.

Yours truly,

"

' . l-t_ ) ·, ., \). .li'

James Luthy, Dip.T.:· .Ea., 8 .Bu\ Grad. Dip. ., M.Ed., MPET, J P(Qual)

' ·, ......... ,...._

'·~ ~-----

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