Battle for Recognition: Katanning Survivors Fight for Prominent Memorial and Local Apology

It has been more than a decade since serial paedophile Dennis John McKenna was convicted of some of the most horrific crimes in Western Australia's history, yet victim-survivors and advocates say they are still waiting for proper recognition of their suffering.

McKenna abused dozens of boys in the 1970s and 1980s while in charge of St Andrew's Hostel, a student boarding facility in Katanning, located about 290 kilometres south-east of Perth.

Memorial Location Dispute

In August 2024, the state education department agreed to demolish the former hostel site and fund $750,000 towards a memorial in Katanning. However, the local shire blocked a request from the memorial's working group to place it in the town's all-ages playground.

Advocate Kaye Anderson, whose three sons attended the hostel in the mid-1980s, explained the importance of the memorial's placement. Her eldest two sons reported acts of sexual violence against them, and neither is still alive.

"We want that awareness of child sexual abuse out there to prevent it ever happening again," Ms Anderson said. "The locations that they've given us around Katanning are in the back streets where there is no foot traffic."

Due to these challenges, the working group is now considering placing the memorial outside of Katanning entirely to avoid interaction with the local shire and ensure it occupies a prominent location.

Shire Urges Caution

Katanning Shire President Kristy D'Aprile stated that the council does not want to rush the project. "Obviously it's a really sensitive issue," she said. "We want to make the decisions, as do the working group, to ensure the best outcome for both the victims and their families, and the community of Katanning."

According to Ms D'Aprile, consultation with survivors still living in Katanning must be completed alongside state government approvals.

"We have no interest in prolonging the process or prolonging the trauma of victims who live in our community, in the Great Southern or Western Australia," she said. "We certainly will be reaching out for an update on how the state government are progressing."

Ms D'Aprile noted that the situation has impacted the town for decades. "This is an issue that has been a dark cloud over Katanning for a very, very long time," she said. "We would like to come to a place where we can resolve our history, acknowledge our history and find a constructive way to move forward."

The Fight for a Local Apology

A 2012 inquiry into the horrors at St Andrew's Hostel, led by former Supreme Court Justice Peter Blaxell, found that 11 people in Katanning were complicit in McKenna's crimes. Justice Blaxell's findings also described McKenna as "very good at grooming the community".

McKenna was previously recognized as a citizen of the year in 1984 before being unmasked as a sex offender, but he was not removed from the shire's honour roll until 2012. Furthermore, when whistleblower Maggie Dawkins took her concerns to a local councillor, she was rebuffed and berated for raising the allegations against McKenna.

Although both sides of Western Australian state politics issued formal apologies following the inquiry, the Shire of Katanning has never done so. Ms Anderson expressed her frustration over the missing apology.

"How hard is it to apologise?" she asked. "If they'd listened to the children back in those early days, we would not be where we are today."

Todd Jefferis, a victim-survivor who was among the first to speak out against McKenna, stated that the shire's failure to apologize has caused serious harm.

"I think it's disgusting. I think it's inexcusable that they have not offered a formal and a public apology to all the victims," Mr Jefferis said. "Not only the victims, but the families."

Mr Jefferis noted that the issue now extends beyond the initial abuse. "[It's] not just apologising for what happened to us, but more so for the way they have dealt with this over the years," he said. "Katanning has an opportunity there for them to turn the page and get onto something far better than this. I think the apology is a part of that."

While Cr D'Aprile acknowledged the pain suffered by the victims, she stopped short of confirming whether she would ask the council to consider a formal apology.

"We acknowledge that people within our organisation, and throughout or community, let those victims down," she said. "If it was my own personal statement, I would absolutely be offering anything whatever those victims need to assist in their healing."

She added: "It's a very difficult position to sit in to try and apologise for actions this council had no part in a long, long time ago."

Release of Predator Approaches

Efforts to keep McKenna behind bars for the rest of his life by declaring him a High Risk Serious Offender (HRSO) fell short last month. Although a court ruled he would be declared an HRSO, it decided he could be released under strict conditions. His release could happen as early as November 17, when McKenna completes his 15-and-a-half-year sentence.

Mr Jefferis believes there are more victims whose accounts could keep McKenna in prison, and he urged them to speak out.

"It's not easy to tell someone. It's probably a really hard step to take but it is absolutely the best one you can take," Mr Jefferis said. "Unlike some of us boys, they are going to believe every word you say, you're going to get arms wrapped around you."

"If there's a couple lads that come out and speak now, you're going to land a massive blow on McKenna," he added.