About the Author

Joan was born in 1953 to migrant parents. She later attended primary school in Zillmere where she was an excellent student.

When Joan was in Grade 5 her parents moved into another house which was close to a Catholic Primary School and she and her two siblings were enrolled there. She enjoyed her primary years very much and excelled in her learning.

After completing Grade 7 she went to a Catholic Secondary School, Sacred Heart at Sandgate. It was here that her life unravelled when she was abused by the Chaplain at her school. Despite her abuse and the catastrophic consequences, she became a teacher. However, she was not in a position to study at university which had been her dream. Joan ‘s first posting as a teacher was to Zillmere State School, where she had started her education in Grade 1.

Joan married the following year. Both she and her husband, Ian, who was also a teacher, were posted to a school on the Darling Downs. They remained there for two years.  After they returned to Brisbane, they started a family and Joan temporarily retired to care for her children.

Joan, Ian and their family subsequently lived in Mount Isa, Goondiwindi and Biloela where both Ian and Joan worked in schools. While in Biloela, Joan began her Bachelor of Education. It was finally a chance for her to fulfil her dream of achieving a university degree. Joan graduated in 1994 majoring in special education and learning difficulties. She went on to spend the last 20 years of her career working with children with special needs and learning difficulties. It was a most rewarding time for her.

Finally, Joan, Ian and their family returned to Brisbane for their children’s high school education.

During the 1990’s Joan dealt with the arrest and trial of her abuser and later, her Towards Healing experience.

Joan gave evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2013. As she was the first person to give evidence about the Catholic Church’s responses to child sexual abuse, her evidence drew a great deal of media attention.

The examination of Joan’s case revealed a great deal about how she and others were treated by the Catholic Church when reporting abuse and the Church’s Towards Healing Program.

After giving evidence, Joan decided to write her book, To Prey and to Silence, which would document her journey as a survivor of child sexual abuse and her fight for justice. She felt compelled to expose the whole truth about the Catholic Church.

Joan’s book, To Prey and to Silence, has been archived by the Royal Commission, with its records, in the National Library in Canberra for historical purposes. In 2017, her book was a finalist in the Queensland Literary Awards.

At the request of the State Government of Queensland, Joan took up a position on the TRUTH, HEALING AND RECONCILIATION TASKFORCE, in October of 2018. As a member of the TASKFORCE she continues her quest to educate people about the life-long impacts of child sexual abuse and provides advice to the Government regarding the implementations of the recommendations of the Royal Commission.