Anthony Foster, long-time advocate for child sex abuse victims, dies aged 64
May 29, 2017 · By www.abc.net.au
Anthony Foster and his wife Chrissie spent two decades campaigning to educate parents on the risks of child abuse.
Anthony Foster, who dedicated his life to seeking justice for victims of child sex abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church after two of his daughters were repeatedly raped by a priest, has died in a Melbourne hospital, aged 64.
In a two decade-long quest to hold the Catholic Church accountable for crimes against children, Mr Foster and his wife Chrissie told the harrowing story of their family’s treatment at the hands of the church to the media and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
The couple’s daughters Emma and Katie were raped by Melbourne paedophile priest Father Kevin O’Donnell when they were in primary school in the 1980s.
Emma suffered from eating disorders, drug addiction and self harm. In 2008 she overdosed on medication and died at the age of 26.
Katie became a binge drinker as she reached adulthood and was hit by a drunk driver in 1999. She was left physically and mentally disabled, requiring 24-hour care.
Left to right: Emma Foster (6); Aimee Foster (2); mother Chrissie Foster; Katie Foster (4) and father Anthony Foster. Emma and Katie were abused by a Catholic priest from an early age. Emma later committed suicide while Katie took to drinking heavily and was hit by a car.
Mr Foster hit his head in a fall last week and did not regain consciousness.
On Friday night, his family switched off his life support.
Mr and Mrs Foster, who also have another daughter, became Adults Surviving Child Abuse ambassadors as a result of their ordeal.
In 1996, the family was among the first to go through the Church’s Melbourne Response, designed by the then-Archbishop George Pell.
The Fosters were offered $50,000 along with a warning that if they took it to court, the church would strenuously defend itself.
They decided to fight it anyway and after nearly 10 years, they settled for $750,000.
Foster fought ‘tirelessly for justice’
Child abuse royal commission chairman Justice Peter McClellan said Mr and Mrs Foster dedicated their lives to find justice for child sexual abuse survivors.
“Their tireless advocacy helped bring about this royal commission,” he said in a statement.
“They attended hundreds of days of public hearings and participated in many of our policy roundtables.
“With a dignity and grace, Anthony and Chrissie generously supported countless survivors and their families whilst also managing their own grief.
“Commissioners and staff at the royal commission are deeply shocked and saddened by this news.”
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said Mr Foster fought “tirelessly for justice”.
“That he was able to take the incredible hurt, pain, and anger … and become an advocate for all child sexual abuse victims is a mark of just how remarkable Anthony was,” he said in a statement.
“By speaking out against child sexual abuse, he helped other victims find their voice and gave them strength.
“Anthony will never be forgotten and the fight for justice goes on.”
Family remember ‘nurturing, empathetic, courageous’ man
In a statement, Mr Foster’s family described him as “someone who had the ability to create moments of joy no matter what the circumstances”.
“Anthony heart was so big — he fought for others to make sure what happened to our family, could not happen to anyone else. The recognition of Anthony’s passionate efforts to protect children has made us all humbled and helps provide comfort through this journey.
“He was respectful of everyone. He spoke to each person the same way – from politicians to someone who stopped us on the street.
“Ultimately, Anthony was passionate family man; he intensely adored his wife of 36 years Chrissy … [he] just wanted to make people happy.
“We are so lucky to have had him as a husband, father and friend.”
‘Brave and gracious’
Lawyer Dr Vivian Waller, who has worked exclusively as an institutional abuse lawyer for more than 20 years, praised Mr Foster as a “very loving, very gracious” man.
“Anthony is a person of great personal integrity and he’s the light and warmth and the compassion in any room,” she said.
“Anthony Foster, for me anyway, stands for everything that the church is not.”
Dr Waller said it was a great testament that Anthony and Chrissie Foster were able to provide “such gracious and generous support” to other survivors of sex abuse.
“It is a tragedy that has happened to many families and instead of being bitter or resentful, Anthony is a man who has dedicated his life to assisting other people.
She said it was a tragedy that the Foster family’s suffering could have been avoided if the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne had responded to complaints about Father Kevin O’Donnell in 1958.
“So nearly 40 years before Anthony’s girls went to that school, the church knew that Father Kevin O’Donnell was a danger to children.
“Anthony and Chrissie Foster have been the most careful and loving parents … they walked their children to and from school and they had absolutely no way of imagining that they greatest risk to their girls was installed in the presbytery next to their primary school.”
Anthony Foster and his wife Chrissie went to Rome in 2016 to bear witness to Cardinal George Pell’s testimony at the Royal Commission.
ABC presenter Paul Kennedy co-authored a book, Hell on the Way to Heaven, with Chrissie Foster in 2010.
He described Mr Foster as a “giant” and a “hero to many”.
He said without Mr Foster’s advocacy, the royal commission would not have taken place.
Last year, the Fosters helped other survivors get to Rome to watch Cardinal Pell give evidence to the royal commission.
“They just wouldn’t let the injustice of how survivors were treated stand,” he said.
“They pursued it and they brought about the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry, and from that the royal commission followed.
“Their personal grief was immense, still is, immense, and now even more so.”
