Abuse on "Hey Dad!".
So. Okay.
Not sure how much you guys in the USA/UK/rest of the world have heard about this, but it's been all over the news here since last week - and for damn good reason.
Background information for those not in the know: Hey Dad! was a very successful Australian sitcom that ran from the late 80s to mid 90s. It was an icon, the kind of family show everyone watched and everyone loved. Last week Sarah Monahan, who was only a kid at the time, came forward and said her years working on the cast were plagued by sexual abuse from someone she worked with. She didn't say who it was, but she told A Current Affair (one of our news/current affair programs) all about it, after her initial interview with a magazine. Everyone went nuts wanting to know who it was, if people were still in danger, why nothing had been said/done at the time, etc. A Current Affair made the decision to reveal the identity of Monahan's abuser, so as to prevent the rest of the cast and crew from scrutiny. The man who abused Sarah Monahan for years was Robert Hughes - her onscreen father.
Like almost everyone else I know, I've been following this closely since last week. I'm disgusted, sickened, outraged, and betrayed. Obviously it's revolting to know that people like this exist. But to find out that this horrific abuse happened at the hands of someone we as a nation trusted so much, is unthinkable.
Okay, now I know that sounds melodramatic, but the thing is, Hey Dad! was an Australian institution. Like I said, everyone watched it. It was so ingrained in the lives of everyone I know that it was just part of our evening routine - get home from school, do some homework, play outside, then watch Hey Dad! before tea. At school we'd all talk about the cool new tv shows we watched - we never talked about Hey Dad! because there was nothing to talk about - it wasn't a TV show, it was just part of life. You didn't go into school the next day and say to your friends "Did you see Hey Dad! last night?" because you knew they did. Of course they did. Everyone did.
We all spent so much time accepting the show as part of our lives that we started to subconsciously think of the Kelly family as an extension of our own families. That's where the betrayal lies for me personally. Martin Kelly was a sweet, nerdy, hassled old Dad with crazy kids, a ditzy secretary and an annoying neighbour. When you watched the show, you couldn't not love him. He was Debbie, Simon and Jenny's dad on screen, but he was my onscreen dad too.
Now, this isn't to say for one second that I'm comparing the betrayal that the public are feeling to the experiences of those poor girls he actually abused. Not even close. Sarah Monahan especially - she was just a little girl. She should have been able to trust the man who was pretending to be her father, but all the whole time she was being mistreated by a monster.
Watching A Current Affair over the last few nights, I'm amazed by what a strong, incredible woman she's grown up to be. Not that it's surprising really - Jenny Kelly was always such a gutsy little kid, you could just tell that some of that was Sarah's real personality shining through. The others too were very brave to come forward and speak out. I'm a little confused as to the attitude of the guy who played Nudge (name escapes me right now) when he said that maybe Hughes didn't really flash Monahan, everyone used to get changed backstage, so maybe she just made a mistake. I guess he was just trying to process it, maybe there's an element of guilt there too - it was an "open secret" on the set, everyone knew and they all just sort of did what they could to look out for each other because they were too intimidated to speak out. It's not right that they were put into that position.
Looking back now on some of the footage and photos from back then, it's sickening to see the huge, smarmy grins on his face, how easily he hugs Sarah, and how (in hindsight) uncomfortable she looks sitting on his lap. It was really awful to see Sarah Monahan and Simone Buchanan (who played older sister Debbie) having to try to deal with the trauma they suffered all those years ago. It sounds ridiculous, but those girls, those women, were my tv sisters. I've never met them and I don't know them, but they were part of my family. And when I look at that picture of "the Kelly family" I want to reach through time, through my computer screen, through that photo and pull my little tv sister off the lap of that monster and give her the world's biggest hug.
The executive producer Gary Riley, who is now denying all knowledge of the abuse, needs his head kicked in. He knew. He should have done something, he should have gone to to police, offered Sarah a chaperone (which he did for another girl on the show), he should have fired Hughes. But it looks like he's still going to protect himself at the expense of others, even now. After all, he asked Sarah if she wanted to be let out of her contract with the show, and changed scripts to ensure she never had to have physical contact with Hughes. So he knew. Simone Buchanan and Ben Oxenbould (another cast member who was about 20 at the time all this took place) have both been on A Current Affair now and specifically stated that they spoke to Riley about their concerns - both were told to shut up if they ever wanted to work again. Oxenbould spoke of all the times he consoled Sarah when she was upset, and of another incident where he caught Hughes backstage abusing another girl of about 10 years old - he got the girl out of there, then spoke to Riley about it. He was hushed up and told to leave it alone. Disgusting.
I love that Sarah had her own little retaliations back then - she mentioned a time when she had to kick him in the shins during a scene, and purposely kicked as hard as she could every time. Hughes complained, but the crew told him to deal - after all, they knew the bastard deserved it, even if they couldn't/wouldn't talk about it. She peed in his shampoo bottle, then proudly told Simone Buchanan about it. She was a little trouper, but even so, she still gave up acting and vowed never to return to Australia so she wouldn't have to face all this. However, when the anger resurfaced and the fear subsided, she decided to speak out in the hope that she'd give others the courage to do the same thing. It worked.
All the cast are now backing her up. Simone said he touched her too. So did another woman. So did two sisters whose parents were friends of Hughe's. The police are investigating. A Current Affair reporters tracked him down in Singapore (where more than one sick pederast has moved to so as to continue their child-molesting), and he categorically denied everything. But guess what asshole? You're busted. Too many people have spoken now, there are too many witnesses, too much publicity, too many outraged Australians baying for his blood. And now that the police are involved, I'm almost certain he'll be deported. There could be federal charges - I'm willing to bet he's pulled this same crap on kids in Singapore too. And guys like him do not do well in prison.
I'm so, so, desperately sad for everyone whose lives this bastard has blemished, and so admiring of the people who are now working together to bring him to justice. My hatred for this pathetic excuse for a human being knows no bounds, and I'm not the only one - people across the country who loved Martin Kelly, who considered themselves a part of his family for half an hour every weeknight, are now feeling this betrayal, and we're furious.
To Sarah, Simone, the rest of the cast and crew, and all the people who were affected - my heart goes out to all of you, and you're not alone, Australians everywhere will make sure of that. We've got your back now.
Not sure how much you guys in the USA/UK/rest of the world have heard about this, but it's been all over the news here since last week - and for damn good reason.
Background information for those not in the know: Hey Dad! was a very successful Australian sitcom that ran from the late 80s to mid 90s. It was an icon, the kind of family show everyone watched and everyone loved. Last week Sarah Monahan, who was only a kid at the time, came forward and said her years working on the cast were plagued by sexual abuse from someone she worked with. She didn't say who it was, but she told A Current Affair (one of our news/current affair programs) all about it, after her initial interview with a magazine. Everyone went nuts wanting to know who it was, if people were still in danger, why nothing had been said/done at the time, etc. A Current Affair made the decision to reveal the identity of Monahan's abuser, so as to prevent the rest of the cast and crew from scrutiny. The man who abused Sarah Monahan for years was Robert Hughes - her onscreen father.
Like almost everyone else I know, I've been following this closely since last week. I'm disgusted, sickened, outraged, and betrayed. Obviously it's revolting to know that people like this exist. But to find out that this horrific abuse happened at the hands of someone we as a nation trusted so much, is unthinkable.
Okay, now I know that sounds melodramatic, but the thing is, Hey Dad! was an Australian institution. Like I said, everyone watched it. It was so ingrained in the lives of everyone I know that it was just part of our evening routine - get home from school, do some homework, play outside, then watch Hey Dad! before tea. At school we'd all talk about the cool new tv shows we watched - we never talked about Hey Dad! because there was nothing to talk about - it wasn't a TV show, it was just part of life. You didn't go into school the next day and say to your friends "Did you see Hey Dad! last night?" because you knew they did. Of course they did. Everyone did.
We all spent so much time accepting the show as part of our lives that we started to subconsciously think of the Kelly family as an extension of our own families. That's where the betrayal lies for me personally. Martin Kelly was a sweet, nerdy, hassled old Dad with crazy kids, a ditzy secretary and an annoying neighbour. When you watched the show, you couldn't not love him. He was Debbie, Simon and Jenny's dad on screen, but he was my onscreen dad too.
Now, this isn't to say for one second that I'm comparing the betrayal that the public are feeling to the experiences of those poor girls he actually abused. Not even close. Sarah Monahan especially - she was just a little girl. She should have been able to trust the man who was pretending to be her father, but all the whole time she was being mistreated by a monster.
Watching A Current Affair over the last few nights, I'm amazed by what a strong, incredible woman she's grown up to be. Not that it's surprising really - Jenny Kelly was always such a gutsy little kid, you could just tell that some of that was Sarah's real personality shining through. The others too were very brave to come forward and speak out. I'm a little confused as to the attitude of the guy who played Nudge (name escapes me right now) when he said that maybe Hughes didn't really flash Monahan, everyone used to get changed backstage, so maybe she just made a mistake. I guess he was just trying to process it, maybe there's an element of guilt there too - it was an "open secret" on the set, everyone knew and they all just sort of did what they could to look out for each other because they were too intimidated to speak out. It's not right that they were put into that position.
Looking back now on some of the footage and photos from back then, it's sickening to see the huge, smarmy grins on his face, how easily he hugs Sarah, and how (in hindsight) uncomfortable she looks sitting on his lap. It was really awful to see Sarah Monahan and Simone Buchanan (who played older sister Debbie) having to try to deal with the trauma they suffered all those years ago. It sounds ridiculous, but those girls, those women, were my tv sisters. I've never met them and I don't know them, but they were part of my family. And when I look at that picture of "the Kelly family" I want to reach through time, through my computer screen, through that photo and pull my little tv sister off the lap of that monster and give her the world's biggest hug.
The executive producer Gary Riley, who is now denying all knowledge of the abuse, needs his head kicked in. He knew. He should have done something, he should have gone to to police, offered Sarah a chaperone (which he did for another girl on the show), he should have fired Hughes. But it looks like he's still going to protect himself at the expense of others, even now. After all, he asked Sarah if she wanted to be let out of her contract with the show, and changed scripts to ensure she never had to have physical contact with Hughes. So he knew. Simone Buchanan and Ben Oxenbould (another cast member who was about 20 at the time all this took place) have both been on A Current Affair now and specifically stated that they spoke to Riley about their concerns - both were told to shut up if they ever wanted to work again. Oxenbould spoke of all the times he consoled Sarah when she was upset, and of another incident where he caught Hughes backstage abusing another girl of about 10 years old - he got the girl out of there, then spoke to Riley about it. He was hushed up and told to leave it alone. Disgusting.
I love that Sarah had her own little retaliations back then - she mentioned a time when she had to kick him in the shins during a scene, and purposely kicked as hard as she could every time. Hughes complained, but the crew told him to deal - after all, they knew the bastard deserved it, even if they couldn't/wouldn't talk about it. She peed in his shampoo bottle, then proudly told Simone Buchanan about it. She was a little trouper, but even so, she still gave up acting and vowed never to return to Australia so she wouldn't have to face all this. However, when the anger resurfaced and the fear subsided, she decided to speak out in the hope that she'd give others the courage to do the same thing. It worked.
All the cast are now backing her up. Simone said he touched her too. So did another woman. So did two sisters whose parents were friends of Hughe's. The police are investigating. A Current Affair reporters tracked him down in Singapore (where more than one sick pederast has moved to so as to continue their child-molesting), and he categorically denied everything. But guess what asshole? You're busted. Too many people have spoken now, there are too many witnesses, too much publicity, too many outraged Australians baying for his blood. And now that the police are involved, I'm almost certain he'll be deported. There could be federal charges - I'm willing to bet he's pulled this same crap on kids in Singapore too. And guys like him do not do well in prison.
I'm so, so, desperately sad for everyone whose lives this bastard has blemished, and so admiring of the people who are now working together to bring him to justice. My hatred for this pathetic excuse for a human being knows no bounds, and I'm not the only one - people across the country who loved Martin Kelly, who considered themselves a part of his family for half an hour every weeknight, are now feeling this betrayal, and we're furious.
To Sarah, Simone, the rest of the cast and crew, and all the people who were affected - my heart goes out to all of you, and you're not alone, Australians everywhere will make sure of that. We've got your back now.