On June 17, 1980, the day after Maria James discovered her 11-year-old son Adam was being sexually abused by Father Anthony Bongiorno, she was stabbed to death in the back of her secondhand Thornbury bookshop.<\/p>\n
Fast-forward 39 years and Adam \u2013 who has cerebral palsy and Tourette syndrome \u2013 is sharing his story (with the help of eldest brother Mark) at the Having A Say Conference (HASC) in Geelong on February 4.<\/p>\n
Thanks to ABC\u2019s true-crime podcast \u201cTrace: Who Killed Maria James?\u201d, the brothers\u2019 story is once again at the forefront of Australians minds, with their mother\u2019s cold case re-opened last November.<\/p>\n
Mark said they would speak at the conference alongside the podcast\u2019s creator and presenter, Rachael Brown, where Adam will talk about his abuse and how he found the courage to share.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more important than ever to get the message out there if something has happened, whether it\u2019s a serious as abuse or something small, it\u2019s important to speak out about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark said he had no idea his brother was experiencing sexual abuse and was in complete shock when Adam made the revelation in 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam said he\u2019d told Mum the day before she died about what Father Bongiorno had done, and she\u2019d phoned the parish the morning of her death to confront them. He hadn\u2019t told anyone else apart from her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark said after Adam told him they went straight to the police station and made a statement to Detective Ron Iddles, which was extremely difficult for his brother to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt came out a year later that he had also been abused by Father Thomas O\u2019Keeffe, on the day he told Mum about what was happening; they\u2019d both abused him separately that morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark said during their presentation at the HASC, Adam touched on the techniques used by his abusers that silenced him from speaking out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all the usual, the threats and intimidations. They\u2019ll pull serious facial expressions, which to vulnerable people can be intimidating. They\u2019ll say \u2018don\u2019t tell your mum or brother\u2019 and if they say it aggressively enough, that\u2019s enough to terrify them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam\u2019s been terrified for years. I think it\u2019s important that carers and families regularly check in, in a sensitive way and ask questions: has anything happened that\u2019s upset you? Has anything happened out of the ordinary?<\/p>\n
\u201cCarers and family need to be aware vulnerable people are often exploited by sick perverts and it\u2019s hard for them to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n
The HASC is taking place at Deakin University, Geelong Waterfront Campus February 4 from 1.30pm until 3.30pm.<\/p>\n
Reserve your spot by phoning VALID on 9416 4003 or via email at havingasay@valid.org.au.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On June 17, 1980, the day after Maria James discovered her 11-year-old son Adam was being sexually abused by Father Anthony Bongiorno, she was stabbed to death in the back of her secondhand Thornbury bookshop. Fast-forward 39 years and Adam \u2013 who has cerebral palsy and Tourette syndrome \u2013 is sharing his story (with the […]<\/p>\n