Loud fence ribbons return after sudden removal

SUPPORTERS of victims of child sexual abuse were shocked and disappointed last week when St Therese Catholic Church removed all the ribbons from its “loud fence” and burned them without warning.
The fence was installed outside the church in Torquay last year.
St Therese removed all the ribbons from its fence at some point late last week and replaced them with a sign, which stated that the ribbons had been removed, “turned into ashes and mixed with soil, in which our new flowering plant has been placed as a symbol of our longing for healing and transformation”.
“May its growth and beauty inspire us with hope – ‘out of ashes, new life will grow’.”
However, ribbons began re-appearing on Friday, and a rapidly-organised rally on Saturday saw hundreds of ribbons retied to the loud fence.
Local Loud Fence organiser Merrin Wake said the removal of the ribbons was done without consultation with any of the survivors or their supporters, and was particularly jarring as it came only two days after Cardinal George Pell lost his appeal against his conviction of sexually abusing choirboys in the 1990s.
“The fact that it’s been decided this week astounds me.
“The fence is really a symbol of healing for survivors.”
Parish priest Father Lin Tranh said the removal of the ribbons had been long planned but had been “misunderstood and is obviously unacceptable to some of those sexually abused”.
“We thought it was critical to have a living reminder of the form of a flowering plant to recognise, long-term, the distress endured by those sexually abused.
“Because some sexual abuse survivors see the ribbons as a reminder of their personal horror, and because others see the ribbons as a sign of support, we thought we had an opportunity to help both groups.
“The timing of transforming the ribbons into a growing plant was derailed because of the George Pell legal decision.
“At this time, we continue to welcome the display of ribbons and will continue to transform ribbons into plants when those ribbons become tattered and faded.”