In time, no-one will know Marylands Catholic residential school for boys (which St John of God brothers ran from 1955 to 1984) ever existed.

Marylands survivors have seen to that.

Victory and validation

Obliterating Marylands and establishing Validation is a meaningful victory to the men who survived.

Those who spoke at the ceremony said when they visit Validation Park they'll remember those who didn't make it.

One survivor said this:

"To our survivor community ... I see you, I hear you.

"For too long we've sought acknowledgement and validation for the trauma we suffered. Today we take back control and reclaim this space here, for the strength and resilience of survivors."

For the victims who didn't survive, he said he will remember them and "I will validate them".

Among the survivors at the ceremony was a man abused at another St John of God residential facility in Christchurch - the Hebron Trust.

The Trust operated in Christchurch between 1986 and 1993 as a residential facility for youth in need of safety, shelter and support.

Erasing Marylands from the park and road was a huge relief to him too.

"It's a weight off the shoulders. It's a small step in a long journey and for all of us survivors, as we work towards these little steps, it's extremely important.

"It's never easy talking about something that's so hard, something that's so traumatic" he told the crowd.

He said he was sharing his story because not everyone could, and he wanted to make sure the abuse they suffered was remembered.

Validation and support

Representatives from the Christchurch City Council including mayor Phil Mauger were at the ceremony. The Council has been supportive of the street and park renaming.

Judge Coral Shaw, who chaired the Royal Commission into abuse in care, was there as well.

Shaw said it was important for her to attend the ceremony to pay tribute to the survivors.

"I wouldn't have missed this occasion for anything today because of them" she said.

Shaw and Male Survivors Aotearoa national advocate Ken Clearwater unveiled the Validation Park sign to officially mark the occasion.

History can repeat

One survivor is concerned about the coalition government's plans to reintroduce charter schools.

Marylands was a type of charter school he said. People were hired without government oversight and without the need for qualifications.

"In some ways I see the Government stepping back ... almost having history repeat itself."

Source

• RNZ
• The Press

Nobody wants to remember Marylands Place and Marylands Reserve.

Both are associated with abuse of children and young people.

One in five of the boys who attended the residential school run by the St John of God brothers reported being abused there.

That sorry statistic is detailed in an interim report released in 2023 for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

The report described the institution as "hell on earth".

The new name

Next week, a Christchurch City Council community board is to consider a name for the street and park.

Board chairman Callum Ward said the Royal Commission recommended changing the street and park names. That recommendation echoes calls from survivors from the disgraced Catholic school.

"There are two main options on the table [as the new name for the street], one is Validation, the other is Monarch.

"Both of those name suggestions were provided by the survivors themselves" Ward said.

"Survivors spoke of not being believed, or even listened to, for a long time and they put forward the name Validation. It's an acknowledgement of their experiences and symbolic of them taking back power over what happened."

The survivors find the name Monarch, for the monarch butterfly, symbolic.

"We've worked closely with survivors... to find a name that recognises their experiences, acknowledges the traumatic association of the name, and contributes to puretumu torowhanui, or historic redress" Ward said.

If after the current public consultation phase the names are approved, the new street and park name change will be made from 4 June.

Sexual harm

Where to get help:

If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:

• Call 0800 044 334
• Text 4334
• Email support@safetotalk.nz
• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz

Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.

If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault.

Source

• NZ Herald