More than 70 years after arriving in Fremantle as a seven-year-old child migrant, City of Canning resident Norman Johnston is sharing his story in a new book about his childhood and fight for justice.
Johno, written by WA author Kathleen O’Reilly Johnston and published on September 9, tells Norman’s story from his childhood in Britain to being sent to Australia in 1950 and placed in institutions run by the Christian Brothers.
The book’s release comes during National Child Protection Week, which runs from September 6 to 12 and this year carries the message that every conversation matters.
Norman, now 83, known as Johno, hopes his experience will remind people of the importance of listening to children and speaking up when something is wrong.
“I’d like them to understand that abuse continues when people remain silent,” he said.
“I’d like them to learn how important it is that children have a voice, and that they should be listened to and taken seriously.”
Norman said he had been at sea for weeks when he arrived in Fremantle and initially felt relieved to reach land.
Before leaving the ship, he and the other children were given numbered tags which determined where they would be sent.
Norman was taken to Castledare and later spent time at Clontarf.
He alleges the boys were subjected to physical abuse and degrading treatment after arriving at Castledare.
“We weren’t treated as children. We were treated as if we were owned,” he said.
“The level of cruelty I was treated with that day created my first real experience of terrible fear. The scars are still there.”
Norman said fear became a constant part of his years in institutional care.
“What I remember most, is that there was either fear, or numbness,” he said.
“The fear was always there to the point that if I saw a brother from a distance, I would take another route.”
Speaking publicly about those experiences took decades. Norman said children who tried to tell others about what was happening were often not believed, leaving him reluctant to speak about his past after leaving Clontarf.
“I’d grown up in a culture where I wasn’t believed,” he said.
“Finding a voice took years.”
Ms O’Reilly Johnston first met Norman when she was a teenager after being introduced by another man who had experienced the Christian Brothers institutions.
The pair later married and eventually separated, but remained in contact.
She said Norman initially spoke about his experiences privately with others who shared similar experiences, with more of his story emerging over the years.
“I’d carried this story for so long, I think it had reached a point where it was bursting to be told,” she said.
“I felt driven to write it.”
Norman has lived in the City of Canning for more than 40 years and has spent years advocating for survivors of institutional child abuse and former child migrants.
He said one of his proudest achievements was ensuring his own three children had a different childhood.
“I’m proud that I’ve done my best to protect my three children enough that they didn’t go through what I went through,” he said.
Ms O’Reilly Johnston will discuss Johno with WA author Gerrard McCann at Riverton Library on September 10.
