Name and Shame

The debate over naming sex offenders

As many of you are aware, I am 100% behind the Derryn Hinch campaign to get a sex offender register in Australia. Living in Texas, where we have an online sex offender registry, which feeds into apps so I can see offenders around me at any time, I know that it can work. There’s no mass hysteria. There’s no public lynchings or floggings. No random acts of violence around offenders. There’s simply an awareness that there are predators out there, and a tool that lets you see where they are. It lets you plan your kids route to school, or know which houses to avoid while selling Girl Scout cookies. We’re not quite as radical as the Sheriff in Florida who puts up signs out the front of offenders houses, but we know these people exist. There’s something we should be learning from the high profile sex offenders that have been convicted over the last couple of years. The Daily Mail had an excellent article today about why Sex Offenders MUST be named. When I named Robert, it turned out other girls had been to police before, but he just kept managing to get it covered up. I went super public, and not only did other girls who had been to the police before get to re-open their cases, but many more girls went to the police. It wasn’t just the ones who managed to get charges against him. There were others. Many others. It’s just that some of us had enough proof to get charges laid. It doesn’t diminish what he did to the other girls, it’s just there wasn’t enough to secure a conviction. By going public though, not only did his victims come forward, but so did witnesses. People sent in photos, people gave first hand accounts of the things they had witnessed. Instead of the police having to track down potential witnesses, they had been calling them, setting up appointments. They were inundated, but it meant we got a guilty verdict.

Rolf Harris was under investigation back in 2012. It was hinted in the media who it was, but he had gotten a suppression order preventing the media from publicly naming him. Only a couple of girls at that point had come forward. When he was finally publicly named, many more women and witnesses came forward. It made the case stronger. There was another bunch of women in his case that had also been molested by him, but who didn’t get a day in court. But because he was publicly named, he will go to jail for all of them.

These celebrities hold a great deal of power. People are afraid to speak up against them. Especially when it’s just one person against a giant. It’s almost like a David and the Goliath battle. When only one person speaks up, people pounce on the victim, claiming they must be trying to tarnish a good man’s reputation, or they must be after fame or money. However, when a whole bunch of people start going to police, and it’s known that there are several complainants, even if nobody knows who they are, people have to start believing where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I can understand nobody coming out about Savile when he was alive. He was a very protected species. All of these people are. But once a couple people spoke, many more did, and now it looks like he may have been the worst sex offender ever seen in Britain. I’d like to see more of these offenders brought to justice, not just hear about them after they die. The Operation Yewtree investigation stemming from it though is amazing.

There’s a second point here. We have now seen several very high profile people charged as sex offenders. Robert Hughes, Rolf Harris, Max Clifford, Jerry Sandusky, Malcolm Fox, etc. If we can publicly name these high profile people as sex offenders, and have everyone know what they did, why can’t we name and shame everyday citizens who are harming people? People keep citing that by naming the offender, we’ll be letting people know who the victims are. Which just isn’t true. For six weeks, there was cameras out the front of the Downing Center court everyday. There was five victims, and many other witnesses. Except for me, nobody knows who any of the other victims are. If with all that public exposure the victims are still protected, I don’t buy that naming an offender will name the victim. The other thing we’ve learned is that these people don’t have just one victim. There are usually many, many victims. You can’t tell who their victims are when you name them. It could be anyone.

People in Australia seem to not want to understand that sex offenders are everyone. It’s not just one or two people. Right now, pedophiles are so protected, that people just don’t get they are everywhere. One in five kids in Australia will be molested before the age of 18. That’s a HUGE number of victims. Who do people think are committing all these offenses? A sex offender registry will let people see just how many offenders are out there. It might scare people at first to know just how many there are. After a minute, they’ll get over it. Instead of burying your head in the sand about it, it’s better to have an awareness, and then you don’t have to be fearful of it. You can pop on there and check out to see if your neighbour offering to mind your kids has a questionable past. You can see if the house you’re thinking of buying is in a neighbourhood with a bunch of offenders. You can check out your kids karate coach. Going on a date? See if the person is a rapist…

Knowledge is power. Pretending that sex offenders don’t exist doesn’t help anyone. It certainly doesn’t protect anyone. Next time you see a sex offender mentioned on the news, pay attention. Listen to see just how many times that person has been caught before, but simply moved to a new area and started offending again. If there was a register, people would know not to let that person near their kids.

Sign the petition. Get involved with organizations like Bravehearts. Educate yourselves, and your kids. Let’s make Australia a safer place to raise children.

Watch Derryn Hinch’s episode on Sunday Night on Seven to see more about the petition.

June 30, 2014

Act now for Aussie kids

#whoRUprotecting

For those who don’t receive the emails from Bravehearts, here’s the one that went out today. I’m excited to be an Ambassador for Bravehearts and taking part in this years campaign for White Balloon Day.

Dear Sarah Monahan

We are in the middle of one of the most significant historical moments in child protection this country has ever seen.

Survivors of childhood sexual assault are finally breaking the silence and telling their stories – many for the first time.

The silence, secrecy and shame that are the offender’s best friend are now being challenged like never before. The victims who for too long have been invisible, without recognition, void of an effective response are finally being seen and heard.

Get involved with one or all of the events listed in this newsletter and on behalf of the tens of thousands of children and their families that your support reaches – thank you.

Regards,

Hetty Johnston

Bravehearts Founder and CEO

#whoRUprotecting is a national campaign encouraging Australians to act for the protection of the children in their lives. It might be your son, daughter, niece or nephew, grandchildren, students, a friend’s child or like Hetty – all Aussie kids.

Get involved:

Host an event – hold a ‘white’ morning tea, organise a ‘wear white’ day at your child’s school or at your workplace or encourage your community to take part in a ‘white walk’ while raising funds for Aussie kids.
Social media selfie – snap a #whoRUprotecting selfie: the selfie requires you to answer the question ‘who are you protecting’ and display the answer in a photograph.
Social media – positively promote Bravehearts and White Balloon Day on your social media accounts using the hashtags #whoRUprotecing and #whiteballoonday.

There are many more ways you can get involved, just visit www.whiteballoonday.org.au.

Blind man contests Coast corporates in Bravehearts Time Trial

Damien Williams will fly blind, relying on his wingman to navigate the undulating 43km course when he competes in the annual Bravehearts Time Trial on a specially designed tandem bike in November.

The father-of-two is one of the first competitors to sign up for the annual event and will race against ORICA-GreenEDGE representatives and a chain of Gold Coast corporates – including Von Bibra Auto Village and Onyx Property Group.

The Bravehearts Time Trial will take place in the picturesque Samford Valley, just west of Brisbane and will feature many of the elements of a professional cycling event including ramp start, motorcycle cameras and timing gates.

To join Damien in this exciting adventure, visit www.braveheartsadventures.org.au.

Marathon Melina set to tackle grueling Bravehearts 777

Melina Blanco is accustomed to triumphing over adversity and will muster all of that determination when she tackles the gruelling Bravehearts 777 – 7 Marathons across 7 states in 7 days.

The 20-year-old counselling student will take on the 300km run for the second time to raise funds for Australian children affected by sexual assault.

Herself a survivor of this devastating crime which affects one in five Australian children before the age of 18, Melina will run marathons in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Northern New South Wales and the Gold Coast and aims to raise $7,770, bringing her total amount raised for Bravehearts to almost $20,000. To join Melina, visit www.braveheartsadventures.org.au.

Ready, Set, Mow! Claude’s

on track to raise $700,000

Australia’s favourite mowerman, Claude Harvey is again pushing his customised cutter for child safety– this time from Caboolture to Bundaberg, hoping to bring his total fundraising efforts for Bravehearts to $700,000.

The 68-year-old grandfather will visit 30 towns throughout Queensland during his mowerthon which commenced in Caboolture on 27 May.

During his 53 day journey he plans to visit such towns as Kilcoy, Kingaroy, Biloela, Gladstone and Gin Gin before concluding his trip on July 18 in Bundaberg and aims to raise $50,000 for Australian children affected by sexual assault.

The cloak of Celebrity is no more

Sex crimes have become Celebrity Kryptonite

dark secret It’s amazing how far we’ve come in the last four years. When I went public four years ago, it was still taboo to point the finger at a celebrity for having committed a sex crime. People before me had tried and failed. Some named their perpetrators, and nothing was done, others came out and said something had happened, but didn’t dare name the people involved. All of us experienced a public backlash. You’d think the victims were the perpetrators by some of the reactions.

But now with Operation Yewtree in England, the Royal Commission in Australia and even the US has had some very public child sex scandals, things are starting to happen.

It’s been wonderful to see the attitude shift over the last couple years, although we’ve still got a ways to go.

@BrownSquirrel on Twitter asked me this morning why all celebrities say this? “Rolf thought his celebrity status placed him above the law”. Which is true, all these people; Jimmy Savile, Robert Hughes, Rolf Harris, Jerry Sandusky, Roman Polanski, etc all think they are above the law. It’s not just these people though. Look at what’s happening to people like Justin Beiber, Lindsay Lohan or Miley Cyrus, or any other celebrity that seems out of control. We teach these people that they are above the law. Nobody tells these people NO, and they may start small, but when they keep getting away with everything, they get bolder. Their crimes get bigger. Then when people do something and somebody does tell them no, they don’t care anymore. They figure somebody on their team will just take care of it, and clean up the mess. Look at the people surrounding Robert Hughes. He had plenty of girls tell him no, but he had people like Gary Reilly and the executives at Seven who simply covered up what he was doing, and allowed him to keep committing his crimes.

FYI, I’m in no way saying Justin, Lindsay or Miley are involved in sexual assaults. They’re just the big ones in the news right now with everyone claiming they’re out of control. Unlike the pedo’s though, Justin and Lindsay are getting into trouble for their legal infractions. It’s a pity that teens and young adults are getting into more trouble for kid behaviour than grown men who rape kids are though….

Hopefully this last few years of people speaking up, and these people finally being caught out and made to pay for their crimes will have the effect of making people realize they can’t get away with this shit, and they will think twice before hurting a kid. More people will see that they will be believed when they speak up against a celebrity, and will have the courage to speak up, and have them charged when appropriate. Hopefully the people who are protecting these pedophiles will realize that when the pedo goes down, they’re going to be dragged down with them, and instead of aiding the pedo, they’ll help the victim instead. The questionable ones in the US seem to be the most untouchable. People there really do seem to think that as long as you exhibit some kind of talent, that it makes it OK for you to sexually abuse people. Look at the debate over Woody Allen, Roman Polanski or photographer Terry Richardson.

Woody Allen - accused by his daughter Dylan of molesting her — Woody Allen – accused by his daughter Dylan of molesting her, but people still want to see his movies

Roman Polanski - guilty of rape, but fled before he could be sentenced — Roman Polanski – guilty of rape, but fled before he could be jailed. Will he ever be made to serve his time, or will people keep working with him?

Terry Richardson – high profile photographer accused by multiple of women of indecent assault, but people keep hiring him

Rolf Harris - Guilty on 12 counts — Rolf Harris – Guilty on 12 counts

So congratulations to today’s winners, the girls in the Rolf Harris case. Not just the few who managed to get charges. Just like our case against Robert, there was many more girls who were molested by Rolf Harris who didn’t get charges against him, or even get to talk in court. They must be happy though that he has been found guilty on at least those 12 charges. I know that even if Robert hadn’t been found guilty on mine, I was so happy for the other girls, and so glad he was found guilty on at least one charge.

If anyone out there reading this is wondering whether they should speak up against their abuser, I say YES. You never know how many other people have also been abused by that person. Some may have already spoken to police. I know there’s several people in Australia who are wondering whether to speak up about others in the industry. You don’t have to go public like I did, but please go to the police. The Officers from the NSW sex crimes squad were the most amazing team of humans I have met. I’ll be forever grateful to them. I’m sure the teams in all the other states are just as wonderful.

Let’s keep the ball rolling. Let’s keep speaking up about these unspeakable acts. Let’s teach these predators that they are no longer untouchable.

GUILTY!

Gary Glitter – Found guilty of child sex charges

Jerry Sandusky - guilty on 45 counts — Jerry Sandusky – guilty on 45 counts

Jimmy Savile - dead, but now thought to be the worst pedophile in British history — Jimmy Savile – dead, but now thought to be the worst pedophile in British history

Ian Watkins - Guilty of sexual assault of a child and making child pornograpghy — Ian Watkins – Guilty of sexual assault of a child and making child pornograpghy

June 10, 2014June 10, 2014

Towels – Beach or Bath?

Beach towels and bath towels

As I lay in the tub in the RV tonight, looking at the two towels on the hooks, it got me thinking.
Why is there a difference between beach towels and bath towels? Why is it socially unacceptable to use a bath towel at the beach, and vice versa in the bathroom?
When we got the new RV, we bought some really like Calvin Klein sheets and towels. Around the same time, I had seen some really nice coach beach towels that I thought would look great in the bathroom. Sure, they’re supposed to be beach towels, but they’re soft and pretty, and the browns match my RV fabulously. Why can’t I be a rebel and have beach towels in my bathroom? Who made that a thing anyway?
It’s probably some consumerist marketing ploy to make people buy more stuff.

So I’m going to live by my own rules. Matt prefers the Calvin Klein towel, and I like my coach towels, so we have one of each up. I think if you want to brighten up your bathroom with some funky beach towels, go ahead. Break the interior decoration rules!

June 5, 2014

Moving!

House for sale in San Antonio

So for years I’ve been fascinated by the tiny house movement. The last 2 years I’ve been living in a little Airstream during the week while deployed for work, and going home on weekends to San Antonio. Matt now has a job where he works from home, and can be anywhere in the South. So he decided to move down and be with me. We upgraded from my tiny vintage airstream to a giant 5th wheel. It’s not quite a “tiny house” but it’s pretty awesome. So now our house in San Antonio went on the market this week. So if you’re looking for a big house on the north east side of Spurs town, check it out. It’s halfway between Joint Base Fort Sam Houston and Randolph AFB, so it’s perfect if you’re PCSing here. We’re one block away from the immigration building, and you could walk or ride your bike to the RackSpace castle.

The house is in the city of Windcrest. It has it’s own police and fire departments, with an average response time of 90 seconds. – yep, we know from experience…

The 2,400 sq. ft house was built in 1984, but we’ve done a bunch of upgrades. We replaced the windows with super high efficiency ones. We cleaned out the old insulation in the roof and had bio-foam sprayed up there. We replaced the air conditioning units. We changed the pool equipment and now have a salt water pool. I really missed salt water pools from Australia, so Matt upgraded for me. It’s 12,000 gallons of backyard bliss. 20 foot tall red tips all around ensure lots of privacy. We could skinny dip as much as we wanted and didn’t worry about anyone seeing us 😉Downstairs is a huge master bedroom with master bath. We just replaced the old tub and shower with a huge double rainfall shower. There’s his and her walk in wardrobes and a separate toilet. All new lighting and faucets.

Open plan living area. Large living area with a fireplace, peaked roof is almost 30′ high. Upstairs area opens onto lounge below. Super open and spacious. Super huge kitchen. When we had parties you could fit 30 people in here mulling around. Open to lounge area, also has a wet bar area. Huge windows allow natural light in and a view of the side yard. The AC unit is here. You can’t see it from inside. When we replaced the AC, we had them move it here. It used to be in the backyard, where you could hear it from the pool, and the bedroom. The new one is super quiet. Way nicer.Also off the kitchen, headed to the backyard, is the laundry and a half bath. Great for when everyone is in the pool and you don’t want wet feet coming through the other back door. There’s also a “dining room” downstairs, but since there’s room for a dining table in the kitchen, Matt has the front room set up as an office. I think it would make a great nursery if you have a baby. Upstairs is another large bedroom with walk in closet. Attached bathroom which has also been updated. There’s a bathtub in here if you like to soak. Upstairs is a huge play area. It’s got a media area, with room for a giant screen tv, lounges, and we’ve got a pool table up there too. There’s a tonne of natural light throughout the house. It’s all very open plan, there’s no hallways. Its set way back from the road, and there’s an alley behind the house, which has access to a detached double garage with lots of storage space in a loft area above. There’s an empty lot next door, which we own, and you can buy that too if you want to make sure you never have a neighbor on that side. It’s on a quiet circle, and we’re the house in the back corner with the pool. And here’s where we are in relation to the NE side of San Antonio And all of San Antonio So if you’re looking for a beautiful retreat in San Antonio, call John Foster and tell him you want him to show you our house. Perfect for anyone working at Fort Sam Houston, Randolph AFB, RackSpace, DHS, or need a close drive to the airport. It’s been a wonderful home for us. I’ve actually lived there longer than any other house. We threw amazing parties there, it’s perfect for entertaining. We’re sad to leave such a beautiful home, but we know someone else will enjoy it as much as we did.

May 16, 2014May 16, 2014

Breaking Twitter

Last night on Twitter

I am so pleased all the other girls made it to court yesterday to see Robert being sentenced. I would have really liked to have been there to see him hide in his corner in the dock. Kudos to whoever it was that decided to put the press in the jury stand, directly opposite him. Even though I couldn’t be there, it was awesome being able to watch it all unfold in real time on Twitter.

It seemed like there was thousands of tweets about the case last night. I’m sure some people were thrilled by the new mute button! There was so many tweets, and me retweeting as many as I could, this happened:

There was some outstanding tweets coming from the journo stand, but I have to give it to Jodie Speers. She was on it! She was constantly updating, and was super professional. Although she did let one personal comment slip, and I thought it was brilliant.

There was some other pretty good tweets in my stream, ranging from witty

to deep

I liked this one

So a huge Thank You to everyone who followed along with me last night. I may have been at home alone with the dog, but I felt like I had a whole room full of people standing with me. Much love to you all.

May 15, 2014

Sentencing

What will he get?

I’m sitting on my couch in my RV, watching a show on E! about how celebrities cover up scandals. It’s showing how if you’ve got enough money, you can cover up almost anything, which I’ve seen first hand. More scary though, is how even after the scandals are exposed, people forgive them because, well, they’re famous. Look at Roman Polanski, OJ Simpson, Kobe Bryant, Mike Tyson. All violent offenders, and yet, still fawned over. How many people need to say they were molested by Michael Jackson before someone is believed? How many pedophiles are running around Hollywood, molesting kids, and nobody will talk about it? When people like Corey Feldman talk, they’ve got people like Barbara Walters accusing him of ruining an entire industry. Yeah Babs, go ahead and blame the victim. I’m so glad she’s retiring.

I’m pretty lucky I was given the opportunity to speak out. I didn’t want to when I was first asked. I had long left the industry, and didn’t want to be dredging up old shit. But when one of the kids in my class had an incident, it made me so mad. It was like all the rage I had buried came flooding back to the surface. When Stephen contacted me again, I knew I had to talk. People who are still working aren’t going to talk. It’s a career killer. I didn’t have a career, so I didn’t have anything to lose. Or so I thought…

Im not going to sugar coat it. The last 4 years have been tough. First, I had to think about everything I had tried to forget. I had to deal with the emotions of seeing all the people from the past again. Of seeing people who let it happen as a kid because they liked working suddenly popping up wanting to say something now like they care. Or worse, saying “Oh I had no idea.”

I feel bad for people who had to deal with me over those 4 years. Poor Stephen copped a lot of shit from me. Many days I resented him for bringing all this up. He was always super brutally honest with me, and some days I just wasn’t up for it. Sorry Stephen…. I am grateful to you, please know that.

The other thing I am grateful for, is that since my case has been so public, I know, or at least I really hope, that nobody will ever let Robert near their kids again. In Texas, Robert would be put on a publicly accessible sex offender registry. Anyone who cared to see if there was an offender near them would see his name, face and charges. I feel bad for people in Australia who don’t get to know what kinds of creepers live next door.

I was so happy to help Derryn with his Megan’s Law campaign. I would desperately like to see a public sex offender registry implemented in Australia. I think it very fitting that the day after Robert is sentenced, Derryn will be starting his Walk For Justice.

If you haven’t signed the petition yet, please do so.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/protect-our-children3.html
Here is Derryn’s schedule for his walk, in case you’d like to join him.

Day One: Saturday, May 17th
Start: 7.30a.m. Langi Kal Kal Prison gates, Langi Kal Kal Rd, Trawalla.
Finish: 9.30 a.m. National Highway A8 at Blackbottom Road.
Start: 3.30p.m. National Highway A8 at Blackbottom Road.
Finish:5.30p.m. National Highway A8, Burrambeet Road, Burrambeet.

Day Two: Sunday, May 18th
Start: 7.30a.m. National Highway A8, Burrambeet Road.
Finish: 9.30 a.m. Remembrance Drive C805 at White’s Road.
Start: 3.30p.m. Remembrance Drive at White’s Road.
Finish: 5.30p.m. Sturt Street & Pleasant St, Ballarat.

Day Three: Monday, May 19th
Start: 7.30a.m. Sturt St. & Pleasant St, Ballarat.
Finish: 9.30 a.m. Victoria St. & Boundary Rd, Ballarat.
Start: 3.30p.m. Victoria St. & Boundary Rd., Ballarat.
Finish: 5.30p.m. Lesters Rd & Triggs Rd, Bungaree.

Day Four: Tuesday, May 20th
Start: 7.30a.m. Lesters Rd & Triggs Rd, Bungaree.
Finish: 9.30a.m. Main St. & Old Western Hwy, Gordon.
Start: 3.30p.m. Main St. & Old Western Hwy, Gordon.
Finish: 5.30p.m. Old Melbourne Rd and Old Geelong Rd. Crossroads Trading.

Day Five: Wednesday, May 21st
Start: 7.30a.m. Old Melbourne Rd and Old Geelong Rd.
Finish: 9.30a.m. Ingliston Rd & Ingliston-Settlement Rd.
Start: 3.30p.m. Ingliston Rd & Ingliston-Settlement Rd.
Finish: 5.30p.m. Ironbark Rd and McCormack Rd.

Day Six: Thursday, May 22nd
Start: 7.30a.m. Ironbark Rd and McCormack Rd.
Finish: 9.30a.m. Avenue Motel, 272 Main St. Bacchus Marsh
Start: 3.30p.m. Avenue Motel, 272 Main St. Bacchus Marsh
Finish: 5.30p.m. High St & Bulman’s Rd, Melton.

Day Seven: Friday, May 23rd
Start: 7.30a.m. High St & Bulman’s Rd, Melton.
Finish: 9.30a.m. Melton Hwy & Leakes Rd.
Start: 3.30p.m. Melton Hwy &Leakes Rd.
Finish: 5.30p.m. Melton Hwy & King’s Rd. Sydenham.

Day Eight: Saturday, May 24th
Start: 7.30a.m. Melton Hwy & King’s Rd. Sydenham.
Finish: 9.30a.m. Keilor Park Drive (BP) & Fullarton Rd. Keilor
Start: 3.30p.m. Keilor Park Drive (BP) & Fullarton Rd. Keilor
Finish:5.30p.m.St.Monica’s Church, Mount Alexander Rd, Essendon.

Day Nine: Sunday, May 25th
Start: 7.30a.m. St. Monica’s Church, Mount Alexander Rd, Essendon.
Finish: 8.30a.m. Sydney Rd & Victoria St., Brunswick.

Day Ten: Monday, May 26th
Start: 10.30a.m. Sydney Rd &Victoria St., Brunswick.
Finish:12.20p.m. Parliament House, Spring St., MELBOURNE!

I’ll be interested to see what Judge Zahra gives Robert. He can only sentence him based on what he would have received back in the day. I know it will be a dreadfully small sentence. Hopefully it will point out just how far we have come, and how we’ve come to recognize that those old sentences just didn’t do justice to the crime at all.

Whatever the outcome, I think there are many girls sitting at home, grateful we’ve made it this far. Grateful we were finally listened to, that he was charged. We are stronger for having faced him. Court was brutal, but we made it through. We can make it through anything after that.

May 14, 2014

Former Friends

Or better put, Friends who are Formers

I had a little rant yesterday about faux friends, but it’s not all bad. I have been lucky enough over the last few years to make some really good friends.

It’s kinda weird being an expat. You have a completely different background to other people. There may be some common ground as an adult, and you may learn about the locals culture, but you never lived it, so it will always be different.

It’s kinda the same thing with being a child actor. You had a completely different experience growing up to everyone else. Lots of former kid stars leave the industry and end up with regular jobs, but they don’t share that bond with other people of regular childhood experiences.

I get a double whammy of not growing up in the US, and even in Oz, I didn’t have the normal childhood experience. I have been lucky however to find other Expats to share time with, and even more exciting, other former child stars.

There’s not a lot of child actors in Australia. Maybe the kids from Secret Valley, Henderson Kids, Home & Away, but most are older, not young kids. Kate Ritchie, Rebecca Smart and Jamie Croft were about the only kids my age actively working when I was a kid. The kids in the US are lucky that with so many TV stations, they had a bunch of kids to share experiences with.

The kids in the US are even luckier, because they have set up groups to help try and protect them, to support them, and to just let them know there’s people there for them. I first found A Minor Consideration a few years ago. It’s founded by Paul Peterson, who was a teen idol, and probably best known for his work on The Donna Reed Show. I had written him an email letting him know I thought what he was doing was awesome, and I wished we had that kind of group in Australia. Fast forward a couple of years, and I now have a bunch of the most incredible people I can call friends. Others who share the odd experience of growing up on TV. Some also share the experience of being abused while working on TV.

In the middle of the trial, when I thought my world was going to fall apart, I got this:

These guys are amazing. When I first met them, they had no idea who I was. Nobody in the US has seen Hey Dad..! I never imagined they wold take me in as one of their own. Yet, they did. They sent me messages of support throughout the months leading up to the trial. I went to LA and met a bunch of them in person at a get together, where I was made to feel like part of a community. It didn’t matter I was a foreigner. We all shared some strange bond of growing up in the limelight, and I had many of them thanking me for going public, and trying to take a stand for all the kids who had been abused in the industry. Unfortunately the US has a statute of limitations, and by the time some found their courage to talk, the time had passed. Others thankfully had wonderful experiences growing up in the industry, and it was good to hear those stories too.

I’m pretty damn excited that later this month I’m headed to LA for the weekend and I get to hang out with these guys again. I feel very lucky to have met such a wonderful group of people.

Paul Peterson is retiring soon, and some of us are going to try to fill his big shoes. I’ve suggested that after my incredible experience, we have an international division, which was greeted with a big yes. So if you’re another former kid star, or a current child actor or entertainer who needs someone to talk to, even if it’s via email, let us know. A Minor Consideration and it’s members have been the most amazing group, and some days, I honestly don’t know if I could have made it through this without them. These guys are not just other former child stars, they’re my heroes.

A Minor Consideration can be contacted via their website or on FaceBook

A Minor Consideration isn’t just a social group. Paul and the others work tirelessly to help change laws to protect child entertainers. People think child stars have it all, but as my case has proved, sometimes they really need people to step up and help out.

May 13, 2014May 13, 2014

Real Friends v’s Faux Friends

How to tell the difference between real friends and faux friends

I checked the mail when I went home at lunch, and I had a package. My friend Carissa had sent me the Woman’s Day issue with Robert’s niece in it. She also made me cookies and put in some Rescue Remedy. Carissa is one of the best friends I’ve ever had. We went to High School together at Meriden. We had lost touch, but had gotten back in touch before I went public. When I did go public, Carissa was always there, checking up on me. She’d let me know when people were talking about it on the radio. She was always making sure I was doing OK, and sending me hugs. When I go home to Australia, she’s the first one to offer me a ride to and from the airport. She takes me out to eat. She makes me cupcakes. But here’s how I know Carissa is a real friend. She does all of this privately. Sure, we tweet back and forth publicly as well, but 90% of her communication to me is private. She doesn’t need to make a public display of caring for me. Real friends don’t need to publicly display their affection. I’ve been lucky to have several friends over the last few years who have supported me privately. Even other people in the public eye. Charlotte Dawson used to regularly send me messages, privately. The last message I got from her was on the 10th of February. It was the first day of the trial, but it wasn’t in the media, cause there was a suppression order. Charlotte remembered anyway, and let me know she was thinking of me. Entertainment reporter Peter Ford and I are always talking, and he never spills what we talk about. The reason I did 2DayFM and not Kyle and Jackie O? Cause producer Matt Simpson is always sending me love. Real friends are just there. They don’t need to publicize it.

Then there’s the faux friends… It’s funny how getting a package from a real friend helped point one of the faux friends. These are the people who seem to pop up whenever there’s a camera or journalist, but never bother to send you a message in real life. Simone and I are on FaceBook, so we’ve kept in touch, and see all the normal everyday stuff. But everyone else? Not a peep. Not a tweet, text, email, poke or even old fashioned snail mail. For the last four years, I’ve been completely alone, except for Simone. Funny though, how people keep popping their heads up, to say how much they care; when there’s an interview opportunity. – People have said the cops told them not to talk to me. The cops told me not to talk to people about the case, not cut off communication altogether.

Remember the spat I had about Barbara Walters telling Corey Feldman that he’s “destroying an entire industry” by speaking out about pedophilia? Imagine the look on my face when someone in an interview with me says, “A Man’s life in ruined”. Yep, they edited out my reaction to that. Here’s a tip, when you’re sitting with a victim of abuse, who has spent years trying to bring a pedophile to justice, and has had the whole of Oz slapping her down for it, the rest of the cast is guilt tripping that person for not getting any work, and then you come out and blame said victim for ruining a pedo’s life… Don’t expect a Christmas card….. Just saying. Also, probably shouldn’t go on TV saying you didn’t know anything, then do an article saying you knew about it, but you’re only sad cause now it’s sullied the show and it won’t get shown anymore. Not the only faux friend, but a good example.

I’m sure come Friday, when someone asks for comment on the sentencing, they’ll be only to happy to say some BS about how they hope I get closure, or how it’s all over now, blah, blah, blah, but unless you’re sending me a message to say it to ME, personally, it’s absolutely meaningless. But as long as you look good on camera, that’s all that matters, right?

I know I should “play the game” and pretend we’re all really tight, but I’m over it. My life is about honesty. If I don’t give a shit, I’m not going to pretend I do.

Back to the real friends; Carissa sells cupcakes over at the Fox Studios markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays. They’re the best cupcakes in Sydney. Go visit her. Tell her Hi! Try her cupcakes and give her a hug for me. She’s awesome. Follow her on twitter @Carissacupcake or see what yummy creation she’s come up with on Instagram

To all my other real friends, thanks for being there. I appreciate all of you!

May 6, 2014May 6, 2014

Copycat Television

Where’s the creativity in TV?

We like to play movies at work. It makes a nice distraction from the news on the other TV. Today someone wanted to watch BeetleJuice. While looking for it, we found there’s going to be a BeetleJuice 2.

Is everything from the 80’s being remade? I mean, it’s one thing when they re-do Neighbors. Nobody remembers the 1981 Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi version. I don’t know anyone else who has even seen it. Plus, it seems while it’s the same name, they changed the concept slightly. But when they’re remaking everything else, Like Point Break, it’s just getting ridiculous. Point Break doesn’t need a remake. We all remember the first one. It’s a classic. Please don’t fuck with it.

TV isn’t much better. There’s nobody with an original idea there either. Or not many. Because one person comes up with an idea, and then all the other networks, instead of coming up with an idea, just take that idea, and call it something else, and put it on their channel. How many cooking shows are there? Hells Kitchen, My Kitchen Rules, Come Dine with Me, Iron Chef, The Great Australian Bakeoff, plus a few more. It’s one thing on American TV, where there are literally hundreds of channels to pick from, but in Oz, where there’s less channels than I have fingers, it’s too much.

Singing shows? The Voice, The Voice Kids, It Takes Two, Australian Idol, The X Factor, Popstars, etc.

Then you’ve got your dancing shows. Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, Everybody Dance Now, and now they’re bringing in Strictly Come Dancing, and I’m sure there’s more. Personally, if I was in charge, I’d change it up some, to at least make it a little interesting. Like DWTS. Come on, every season they’ve only got a couple of actual “stars” on it. So why not go all out and do a Dancing with the Former Child Stars? You could get a mix of Aussie and US former kid stars. Lets face it, Aussie networks always have to have a token American. Candice Cameron Bure is on the current US version, so she’s probably out, but I’m betting you could get Jodie Sweetin. Corey Feldman did Dancing on Ice. I bet he’d come to Oz to do DWTS. What’s Jamie Croft doing these days? Remember Radames Pera? He was the Young Grasshopper on Kung Fu. He’s an awesome guy. I could put together a whole list of formers…. Its a win win for everyone. The audience gets a title that accurately reflects the show, but they get to see all their childhood idols all grown up. The kids get to hang out and get back into shape while dancing up a storm. A charity gets some money. I think I might go ahead and pitch that one! Lemme know who you’d want to see on there.

I really wish networks would be willing to take more risks. Its sad when they try a new show, and if it doesn’t rate well in 2 episodes, they shelve it. You’ve got to give new programs time to find an audience. Like I thought the concept for Excess Baggage was brilliant. Everyone always says if they had access to chefs and trainers like the stars did, they’d look awesome too. So here was a chance for that, and it only saw two episodes go to air before it was pushed off to another station. Apparently nothing could compete with The Biggest Loser….

Alas, I can complain all I like, but I’m not in charge of programming. All I can do is vote with my remote. So can you. If you’re tired of the same crap on every channel, switch it off.

For the network executives, please, please, take a risk. Try something new. Trust the audience to watch something new. Then give new shows the time to find their groove before shelving it and going back to the same old shit.