Sir, – I have become aware of accusations recently levelled at the late Rev Brother GG Dillon in parts of the Irish media by someone claiming to be an Old Boy of Christian Brothers College, Pretoria, South Africa (“Family call on authority to vet RTÉ abuse claim”, Home News, November 25th).
I attended that school from 1980 to 1984. Brother Dillon was my class teacher in that year, in what we called Standard 7. I also acted as a dormitory prefect to Brother Dillon’s Junior Dormitory in 1983, by which time Br Dillon was principal of the CBC Pretoria Junior School. In this capacity, I lived with his 50 dormitory charges, their being aged between 10 and 12 years old. I worked closely with Br Dillon in this period in looking to the welfare of these children.
At no point in the time that I knew Br Dillon, whether as teacher or as dormitory master, was I ever aware of any unethical, immoral, illegal or in any other way untoward actions or behaviour on his part toward his charges.
Given his strict and consistent insistence that these young boys have their dignity and self-esteem respected and enhanced, I should be extremely surprised to learn that his behaviour toward them was in any way abusive, and would find that very difficult to accept. – Yours, etc,