Jan Van-Even said her sister was only seven-and-a-half when she was sexually assaulted by Father William Cantwell when he worked as a parish priest in the Mayfield diocese in the 1960s.

Father Cantwell was also a parish priest at St Mary’s in Dungog from 1975 to 1984.

“He had access to her as she and class members were studying for their first Communion,” Ms Van-Even said. “I only found out about the assault 17 years ago and only told our mother 12 months ago.

“My sister still struggles with what happened to this very day.”

The Newcastle Herald held a public forum in mid-September last year following journalist Joanne McCarthy’s stories of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.

The Herald reported on September 25 about a woman who attempted suicide after years of breakdowns and who has received support for her case that she was repeatedly sexually abused by a Hunter priest.

An emotional appeal by the woman’s sister at the forum at Newcastle Panthers prompted another woman to report her experiences with the late Father Cantwell as a child.

“I can verify the probable truthfulness of this allegation,” the woman, Karen, said. “Father Cantwell worked in the Mayfield parish in the 1960s when I was a child and ran many birthday parties and games afternoons, which I attended.

“His mantra was ‘Bring the little children unto me’.

“My experience of Father Cantwell’s creepy style was that he would kiss some children and indeed managed to stick his tongue in my mouth when I was caught and unable to get out of his ‘fatherly kiss’ on two occasions.

“After those two experiences, I kept away from him. Thankfully I was a bit older, around eight or nine years.

“I haven’t reported this to any authorities as I figured Father Cantwell is long gone and I hope that he is explaining his actions to a higher being.”

Ms Van-Even said she found out just before last year’s school presentation that the integrity award had been ongoing for more than 20 years, not long after he died in 1984.

“I just couldn’t believe that an award was being handed out in this man’s name,” she said. “I phoned the school and spoke to the principal and asked him what the award was for.

“He was unsure and then I told him about what this man had done to my sister. I then contacted the Director of the Catholic Schools Ray Collins and told him the story and about the award and I must say he acted immediately and changed the name of the award.

“But what do you do about the children who have received the award since it was created?”

Mr Collins said each year at St Joseph’s Primary School, Dungog, a nominated student received an award for integrity.

“In 2012 some objections to the name traditionally given to the award were raised with the school,” he said. “Given the award is about acknowledging the achievement of the student, not about who the award is named after, the principal agreed to change the name of the award to the St Joseph’s Award for Integrity.

“The focus of the award should be on the person to whom the award is being given, so in the interests of all involved, the name was changed.”

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