About LOUD fence
In May 2015, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse held Stage 1 of its Case Study 28: Catholic Church authorities in Ballarat (19–29 May).
The public hearings exposed harrowing details of abuse and cover-ups, revealing the silencing of child victims, their families, adult survivors, and whistle-blowers.
In response, some ribbons were tied to the gates of St Patrick’s College Ballarat.
Some former students of St Alipius "Girls’" School were heartbroken to discover, through the Royal Commission, that horrific abuse had occurred just a block away at the Christian Brothers "Boys’" School. While they had played, laughed and lived their childhood as all children should, the boys nearby were living a very different reality.
These boys weren’t strangers. They were brothers, cousins, friends — children from the same families, sitting side by side at church every Sunday.
On Thursday 21st May 2015, Maureen "Mauz" Hatcher named the front fence of the former St Alipius Christian Brothers "Boys" School a LOUD fence — LOUD because there had been too much silence. She created a Facebook page and, alongside her former primary school classmate Jacinta, tied bright, colourful ribbons to the fence and invited others to join them.
Soon, ribbons began appearing not just in Ballarat but across Australia and beyond. People tied ribbons to their home fences, letterboxes, and community spaces as a public show of support for victim-survivors.
The movement grew rapidly to include victim-survivors of all child sexual abuse — not only clerical abuse.
On 4 July 2015, at the Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN) conference, the Hon Justice Peter McClellan AM, spoke of ‘loud fences:
‘There are other aspects of the Ballarat hearing which could be discussed but I do not have time. However I should mention one quite remarkable event which has occurred. In the days immediately following the hearing parents, parishioners and other community members have been conducting what has become known as the ‘loud fence’ campaign.
They have been tying bright ribbons to the fences of the former St Alipius Boys School and St Patrick’s College as a sign of support for survivors and their families affected by sexual abuse. The ‘loud fence’ stands in contrast with the silence that was imposed on survivors as children.
The local newspaper has reported that ribbons have been tied on fences in Ballarat, in NSW and in Queensland. But it has not stopped there. I understand that the ‘loud fence’ campaign has reached Bali and Westminster Abbey in London.’
LOUD fence became a universal symbol of solidarity, awareness, and change, amplifying the voices of survivors and ensuring their experiences could never again be silenced.
The words "No More Silence" became synonymous with the
LOUD fence movement.
"It's a reminder that it did happen and each ribbon placed on the fence means one of our loved ones has a voice that will be heard loud and clear... "
~ Hilly the Bushman, from the West Coast.
Right: A LOUD fence in front of the Vatican, Rome. 2016.
While we support and connect victim-survivors and their loved ones, we also engage with organisations that have inherited a painful and complex past.
We believe in the importance of acknowledgment, accountability, and meaningful change. By working with these organisations, we encourage open conversations, promote education and awareness, and help foster environments where history is recognised, harm is not ignored, and commitments to survivor-centered healing and prevention are upheld.
