John Ralston,chair of the NSW Association of Independent Schools (AISNSW) for the past two decades,was also serving as chair in 1995 when the peak body was told one of its board members,Dr Peter Cullen Macarthur,was a convicted child sex offender.
John Ralston Wenona SchoolSupplied
TheHerald first reported in 2017 that Macarthur – an ear,nose and throat specialist with practices in Armidale and Taree – had been forced,and had exited the board of the AISNSW.
This masthead also reported at the time that the from the member organisation after revelations first emerged of his past crimes.
Earlier this week,theABC reported Macarthur was on the AISNSW board in 2015 when the peak body investigated allegations a Cranbrook School teacher had sent sexually explicit emails to a former female student whom he taught at a girls’ school.
It is understood there was no reportable conduct found after the investigation into the Cranbrook teacher,and those findings were upheld by the NSW Ombudsman.
Macarthur was convicted of two counts of sexual assault on patients under anaesthetic at Armidale Hospital in 1993. One victim was a girl of 13,the other a woman aged 23.
In a letter to private school principals on Thursday morning,AISNSW chief executive Margery Evans said Ralston had tendered his resignation effective immediately.
“After[last year’s] annual general meeting,John announced this would be his last term – rather than departing in May,he will bring his resignation forward. Mr Ralston has served the AISNSW for more than 30 years,” Evans said.
“He has contributed to the growth in choice and diversity within our sector as well as the development of the member services for schools.”
Ralston was ineligible to sit on the board of the independent school peak body after he resigned on Wednesday from the board of private all-girls school Wenona. Elected directors of the AISNSW must also hold a position on the board of a member private school.
The Wenona Board of Governors released a statement to parents on Thursday morning confirming they had “accepted Mr Ralston’s resignation from the board,effective immediately”.
“Yesterday the[Wenona board] became aware from reports in the media ... that in 1995 the AISNSW board allowed a director to remain as a member of that board after it was advised of his conviction of child protection related offences. Mr Ralston was the chair of the AISNSW board at the time,” the statement said.
“The Wenona board takes all child protection matters very seriously and is committed to the highest standards of governance.”
