Father Gregory Laurence Ferguson

Father Gregory Laurence Ferguson was a member of the Marist Fathers. He began his training to be a priest in 1955 at the age of 18. After his ordination, Father Ferguson worked mainly as a teacher and boarding master throughout Australia until 2002. Between 1970 and 1971 he served/worked as a teacher and boarding master at the then boys-only school Marist College Burnie (now known as Marist Regional College) in the north west of Tasmania. He was aged 33 to 34 at the time and it was during his employment at Marist College Burnie that he sexually abused boys in his own room located within the school’s boarding house.

In 2004/2005 Father Ferguson was charged over the incidents at Marist College Burnie and he appeared in two separate trials throughout 2007 in relation to those charges. Father Ferguson was charged with committing sexual crimes against six male students in 1970 and 1971. The indictment contained four counts of maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person under the age of 17 years, contrary to s 125A of the Tasmanian Criminal Code, and two counts of indecent assault, contrary to s 127. As with most victims of sexual abuse in Australia, the complainants did not make their complaints to the police for over 30 years after the alleged sexual assaults. It is important to note also, that the six male students were not the only victims of Father Ferguson. They were just the only ones the police obtained a signed statement from.

In relation to both trials held in 2007, Father Ferguson was sentenced to a total of five years imprisonment, in which he had to serve 18 months behind bars before becoming eligible to apply for parole.

In 2019 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) were able to obtain a letter written by the principal at the time, Father Bernard Hosie of Marist College, to his boss, Father Peter Guiren (ex-Marist College Principal and Marist Provincial), seeking advice whether Father Ferguson needed to be moved from the school. This advice was sought in relation to Father Hosie having knowledge that Father Ferguson had been fooling around with eight boys in his room.  The letter further showed that Father Hosie thought best to leave Father Ferguson at the School for another year even though he and two other colleagues feared that Father Ferguson’s action/behaviour was widely known amongst the boys/students of the School. Father Hosie also feared that if the community or a parent obtained knowledge of Father Ferguson’s behaviour, the School would be caught up in litigation. 

The conclusion to be drawn from this letter was that the Marist Fathers had known of Father Ferguson’s behaviour for such a long time and that they did nothing to reprimand him or to notify the appropriate authorities.

Moody Law has in the past represented a client who has made accusations against Father Ferguson when he was a teacher and boarding master at Marist College Burnie.

We invite former students, parents and victims to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

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