S2E24- Marc Mexsom: When your cause is bigger than your case - Community Courage - a podcast by Ben Pronk, DSC & Tim Curtis

Trigger Warning. At the age of 14, Marc Mexsom was sexually abused by two much older men, in positions of power over him.  In this moving episode, Marc tells his story; of the impact of that event, of the turmoil of keeping this secret inside him for 22 years and of the unimaginable courage to finally speak out about it. 

Within 10 days of going public, Marc founded the Australian Not-for-Profit Charity, 'Community Courage', with a stated mission to encourage and support the reporting of current and historical child sexual abuse in the Australian community and for the elimination of child sexual assault going forward.  So powerfully did Marc’s story resonate with the Australian community that he was able to raise over $10,000 within the first nine hours.

Marc has over twenty years’ professional experience working across the military, custodial services and security and emergency management industry, which he also speaks to in this episode.  Marc’s story is profound – at times heart-wrenching, at times hilarious and, always, inspirational.

 

Intelligence Summary (INTSUM)

01:45        Not really knowing where to start with this conversation….we just start!

02:30        Marc’s story of being sexually abused as a 14y.o on a soccer camp

08:45        The pressure of the secret – and why Marc didn’t tell his parents

10:35        The catalyst for being able to talk about the event, after 22 years

12:00        Hitting rock bottom…and climbing back up again

13:30        Telling his mates – and the unexpected levels of support that Marc received

16:00        Marc’s series of jobs, houses and locations – and finally being able to stop

18:30        Marc’s initial decision not to go to the police about his abuse, and commencing the search for his attackers

22:00        The moment when Marc was just about to come face to face with one of his abusers – and why he didn’t, and went to the police instead

23:10        Marc’s concerns with the current state of the criminal justice system   

28:00        Marc gives the police the information he’s collected on his abuser

30:25        Revenge – tactical vs strategic – and what it means to Marc

31:50        Community Courage’s goals for change – social and legislative

34:45        Are there rehabilitation programs for child sexual abusers?

36:50        Potential funding models for police child sex offence units

39:10        Starting Community Courage – the initial goal and what Marc’s learnt since then

41:00        The support received to date has included both community and professional support

45:00        How can you help if someone confides in you that they have been sexually abused?

49:20        Are there any warning signs or recommended actions we can take as parents?

53:00        Marc’s time in the Australian Army – and why it didn’t go so well

57:00        What Marc does – for himself

1:00:10     What’s next for Marc’s case and his cause

1:02:45     And in fantastic news, since recording this episode Community Courage has been approved as a Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) & Registered Charity with the Australian Charity and Not-for-Profit Commission, allowing corporate sponsorship and tax-deductibility for donations above $2.

 

External Links

• Community Courage, the organisation that Marc started to encourage and support the reporting of current and historical child sexual abuse in the Australian community and for the elimination of child sexual assault going forward


• Community Courage’s gofundme page


• If you need help in this area, some great resources (within Australia) include Beyond Blue, Lifeline, Kids Helpline and Crime Stoppers

 

Music

The Externals – available on Spotify

Atlas Chasers – available on Spotify

 

Further episodes of The Unforgiving60

Further podcasts by Ben Pronk, DSC & Tim Curtis

Website of Ben Pronk, DSC & Tim Curtis