Janetia Knapp: State pays $1.2m to ward raped at notorious mission, preyed on by Barry Cable’s brother

A sexual abuse survivor repeatedly attacked as a ward of the State — preyed on by Barry Cable’s brother, serial rapist Garry Narkle and a man who was supposed to care for her — has secured a $1.2 million payout after a long battle. Stolen Generations survivor Janetia Knapp said that Vincent Cable thought his respected status in the community would allow him to get away with his crimes and recalled how Narkle, even at a young age, “had that desire to molest and do wrong”. But it was at the notorious Roelands Native Mission Farm in the South West where Ms Knapp encountered her worst tormentor, regularly raped by manager Lloyd Arthur Masters. She was already traumatised after being snatched from her mother at birth at Gnowangerup Mission in the Great Southern, then taken away from her people aged 10 in 1964, suffering the worst years of her life in Roelands. Masters would creep along the floor of the dormitory, which was connected to the living quarters where he stayed with his wife, physically overpower Ms Knapp and clamp his hand over her mouth to stifle her screams, her statement of claim said. Teachers at her State-run school saw she was injured after the first attack but returned her to the mission. Ms Knapp would hear others suffering the same horrific abuse, and the children would comfort each other afterwards. Masters would watch the girls bathe, and he would keep a calendar of when to expect their menstruation. He threatened Ms Knapp not to tell anyone about his vile crimes. Masters would hit her with sticks and straps, verbally abuse her about her skin colour, tell her she had leprosy, and make her work from sun up until sundown with nothing on her feet. While a Department of Native Welfare officer reported concerns about the mission in 1966 — that a worker went into girls’ rooms while they were in various states of undress and that rules for disciplining children were not being followed — no proper action was taken. Then, in 1970, Ms Knapp was sent to work as a domestic servant for Vincent Cable and his wife Wendy at their Narrogin poultry hatchery without the suitability of her placement being assessed. Vincent Cable tried to rape her about two months later. Maurice Blackburn lawyer Hugo Seymour, who represented Ms Knapp in her civil litigation, said she “somewhat remarkably for her age at the time reported it”. Vincent Cable admitted his crime and was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, while Ms Knapp was sent to Vailima Hostel in Narrogin. Again, authorities did not assess whether it was safe. It wasn’t. Within weeks, Narkle, who was also a ward but not a resident, broke into her room and tried to rape her twice. She shouted out the first time, and help came, but the second time, she had to fight him off. Police admonished her because she hit Narkle with a hockey stick. Ms Knapp, who is now 70, said she continued to carry the trauma of her abuse. She suffered from suicidal thoughts and diminished self-worth, which prompted her to turn to alcohol and made her wonder why she had been repeatedly targeted by these predators. “Maybe because people thought I was a soft target,” she told The Sunday Times. At the mission, the children were told they would “never become anything”. “That gave me strength, a challenge,” Ms Knapp said. “Through education, I overcame everything that was said. I proved them wrong. “I just keep going.” She went on to work in health and education and is an artist in residence at Notre Dame University, where she sits on three boards. She reunited with her mother, got married and had children. Ms Knapp said steeping herself in her culture helped her heal, supported by “some good people”. But truth-telling and making those who were accountable for the injustices she and others had suffered — many of whom had taken their own lives — was essential, she said. “When you take a child away from the safety of her home and abuse occurs, who is responsible? My response to the State Government is, ‘You really did a lot of harm to us Aboriginal kids, especially to me and a lot of my brothers and sisters from the mission.’ “They weren’t able to stay around because of the trauma. But I did, and I speak for them, too.” Mr Seymour described the abuse as “entirely horrific” and said Ms Knapp had shown “incredible” courage to push through with her claim. The lawyer, who testified last year to a parliamentary inquiry into compensation options available to institutional child sexual abuse survivors, said the claim started in 2021, and the Department of Communities denied liability “all the way up until settlement”. It initially denied owing Ms Knapp any duty of care, despite the fact she was a State ward when the abuses occurred, he said. “The department took right until weeks before trial for her to receive an offer that she could consider,” Mr Seymour said. “It’s hard not to conclude it is seeking to save money by offering settlements for less than what they are reasonably worth. “But no amount of money could ever truly compensate Ms Knapp for what she went through.” Mr Seymour said the department professed to deal with such claims in a timely, compassionate way, but his law firm had not seen that with its clients, including Ms Knapp. Painfully protracted negotiations were a recurring theme throughout the inquiry. Maurice Blackburn has called for a review of the State Government’s non-binding “model litigant” guidelines for child sexual abuse allegations. “We would urge the department to conduct their claims the way they purport to,” Mr Seymour said. The department was approached for comment. The law firm’s recommendation to the parliamentary committee that a specific case management system or list be established in WA courts to deal with institutional child sexual abuse cases more speedily has been introduced and is said to be working well. The committee’s final report will be tabled in Parliament on August 15. Mr Seymour said a WA plaintiff obtained a default judgment against Masters a few years ago, but he had already gone on to work at the Kennerley Boys Home in Tasmania. He was later reported to have been charged with child sex offences regarding his time there. Ms Knapp said Vincent Cable was deceased and buried in the same cemetery as her father. “How do I walk in there with my heart so heavy, putting a wreath on my dad, knowing that bastard is there, too?” she asked. If you have experienced or are at risk of experiencing sexual assault and/or domestic violence, contact 1800 RESPECT or 1800 737 732. Lifeline 13 11 14