Pam Browne wins apology from museum after 11-year fight
After 11 years, a museum apologized to the whistleblower it forced out for reporting a known sex offender.
Pam Browne worked at Yackandandah and District Historical Society museum in 2014-15. Pam Browne reported that Vincent Henry Reynolds, a convicted sex offender, was working there with access to children.
Pam Browne was forced out for making the report. In 2019, Reynolds got a 12-year jail sentence for molesting nearly 40 children he had taught.
Museum president Trevor Matthews sent an apology in October. He said the committee had made "errors of judgement" and regretted how Browne was treated.
The museum will now do working-with-children checks on all staff.
- 11 years
- Years between report and apology
- 12 years
- Reynolds sentence
- Nearly 40
- Children Reynolds molested
- Trevor Matthews
- Museum president
Why it mattersA worker who did the right thing now has official recognition. The museum's admission could set an example for other institutions about protecting whistleblowers.
AustraliaThe Yackandandah community gains clarity on how the museum failed its duty to children. The apology may prompt other Australian cultural institutions to review their own volunteer screening.
