I sincerely hope that the investigation ahead of the petition was patriotic.
I fully understand how the islanders and visitors alike praise everything about St. Helena. I am very thankful to all of those on St. Helena who were compassionate and helped me. People that I could never have coped without. For example, my neighbor the late Arial Williams was very supportive towards me. There is nothing inherently bad about St. Helena. Maybe some people there, like some people anywhere can be bad.
No one can see behind closed doors. Only this year on Mothering Sunday someone on St. Helena wrote that a woman was walking around Jamestown with a black eye. Where were the police?
After I left the comfort of the Salvation Army Captain and Mrs. Ann Hardins home where I lived for two years I then moved in with the foster parents from hell.
My foster father and mother psychologically and physically abused me. He was a horrible man and physically and sexually abused me for nearly three and a half years. He would bite my face and come into my bedroom as early as 5 o’Clock in the morning. He did it before my daughter was born and after she was born he would make sure that she was watching him attack me. I can remember her screaming and crying.
I should have been able to go straight to the police. But back then they would have laughed at me and say good old Johnny and I would have no where to live. What could I do?
I think that St. Helena needs a refuge place for woman and children and the police should be trained to deal with this. I was so glad when my so called foster father died. It meant that I could sleep peacefully and not to be woken at 5 O clock in the morning. I hated him so much and I couldnt beleive it he, dropped dead right in front of me on a bright sunny Saturday afternoon.
I always thought that my foster mother was unaware that her husband was abusing me but when I dream I dream that she is encouraging him to hurt me. This I will never know.
My foster mum continued to be vile towards me after her husband died. But it was easier to deal with one abuser rather then two. My last Christmas on St. Helena I was working, I was working for Dr. John Townsend he gave me £30 for Christmas which I gave to my Foster Mum, so she would be nice to me, she was nice to me for only the one day.
Shorty after the undertakers took my foster father’s body away I wrote this poem :
My baby girl is watching you,
My baby girl can see everything that you do,
She watches you walk up to my bed,
She watches you hit me on my head.
Yes she’s watching you again,
She’s very young but she feels my pain,
Once again you bite my face,
My little girl and I are in a bad place.
My baby girl screams but she can’t help me,
She is far to small,
But her body language says it all,
My baby girl watches you from her cot,
It’s not her fault that shes in a rut.
We really should go to the police,
I just want to live peace,
I should go to the police,
But they’ll probably laugh and say,
Don’t waste our time, now go away.
But then I wouldn’t have any where to live,
I have nothing left to give,
The pain I can no longer bear,
I wish that I wasn’t here.
We have a happy day today, the bad man has passed away,
My baby gave me a smile,
We are happy for awhile,
The vile man was 70 years old,
Lying on the floor stone cold.
I kissed my baby girl and hold her tight,
We will be alright tonight,
I kissed my baby girl and say,
Happy Birthday i’m 18 years old today.