The Empty Honour Board

A prison diary, a story of brotherly love, a journey of redemption, Martin Flanagan’ s compelling book about his boarding school days goes inside an experience many have had but few have talked about.In 1966, at the age of 10, Martin Flanagan was sent to a Catholic boarding school in north-west Tasmania. Of the 12 priests on the staff, three have since gone to prison for sexual crimes committed against boys in their care. In 2018 and 2019, a series of disclosures about the school appeared on the ABC Tasmania website. Then came the Pell case. What followed was a frenzy of opinions, none of which represented Flanagan’ s view.The Empty Honour Board is part memoir, a reflection on truth and memory, and what is lost in rushing to judgement.Flanagan’ s school abounds in memorable characters. There’ s a kid who escapes and gets as far as Surfers Paradise, and two boys who hold a competition during evening chapel to see who can confess more times. A wild boy receives a ‘ Bradmanesque’ 234 strokes of the cane in one year.