Martin Flanagan grew up in northwest Tasmania and was sent to boarding school at the ridiculously young age of 10. This memoir, concentrating on his school years, doesn’t name the school, and teachers are given pseudonyms. It was a boys-only Catholic boarding school and one quarter of its teaching staff were convicted of sexual abuse. Flanagan wasn’t among those sexually abused, but the culture of bullying by both teachers and fellow students affected every student. He wishes he’d done more, describing himself as a ‘mute witness to other kids’ pain and humiliation’.

His six years at the school are ranked as the worst of his life. His first three years were marked by bullying and living in terror of being singled out by the brothers for punishment. The final three years were better, but his heightened responsibility also found him having to witness the aftermath, and subsequently report the abuse of younger students.

Corporal punishment in his school years – late ’60s to early ’70s – was marked by the sting of a cane. The rector, given the name ‘Herman’ by Flanagan, ‘moved like a black chess piece carrying its own brand of silent terror’. Flanagan had his older brother, Tim, as his protector and found joy in sport. (A career as an award-winning sports journalist followed.)

Flanagan wishes he was braver then – but he was so much younger than his contemporaries. He fills his empty honour board with the names of those students who displayed bravery by standing up, either for themselves or others. His writing is gentle yet powerful. The Empty Honour Board is a memoir masterclass.

Reviewed by Bob Moore

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Martin Flanagan was born in 1955 and graduated in law from the University of Tasmania in 1975. He has written many books, a play and two film treatments. From 1985 to 2017, he wrote for the Melbourne Age on sport and other subjects.