Jenny Pearson states of her father, Hamish Dawson, “I can’t stand the fact that his blood is within me.”
If I could receive a transfusion, I would do so.
As a child in the 1970s, Jenny was aware of her father’s emotional and physical violence. But it wasn’t until the summer of last year that she learned about the sexual abuse he perpetrated against students while teaching at a prestigious private school.
Jenny spent the majority of her adolescence in boarding schools administered by Edinburgh Academy, where her father worked.
She was aware of his odd behavior at the time, but it wasn’t until recently that she realized how horrifying his actions were.
It was the first time 61-year-old Campbell had spoken publicly about the abuse he endured as a pupil at the school nearly 50 years ago.
He identified Hamish Dawson as the “wandering hands” instructor who assaulted him and his classmates.
Jenny was flooded with traumatic childhood memories as she listened to Campbell describe his maltreatment.
She promptly sent an email requesting a meeting with him and the other victims.
Before his demise in 2009, Jenny Dawson, Hamish Dawson’s daughter, was estranged from him for many years.
In the most recent episode of the podcast, she tells Campbell that her initial reaction was fury because her father was no longer living and therefore unable to hear the testimony of his victims.
She informs Campbell that she was not offended by what he said, and that hearing the truth was a tremendous vindication of the horrendous maltreatment she had endured.
Jenny is informed by Campbell that when he was 12 or 13, his father would call boys to the front of the classroom, position them on his knee, and stroke their penises.
Since Campbell first spoke out about the abuse he witnessed and endured at the private school, nearly one hundred additional victims have come forward, and it has become obvious that Dawson’s abuse went far beyond “wandering hands.”
According to one of the survivors, Dawson abused the boys in the dorms by stripping them in front of their classmates, tying them to their beds with school ties, and assaulting them.
The therapist Jenny contacted Campbell within hours of hearing the initial broadcast.
She says, “I wished to reach out because I believe in the truth and cannot tolerate secrecy and collusion.”
Jenny spent hours on the phone with males whose fathers had abused them.
She states, “I felt morally compelled to act.”
Jenny says that her conversations are remarkable.
“It may sound odd, but they were magnificent,” she says.
From various vantage points, we spoke the same language.
Jenny, who is now 64 years old, claims that conversations with abuse survivors have rekindled traumatic childhood memories, some of which were graphic.
Her family relocated to the Edinburgh Academy boarding residences when she was seven years old.
She attended Dundas House for seven years and Mackenzie House for five years before departing the private school at age 18 and never returning.
The family lodgings and the dormitories where borders resided shared the same roof.
Jenny claims that her father would leave each evening through the fire doors and not return until the following day. She asserts that she rarely saw him during her adolescence.
Always, she was informed, “He’s with the guys.”
She states, “I did not mourn him at all.”
Jenny says she resented being left alone with her mother, who suffered from mental illness and frequently exhibited “banshee-like” behavior.
She states, “My parents were a travesty.”
Jenny used to despise the schoolboys in the boarding house who would leer and snicker at her when she went to the toilet.
She explains, “I always felt exposed and vulnerable.”
“I felt violated, disrespected, and degraded. It was unsettling because I knew there was sexual content, and there was no adult I could turn to for help.”
Jenny, on the other hand, concludes that the lads must have despised her and everything associated with the Dawsons due to her father’s actions.
“At the time, I was unaware,” she confesses. I was only a young child.
Campbell questions Jenny if she was surprised by her father’s sexual and physical abuse of children during the conversation.
“I was unaware of the scope,” she confesses. “This was not a complete surprise.
“Because he walked around in his slipper, I knew he used to beat up the guys. I now know he utilized additional substances.”
“My father was a pedophile?” asks Campbell.
She states, “It’s terrifying.” “It is disgusting. It’s a shame. It is disgusting.
“I have spent my entire professional tenure advocating for the rights of children and adolescents.
I believe we are opposites, which I find appealing.
Hamish Dawson abruptly resigned from Edinburgh Academy at the age of 56.
Jenny asserts that she has never found this to make sense.
She states, “I thought he was going to perish there.” “It appeared that he was wedded to the academy.”
The rumor at the time, according to Nicky Campbell, was that pornography was discovered in his briefcase, forcing him to flee.
Jenny quit school to study abroad with minimal contact with her parents.
In response, her father sent her a letter formally requesting that she never contact them again.
Edinburgh Academy issued the statement below: “As rational individuals, we are horrified by allegations of historical abuse.
“Children should feel secure in schools, and anyone who has been abused should report the incident to the police.
“Police Scotland and the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry continue to investigate the incident with our assistance.
“They should take the initiative in determining the facts and any necessary actions.
“We will refrain from commenting on their ongoing work out of respect for their procedure.
Today, the well-being of children is at the core of our school’s philosophy, and we have robust safeguards in place to secure each student entrusted to our care.
