Grace Tame 10 Personal Facts, Biography, Wiki
Australian activist Born: December 28, 1994 (age 26 years), Hobart, Australia Spouse: Spencer Breslin (m. 2017) Award: Australian of the Year Awards When Bester first began to groom her, Ms Tame was a talented scholarship student struggling with anorexia, a past history of sexual abuse by another child and a busy home life with a baby brother on the way. She told Funnell how Bester was able to gain her trust. Seeing her alone in the schoolyard one day, he invited her back to his office where she opened up about her problems. He gave her the key to his office and he became her confidant, often talking to her for hours. Bester, who was the head teacher of maths and science, told her he “learnt more from her than any other student in 30 years of teaching”. Slowly, he began to isolate her from her friends and family. “He knew my mum was pregnant so he would disparage pregnant women saying they are irrational,” Ms Tame told Funnell. “He told me to ignore the advice of my doctors saying I could cope with my anorexia on my own and that he would help me. “He measured me in his office and told me what weight I would need to get to. I began to substitute his judgment and advice for that of the experts.” The physical abuse began in June 2010 when Bester recreated the scene of Ms Tame’s first assault, locking her in a small school storeroom and told her to strip. “He recreated the scene of abuse from my childhood,” Ms Tame said. “I was terrified. My stomach just dropped. I thought he was my friend and it suddenly hit me all at once what his real intentions were. “In that moment my world fell away and I didn’t know what else he might be capable of doing.” The abuse escalated and went on to include 20 to 30 instances of unlawful intercourse over months. “The first time it happened Mr Bester brought alcohol,” Ms Tame said. “I had tried to put him off by telling him that I would be hopeless because I was a virgin and was really not into that sort of thing but it was of no use. He planned it very carefully. “I will never forget that night. I was 15, drunk, and lying on the floor of a dark office at my own school. I never resisted. I just let it happen, aware that any screams would be unheard.” The sexual abuse continued until December 2010, when Ms Tame turned 16. Even before the abuse started, Ms Tame’s parents had expressed concerns to the school about the amount of time he was spending alone with her unsupervised. Bester was warned to stay away but he didn’t do so for long. Other teachers would witness things that left them concerned, but a report was never made to the police. It was Ms Tame who found the courage to speak out. “I was abused by a male teacher but one of the first people I told was also a male teacher, and he believed me,” she said. Bester was charged with maintaining a sexual relationship with someone under the age of 17 and sentenced to two years and six months in jail as well as a further four months in jail for possession of child pornography. When she first reported the abuse, Ms Tame said she was shamed and bullied by other kids in the playground and called a “slut” and a “homewrecker” because Bester was married. She was also forced to hear sneering gossip around Hobart about the court case. In the years that followed, the media would also play a role in softening the portrayal of Bester, a convicted paedophile. In December 2017, controversial commentator and former therapist Bettina Arndt interviewed Bester. He claimed Ms Tame’s behaviour was “sexually provocative” and that school girls “exploit their seductive powers to ruin the lives of men”. He said: “I lost everything, I lost my home … I lost my job, I lost my status in the community. I lost absolutely everything. It was a devastating time [for me]”. All the while, Ms Tame was legally unable to respond. Tormented by the abuse, Ms Tame initially dropped out of school. But she later finished her higher school certificate and gained an ATAR of 98.3. Ms Tame sought a fresh start in America where she completed two associate degrees in theatre arts and liberal arts at Santa Barbara City college. She is now an artist, with high-profile clients including comedian John Cleese. After COVID-19 hit, Ms Tame moved back to Tasmania and last year she took her love of running further, winning a marathon, an accomplishment she spoke of in her acceptance speech with a hint of awe. “Eleven years ago, I was in hospital, anorexic with atrophied muscles, I struggled to walk,” she said. “Last year I ran a marathon. “We do transform as individuals and as a community.”
Grace Tame 10 Pics, Photos, Pictures
Grace Tame 10 Fast Facts, Biography, Wiki
Tame completed Year 12 at a different school in Australia before moving to the United States where she graduated from Santa Barbara City College with degrees in theatre arts and liberal arts. She is an artist, and her clients have included John Cleese. Tame married American actor Spencer Breslin in 2017. Her current partner is Tasmanian Max Heerey. Tame has also spoken about being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
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