As one of Western Australia's most monstrous serial paedophiles approaches the end of his prison term, the whistleblower who helped bring his crimes to light is publishing her account of the story.
WARNING - This story contains descriptions of sexual abuse and self-harm that some readers may find distressing.
Dennis John McKenna abused 28 boys over the course of two decades while serving as warden of the St Andrew's Hostel in Katanning, 287 kilometres south-east of Perth in WA's Great Southern.
Made aware of the abuse shortly after arriving in town in 1985, Maggie Dawkins reported McKenna's horrific crimes to local police, a local councillor and state government authorities.
No-one listened, and she was run out of town.
The abuse continued for years as a result.
While the demolition of the site in 2024 wiped the location of McKenna's crimes from the map, Mrs Dawkins's account, entitled To Be Believed — A West Australian Scandal, captures the harrowing story of those who survived his abuses, and the serious failings of WA authorities to stop him.
The Katanning Residential College was bulldozed in 2025. (ABC Great Southern: Mark Bennett)
Trusted with harrowing story
Mrs Dawkins became aware of the first of many of those stories shortly after arriving in Katanning in 1985, working for a government-backed youth employment and support program.
She said one boy approached her, trusting her with his and his friends' stories in the hope of halting the abuse.
"I'd never heard the word rapist. I didn't know what it was," she said.
Maggie Dawkins played a vital role in exposing Dennis McKenna. (ABC News: Shannon Pearce)
"This young man, who was clearly distressed and embarrassed and all those dreadful feelings of shame, was trying to explain to me that this was going on at the hostel on a regular basis.
"I didn't know how to cope with this."
But reports to her line manager, local police and a local councillor fell on deaf ears.
Local figures berated her for "besmirching" McKenna, who had recently been named Katanning's Citizen of the Year.
Confronting the abuser
Mrs Dawkins took matters into her own hands and confronted McKenna herself.
She said she approached him and he told her he had "friends in high places".
"As he was throwing me out of town, he told me he had friends in high places. He held all the cards."
It was not until years later, when the Blaxell inquiry investigated abuse at the hostel, that Mrs Dawkins realised just how many people knew of the abuse and did nothing.
"It just made me sick. It was incredibly soul-destroying," she said.
"The kids and parents of the kids who attended the hostel never had a chance."
Years waiting for justice
Mrs Dawkins then spent the next five years trying to unmask the ongoing abuse inside the walls of St Andrew's, which was later rebadged as the Katanning Residential College.
McKenna used the hostel as a base to sexually abuse school-aged boys. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)
In 1990, five years after she raised the alarm, Operation Paradox, a national police effort to raise awareness of child sex abuse and encourage victim survivors to come forward, resulted in multiple complaints against McKenna.
He was arrested soon after, and eventually found guilty of 19 offences.
Since then, McKenna has been charged with a further 44 offences for the abuse of 28 boys, and remains locked up at Acacia Prison in Wooroloo east of Perth.
McKenna is due to complete his prison sentence later this year. (ABC News)
Why come forward
Both Mrs Dawkins's brave fight and her account have been lauded by those who survived McKenna's abuse.
After a football game in August 1990, McKenna sexually abused Todd Jefferis.
The unvarnished story of the abuse and grooming he suffered features throughout the book.
St Andrew's Hostel survivor Todd Jefferis spearheaded the campaign to demolish the building. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)
Mr Jefferis said Mrs Dawkins's work provides a platform for other whistleblowers to speak out about abuse.
"It certainly tells the truth about what really went on and how far-reaching it was," he said.
"If you've been abused or are being abused, the ability to go and speak out and have someone believe you is incredibly important."
McKenna's evil left a deep scar on Kaye Anderson's family.
Her eldest sons, Ray and Quenton, were targeted and sexually abused by McKenna in 1985.
Ray, Quenton, Bevan, Nathan and Damian Anderson. (Supplied: Kaye Anderson)
Mrs Anderson also lost sons Nathan and Damien, in what she believes to be a direct result of their older brothers' deaths.
She said Mrs Dawkins revealed more of the story than she ever understood.
"I absolutely applaud her for standing up to an absolute mongrel bastard," she said.
"I just pray to God that it will [encourage more people to come forward]."
Listen to Maggie Dawkins's interview with Nadia Mitsopoulos on 102.5 ABC Perth and on local radio across WA from 9am today.
