Life of Australia's worst pedophile priest

AUSTRALIA'S MOST PROLIFIC PEDOPHILE PRIEST GERALD FRANCIS RIDSDALE

1934 - Born May 20, St Arnaud, Victoria

Primary school St Aloysius, Redan

Secondary school St Patrick's College, Ballarat

1954-58 - Studied for priesthood Corpus Christi College, Werribee. Began offending.

1958-60 - Seminary, Collegio Brignole Sale, Genoa, Italy

1960-61 - Seminary, All Hallows College, Dublin, Ireland

1961 - July 25, ordained St Patrick's Cathedral, Ballarat

- Fills in at five parishes: Horsham, Inglewood, Camperdown, Ballarat North

1962-64 - Assistant priest Ballarat North

- First complaint to church made in Ridsdale's first year as a priest

1964-74 - Assistant priest Mildura, Swan Hill, Warrnambool, Ballarat East

1974-75 - Parish priest Apollo Bay. Applies for transfer when man tells him in a pub of talk about him and kids

1975 - Parish priest Inglewood. Panics, leaves overnight after a woman says there is talk he interfered with boys and police were making inquiries. Sent for counselling

Early 1976 - Temporarily appointed to Bungaree

1976-79 - Administrator then parish priest Edenhope

1980 - Study leave, National Pastoral Institute. Offended there

1981-82 - Parish priest Mortlake. Prolific offender

1982 - Starts on-and-off counselling

1982-85 - Catholic Enquiry Centre, Sydney. Abuses altar boy from his parish prayer group. Centre director says "I want him out of here"

Early 1986 - Short periods as Woy Woy assistant priest and Forestville administrator, Sydney archdiocese

July 1986-May 1988 - Assistant priest Horsham. Written complaint

April 1988 - Steps down from parish work

June 1988 - Suspended for 12 months

1989-90 - Residential program in US state of New Mexico. Admitted to police he offended while there

- Ridsdale says didn't offend from time he returned to Australia and 1993 arrest

March/April 1991 - Assistant priest St John of God Hospital, Richmond, NSW

May 1993 - Admits assaulting eight children from 1972-1979. Serves three months jail (remainder suspended).

November 1993 - Defrocked

August 1994 - Admits abusing 21 children from 1961-1982. In custody.

October 1994 - Jailed for 18 years

August 2006 - Sentenced to 13 years' jail after admits abusing 10 children from 1970-87

April 2014 - Sentenced to eight years' jail after admits abusing 14 children from 1961-80

August 2017 - Sentenced to 11 years' jail after admits abusing 12 children from 1962-88.