The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is alleged to have raped and molested the girls – one from the age of three – for the best part of 12 years while living with them at their home south of Wollongong.

The alleged abuse began in 1966, just months after the man immigrated to Australia from Europe to take up a job at the Port Kembla steelworks.

He moved in with his sister, brother-in-law and their multiple children, including three of the alleged victims (the fourth was not yet born).

The man allegedly abused the girls multiple times a week for the next four years. The youngest was aged just three when the man anally raped her, allegedly saying “this is going to hurt a little but you need to be quiet”.

The man moved interstate in 1970 for work but maintained contact with the family and moved back in with them when he returned to the Illawarra in 1973. By this time his sister had given birth to a fourth daughter.

It is alleged the abuse of the girls restarted, this time excluding the eldest girl but including the youngest daughter, aged five.

Police claim the man stopped abusing the girls as soon as they each got their period, with the final assaults taking place in 1981.

The family claims they confronted the man in 1987, at which time he allegedly said “that happened 20 or 25 years ago, you should have forgotten about it now, it’s in the past”. They have had no contact with him since.

The matter was not reported to police until recently, prompting the man’s arrest earlier this week.

In court, defence lawyer Stewart Holt said the man had no criminal record and both he and his wife suffered from multiple medical conditions requiring ongoing treatment. He said the man was a low risk given his age.

Magistrate Susan McGowan granted the man strict bail, ordering him to report to police daily and not contact any prosecutions witnesses.