"I grew up in one of the roughest areas in New South Wales. Dad was never at home and I looked up to my older brother. He’d steal a lot of cars, and come home like Molly Meldrum in his Ferrari, waving his cowboy hat out the window. So, you know, that's what I grew up around. At first it was a lot of skateboard competitions, I played footy for years, yeah. I was in and out of the same sort of stuff as my brothers, boys’ homes and eventually jail, I never went to school sort of thing. We'd just all go out stealing cars and stuff like that together.
We used to see our brothers getting into crime and fights and that was just normal for us. When I was 13, I was hit by a car and I broke both femurs, I was bleeding from the brain and in a coma. I died twice, so I have a traumatic brain injury. As soon as I was able to go to boys’ homes I was in there, and yeah, I got sexually abused in there. It took years to get the payout and it brings it all back when you have to ring the Psych and stuff like that, and do the interviews and rehash the situation. So, I'm glad it's over and done with now."
Self Portraits
I'm Like a Chameleon
"I am a man
who has been around and around,
with ups and downs.
I fit in with all circles
like a chameleon, and get on with all.
I’ve been through heart ache,
and pain and tears.
I’ve come a long way
and after studying and doing many certs
I’m working to help others change their lives.
It’s what it’s all about
instead of circling around and around."
More Self Portraits
In Maximum Security
"Looking through the hole in the metal door
I felt sad
It’s not segro, but its still the same thing
Walk a couple of steps forward, and a couple of steps back"
My Energy
My Energy and Feelings
"Feelings,
peace and calm
ends up in anger
This is how I feel, peace in the middle
The lines are like when you are in a hospital bed
and that thing that goes up and down
There are waves of feeling
And my Goal is to stay in the middle."
The Layers of My Life
Most of my life is in the green, in jail
"Most of my life is in Jail, Bars and Jail
The orange is when I was younger
Green, prison
Yellow, the sun and freedom
Then - the rainbow at the end of the tunnel."
My Journey
There are Two Roads
"The beginning of my life, in and out of jail
Anger, let down
In the middle, my life changes
I’m going down different roads
Now I’m clean, I still have my wife, freedom, and repairing."
Traveling Along the Road
"That’s the one with the sun in it, it's about traveling, traveling along the road with all different feelings. And you have your good days and your bad days. The top one’s the good days and the bottom one’s bad days. The different feelings are ‘up and down’ sort of thing, and it's how you choose to have a good day, or about your game. It’s about how you make your day good or bad."
My Experience of the Criminal Legal System
I Grew Up in Stolen Cars
"I grew up in stolen cars and ended up in jail
There’s the circle of recovery
There’s freedom – birds and love."
Realising the War is Over
"Hands, out of the cell, that’s me in jail
There is a butterfly behind the door – that’s me inside jail wanting to fly away
There’s a cage on my head
I’m grounded with roots
changing my life around
Different words, learning a different way in life, being a better person.
'Realising the war is over'
The blue is peace, being out, but red, is anger, there were lots of angry moments!"