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It is most people’s dream to be able to put their life story down in writing. I am afraid it would be a waste of time for me because my life has been rather boring compared to Steven Murphy’s life.
However, I would never swap my childhood for his, as readers of this book of hardship, achievement and love would agree.
Young Brett Park, aka Steve Murphy, did not have the loving home life as most of us did. Brett’s mother went to Sydney to have him and did not return to Brett’s father until later in his life when he was a toddler.
It was then that Brett’s father, Jim, realized that he would have to take Brett to his mother and father who lived on a dairy farm on the coast to be raised by them.
Jim met Nell and married her. Brett’s life then began to really take on a downward turn. Nell and Jim Park did not take to the domestic life very well as they were in a very depressing flat and at the absolute low ebb of their lives. They took to drinking and Jim eventually lost his job and ended up in jail. Brett was left with Nell who was mentally incapable of looking after herself, let alone Brett.
When Jim was finally released from prison and learnt of the cruel torture Nell had vented on Brett, Brett was sent to live with his uncle on his grandparents’ farm. He was 11 years old.
This is where Brett hoped his life would start to become better. He lived the farm life and milked cows while living in a country home. He had good food and loving relatives. Was this a dream for Brett or could it become his reality?
I won’t spoil this book by telling you the whole story but I will tell you that Brett goes on to achieve much in his short life, including a Correctional Officer, a Police Officer and a member of the Army as a Field Engineer.
Brett has been to Africa with the United Nations and also won the Novice Body Building competition in 1997.
Brett’s story is one of achievement under the most difficult of beginnings. He could easily have slipped into bad ways but he is a strong person, a true Aussie battler. Now known as Steve Murphy, Brett would like to visit schools to help young people achieve greater things from their lives.
‘A book is a private companion’ – John
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