Michael - With the support from Flourish Australia, I was able to take control of the rudder again

I was living in a shabby old shed and had pretty much lost any sense of hope for the future. I pulled away from society and let both my physical and mental health slide. Then, with support from Flourish Australia, I was able to see what I had going for me and take control of the rudder again.

I consider myself quite lucky, you know. I’ve got four sons, and two of them I have brought up on my own since the ages of three and five.

My eldest son, Brendan passed away two years ago aged 31. He had been with the armed forces in Afghanistan but developed cancer. He passed away leaving two young children.

James is 29 and runs his own fencing business in Victoria.

Luke, who is 21, lives in Western Australia and is a boilermaker.

Jack, the youngest is 19 and lives with me in Batemans Bay. He has started his own online business trading cologne.

I used to coach kid’s soccer. I played AFL and cricket myself, but I had

to adapt because of my sons interest. It was a cool learning curve. I learned the tactics from another coach. Jack ended up playing representative soccer!

My kids are really good. They respect people and are polite. I have always told them “You get to choose what people think about you.” I’ve got no complaints about them!

Flourish Australia has supported me in accessing medical services. This is important because I have two issues that need careful attention.

A few years ago, working up a ladder, I fell off and fractured a vertebra high up in the spine. Later I developed arthritis there. I also had a pulmonary embolism a few years ago which reduced my lung capacity nearly by half. I’ve got to keep exercising, but I also can’t overdo it.

Another challenge I faced was that I began to find that the world seemed to be moving faster and becoming more complex. I struggled to keep up with the rapid changes and felt increasingly overwhelmed at the pace of which everything was moving.

In the 1970s when I was growing up, we had a bit more of a predictable ritual. It wasn’t necessary for everyone in a household to have a job to make ends meet. Today, however everyone is working tirelessly just to get by, and no one is watching out for the kids. Everything is a game and feels like a constant struggle.

It always used to be easy for me, for anyone, to get a place to rent; but these days, you have to play the game, and play at the highest level! There came a point where I just felt I couldn’t keep up, especially with rent skyrocketing .

Flourish Australia supported me to manage my situation, and I found accommodation through a housing program. Now I even have a garden I can spend time working and relaxing in.

I believe more people should learn how to cook for themselves because I believe it is cheaper and healthier. I love fishing with the Flourish Australia Batemans Bay Fishing Group. We go Bass fishing on the estuaries and beaches around Moruya, Tomakin and Narooma.

I have an old boat that I hope to restore and then get registered. My goal is to then take the people from my group at Flourish Australia out fishing in my boat. The support I’ve received from everyone has been unreal! I feel like I can really trust these people and it is clear that we are really all in this together, supporting each other every step of the way!