K
Kate
Guest
Yesterday I went with my boss to the north of the little State of Tasmania to interview adults who were placed in State care as children and who were abused in some way or another (physical, mental or sexual). We stopped in a small place in the heart of this little island to interview a man who had been placed in foster care and felt he had been rejected by the people who took him in. The facts seems to be that because his fosterers would lose the welfare payments due to them they did not want to formally adopt this boy. They had received him as a baby. He was puzzled why there were no photos of him under the age of 3 years. His foster parents apparently adopted other children, but not him and he did not know why. He was obviously intelligent - obviously had mental problems - and went to great pains to play host to us. His small unit was covered with electronic equipment that he was experimenting with. He was paranoid that his neighbours were attacking his car and spying on him so he had fixed up this camera and monitor to view his front yard. He was determined to serve my boss (a Queens Counsel) and myself morning tea and went about cleaning and cleaning his kitchen before he made us tea (no coffee he said - just tea - Earl Grey, English Breakfast whatever). He served our tea in big cups with no saucers laced with heaps of sugar. He went through quite a ritual of serving tea and biscuits before he sat down and told us his story. It was obvious he was isolated and lonely and dysfunctional. The little town where he lived would offer small support for his problems. As we drove away I wished I could change his life. :cry:
