{"id":5388,"date":"2012-06-25T15:19:15","date_gmt":"2012-06-25T05:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=5388"},"modified":"2024-10-17T15:47:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T05:47:52","slug":"chrissys-story-of-pride-and-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2012\/06\/25\/chrissys-story-of-pride-and-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Chrissy’s Story Of Pride And Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Chrissy Bond is the morning announcer on 94.1FM Cherbourg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 25, 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Marcus Priaulx<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s been a long journey for radio announcer Chrissy Bond<\/strong> … from being the only “blackfella” living in a small Victorian town to finding family in Queensland and a new life in Cherbourg.<\/p>\n

Along the way she’s tasted life on the streets and tried drugs until she wrote\u00a0her life challenges on a piece of plywood and smashed it into pieces.<\/p>\n

She felt exhilarated.<\/p>\n

The then 19-year-old had been adopted by white parents at birth.<\/p>\n

At school she was pulled from classes to be taught Indigenous culture and history and wanted to know why her classmates weren\u2019t being given the same lessons.<\/p>\n

In fact, she wondered about a lot of things; where\u2019d she\u2019d come from, who her “real” parents were and who she was.<\/p>\n

She lived in constant self-doubt.\u00a0To cut a long story short, she found herself living on Melbourne\u2019s streets by the time she was 17.<\/p>\n

Australian professional flyweight boxing champion Henry Nissen – the son of Polish Jewish refugees – visited the dive Chrissy called home one day.<\/p>\n

The former boxer, known as the Angel of the Street Kids, told Chrissy: \u201cYou don\u2019t belong on the streets.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was pivotal moment in her life.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d hit rock bottom and almost died from an overdose.<\/p>\n

Henry got her into a Break the Cycle program.\u00a0She remembers it as tough wilderness survival challenges and projects to build mental confidence. This led to her smashing that piece of plywood.<\/p>\n

After completing the program Chissy found herself a job but in the process discovered Melbourne was not really for her.<\/p>\n

She lugged all her heavy belongings onto the footpath and left a note to say they were for the taking if people wanted them. She then packed her clothes and a camera and caught a train to Sydney.<\/p>\n

But as soon as she stood on the platform in Sydney, Chrissy realised this city was not for her, either.\u00a0She hocked her camera and used the money to buy a fare north.<\/p>\n

In Brisbane, Chrissy got in touch with people from Queensland\u2019s Break the Cycle program and met former Young Talent Time star Karen Knowles, one of the program’s patrons.<\/p>\n

She took Chrissy to the Brisbane Murri radio station 4AAA for an interview where Chrissy was asked to tell her story on air.<\/p>\n

Chrissy told the listeners her mob was from Cherbourg but she had no idea even where the town was.\u00a0She soon found out …<\/strong><\/p>\n

Calls came in the following weeks and Chrissy found herself united with uncles, aunts and a blood brother and sister.<\/p>\n

Chrissy kept visiting Cherbourg before deciding to settle there permanently in 2001.<\/p>\n

She worked as a teacher aide in the primary school before moving to the radio station five years later.<\/p>\n

Chrissy says Cherbourg has undergone great changes in the past 10 years.<\/p>\n

“I went walking up to the school the other day and realised there\u2019s now so much pride being shown,” Chrissy said.<\/p>\n

“Pop John (Stanley) does a deadly job there keeping it tidy and the kids seem to have respect for it.”<\/p>\n

Chrissy would now like the government to change the law so people can buy their own houses within former missions, such as Cherbourg.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Residents are currently only allowed to rent.<\/p>\n

“It would give people pride of ownership,\u201d she said. \u00a0“They’d fix things and do their houses up. \u00a0That would lead to our mob buying land and starting their own businesses.”<\/p>\n

Chrissy wants the young to be prepared for when that day comes, or should they decide to live in other towns.<\/p>\n

“That\u2019s why school’s so important,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We need our children to go to school every day so they can get the skills they need to get a good job they enjoy doing, own their own home and provide for their family.<\/p>\n

“They’ll lead a happier life.\u00a0There\u2019s so much opportunity for our children today compared to when I was a child.<\/p>\n

“Schools are doing everything they can to make sure our children are being prepared for a happy future.<\/p>\n

“We just need our young and their parents to take the opportunities that are being given to them.<\/p>\n

“They need to smash that piece of wood with their life’s challenges that sits in their heads and power on.”<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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