Charles Lomu

And what happened once you were out of home?

So when I went out of home, I was living in a boarding house and at the time I felt like I had freedom.

I learned very, very quickly some things about life that I didn't know.

Now you've got to start paying your own rent.

Now you've got to start buying your own food.

You've got to wash your own clothes.

And fortunately at the time I was in a relationship where a young girl was helping me out.

And so I settled in Redfern at the time.

Yeah, things went bad again.

My relationship with a girl ended up falling apart.

We had a child.

We actually got married in that short time.

And by the age of, let's say, 21, I was divorced.

And I really felt depressed from that.

But at that time, not knowing I was depressed, I just went right back to the drinking.

And everybody around me was like, drink it away.

Don't worry about it.

Let's just go out and have fun.

But same thing, I just had more painted up, unresolved issues inside that I hadn't dealt with and no one to talk to.

And it sort of held me down for a long time.