Opal
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Opal has psychosocial disability. She experiences ‘massive depression, anxiety, and disassociated disorder’. She told the Royal Commission she became a ward of state as a child.
‘I was put into a family home which was two doors from my parents, the carer had no rules and I found myself fending for myself.’ She recalls that ‘the police were always attending’. Opal’s brother – who has since passed way – was placed in the same home.
The death of her brother and her childhood trauma left Opal feeling isolated, without hope and without the ability to fit into society.
‘The impact on my life from all this has been very hard, thinking back to all that happened brings me to tears as I was not allowed to go home till the courts released my state ward at the age of 16, and when I was home I found myself all alone − no friends, school was wrecked and [it was] hard to get a job.’
Eventually Opal found a counsellor who helped her. ‘I finally found I could open up and not blame myself for all that happened.’
Opal hopes to see more support provided to child wards of state, to help them deal with the impact of separation from family and friends and the shock of isolation.
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.