I spent part of my childhood in Christchurch; my mother worked part-time in the factory next-door making the morning and afternoon teas. My father worked in the Labor department. Because of my father’s work we moved a lot. We also lived in Green Island in Dunedin, Auckland, and Invercargill. I think I attended about eleven Primary schools.

When I was in kindergarten, I went to North Beach Primary in Christchurch. I was put into a special needs class where all the other disabled children were. Living in Dunedin was difficult because I had to travel quite far from Green Island to the special needs class every day. Luckily my neighbor, a high school boy, took the bus with me. At that age, it was very scary to think about taking public transport on my own, but my mother always made sure I was safe. There were others that were always willing to help and watch out for me if I needed it.

Learning to read and write was very difficult for me, I also had other challenges. I didn’t walk until I was two and a half years old. They said I would end up in a wheelchair, but my mother never believed that. She hired Mrs. Harris across the road to help me. She was a ballet teacher and she taught from her house. She trained me to do a routine that helped me to develop my muscles. My mother also assisted me during this process. She used to put wires on my body and hook me to her, encouraging me to exercise my legs to make them stronger. If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be able to walk today.