The course of Damian Duffy’s life became very stormy before he even had a chance to understand the world around him. It was a world touched by war that welcomed him as an infant. Only a few months later, his parents found themselves involved—as bystanders—in the infamous Milperra Massacre on Father’s Day 1984. This violent act became an abrupt introduction to the long road ahead filled with family upheaval and their own discontent. Now a leadership coach and youth mentor in Northern Territory communities, Duffy reflects on his past as he works to guide others.
Milperra Massacre was Australia’s most infamous act of violence between outlaw motorcycle clubs. The traces its effect left all participants—and their families—had lasting scars. As Duffy became an adult, he began to wrestle with the consequences of his parents’ decisions. He recalled his childhood as unpredictable and tumultuous, making it hard to learn how to regulate his feelings.
That made me believe I had to be as unemotional as him. Perhaps if I conformed more to his demeanor, I’d be slightly more palatable, еще немного приемлемой. Duffy explained, reflecting on his father’s influence.
At 18, he said it was his father who got him addicted to hard drugs, bringing him further into a world of addiction. He owned the fact that he lashed out, mainly as a result of untreated family trauma and addiction.
“Not only was I a drug addict, but I became a drug dealer,” Duffy remembered. I turned to drugs and became addicted because it was the farthest escape I could go.
His struggles with anger manifested in violent behavior, as he often resorted to “saying nasty things and being nasty to people and responding with violence.” In the throes of addiction, he described feeling divorced from his own conscience — resulting in a period of emptiness and turmoil.
Olive Gully’s journey has been shaped by her husband’s tragic death during an armed robbery in Melbourne in 2004. Gully spent more than 13 years shouldering the fury before discovering a way to seek forgiveness and retribution from his actions through a restorative justice program. Sixteen years after her husband’s murder, she faced his murderer for the first time in prison. She explained how the experience had been necessary in her journey to find closure.
“It was important to me because he never mentioned anything in court about the last steps that he took. To me, that was unfinished business,” Gully stated.
During their meeting, the perpetrator expressed remorse for the pain caused, offering apologies not only to Gully but to her family. To finally hear this recognition offered her a measure of comfort after decades of mourning.
“I’m in a good headspace and I move on — let go of my past,” she said, reflecting on her transformative journey.
Sarah Milosevic’s saga is yet another powerful story of a heartbreaking loss combined with the struggle for justice. In 2014, she suffered a terrible loss. Just a few days before welcoming her daughter, Sophie, she was hit by a car while riding her bike. Sadly though, Sophie’s life was cut short even before birth. This tragic outcome led Milosevic and her partner, Peter, to crusade vigorously for legislative changes in Queensland.
“I wanted unborn babies to be recognised when killed due to a criminal act,” Milosevic expressed, highlighting the need for legislative change.
Through their lawsuit, the couple sought to hold the driver accountable for the crash that changed their lives forever. They believed that he had not been punished enough for what he had done. When describing the immediate aftereffects of the collision in heartbreakingly graphic detail, Peter got emotional.
There were pieces of car everywhere. There were traffic lights run over, knocked down. Instead, we’d been shoved through a solid concrete wall — there were bricks all over the place,” he recalled.
For Sarah Milosevic, her first moment holding Sophie after her unexpected delivery was surreal and heartbreaking.
“It wasn’t actually until after she was delivered, and I held her for the first time, that it was real,” she reflected.
Like the tales of Damian Duffy, Olive Gully, and Sarah Milosevic, the scars this violence and loss have inflicted run deep. They showcase the deep impact on people and communities. Each has worked out their own journey through trauma and loss while seeking public healing and accountability.
Duffy’s current work as a leadership coach allows him to share his experiences with young people facing similar challenges. Through this work he hopes to offer support and encouragement based in compassion and wisdom. He speaks openly about his own past battles with addiction and emotional distress.
As he mentors youth in Northern Territory communities, Duffy emphasizes the importance of addressing underlying issues rather than resorting to destructive behaviors. His personal journey from anarchy to Congress is an inspiring story of redemption and perseverance that we can all learn from.