WEBVTT - Stabbed, bottled & still standing: Brando 'The Balkan Bear' Peričić Pt. 1 0:00:01.880 --> 0:00:04.880 The public has had a long held fascination with detectives. 0:00:05.360 --> 0:00:08.039 Detective sy aside of life the average person is never 0:00:08.119 --> 0:00:11.080 exposed to. I spent thirty four years as a cop. 0:00:11.560 --> 0:00:14.040 For twenty five of those years I was catching killers. 0:00:14.440 --> 0:00:16.200 That's what I did for a living. I was a 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:20.560 homicide detective. I'm no longer just interviewing bad guys. Instead, 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:23.120 I'm taking the public into the world in which I operated. 0:00:23.840 --> 0:00:26.400 The guests I talk to each week have amazing stories 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:28.760 from all sides of the law. The interviews are raw 0:00:28.800 --> 0:00:31.440 and honest, just like the people I talk to. Some 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:34.640 of the content and language might be confronting. That's because 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:37.640 no one who comes into contact with crime is left unchanged. 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:40.400 Join me now as I take you into this world. 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:49.040 My guest today is six foot five, one hundred and 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:51.600 eight en kilos and one of the most feared heavyweights 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:55.760 in the UFC. Rando, the Balkan Bear. Perachic grew up 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:58.800 in Adelaide with an absent father in prison, a single 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:02.800 mum working two jobs, and a childhood full of bullying, anger, 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:05.760 and pain. He didn't know how to handle it all. 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:09.440 He got expelled from school, worked as a bouncer in 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:14.200 some of Adelaide's roughest pubs, got stabbed, bottled, and attacked 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:17.480 with machetes and still found a way to turn it 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:20.680 all around. In this episode, Brando and I have an 0:01:20.680 --> 0:01:25.200 honest conversation about depression, faith, fighting and what it actually 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:28.640 takes to become one of Australia's top UFC fighters. Have 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:33.959 a listen, Brando the Balkan Bear, Peris Chick. Welcome to 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:34.800 our Catch Killers. 0:01:35.040 --> 0:01:35.760 Thank you for having me. 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:38.440 Gary, Well, I'm excited to have you. I'm a bit 0:01:38.440 --> 0:01:41.760 of a combat sports fan, so you know, to have 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:46.039 a UFC fighter heavyweight, but that on the podcast very exciting. 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:49.960 Yeah, I mean, it's great to be here. Obviously, not 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:52.320 many people know who I am. Yeah, I've already been 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:55.320 in the USC for the last eight months, so yeah. Yeah, 0:01:55.400 --> 0:01:58.400 it's been a ten year long journey and we've just 0:01:58.560 --> 0:01:59.320 really started. 0:01:59.480 --> 0:02:01.800 So you're starting to make a name for yourself. You 0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:05.080 have three fights in the UFC and two first round 0:02:05.240 --> 0:02:08.400 t ks and the third fight was the second round 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:08.720 t K. 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:12.480 Yeah. The last fight was probably my best fight. 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:13.120 You know. 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:16.800 The first fight I had had some adversity, some nerves, 0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:19.720 the second fight the same thing, and then the last 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:20.679 fight I just fell at home. 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:23.440 You know, I really felt like the UFC has right belong. 0:02:23.760 --> 0:02:27.240 Yeah, well, your number one fan, Andrew Carpenter, made of mine, 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:30.680 made of yours. And Andrew's been on the podcast, has 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:32.600 solicited that does a lot of work in the child 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:36.080 child protection space. A really good fellow. But he raves 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:36.400 about you. 0:02:36.840 --> 0:02:37.360 Oh mate. 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:40.280 We just did a charity event in Adelaide, and it's 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:43.360 just he was actually my spirring partner back in the day. Yeah, 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:45.560 so it was amazing to have him there. He's always 0:02:45.560 --> 0:02:49.040 supported me and yeah, we we actually raised a lot 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:52.040 of money because of him and his connections. He says 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:55.280 it's because of me, but he puts so much effort in. 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:58.880 We had nine days to prepare and yeah, he's a champion. 0:02:59.040 --> 0:03:01.480 No, he's a good and put it in perspective. He 0:03:01.520 --> 0:03:03.760 claims that he taught you everything you know about fighting, 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:05.920 So he does. He did. 0:03:06.160 --> 0:03:09.320 And I remember when I first started, He's to kick 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:11.600 me on the groin every single spiring session. 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:13.000 So I actually hated sparring with him. 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:15.840 Yeah, but yeah, I think there was a bit of 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:18.800 a what do you call it, I don't know, rivalry. 0:03:18.840 --> 0:03:21.440 Two big guys were just going at it. I didn't 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:22.280 have much technique. 0:03:22.360 --> 0:03:24.960 Well, getting in there early before you get experience and 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:28.320 get the drop on it. Okay, so you're six foot five, 0:03:28.360 --> 0:03:31.240 one hundred and eighteen kilos or what you sit at 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:34.320 when you're fighting, I'll say, a scary looking dude, and 0:03:34.320 --> 0:03:38.920 you fight for a living. Gentle giant, A gentle giant. 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:41.720 Most people's perception of a person that fights for a 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:43.480 living is a little bit different. I'm going to put 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:45.720 you on the spot right from the start and ask 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:47.680 you a hard question. I think it's a hard question. 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:50.800 Who are you describe yourself? How would you describe yourself? 0:03:51.200 --> 0:03:53.480 You know what, that's actually a very hard question. Yeah, 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:59.520 who am I I'm just me. I am who I am. 0:03:59.880 --> 0:04:04.920 I'm trying to be better every day. I'm not perfect human, 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:09.480 I'm having a experience and yeah, I'm just trying to 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:12.040 be the best person I can be. So I'm a 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:16.280 kid from Adelaide. I grew up in a very sort 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:20.080 of European upbringing, walk you want to call it. Yeah, yeah, 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:22.120 you know. I live with my grandparents and my mum 0:04:22.400 --> 0:04:26.200 had a little hobby farm. So country kid. Always loved 0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:29.039 martial arts, loved Bruce Lee, loved Mike Tyson. So I 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:32.320 was always fighting, and every time my grandparents had people 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.920 come over the house for dinner or lunch, I'll be 0:04:35.000 --> 0:04:35.880 kicking them in the legs. 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:37.719 Yeah, I'll be trying to fight them. Yeah. 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:39.560 But yeah, you know, I'm just a kid from Adelaide 0:04:39.640 --> 0:04:42.599 chasing his dream and I found a little bit of 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:44.960 greatness inside of me and I'm just trying to nurture 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:46.239 that and become someone special. 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:48.760 It's interesting, isn't it. A lot of people go through 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:51.640 life and not find what rocks their boat or their 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:53.800 what their journey is. But do you seem to be 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:56.560 very laser focused on what you want to do now 0:04:56.680 --> 0:04:57.719 and where you're heading. 0:04:57.960 --> 0:05:00.719 I mean, I think everyone should find their purpose in 0:05:00.760 --> 0:05:02.800 life and just go for it. I don't know what 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:06.320 my purpose was. I was a very lost youth kid, 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:10.640 and I just I don't know. I feel like I 0:05:10.680 --> 0:05:13.200 had something great inside of me, Like I felt like 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:15.800 I could be someone, and even though people around me, 0:05:15.839 --> 0:05:17.680 where it was family of friends, told me I couldn't 0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:20.760 and I was nobody. You know, they call me stupid fat. 0:05:20.920 --> 0:05:23.240 I just get bullied a lot. I just didn't believe it. 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:25.240 I was like, no, I'm special, like God put me 0:05:25.279 --> 0:05:26.640 here on this earth. I'm here for a reason. 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:30.560 Well, to have that belief in yourself is important. And 0:05:30.600 --> 0:05:33.800 there's one I've heard you say that about yourself. Don't 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:37.960 mistake the kindness for weakness. I like to find that 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:40.840 an interesting saying. Explain what you mean by that. 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:44.480 I've always been like a kind hearted person, even as 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:48.640 a kid, and I think that made me a target maybe, 0:05:49.080 --> 0:05:51.880 and I think people take advantage of that. You get 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:55.760 a lot of narcissists and manipulators and just nasty people 0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:58.240 that want to use you and they see your kindness 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:00.680 and they take it for weakness. They try to take 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:04.159 and take and they try to Yeah, like I've just 0:06:04.240 --> 0:06:07.360 experienced it throughout my whole life, always been bullied and 0:06:07.520 --> 0:06:10.359 always try to treat people how I want to be treated, 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:15.359 and sometimes people just take the piss. So, you know, 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:18.839 even in school, man, I was in year eight, my 0:06:18.839 --> 0:06:20.880 first day of a year eight, the year twelve, try 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:22.520 to pick on me, you know, and I was like 0:06:22.560 --> 0:06:24.600 bigger than them. I was like, I don't want to fight, guys, 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:27.240 I don't want to fight, and you know they started, 0:06:27.279 --> 0:06:29.480 I had to finish it. Yeah, I was protecting myself 0:06:29.560 --> 0:06:33.520 so that happened throughout my whole life. And yeah, so 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:37.719 I'm a kind man, I'm also a dangerous man. When 0:06:37.720 --> 0:06:39.280 I was younger, I didn't know how to control it. 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:41.839 And that's why mixed martial arts saved my life because 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:44.280 now I can control it. If I get in a situation, 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:46.920 I can diffuse it, I can walk away. 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:48.119 If I have to, I can run away. 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:51.880 But yeah, it's it's people, especially young men, who don't 0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:53.080 know how to control their emotions. 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:54.279 That's when it's dangerous. 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:56.000 I want to I want to talk about that, like 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:59.720 the fighting arts that I'm a big supporter of that 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:02.720 to keep kids and it doesn't have to just be 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:06.120 the boys the girls out of trouble because it teaches 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:08.640 them at a skill that makes them discipline and then 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:12.400 they learned to control it. Just rewinding to the bullies, 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:15.320 you would see some of the toughest men on the 0:07:15.360 --> 0:07:18.160 planet now in the world that you're moving in the 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:22.160 in the UFC, A lot of the tough guys or 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:24.960 the bullies that we saw at school, they were hiding fear. 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:27.360 That's my take on it. And I saw it when 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:29.440 I was in the cops, so i'd see people that 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:33.400 were muscled up and covered in tattoos, and underneath it 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:36.760 was a little boy that was scared and that quite 0:07:36.760 --> 0:07:39.640 often makes them go down that path for being bullies 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:42.200 or heading their life up in the wrong direction. Do 0:07:42.240 --> 0:07:42.960 you agree with that. 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:43.679 One hundred percent? 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:47.320 I was scared. I was scared my dad. I went 0:07:47.360 --> 0:07:49.600 to jail when I was younger. He never came home. 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:51.680 So I had the fan for myself. I had to 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:54.920 protect my mother, and you know, I had a lot 0:07:54.960 --> 0:07:58.080 of fear, and I've seen a lot of things in 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:00.880 my younger days, and you know, I didn't trust people 0:08:00.960 --> 0:08:03.600 that much. And what between the corner of a dog, 0:08:03.760 --> 0:08:06.560 it's going to buy y Yeah, you know, so I 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:10.560 think a tough man and I respect men who can 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:17.040 control all their emotions, who can protect their family, be kind, loving, compassionate, 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:19.080 you know, play with their kids, their daughter. 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:19.360 Their son. 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:22.880 And also like a tough man isn't someone who beats 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:26.480 up their kids or their wife or other people acts 0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:29.160 you know, strong and a strong man is someone who 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:31.680 sometimes has to back down and walk away, you know. 0:08:31.760 --> 0:08:35.240 So you know, my father, in my opinion, was a 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:39.240 weak man, and you know, I still respect him. And 0:08:39.360 --> 0:08:43.080 he did the wrong thing. He paid the price because 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.440 he paid that price. I didn't have to. Maybe I 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:45.800 would have. 0:08:46.240 --> 0:08:48.839 You think you learn a lesson from from your father's 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:50.360 father's mistakes. 0:08:50.000 --> 0:08:53.400 Yeah, for sure. You know, I never understood why. I 0:08:53.400 --> 0:08:55.160 don't know. I don't get a chance to ask him 0:08:55.160 --> 0:08:55.600 what he did. 0:08:55.880 --> 0:08:57.959 Yeah, you know, all I know is that he went 0:08:58.000 --> 0:09:00.480 away and after that we never had a relationship. I'll 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:03.720 go visit him in jail as a kid, and that 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:04.959 was my sort of youth. 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:07.640 That's hard, isn't it, Because I speak to a lot 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:11.360 of people that had actually ended up being in jail themselves, 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:13.960 but the memories of when they're a kid and their parents. 0:09:14.000 --> 0:09:17.240 Sometimes it was both parents in jail, And there's a shame, 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:20.120 there's confusion, there's a whole range of things that can 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:24.120 fuck you up in as a young kid developing. For sure, 0:09:24.800 --> 0:09:27.559 tell us a little bit more depth about your childhood. 0:09:27.600 --> 0:09:31.960 So you know, the Balkan bear, what's the background? 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:36.120 So, yeah, my dad's side is full croation, my mom's 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:39.240 side is half creation, half bosling. And yeah, I just 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:43.320 grew up like I love fishing, love hunting. I used to, like, 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:45.679 you know, bite the heads off of fish, and like 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:48.440 just I was a crazy kid. You know, but yeah, 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:52.439 I just the way I fight as well. It's pretty ruthless, 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:56.360 pretty relentless, and there's not much emotion. If you look 0:09:56.360 --> 0:10:00.480 at my face, it's sort of a killer. So when 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:03.840 you see a bet ripop rip open, a salmon or 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:06.360 a moose, it's got no emotion. And that's how I fight. 0:10:06.559 --> 0:10:09.280 So my uncle gave me the name many years ago 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:11.240 and it just stuck stuck with you. 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:12.760 Did you enjoy your childhood? 0:10:13.040 --> 0:10:18.079 I did very beautiful mother, grandparents, and I was actually 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:20.960 very fortunate. When I was actually growing up, I thought 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:23.080 I had a ship children. But now I look at 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:25.560 it and I compare it to other people's I'm like, wow, 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:28.320 I was actually very lucky. I grew up on a farm. 0:10:28.640 --> 0:10:31.679 I rode motorbix, had animals. I had very loving grandparents 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:35.000 and mother. But I was an angry kid and I 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:37.920 sort of ran away from home as well. And yeah, 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:40.360 when I look at it now, man, I had a 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:44.240 great childhood. Where do you reckon that anger came from? Oh, 0:10:44.440 --> 0:10:47.439 just my dad leaving, not coming back, not wanting to 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:49.640 be around me. I could understand it. Like when I 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:52.200 don't have kids, I'm not married, I haven't got a partner. 0:10:53.080 --> 0:10:55.400 But when I see my mates with their kids, I 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:57.680 look at that, I'm like, how could you leave that? 0:10:57.960 --> 0:10:58.200 You know? 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:02.000 Like to me, it's just weakness. And I saw my 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:04.880 dad recently actually, and it was good to see him. 0:11:05.559 --> 0:11:08.640 But it's a long time between drinks and try to rekindle. 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:11.320 But I've got my own life and he's got his, 0:11:11.800 --> 0:11:13.280 and yeah. 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:16.280 It would be hard. What about schooling. You said you 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:20.440 were bullied at school, Well, I would suggest the bullies 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:25.640 might have came at second best. Many times did you 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:28.880 start bullying other kids? Did it was it behavior that 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:32.400 you were bullied? Or did you have enough emotional intelligence 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:35.160 and empathy not to be a bully? Were you? 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:39.520 I mean, I can't say no or yes, But like 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:41.960 I basically bullied the bullies, you know what I mean? Like, 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:44.439 if I saw the older kids picking on someone else, 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:45.320 I would bully them. 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:46.840 Two rights that make it wrong. 0:11:47.080 --> 0:11:49.679 So really I was a bully myself because those kids 0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:52.080 were picking on someone else, I was picking on them. 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:55.920 So I did the wrong thing as well. But yeah, 0:11:55.920 --> 0:11:59.560 I never I never really started anything directly. It was 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:02.120 always sort of I was defending myself. I was defending 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:04.960 somebody else. So I could have done better. 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:08.839 Well, we all could do better. I got into a 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:10.600 lot of fights when I was a kid at school 0:12:10.600 --> 0:12:13.880 because I was fairly quiet, and people think, okay, well, 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:16.400 he's not not reacting. I should have reacted at the 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:18.800 start and resolved the issue earlier. But I'd let it 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:22.760 build and then then yeah, then unleash. And that's probably 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:26.600 not the most sensible way of doing things. Yeah, for sure, 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.360 school in education? Did you buy into education? Were you? 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:37.680 Don't laugh? I got to ask this question. I'm a scholar, right, professor, Yeah, 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:40.560 did you see much sense in or you're more interested 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:43.960 in riding bikes around the farm and fishing and just 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:45.120 doing what boys do. 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:49.720 Yeah, I actually did enjoy school. Yeah, but because I 0:12:49.720 --> 0:12:51.720 got bullied so much, I hated it. 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:52.120 Yeah. 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:56.640 And yeah, I was still to this day dyslexic. I 0:12:56.679 --> 0:12:59.319 struggled to read and write and I had a real 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:03.000 bad starter kid. So yeah, school was very hard for me. 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:05.760 And when I was a kid, I only spoke Croatian, 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:08.720 and then I struggled to English, so my family only 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:09.600 spoke to me in English. 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:11.920 And now I don't even know one language. 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:17.679 I don't know creation, I don't totally confusing. Well, you've 0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:20.120 had all the all the boxes ticked to get but 0:13:20.280 --> 0:13:20.640 we didn't. 0:13:20.880 --> 0:13:23.240 If I was fat as I was fat as fuck 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:23.640 as well. 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:28.320 So it's just the bully's dream, yeah, and coming in 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:31.480 don't poke the bear though, Yeah, no, I could imagine. 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:34.280 So did you getting yourself into trouble in school? 0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:37.640 Well, my first third of year I got suspended. The 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:39.760 year Tools picked to me. I had a big fight 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:42.960 with them. They picked me because someone sprayed wog on 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:46.480 some year Tools car and they blamed me right, and 0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:49.240 they just they were surrounding me and they just wanted 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:51.600 to fight. So I was like, let's go, and then 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:54.760 just started just started fighting and I was the one 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:57.240 to blame. And yeah, I got suspended. So my mum, 0:13:57.280 --> 0:13:59.680 you know, a single mom, she was working two jobs, 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:02.840 she had two kids, and she put me in a 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:05.080 good school. You know the only reason I went to 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:08.000 that school was because my best friend Nick, who went there. Yeah, 0:14:08.160 --> 0:14:10.240 and she was going to put me just in a 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:12.559 public school, and I didn't want to be around those 0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:14.320 type of people. I wanted to go to a better 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:17.199 school because I knew, like, if I'm around these people 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:22.240 who they literally go there, they're selling drugs, they're doing 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:22.920 all kinds. 0:14:22.680 --> 0:14:24.880 Of bad things, So I didn't want to be around that. Yeah. 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:27.360 You know it's important, isn't it, Because you are shaped 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:29.560 by your environment as a kid, and if you get 0:14:29.640 --> 0:14:33.120 dropped into an area like that, you want to be. Yeah, 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:36.520 you gravitate towards where the popular kids are or what's 0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:39.240 going on, and you can go down the wrong path. 0:14:39.520 --> 0:14:41.680 Did you have any good role models? You're like your mom. 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:44.120 You speak highly of your mom, your grandparents. 0:14:44.240 --> 0:14:46.920 My grandparents amazing, very hard working people. 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:48.000 My mom. 0:14:48.440 --> 0:14:51.320 Did they immigrate over to Australia? Did they? Yeah? 0:14:51.320 --> 0:14:54.600 They immigrated in the sixties, I believe, or maybe seventies. 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:57.880 So it's funny though, because I always had this picture 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:02.080 in my head, you know, the Croatians wogs. They come 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:05.120 at one suitcase on a boat and they start this life, 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:07.680 and you know, they worked very hard. But I thought, 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:09.800 you know, their bloody chucking bodies off the boat and 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:11.760 you know, like it was like a three month journey, 0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:15.320 you know. Yeah, and last last week when I saw them, 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:17.200 they're like, oh, yeah, we had two pools and it 0:15:17.360 --> 0:15:19.400 was a great all the future can imagine it. So 0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:22.240 like you came on a cruise ship, that's what the 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:23.880 boat I was picturing in my head. 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:26.480 Right, So you brought into that, I bought into it. 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:30.280 I look, I think full credit to them, like, regardless 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:32.920 of how they got here. And there's some tough journeys 0:15:32.920 --> 0:15:35.680 of people finding that finding the country they want to 0:15:35.720 --> 0:15:39.160 live in. But anyone that uproots from a country and 0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:41.440 then starts a new life, it's gutsy, isn't it? 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:41.800 For sure? 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:45.600 Yeah? Imagine, Sorry, I actually did it myself. Well, you 0:15:45.640 --> 0:15:48.400 went over the New Zealand, didn't you? Yeah, over the Walklan. 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:51.600 So I literally had one suitcase, jumped on a flight, 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:53.760 went to a new country and knew nobody. So I 0:15:53.840 --> 0:15:55.800 sort of like, if my grandparents can do it in 0:15:55.880 --> 0:15:58.160 the sixties or seventies, I can do it, okay. And 0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:00.600 that was actually a big help for me because it's 0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:01.840 hard to leave you your hometown. 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:04.800 Most definitely, did they did they rain you in at all? 0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:08.320 Did you get any any good advice from people going 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:11.040 you can't solve these problems with your fists or what 0:16:11.160 --> 0:16:12.760 was a what was the sort of. 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:13.720 You know what? 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:17.800 Not many words, but the actions, the actions over the years, 0:16:18.440 --> 0:16:21.880 they told me a lot of integrity, respect and just 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:24.440 very hard, loyal, humble people. 0:16:24.560 --> 0:16:27.480 Yeah, so they swear a lot. That's where I get 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:27.960 it from. 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.840 That's a descriptive word. Sometimes it helps, yeah, you know, 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:33.440 but yeah, I. 0:16:33.400 --> 0:16:36.520 Think the actions really just played a big role. And 0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:38.720 I had a lot of morals as a kid, and 0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:42.720 my friends even today like, yeah, they're great people because 0:16:42.720 --> 0:16:44.880 I chose to hang around great people. 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:47.600 When did you leave school? 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:50.880 I've got to expel from your ten Okay, what happened there? 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:52.320 Have a guess mate? 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:53.600 Oh no, you weren't fighting. 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:56.480 Well I had to fight, right, I had to fight, 0:16:56.680 --> 0:16:59.320 And there was a full circle moment because before my 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:02.200 last fight, yeah, it was sixteen years since I went 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:04.000 to school, and the last tie was at school. I 0:17:04.000 --> 0:17:08.000 got arrested by two cops and I got expelled, and 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:11.520 then sixteen years later, I get greeted to a school 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:12.479 by two cops. 0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:14.439 I'm doing a speech in front of all these kids. 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:17.439 Wow, Okay, that's a big turn around, isn't it? 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:21.080 And I hate public speaking like podcasts and stuff is okay, 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:24.119 But to stand in front of a classroom of kids, 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:27.760 you know, I actually got very nervous, more nervous than 0:17:27.760 --> 0:17:31.080 I would for a fight. And because I'm dyslexic, I 0:17:31.119 --> 0:17:34.120 had to memorize my whole speech. There was no notes. Yeah, 0:17:34.200 --> 0:17:36.080 it was all in here, and I had twenty four 0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:38.639 hours to prepare. So I started the speech. It was 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:41.719 supposed to be like, you know, introduced myself, and then 0:17:41.760 --> 0:17:44.199 I was like, I never started a fight, but I 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:46.919 never walked away from one. That's my biggest downfall. What 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:49.320 do you think I said? I never started a fight, 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:52.120 I never finished one. That's my biggest downfall. And all 0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:54.399 the kids are like, you know, and I'm there for 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:58.920 anti you know, like punching coward punch campaign and I'm 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:00.480 talking about I didn't feel a fight. 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:02.159 So that was my biggest downfall. 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:04.800 Yeah, yeah, well look you've got to get the message out. 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:08.000 But yeah, get the speech speech, So all of that, 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:11.600 but that coward punch, I know, Danny Green did a 0:18:11.640 --> 0:18:14.480 lot of I know Danny and he's done a good 0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:17.159 man that very very good man. It feels very strongly 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:20.920 about it. But also the parents of the young kid 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:24.760 that was assaulted here we've had on the not just assaulted, 0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:27.320 was killed by the one punch and where that campaign 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:29.560 started from. And it's a good message. 0:18:29.760 --> 0:18:32.159 It is because it is a coward cowardly act. And 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:34.879 I've been hit many times from behind. Yeah that's why 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:38.160 actually never went out really as a kid or a teenager. Yeah, 0:18:38.280 --> 0:18:40.800 I was working security a lot, and even as a 0:18:40.800 --> 0:18:42.720 security guard, people come up and they. 0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:43.640 Used to call it a dog shop. 0:18:44.040 --> 0:18:45.800 Yeah you know what I mean, They're coming from behind 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:48.200 and they'll creep up on you and then yeah, yeah, 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:52.720 I've been bottled as well. So for vodka bottle that 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:55.080 knocked me out. Yeah, I woke up in a puddle 0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:55.440