An 80-year-old Mandurah resident has revealed the trauma and pain he still feels from being bullied as a child.
Michael Dent reached out to the Mandurah Mail after reading our coverage on bullying including student Alexia Brockway’s story of how it affected her mental health.
Originally from the UK, Michael said the bullying started when he was in kindergarten – and his dyslexia exacerbated the taunts.
“I was a slow learner,” he said. “I had dyslexia, which was not known in those days.
“I had trouble reading and was seen as an easy target.”
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When Michael went to boys’ boarding school, his situation did not get any better.
“I was bullied all the way through school,” he said.
“I was poor at sports and didn’t enjoy it, which didn’t help. I was picked on at almost every front.”
A vivid memory that stuck with Michael, was an incident that occurred during a school summer program when students were learning to erect tents.
“I was deliberately taken into one and forced to drink urine,” he said
Michael said he also remembered being accused of damaging another student’s aircraft in school, which he denied.
“The headmaster took the other boy’s said and I was made to pay for the aircraft,” he said.
“They held my pocket money, so they just took it out.”
In retrospect, Michael said he did not know how he could of behaved differently, or handled the situations any better.
Michael said he suffered from trauma and his personal relationships were affected by the bullying.
“You may be able to cover it up, and I’ve had periods of my life where things have gone very well, but it’s going to come back and hit you in the face,” he said.
“People expect you to grow out of it and walk away from it...but that is not the case at all.”
If you are being bullied or want more information contact:
- Lifeline 13 11 14
- Grief counselling 1300 554 786
- Kids Helpline 1800 551 800