Simon Mansell was one of the stars of the ABC TV hit documentary, the Choir of Hard Knocks, which told the story of a community choir that took its down-and-out members from the street to the stage, putting a face to so many heartbreaking stories of disadvantage and exclusion.
Born in Perth, Western Australia, in 1976, Simon recalls an instant, inherent understanding that he was cherished. He didn't cry as an infant. He didn't need to.
When he was six years old, Simon's mother Karen and baby brother Stephen died in a car accident. Knocked unconscious and trapped under a car seat, Simon had a vision of his mother coming back to see him one last time. "I couldn't go without saying goodbye," she said, and they hugged. Then she turned away for the last time.
What followed was a chaotic childhood. Domestic turmoil, violence, drugs and alcohol became an everyday part of life. As he moved from childhood to adulthood, Simon began to lose control of his mind.
In 2005, Simon moved from Fremantle to the east coast, partly for the better food that was available to people on the streets in Melbourne, partly as a means of forging a new path. It was here that he answered a call for members for a new community choir that sparked an intense journey of self-discovery and recovery.
Over time, the Choir of Hard Knocks morphed into the Choir of Hope and Inspiration, of which Simon remains a member to this day. The choir's performances continue to provide joy and shape to his life.
In fact, Simon's love affair with poetry, art and music has spanned all of his adult life. A Joker's Right of Reply brings together 15 of the poems composed by Simon in the past 15 years.
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