Hi I am Joe and this is my story for your enjoyment.

During my school years some kids did try and bully me. Due to this mum enrolled me at the age of 10 into some martial arts programs and the one I preferred was Tai Chi. I did this for a few years so by the time I got to high school I did have a good grounding. Daily I did continue with the exercise. My nature was a quiet boy with average achievements, I was never top of the class, there again not the bottom either.

On entering high school, after a month or so, we had a school bully with two idiots that hung on his every word he spoke. This day, in the playground, I was sitting on the wall/seat area when Bruce came up to me and demanded my lunch money. I refused, he pulled me off the wall and punched me in the shoulder. I automatically acted in defence by punching him in his neck, just as he turned his head. You must realise, with my martial arts training, I did not just use my hand, it included my arm and shoulder. The result was I hit his lower neck which broke his collar bone and one of his vertebrae. Everyone around heard the sound on the bone breaking. He ended up flat on his back in the playground crying like a baby.

A teacher, who saw everything, moved the students away and got one to call for the nurse. She came with a collar brace and put it around his neck, and he was taken away in an ambulance. The teacher asked “What started this?”
A young girl stated “Bruce demanded Joe’s lunch money and punched him. Joe just reacted and I think he broke his neck sir?”
His two friends stated “He just attacked him for no reason.”
The teacher said “Don’t lie to me, I saw Bruce punch Joe first. Go to the headmaster office, four weeks detention for you two for lying. Joe are you OK?”
I replied “Yes sir.” We were all dismissed as the return to class bell rang.

I thought that would be the end of it. Bruce was held in hospital for three weeks in traction. Two weeks after that incident I was walking into class when Bruce’s older brother David saw me walking and pushed me from behind. As I turned around he went to kick me saying “That’s from my brother.” Again I reacted quickly by stomping on his foot and pushing his other leg high into the air. People around heard a pop sound as his leg dislocated from his hips. Like his brother, he fell backwards on the floor screaming like a baby. Again the same teacher saw everything and cleared the hallway. Again the nurse called an ambulance, however David was still screaming in pain. He ended up in hospital for eight weeks as he needed an operation to return his leg socket into his hip bone and await the hip bone to knit. Another girl stated “David just attacked him and Joe reacted in defence.”

This time I was required to attend the headmaster’s office and gave details of what occurred. As this boy was in senior year, he ended up being suspended from school. The family was known as being rough and bullies. Bruce was also expelled for threatening behaviour and stealing monies. I was not aware but he had bullied around ten kids to hand over their lunch monies. They did report this after he was taken away. His two cohorts were split up and placed in different classes from me. For the rest of the school years, I was not troubled by any of them.

I left school at age 16, I was not an academic person and university did not interest me. I got a job and later an apprenticeship as an electrician. This did take four years to complete and by the age of 20 I was qualified for electrical work including houses, factories units and high rise. During this time I did work with five different companies to achieve my results.

I was not a person that did mix very well, I would do my role to the best of my abilities. This did provide helpful in an insurance claim where they tried to blame me for the mistake done by another qualified worker. Infact when the job was done I was at a different site for that week.

I took up the hobby of painting, especially water colours. I moved out of home at 17 from my three brothers and two sisters into lodgings. This was a boarding house for students but again I did not mix. Most were studying for their uni exams. I did help out with electrical issues though.