“Your son will likely face the stares
and ridicule of others ... and I’m
sorry to say, Mr and Mrs Fulton, he
may well be bullied at school.” Mum
and Dad sat in silence and then Mum
asked the question that had been
bothering her since the doctor had
announced the news.
“When it’s time, should I send
Ian to a school for special needs
children?”
“Absolutely not, Mrs Fulton. Apart
from his size, your son is perfectly
normal in every other way.”
In heav y silence, Mum and Dad
trudged back down the steps of thedoctor’s office and out into the cold.
When they got home, Mum put the
kettle on and slumped on the couch,
wondering how she was going to
break the news to my brother and
sisters. She heard Dad was heading
towards the back door, his hat in
hand. “Where are you going?” Mum
asked.
“To see my family,” Dad said, and
slammed the door behind him.
“What about me?” Mum heard her-
self say quietly, her eyes moistening,
but Dad was long gone.
Hearing the door slam on that
day in 1964, my three siblingsThe Fulton family in 1967 in Launceston, Tasmania. From left: Jill,
Louise, Ian, aged about three, Mum and MarkPHOTO: FULTON FAMILY COLLECTION
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“My Life in Short”