AFTER a childhood of unspeakable cruelty, Rod Braybon says he has perhaps coped because of his "big mouth".
Even then it has taken the former ward of state about 40 years to speak up against the brutal beatings and rape he endured from his "carers" at the notorious Bayswater Boys Home in the 1950s.
It's been a hard road to get the stories of abuse heard but the straight-shooter says he was unable to sleep soundly at night until he started speaking out.
Two years ago, he and his brothers Rodney and Michael - all orphans - made headlines when they launched legal action against the State Government for their mistreatment at the boys home.
Negotiations are continuing for an out-of-court settlement.
If it is not reached by the end of this month, the case will be heard in the Supreme Court.
Last year, with the help of author Vikki Petraitis, Mr Braybon blew the lid off his mistreatment at the Salvation Army-run institution in the memoir Salvation. Last November, he was the public spokesman who unearthed allegations that sparked a continuing police investigation into alleged homicides or "disappearances" at the home in the 1950s.
There is some irony that Mr Braybon, of Garfield, builds and sells retirement village units with all mod cons. His latest project is a 197-unit development, Goldcare Lifestyle Village, in Pakenham - a 30-hectare "mini-suburb".
In contrast to the sparse boys home, the village boasts resort-style facilities such as a theatre, gym, bowling green, bar, restaurant, pool and general store.
"I started out with the worst start in life," Mr Braybon said. "But it doesn't matter what's done to you as a kid - if you get in with the right people, it gets sorted out later."
After stints in prison as a young man, he began to realise he had the gift of the gab and things began to turn around. "Rather than bashing or abusing people, it was a lot easier to get what you want by talking to people. I didn't get so many hidings that way."
But Mr Braybon's rags-to-riches success is unusual for ex-wards of state he knows. The forgotten ones haven't had the "wherewithal" to escape a life of crime, substance abuse, social isolation or suicide.
He advocates a disciplinarian attitude towards young people who go off-the-rails these days, especially to those who resort to knives.
School leavers without a job or an apprenticeship should be enlisted in the army to instil them with discipline and give them a life purpose, he says.
He sees the removal of corporal punishment and the reluctance to incarcerate young people as symptoms of authority figures being powerless to bring young deviants into line.
"There's no respect for the elderly, including parents. There has to be a happy medium - you can't go and bash children, but you have to make them answerable for what they do.
"If I saw someone being attacked, I couldn't walk away. I'd be like Ron Barassi - it'd be impossible for me to walk away."
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