From being bullied in school and then working in a divided hospital, it took Georgie Calverley years before he could face the abusive demons of his past.
He finally found the courage to lay his heart bare and wrote a three-part memoir, called A Coloured in Full Flight, about the grooming, sexual abuse, and bullying he endured, which he now hopes can help fellow victims.
Calverly, now 57, is currently living in the United Kingdom, and recalls his first encounter.
“I was 5 or 6 when an older male cousin started isolating me during games. His favourite one was hide and seek, which soon turned sexual.
“Within three years, I became the local toy for boys to chase, wrestle down and kiss. I was called a sissy and since then I became a symbolic punching bag for bullies in the neighbourhood.”
The abuse continued in high school and even while he studied nursing.
This prompted him to start journalling his feelings in 2004.
“The first book, published in 2017, details my life from age five to fourteen when most of the abuse, torment or bullying occurred.
“The second book chronicles my life from fourteen to twenty-three.
“My final instalment, the path to self-acceptance, published in July 2021, covers my time in a different town, nursing college and trying to cope and work as a professional.
“Having suffered alone, I rebelled and used unhealthy coping mechanisms, sugar-coating the truth to stay sane, refusing to accept help or pity.”
Georgie hopes that the education department can include his books in the school curriculum to help bullies and their victims.
“Even if they invite me to come speak, I will do it for free. Ek soek net a koppie tee,” he smiles.