POKIES: We have all felt the talons of this addiction …

From ‘Team Mulawa’ here: “Greg Farrell Jr, “Mr. Mulawa”: Greg is by nature very hands-on – activity done translates into learning and understanding – and he still applies this essential quality to the horses with ambitious zeal and earnest dedication. Greg is a natural horseman – his innate affection for and confident ease with horses is readily apparent in his daily interaction with the horses at every level. Although Greg’s primary vocational responsibility has always been Managing Director of Federal Group (the highly successful and widely respected Australian owned family business and the world’s second oldest hotel group), he always finds quality time for the horses. He remains integrally involved with all the handling and training of the Mulawa Arabians, from early breaking through the professional turn out of top level show ring performers in hand. (Pictured with ADVENT) “

The suffering i went through and put others through is not enough to get the message across concerning the awful damage that the pokies do in this state.

What we see so little of are the stories of people who are CURRENTLY going through it.

You might read this and think, no, everyone’s heard it before and so it won’t have any weight.

I haven’t heard your story … as with most of the readers here.

I can categorically state that even without hearing your story that it indeed has a huge weight and can contribute much to this War and may well be the one story that gets read and noticed and acted upon and a decision made to get rid of the things.

It really does bear consideration and just know that the second you do it, you are instantly not alone anymore. Please give it some thought if someone you love or care for has this addiction and especially if that addiction has caused you and other loved ones harm.

As immune as we thought we might have been to it, we have all felt the talons of this addiction in our backs – in one way or another.

*Stephen Menadue was addicted to the pokies for over 30 years. “I am now free of them. I am driven to help get rid of these things for those who are still under their spell and especially for those who never go near a machine. This should not be a political argument.”

EARLIER on Tasmanian Times …

• All about Stephen’s addiction: HERE: The Pokies Horror