Submitted by Lukes Dad

The last time I played with my son Luke, he had only just turned two, and was a healthy little baby, apart from the scratches on his face. I was only allowed 2 hours a week with him for the last six months of his short life which ended on the 18th of January, 2009. Luke died at the age of two years and four months.

Two days after this photo was taken his mother had her 2 hour visit. Only after her discovery of more severe fresh scratches, thiis time on his penis, and after Lukes's mum insisted, was he taken to a doctor for medical attention. These injuries and others, including severe burns, multiple scratches and bruising were a constant in Luke's life, while he lived with his Queensland Department of Child Safety sanctioned foster carer.

Luke was left with a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, and a blood clot, unconscious for six hours. Only after I rang the foster home a third time that day to check on his well being, was he properly looked at and an ambulance was rung. By the time he got to hospital his brain had been so starved of oxygen that half of my little Lukey Pukey's brain was dead.

The first time I rang the house I was informed Luke had suffered a head injury and gone to sleep. I asked her to be very careful with his head as he had received a knock on the head before. She was awful to me, a 74 year old who already had 3 foster children in her care, two boys aged 4 and 6, and a girl aged 9.
Luke had been brought back to the same household where he had been inflicted with constant injuries before, after he was kicked out of his previous foster home, the day before Christmas.

I was not informed of Luke being placed with this woman until my visit with him on the 5th o January, and immediately questioned how this elderly woman would be able to look after him properly.

I informed the child safety officer he was always injured whilst in her care and that I was worried he would be bullied by the older children. I begged, he was fine with me, a previous visit supervisor had also begged them to let me have my son back. They told her I was paranoid but she strongly disagreed, but they had decided I was not good enough to be a father long before this.

Everyone could see how much I loved my son, and he would not leave my side. He was terrified of being removed from me, as they had done before.

I had moved to Townsville, which was the last step for me in my battle against drugs. I acquired secure work and earned over a thousand dollars a week. Half of this money went to the best solicitor I could find. Child safety Cairns refused to sign over the paperwork, Luke was taken away from his mother and I in Townsville, as child safety refused to let Luke stay while I was partnered with his mother. We argued too much.

God works in mysterious ways, and my new employer was a drug and alcoholl counselor of twenty five years, and three of his success stories were my work mates. Two of those were his sons.

I put my mind into my work, and every morning when my phone alarm would go off at 5 am, Luke's photo would come up and I would;d smile and say, "For you Luke, anything."
Luke was my reason for getting up every morning, my light at the end ot the tunnel was to get Luke back. I stayed drug free for six months until I followed Luke back to Cairns. Child safety Townsville put Lukey in two different foster homes then in a third house in Cairns. His mother was told she would have Luke if she left me in Townsville We were never given a chance to mend out relationship, offered any help or counseling or referred to anyone for help. They had decided from the onset I was to go, and the child would go with his mother. I prayed for my son for twenty years. He is the miracle God gave to me.

I moved back to Cairns, so I could keep up my two hour visits, which was all I now lived for. I went to child safety Townsville every day to show them I was working and drug free, and to beg for my son back. I got the same look I received from child safety Cairns supervisors, the elite who answer to no one, a look of hatred. I continued with ATODS appointments, I received counseling and advice from centacare, took voluntary urine tests and kept a full time job.

I couldn't work in Cairns, as I was doing too many courses and counseling, Lifeline, Centacare, Relationships Australia, ATODS, Solicitors, it was a full time job trying to get my son back.