Grieving dad tries to stop cycle, calls on government

THE father of a boy who died after chroming has called for government intervention to tackle substance abuse in Townsville.

Brian Flynn Massey, 13, was found unconscious and not breathing in Magpies Park, Garbutt on November 11 and could not be revived.

Brian’s father, Maverick Massey, said chroming was a serious problem in Townsville, particularly for the indigenous community.

“I think the government should implement programs for these kids – to slow them down,” he said. “Otherwise they’ll keep doing it.”

Mr Massey said that since the death of his son he had confronted children chroming in his neighbourhood.

“I was at ( a bank) recently and I saw two young kids doing it,” he said.

“I pulled them up and said, ‘ You are doing the wrong thing brother. What are you doing? What are you sniffing?’

“I said, ‘ Do you know who I am? Do you know Brian?’ And they said, ‘ He’s our friend’.

“I said, ‘ I’m his father’, and they went quiet. I told them a story and they listened quietly.

“It’s a sad feeling to see other kids doing that after my son died.

“I’ve heard of other parents telling their kids to stop and they give them a mouthful.”

Mr Massey said young children turned to chroming because of boredom, anti- social issues and lack of education.

“There should be something done about it, a program to give them something posi- tive to do,” he said. “They might stop when they get to 17 or 18 years old but they might not live to reach that age.”

Mr Massey said an education program should inform children about the dangers of drinking, chroming and other substance abuse issues.

“We also need to help our girls with sexual education programs,” he said. “Some are getting pregnant at a young age.”