ARMIDALE mother Helena Pastor can thank BackTrack for a better relationship with her son, but it’s her time spent welding in the BackTrack shed that has made the difference.
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Pastor tells of her lessons learnt and friendships made at the shed in her new book Wild Boys.
The book details her turbulent relationship with her eldest of four sons Joey, and the eight years she spent volunteering down at BackTrack’s metal works shed.
“I’ve told the stories of the boys at the shed and also the story of how my own life was affected by time spent at the shed, and how I learnt to be a better parent through Bernie Shakeshaft’s work,” Pastor said.
Her involvement with the youth program came about after she tried to get her son Joey into the program. While he did not stick around in the shed, Pastor did.
“It wasn’t for him, but it certainly worked for me,” she said.
Pastor said during her time there she learnt how to use power tools, and became a favourite among the boys who attended thanks to her home-baked brownies. The best skill Pastor learnt was how to show tough love and communicate better with her sons.
“It’s about being responsible for the choices you make, and not turning around and blaming someone for those choices-taking it on for yourself,” she said.
Wildboys is available from most book shops.