Vicki and Taylor's story

How dare someone else give my child alcohol?

During the January 2005 school holidays, my fifteen-year-old son Taylor was staying with the family of a school friend. On 17 January, the father of the family purchased a 24-can carton of vodka and orange and gave it to the three fifteen-year-old boys. The boys lit a campfire and started to drink the alcohol, unsupervised, on the country property. The parents allowed these three boys to drink the entire carton, and after consuming eight cans, my son passed out and fell into the campfire badly burning himself.

When the parents were woken they decided to take my son to hospital. On the way the father told the three boys that nobody could find out what had really happened, because he would go to jail. He made the children all agree that my son tripped and fell into the fire, and that they had stolen cans of beer from the fridge.

Taylor was in hospital for three weeks undergoing surgery and skin grafts. His injuries were very serious. He had to have complete skin grafts on his left hand from his wrist to the end of his fingers, and his entire face was covered with different degrees of burns.

It wasn’t until we left the hospital that we found out the truth of what had happened. Over the last two years, Taylor has endured corrective surgery to help repair his burns. But he will never be the same and he has been scarred for LIFE. And our lives have been turned upside down. My younger son has also been deeply affected. We all continue to have counselling.

Since that time, I have tried to lay charges, but there is currently no law preventing an adult giving any child alcohol at home. I was about to give up my fight until I found help through the Australian Drug Foundation who are campaigning for legislative change. We’ve had to learn to move on and to stop letting this tragic accident consume our lives, in order to do what's best for our son. You will be pleased to know that Taylor is now an apprentice carpenter and a youth leader for a Christian group. I think that Taylor will go on in his life to help young people, and make a real difference. But it is tragic that this had to happen to him.

We regularly hear about the “ice epidemic”, but the reality is that alcohol hospitalised almost 22,000 Victorians in 2003-04, compared with 553 who were hospitalised after using illicit stimulants, such as ice (Victorian Drug Statistics Handbook 2005).

I would like all parents to understand the potential consequences of giving alcohol to a minor. Sure there are a lot of pressures from teenagers to grow up fast, but my son is just one example of what can go wrong. I urge you all to support the work of the Australian Drug Foundation. Without this organisation we wouldn’t have access to valuable education material for young people and parents. Without the Australian Drug Foundation there wouldn’t be a national support group to get laws changed to protect our young people.

Any contribution you can make will help continue to provide an important service for all Australians - young and old. Thank you for letting me share my story and thank you for your support.

Vicki (mother) and Taylor

The Community Alcohol Action Network (CAAN) is working hard to change secondary supply laws in Victoria, and bring them into line with New South Wales. We have been putting pressure on the State Government, as well as drawing attention to the issue through the media. To read CAAN's arguments for legislative change prohibiting parents to give alcohol to other minors, read editions from our newsletter Grogwatch , from 3 April 2007, and 16 July 2007.

You can also download the transcript or watch the video of the 7:30 Report's story about Vicki and Taylor on the ABC's website. 

To donate to the ADF, call 03 9278 8100 or donate online at ourcommunity.com.au.