Tony's Testimony
Hi, I’m Tony or patch, I’m a new person today through the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I look cute today, but it wasn’t always like this. My real mum was raped and I’m a product of that rape. My mother was a heroin addict and when I was born I had withdrawal symptoms and had to go through detox. My mother did the best she could for me, but when I was about 3 or 4 years old she couldn’t handle me and her addiction and she left me in a phone box and the police found me and I was fostered out.
My foster mum and dad drank hard and were always drunk. I was beaten and raped by both of them and told that I was a waste of air when I was in their so called ‘care’. My foster brother ran away and I was on my own to handle what was going on. My foster dad nearly killed me when I was 11 years old, I learned to hate people from a young age, and when I was 13 I nearly killed my foster dad. I was then taken to my foster brothers place by the police, it was a house with a big fence with a bikies flag standing tall with bandidos aust. m/c club on it, the police said to each other “this kid dosn’t stand a chance here,” the police just said “good luck” as they drove off.
I met my foster brother there and a whole lot of other people with patches on the back of their shirts and jackets and my brother had one on too. I grew up as a biker and learnt how to hate and use weapons knives and guns and all those toys. I got my first bike when I was 14 years old a triumph tiger. When I was 17 and a half I got put in jail. It was in 1984, the bandidos had a shoot out at the Milperra pub with a rival outlaw bikie club. I got stabbed 6 times in my belly, sliced with a sword on my arm and my brother was shot and killed , I did 8 yrs in jail for that (Tony took revenge on his brother's killer), but the pain of the way my life was will live in my memory forever.
All through this I lived to die and I really didn’t know any other way. Then I had an idea I needed to change a few things in my life so I went to detox to get off drugs and alcohol. Then I needed to find a place to do the rest of the changing, I’m now at “Fishers of Men” at Springwood. I now have the life I want to head for. I can stand with Christ and with his patch in my heart. Where anger and hatred and revenge was and a heart of stone I now have a heart of flesh. I want to be the best I can for my Lord Jesus and I pray for the people that nearly took me out and I pray for the people that killed my brother. I can now stand tall and know that Christ is on my side and every step I walk is with him and through him. I’m alive for a reason to help other people that others wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole. Just as Christs’ hands reach out for me my hands reach out for others. I’m forgiven so I can forgive. The battle line was drawn even before I got going. I’m a warrior for Christ Amen.
Tony singing a song he wrote - Jesus Knows
Tony has an album titled Healing the Broken Hearted - If you would like to order a copy for $10, please contact us.
Be encouraged by some other testimonies of lives transformed through the ministry of Fishers of Men...
Aidan's Testimony
Ayik's Testimony
Ben's Testimony
Daniel's Testimony
Steve's Testimony
Tom's Testimony
Tony's Testimony