One day in Melbourne I was catching a tram as I did perhaps 3 or 4 times a week to get into the city. You sit down, play on your phone, talk to your friend or generally go about your own business. Occasionally someone sits near you and smiles or says something. This day, Trevor Brown sat down with me and my friend and started chatting with us. Little did I know that this would form a digital friendship and I would be eager to learn more and more about his story.
In our brief 10 minute ride, Trevor told us that he had been homeless. He was so open and honest about it. He was also very proud to tell us that he was now a published writer and handed me his business card. As a fellow writer, this was something I was certainly interested to learn. From appearances, you would never know that he had once lived below the line and had struggled to re-build. Now, he wants to share his story and help others.
The lease I can do is share his story here. These are the words of Trevor Brown:
“Just a brief information about my history..
I was homeless living inside my small van for six years from 2008 to 2013, with five of those years basically on the streets of Melbourne. During my first year up in the bush area of North East Victoria I battled against depression and nearly stepped of the planet, I just wasn’t happy….during what I call my darkness zone a story was sparked and run through my head and I started writing it. At the time I didn’t rate my writing…. That’s my first book I’m still writing only a few thousand words to go and why I thought about becoming a writer….
Last year 2013, I headed back to school to do my VCE (Year12) course and about this time of the year the editor of the “Big Issue” magazine advised that he wanted to publish my article about my time on the streets, this become my first article, the first page of my folio.
Now I have had 4 article published in the Big Issue, a couple of other articles published in other magazines and a couple of weeks ago was broadcast on the Big Idea program on ABC National radio talking about “Social Inclusion in learning”
Anyway I finished another article yesterday about a homeless guy who was murdered and how many people came together to remember him last week in the city the editor has already responded that he likes my article….
Trevor Brown Article
I may be again on the radio in a couple of months….2014 is starting to shape up nicely and remember this time last year I was still in my van on the streets….Now I don’t even have my van…or anything parked in the driveway.
Anyway that’s just a bit of info…As for my art, I use it drawings and painting to have somewhere else to throw my creativeness and it helps me write…Over Christmas I also did some street art in the middle of Melbourne…
Anyway Not sure if this is the type of info you wanted, but that’s my part my story anyway….
I’m only starting out but as I said when my first article was published, “Everyone who has ever gotten anywhere started with ‘one thing’ and this may just be my ‘one thing”…time will tell.”
Thank you for your story Trevor, and I think this quote is for you!
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What a great story. He seems like a great candidate to be featured as part of my “Living Life Powerfully” project.
Please do let me know if you want to connect with him. You can send me an email via the contact us page. I would be so happy to be a part of this! Trevor definitely has a story to tell
Lovelly Travels 
What a great story. He seems like a great candidate to be featured as part of my “Living Life Powerfully” project.
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Please do let me know if you want to connect with him. You can send me an email via the contact us page. I would be so happy to be a part of this! Trevor definitely has a story to tell
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