Lauren Darlington’s story is a hard one to read.
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The words are well crafted by the Illawarra Mercury’s deputy editor Cydonee Mardon and the images by our photographer Sylvia Liber are typically enchanting.
Yet, as a whole, the story is a tough one to digest.
It’s difficult to read without finding yourself frowning.
How does one so young deal with so much and still come out the other side?
Lauren Darlington is one incredibly brave individual.
Her body still bears the scars of her upbringing but now she chooses to share her story so that others may listen and take away some of her life lessons.
Seven years on since she was a 16-year-old prostitute, Lauren now blogs about her life experiences.
‘’I was hit, degraded, the mind games … I was 16 and looked it and covered in fresh scars. But I turned off. The Valium mum would give me and lack of sleep helped,’’ she told the Mercury.
Those words alone would be enough to send the shiver down the spine of any parent.
Lauren’s life is now an inspiration to others.
‘’No matter what their past looks like they can overcome anything,’’ she says.
‘’I was trapped in my past, couldn’t imagine a future, there was nothing. So now, looking at where I am compared to where I was, I want others to know that there is always a future, a choice, a way.’’
Lauren, thank you for sharing your story.
STEEL PRESSURE BUILDING
It has been a big week for an industry which is at the heart of the Illawarra region.
As our front page declared earlier this week it is now officially “game on” for the Port Kembla steelworks.
Huge savings, carried largely by the workforce, have brought one of the last remaining steel-making facilities in this country back from the brink.
Rather than closure, the story now turns to how the longer term future of the Port Kembla steelworks can be achieved.
One of those factors is direct action by governments of a state and federal level.
The passing of the Greens’ steel procurement bill through the upper house has put further pressure on the Baird Government to step up to the plate and do more.