Hard knocks

MOST people can point to something in their past that has shaped the person they are today.

MOST people can point to something in their past that has shaped the person they are today.

Hopefully, it's a positive influence that we look to - a loving parent, an encouraging teacher, an inspirational mentor.

But in many other cases, people are motivated by disadvantage, knockbacks or much worse.

There's no better example of this than Stephen Lunn's cover story on child protection advocate Bernadette McMenamin.

Read her shocking but inspiring story, told for the first time, and you will understand why she is such a passionate champion for vulnerable children in Australia and overseas.