Jandamarra O’Shane had no idea what was happening to him in the school playground on a balmy Queensland day in 1996, but judging by the faces around him, it was something terrible.
“I saw fire on my arm, but I didn’t know how bad it was until I ran past a class,” he tells Woman’s Day.
“I remember seeing the teachers and the kids and their faces were just dropped in shock.”
That shock was because the six-year-old’s body was ablaze, the result of a horrific, random attack.
It’s 30 years since that day when a stranger walked into Cairns North State School and set Jandamarra on fire.
Suffering burns to 70 per cent of his body, the little boy was not expected to live.
Incredibly, Jandamarra defied the odds, and his brave battle captured the heart of a nation.
“People still talk about it today, and I’m still seeing messages of support online,” says the now father-of-two and disability support worker. “It’s lovely to see.”
HORRIFIC ATTACK
On that day in Far North Queensland, on October 10, 1996, Jandamarra was in the school playground playing tag with friends.
Thirsty, he ran to the drinking taps, where a stranger approached him.
The man was Paul Streeton, a charity worker and drifter who had attended the same school as a child.
In his hands was a five-litre can of petrol and a cigarette lighter.
As Jandamarra quenched his thirst at the bubblers, Streeton, then 26, doused the boy with fuel, and set him alight.
“I smelled the petrol,” recalls Cairns-based Jandamarra.
“And then my arm felt like it was stinging, and it got worse and I looked and I saw the fire. I just started running.”
Hearing the boy’s screams, the school principal, Michael Aitken, rushed to his aid, using his shirt and bare hands to smother the flames.
“He patted me down,” says Jandamarra. “He’s a legend.”
The brave little boy was flown to Brisbane’s Royal Children’s Hospital where he underwent surgery.
“I remember waking from a coma,” he says. “I was on a lot of drugs, but the pain was still there.”
He spent four months in hospital, watched over by his heartbroken parents, Jenni Patterson and Tim O’Shane.
Gifts and letters of support poured in from across Australia. And a channel Seven-led public drive raised $120,000.
SO GRATEFUL
“The other day my mum was tearing up about how much people supported us,” he says.
At the time, Jandamarra was a “massive” Michael Jackson fan, and the popstar called the boy in hospital while touring Australia in 1996.
“I’ll never forget that. He said, ‘Get well soon Jandamarra,’ and I was absolutely determined to do all I could to get better fast by eating as much of the food the hospital could give me, and taking my medication – with minimal complaints! He really lifted my spirits,” he recalls.
The mystery remains as to why Streeton, who handed himself in to police that day, chose Jandamarra.
At his 1997 trial, he was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison.
His motive was “retribution against society”, the court later heard.
Though he is now eligible for parole, he remains in prison.
Despite everything, Jandamarra wants to meet him.
“I forgive him,” says Jandamarra, who is a Christian.
“I’d like to have a chat with him, just to let him know my position.”
Today, Jandamarra is a single dad, who has studied music and is looking to pivot from disability work to youth work.
“It seems like a lot of our youth seem to be lacking direction and guidance,” says Jandamarra.
His son, Raupena, 15, lives in Townsville with his mum, while his daughter, Ava-Marie, five, from another relationship, lives in Cairns and he sees her every day.
“I remember when my son was six I ended up having a breakdown,” he says.
“I’d look at him and think, ‘How could anyone want to hurt a kid like that?’”
His mental health continues to suffer in other ways, too.
“Sometimes my motivation is low, but I have a wonderful family who are good at pointing it out,” he says.
“They encourage me to see a therapist.”
After undergoing years of painful skin grafts, the proud Murri Indigenous man still has difficulty with movement due to skin “tightness”.
He also suffers from haemochromatosis, a genetic condition that causes the body to store too much iron, and that’s led to him having type 2 diabetes.
“I’m learning how to handle it all,” he says.
And he is not alone.
“I’m very blessed to have such a wonderful family,” he says.
“And I’ll always be thankful for the support Australia has shown us.
“I wish that there was something I could do so people would understand how grateful I really am.”
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