A Caithness-born man has just published a book that confronts his past demons born from the abuse he suffered at a children’s care home in Thurso.
Donald (Don) Mackenzie, whose parents died when he was a child, was brought up in care in Thurso in the early 1970s. His new book, The Unwanted Gift, hit number one on an Amazon bestseller list on the day it was published. The harrowing but inspirational book details Don’s early life, starting with abuse in a Thurso care home from a woman he calls “Mrs. Nobody”.
Donald Mackenzie from Thurso suffered years of horrific abuse in his childhood and has written a book about his experiences.The cover of Don Mackenzie’s book, The Unwanted Gift, shows a sad boy with a Samurai-style figure behind him. It sums up the spirit of the story in which the abused child becomes an adult who uses martial arts to help overcome past demons.
“A lot of the kids I grew up with struggled with alcohol issues and stuff like that but I avoided it and got into martial arts,” said Don.
“My mum died of cancer when I was two. My dad didn’t want anything to do with me and died a few years later. He basically disowned me.”
Don spent a year at a home in Lybster when he was a toddler, and though he doesn’t remember much about it, he subsequently found out it was not a pleasant environment in which to be raised.
Donald’s first steps as a toddler at the Lybster children’s home.
However, he went from the frying pan into the fire when he was sent to a kids’ home in Thurso. “That was bad…really, really bad. There were daily beatings, and she used to lock us in a pitch black cupboard, me particularly, as she knew I had a fear of the dark.
“But it wasn’t just me. She was bad to all the kids, and they all have horror stories to tell. For example, at meal times, you had to finish a meal no matter what. If you didn’t, she’d leave you sitting there. One of the kids had to sit there for three days solid, morning and night!”
Don still returns to Thurso to visit friends and says he has mixed emotions about the former care home. Picture: DGS
He described a litany of violence, including continuous “open hand slaps” to the face of any child perceived to step out of line, along with mental and even sexual abuse. “She caught us taking crab apples from a tree, pinned us against a wall and was slapping the living s*** out of me with full force slaps as hard as she could.
“In my book, I say that was when I had my first panic attack at age six. Sometimes we were kept off school when we had handprints on our faces.”
Don said he went back to look at the former home and admitted to having mixed emotions upon seeing the place. Mrs Nobody ruled with an iron fist, but when she eventually left, a local woman called Christine Gray took over and “transformed the children’s home with love, care, and kindness”. Many of the children looked up to the late Christine as a mother, Don recalls.
Don with his Thurso breakdance team, the Egyptian Warriors. They went on to become Scottish champions in 1985 and Don says he still remains friends with them all.
The Unwanted Gift chronicles the author’s journey from an abused child through to his many successes. In the ’80s, he became a successful breakdancer, winning numerous competitions with his team, the Egyptian Warriors, who became Scottish breakdance champions. Don also helped establish Kuk Sool Won martial arts in Scotland, and went out of his way to start classes in his hometown of Thurso. Among his successes, he became a two-time national martial arts champion and was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
The proud moment Don was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.He has done breakdancing for TV and in front of the Royal Family.
After moving away from Thurso in his twenties, Don found success as a martial arts master, teaching across the world, and also performed as a professional breakdancer on TV and at major events. He even danced for King Charles and the Queen and performed martial arts demonstrations in front of the Royal Family as well. His company, Central Superhero Events, which provides performing superheroes for parties, has won Scottish Business of the Year. They regularly visit the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow to bring “superhero magic” to the young patients.
Despite his horrific start in life, Don has created an amazing and successful life while battling against CPTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and FND (Functional Neurological Disorder), both caused by the abuse from Mrs Nobody.
Donald started a company with a superhero theme. The characters often visit children in hospital.
Recently, after a four-year battle, Don was awarded the maximum compensation and an apology from the Scottish government, who acknowledged the extent of the abuse he suffered. The book is about his struggle to prove he was worthwhile and to overcome the harmful words and actions that were ingrained into his head. The truth of his abuse is finally out for everyone to read after an investigation with multiple witnesses and overwhelming evidence. Donald gave two days of testimony to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
Don said he owes a debt of gratitude to Mary Turner Thomson, who helped him edit the book. “She is a best-selling author in her own right and really helped make this all happen,” he said.
Don used the power of martial arts to overcome the dark experiences of his childhood.
Unwanted Gift is described in its Amazon synopsis as the “raw, unfiltered story of a boy born into darkness – and the man who clawed his way into the light”.
One of the online reviews states: “Would read this all over again. Some very emotional parts but there are also really funny parts too. I would recommend it to anyone. The true message I see is that kindness is the best gift.”
The book is 264 pages and the paperback is priced £9.99. The Unwanted Gift can be bought on Amazon at: www.amazon.co.uk/Unwanted-Gift-journey-abused-martial/dp/B0FP3ZKN9V
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