Perth parents 'horrified' after eight-year-old son hospitalised by bully
A Perth mum said she was "horrified" when her eight-year-old's school called to say he'd been seriously injured in a bullying incident.
Mason Farmer suffered injuries to his head, neck and back, allegedly at the hands of another Year three student, with doctors initially suspecting he could have spinal trauma, the injuries were that bad.
"Physically, he is now doing really well, a bit stiff, a bit sore and bruising, but mentally he's not doing great," mum Erin Farmer told Today.
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Photos show brave Mason Farmer managing a big smile in the back of the ambulance, still in his school uniform after the attack. 9News
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"In front of everyone, we find that he's OK, but the moment he is alone with us in his safe place, he's not coping."
Erin said her heart sank when the school called and said she needed to come in and Mason's dad, Aaron, who is a fly-in, fly-out worker, said he felt helpless not being able to do anything.
"I was working away at the time and seeing photos of him in hospital brought a tear to my eye, to be honest," he said.
"And even thinking about it today, it's just not right."
Erin said they are both angry at what's happening to Mason, something they admit is not an isolated incident - but they know he is not the only one being targeted.
"It's not just Mason who has had to deal with this, yes, it's a lot worse for him at the moment, but so many other kids have to go through this as well," Erin said.
"And at some point someone has to speak out and say something, I for one, am not going to cope with seeing my child, any of my children like this ever again, so the only way to deal with it is to say something."
Erin and Aaron Farmer want more government support to stamp out bullying. Today
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The pair said the school can only do so much to intervene when a bullying problem arises, but they want more government support for affected families.
"They need support from the minister to stop bullying in any school," Erin said.
"No kids should go through it, nobody should go through that at all."
Hear the full interview with Aaron and Erin in the video above
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