November 19, 2025 • 11 mins
Across the last 19 seasons of the Clink, We have had some really raw conversations. This is one of most listened to episodes with Andre (The Giant) Meunier.
Growing up, André Meunier’s life at home was far from perfect. The Aussie was physically abused by his father, forcing him to spend the bulk of his time out on the streets. Looking for an outlet, “The Giant” discovered boxing and was given a new lease on life.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Approche production.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Growing up Boldy, I was a young kid from the
the the Commission area, you know, and I was only
a small kid, I think sort of grew in the
later years and sort of shot up just after eighteen
sort of thing.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
So I was always just a worried little little bloke.
But I would never take a ftal step.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
But I find that hard to believe, giant, he's a
little guy.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, it just and then just spiral from me, you know.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
I mean I've got a beat a million times in
the street and messed around at school and things like that.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
But yeah, I never, never, never, always had the crack.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
And probably that's probably why I got beat up a
few times because I never shut my mouth.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
You have a crack if someone who cracked me.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
But yeah, it slowly rolled on to where it went,
you know, sort of today, and yeah, I'm pretty staked
from what it became or what I what I thought
I was doing for just you know, getting fit and
having a fight, you know, going halfway around the world fighting,
you know, with all these people that I'd only ever
seen them names up in big lights and thought, oh ship,
(01:17):
and you're right every time going to fight, even you're
always nervous no matter what. But you know, I always
just try to keep it in my mind that you're
going in there, you're gonna get punched up, doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
It's going to hurt.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
So you you know, it's only you're getting punched up
in front of you know, thousands of people might have
been embarrassing if you get k straight home, But yeah,
it worked out better for them.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
That worked out worse, that's for sure.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
I don't think people truly understand how hard and.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
How do you forty eight?
Speaker 5 (01:46):
So that's what I was about to say.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
It is our ear and this week can both relate
to back then. It was quite hard, if I can
use this way of being a white fellow as such
growing up in the commission Aies because pronominantly it was
either strong Islander or strong Indigenous or Asian like. It
was very multicultural, but they stuck to their own and
you were always the outsider within these communities.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
I mean, I remember being that kid.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
You know, you'd cut through the bush and you get
jumped three four out, you know, by the brothers of
the area for your his shoes or your pushbike or
whatever it was. And if it happened once it would
continue to happen, so you had to at some stage
take control. And however you had to do it, you
had to stand your ground. With that come a lot
of floggers. That was just how it was growing up
(02:32):
in the Housing Commission areas back there, wasn't it.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah it was.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
And I grew up where I grew up in Jordanville
and Chadstone and then you know, went to a few
different schools, obviously getting kicked out of school being a
little shit, but end up you know, sort of heading
down towards Clayton and downing on things like that.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
So it was hugely island are populated.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
And you know that was my most of my hidings
off the island of boys and half of we're sort
of cousins of friends that I was knocking around with,
you know, because they'd get a couple of beers or
whatever and you don't fight the bar lungy which means
the white bloke, you know, and you know that's yeah,
so here fustle by lunging and you are your hands up,
(03:11):
you don't know who's coming from. But yeah, it molded
me into the sort of bloke that I sort of
am today. And they never worried about it. One one stage,
I was underfeend against the Holders because I just didn't
have that fear of me to to care because I'd
already been beaten up by him so long. And some
of those places and my best friends, they're still to
this day, you know. You know, they're like family to me.
(03:32):
You know, I was there was we had a game
back years ago. It was an awesomalle game called too
for to one And now we're all older that but me,
myself and another white boy you'd call it, Jeff was
the only two two white guys in the game and
the rest of them all holders. So, you know, a
few drunken nights we all so, you know, we we
(03:52):
copped a few hidings, but there the same, you know,
that was only this young guy shop, you know. And
then as we got older, you know, they're, like I said,
half from a church now and we're all the best mates.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
You know, I wouldn't have changed that.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
They are a beautiful natured culture, especially Smons.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Beautiful.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
I was actually had the the honor of being raised
by a family of Lord Tours for many years whilst
I was growing up as a young person on the
streets the western southern of Sydney, and they took me
in and you know, you understand the culture and you do,
but unfortunately the cousins and the friends aren't the ones
(04:30):
that you know, are you sort of thing or aren't
the family, and they're always the ones that are going
to pick you off.
Speaker 5 (04:36):
And for some reason you just I don't know. It
was always about acceptance, wasn't it.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Yeah, yeah, very true it was.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
And it's you know, you go to a party and
you just knew once once started getting drinking, you get
the side. I look a couple of times you just
knew it was going to happen, and you know, it's
just it's part and parcel and I suppose part growing
up and you know, being a so called outside in
their group. But yeah, I don't care. I love it,
you know because it's like I said, it's molded me,
(05:03):
you know, it shaped me into to myself. And and
it was very respectful too, though, a very respectful you know,
which was which was a good thing. Yeah, it's just
I was just remembering some of the time the times
system in mind and just started refreshing it.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Yeah yeah, yeah, I find that too, even hearing you
speak of it, it just automatically takes me back as well.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
And you're so relatable. How was home for you growing
up in that era?
Speaker 1 (05:31):
I was.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I was pretty ship at the start, obviously Marrisitian background.
I'm fathers from Rodrigue Islands. He sort of left when
I was about We never had him around. You know,
it was violent before that, getting bashed and all all
sorts of stuff like that. Watch him, I'm getting bashed,
all the all the normal stuff. And then yeah, then
going through you know, the commissary and then dealing with
(05:56):
getting touched up as a kid and ship like that,
which I don't really speak too much about because you know,
obviously it's a been close to me. But as I've
gotten all, I've learned to deal with it a lot better.
But yeah, being touched up by certain people and and
things like that. So it wasn't it wasn't always a
happy place, you know. I used to try to go
to my grandmother's in Sandra Camp to get away from
my house because a lot of shit was happening there.
(06:18):
You know, a cousin that was in and out of
jail from Pentridge and you know, used to do robberies.
And all sorts of ship and you just when you're
at home, you sort of dragged into it because coming.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Around and then he'd beat on the nod and ship
like that.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
It was just yeah, it's just shipthouse and you go
to your grandmothers and it's like a new world was beautiful,
But yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
It wasn't that good.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
It's it's something that us as men today that we
do speak of as both being survivors of sexual abuse,
you know, and coming out of I guess that that
commission area it was. It was so I guess, and
I've said it before. It was rife within the communities there,
and it was just what took place. This is was
(06:58):
and then when you spoke about it, like I remember
the first time I spoke about I got flogged for
talking about the brothers that were molesting me behind because
their uncle would drink with me, old man, and they'd
be on the charge all night, and then I'll mate
down the street.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
You know that he was doing it.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
And then like it was just you couldn't speak about it,
and then you become too scared to even bring it out,
you know, and then later in life, you know, I
it's it's It's hard, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I mean it, I dealt with a lot of like
I thought it was a fucking in my head, was
a bad dreams, you know, it was just what was happening,
you know, And I dealt with that for a long time,
but I knew it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
And then when I got old enough to.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Sort of become a man standing on ground, and you know,
because those people are obviously close people and they're still
around the circle and in that life, and then you know,
that's what I just thought. Turned and having my first son,
I'm like, I'm not having these cunts around my son.
And as you know yourself, all these fucking maggots, they
all interlocked with each other. There's so many of them,
and they target commission areas, they target low income people
(08:02):
and all this because they know where they get a
vulnerable little kid, that's right, the.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
One that's got nowhere to turn and no one that
really cares or to listen to, you know, or that
you looked at, is the troublesome kid around.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
So you're talking shit, yep, you know you're just causing trouble.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yep, one hundred percent. So, which is fucking hard.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
And ship but you know, it's it's it's how they
it's how they survive and how they go about it
because you know, they discover of the earth.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Really, it's it's only today that you know, you see
men like ourselves stepping up and having these conversations. And
as we both are now strong enough to not give
two fucks in reference to I guess bringing it to
as fathers, as community people, as someone within you know,
a world level of sporting. You know, these things that
(08:51):
need to be heard, and if we talk up about them,
it gives the confidence knowing someone like yourself, a warrior,
you know, a man of such strong.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
A stature is comfortable now speaking about this.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Then poor little Johnny down there that's you know, frightened
for his life, that may look up to you, will
then open up and speak up, you know, and it
has to stop. You know, these things do set you
on a path of fucking destruction. Trauma, addiction, jail.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Yeah, all the above. And people don't realize.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
You know, you see these people get off with if
you go rob a bank, you know, you get eight
years because you've destroyed people's lives because they're scared. But
these comps can touch kids up and completely destroy lives.
You know, they they kill themselves, get on the drugs
or just you know, you know what it's like. It's
it's never away from you, and they're lucky to get
jail or they might get a month or two and
be put somewhere, and now they're supporting them.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
It's fucking wrong. But the world's ran by these scums.
I fucking hate it. You know, I don't want to
die too too much into that I start tearing off
on on them base.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
No, it's looking an important conversation. And look to those
out there listening today. You know, as I said, you
know he's he's Andrea Man, that's you know, a phenomenal human, but.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
A warrior that's able to stand up and speak up.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
So just know that if you are out there and
you do need to reach out, you can reach out
to any of us shooting of our connections, our meetings,
and there's organizations out there now that will we'll listen
and you will be heard and action will be taken.
No longer does it get swept under the carpet the
way it once did. And there's still people out there
that are protected. But the conversation is better to be
(10:26):
had than held.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yeah, definitely, definitely. You can get it to me Facebook, Instagram.
I don't have to know you one bit.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Just get on and say something on the opening of
chat chat because I wish I had someone I could
have spoken to a lot more opening openly back then.
You know, might not going through half of what I
went through is and I try to take the positive
positive out of it. I mean, there's no positive in it, really,
but I've tried to take the positive out of it.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
You know, I'm a hard man.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
But and if I went through what I went through
to educate my kids so much as I did and
then never get touched, you know, I'll copy it and
I'll wear it because I know my kids will never
get touched, will never get bullied into into or or
bullshitted into going.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Oh. You know, if you don't do this, your dad's.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Going to be very angry. You know, all the little
tricks and ship. So I take the best out of it,
say you know it's happened. I can't change it, put
it behind you. But know that I've got confidence in
my kids and never you know, touch I can educate
them and make them smarter to watch out for these
these gums,
Approche production.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Growing up Boldy, I was a young kid from the
the the Commission area, you know, and I was only
a small kid, I think sort of grew in the
later years and sort of shot up just after eighteen
sort of thing.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
So I was always just a worried little little bloke.
But I would never take a ftal step.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
But I find that hard to believe, giant, he's a
little guy.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, it just and then just spiral from me, you know.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
I mean I've got a beat a million times in
the street and messed around at school and things like that.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
But yeah, I never, never, never, always had the crack.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
And probably that's probably why I got beat up a
few times because I never shut my mouth.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
You have a crack if someone who cracked me.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
But yeah, it slowly rolled on to where it went,
you know, sort of today, and yeah, I'm pretty staked
from what it became or what I what I thought
I was doing for just you know, getting fit and
having a fight, you know, going halfway around the world fighting,
you know, with all these people that I'd only ever
seen them names up in big lights and thought, oh ship,
(01:17):
and you're right every time going to fight, even you're
always nervous no matter what. But you know, I always
just try to keep it in my mind that you're
going in there, you're gonna get punched up, doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
It's going to hurt.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
So you you know, it's only you're getting punched up
in front of you know, thousands of people might have
been embarrassing if you get k straight home, But yeah,
it worked out better for them.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
That worked out worse, that's for sure.
Speaker 5 (01:40):
I don't think people truly understand how hard and.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
How do you forty eight?
Speaker 5 (01:46):
So that's what I was about to say.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
It is our ear and this week can both relate
to back then. It was quite hard, if I can
use this way of being a white fellow as such
growing up in the commission Aies because pronominantly it was
either strong Islander or strong Indigenous or Asian like. It
was very multicultural, but they stuck to their own and
you were always the outsider within these communities.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
I mean, I remember being that kid.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
You know, you'd cut through the bush and you get
jumped three four out, you know, by the brothers of
the area for your his shoes or your pushbike or
whatever it was. And if it happened once it would
continue to happen, so you had to at some stage
take control. And however you had to do it, you
had to stand your ground. With that come a lot
of floggers. That was just how it was growing up
(02:32):
in the Housing Commission areas back there, wasn't it.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah it was.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
And I grew up where I grew up in Jordanville
and Chadstone and then you know, went to a few
different schools, obviously getting kicked out of school being a
little shit, but end up you know, sort of heading
down towards Clayton and downing on things like that.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
So it was hugely island are populated.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
And you know that was my most of my hidings
off the island of boys and half of we're sort
of cousins of friends that I was knocking around with,
you know, because they'd get a couple of beers or
whatever and you don't fight the bar lungy which means
the white bloke, you know, and you know that's yeah,
so here fustle by lunging and you are your hands up,
(03:11):
you don't know who's coming from. But yeah, it molded
me into the sort of bloke that I sort of
am today. And they never worried about it. One one stage,
I was underfeend against the Holders because I just didn't
have that fear of me to to care because I'd
already been beaten up by him so long. And some
of those places and my best friends, they're still to
this day, you know. You know, they're like family to me.
(03:32):
You know, I was there was we had a game
back years ago. It was an awesomalle game called too
for to one And now we're all older that but me,
myself and another white boy you'd call it, Jeff was
the only two two white guys in the game and
the rest of them all holders. So, you know, a
few drunken nights we all so, you know, we we
(03:52):
copped a few hidings, but there the same, you know,
that was only this young guy shop, you know. And
then as we got older, you know, they're, like I said,
half from a church now and we're all the best mates.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
You know, I wouldn't have changed that.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
They are a beautiful natured culture, especially Smons.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Beautiful.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
I was actually had the the honor of being raised
by a family of Lord Tours for many years whilst
I was growing up as a young person on the
streets the western southern of Sydney, and they took me
in and you know, you understand the culture and you do,
but unfortunately the cousins and the friends aren't the ones
(04:30):
that you know, are you sort of thing or aren't
the family, and they're always the ones that are going
to pick you off.
Speaker 5 (04:36):
And for some reason you just I don't know. It
was always about acceptance, wasn't it.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Yeah, yeah, very true it was.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
And it's you know, you go to a party and
you just knew once once started getting drinking, you get
the side. I look a couple of times you just
knew it was going to happen, and you know, it's
just it's part and parcel and I suppose part growing
up and you know, being a so called outside in
their group. But yeah, I don't care. I love it,
you know because it's like I said, it's molded me,
(05:03):
you know, it shaped me into to myself. And and
it was very respectful too, though, a very respectful you know,
which was which was a good thing. Yeah, it's just
I was just remembering some of the time the times
system in mind and just started refreshing it.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Yeah yeah, yeah, I find that too, even hearing you
speak of it, it just automatically takes me back as well.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
And you're so relatable. How was home for you growing
up in that era?
Speaker 1 (05:31):
I was.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I was pretty ship at the start, obviously Marrisitian background.
I'm fathers from Rodrigue Islands. He sort of left when
I was about We never had him around. You know,
it was violent before that, getting bashed and all all
sorts of stuff like that. Watch him, I'm getting bashed,
all the all the normal stuff. And then yeah, then
going through you know, the commissary and then dealing with
(05:56):
getting touched up as a kid and ship like that,
which I don't really speak too much about because you know,
obviously it's a been close to me. But as I've
gotten all, I've learned to deal with it a lot better.
But yeah, being touched up by certain people and and
things like that. So it wasn't it wasn't always a
happy place, you know. I used to try to go
to my grandmother's in Sandra Camp to get away from
my house because a lot of shit was happening there.
(06:18):
You know, a cousin that was in and out of
jail from Pentridge and you know, used to do robberies.
And all sorts of ship and you just when you're
at home, you sort of dragged into it because coming.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Around and then he'd beat on the nod and ship
like that.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
It was just yeah, it's just shipthouse and you go
to your grandmothers and it's like a new world was beautiful,
But yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
It wasn't that good.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
It's it's something that us as men today that we
do speak of as both being survivors of sexual abuse,
you know, and coming out of I guess that that
commission area it was. It was so I guess, and
I've said it before. It was rife within the communities there,
and it was just what took place. This is was
(06:58):
and then when you spoke about it, like I remember
the first time I spoke about I got flogged for
talking about the brothers that were molesting me behind because
their uncle would drink with me, old man, and they'd
be on the charge all night, and then I'll mate
down the street.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
You know that he was doing it.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
And then like it was just you couldn't speak about it,
and then you become too scared to even bring it out,
you know, and then later in life, you know, I
it's it's It's hard, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I mean it, I dealt with a lot of like
I thought it was a fucking in my head, was
a bad dreams, you know, it was just what was happening,
you know, And I dealt with that for a long time,
but I knew it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
And then when I got old enough to.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Sort of become a man standing on ground, and you know,
because those people are obviously close people and they're still
around the circle and in that life, and then you know,
that's what I just thought. Turned and having my first son,
I'm like, I'm not having these cunts around my son.
And as you know yourself, all these fucking maggots, they
all interlocked with each other. There's so many of them,
and they target commission areas, they target low income people
(08:02):
and all this because they know where they get a
vulnerable little kid, that's right, the.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
One that's got nowhere to turn and no one that
really cares or to listen to, you know, or that
you looked at, is the troublesome kid around.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
So you're talking shit, yep, you know you're just causing trouble.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yep, one hundred percent. So, which is fucking hard.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
And ship but you know, it's it's it's how they
it's how they survive and how they go about it
because you know, they discover of the earth.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Really, it's it's only today that you know, you see
men like ourselves stepping up and having these conversations. And
as we both are now strong enough to not give
two fucks in reference to I guess bringing it to
as fathers, as community people, as someone within you know,
a world level of sporting. You know, these things that
(08:51):
need to be heard, and if we talk up about them,
it gives the confidence knowing someone like yourself, a warrior,
you know, a man of such strong.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
A stature is comfortable now speaking about this.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Then poor little Johnny down there that's you know, frightened
for his life, that may look up to you, will
then open up and speak up, you know, and it
has to stop. You know, these things do set you
on a path of fucking destruction. Trauma, addiction, jail.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Yeah, all the above. And people don't realize.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
You know, you see these people get off with if
you go rob a bank, you know, you get eight
years because you've destroyed people's lives because they're scared. But
these comps can touch kids up and completely destroy lives.
You know, they they kill themselves, get on the drugs
or just you know, you know what it's like. It's
it's never away from you, and they're lucky to get
jail or they might get a month or two and
be put somewhere, and now they're supporting them.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
It's fucking wrong. But the world's ran by these scums.
I fucking hate it. You know, I don't want to
die too too much into that I start tearing off
on on them base.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
No, it's looking an important conversation. And look to those
out there listening today. You know, as I said, you
know he's he's Andrea Man, that's you know, a phenomenal human, but.
Speaker 5 (10:03):
A warrior that's able to stand up and speak up.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
So just know that if you are out there and
you do need to reach out, you can reach out
to any of us shooting of our connections, our meetings,
and there's organizations out there now that will we'll listen
and you will be heard and action will be taken.
No longer does it get swept under the carpet the
way it once did. And there's still people out there
that are protected. But the conversation is better to be
(10:26):
had than held.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yeah, definitely, definitely. You can get it to me Facebook, Instagram.
I don't have to know you one bit.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Just get on and say something on the opening of
chat chat because I wish I had someone I could
have spoken to a lot more opening openly back then.
You know, might not going through half of what I
went through is and I try to take the positive
positive out of it. I mean, there's no positive in it, really,
but I've tried to take the positive out of it.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
You know, I'm a hard man.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
But and if I went through what I went through
to educate my kids so much as I did and
then never get touched, you know, I'll copy it and
I'll wear it because I know my kids will never
get touched, will never get bullied into into or or
bullshitted into going.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Oh. You know, if you don't do this, your dad's.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Going to be very angry. You know, all the little
tricks and ship. So I take the best out of it,
say you know it's happened. I can't change it, put
it behind you. But know that I've got confidence in
my kids and never you know, touch I can educate
them and make them smarter to watch out for these
these gums,
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