The following report is courtesy of Abc.net.au:

Gary 'Angry' Anderson is best known as the lead singer of rock band ROSE TATTOO, but these days he's also recognised as a champion of children. He has worked as a television reporter informing people about the problems of disadvantaged kids and also worked with programs which raised money for poor or sick children. A dedicated single father himself, Angry has been awards an Order of Australia Medal and several other awards for his good work.

However, his own childhood was far from happy. His abusive father dominated his life as a child. "He was a deeply troubled man, and you come to realise these things later on in life," reflects Angry. "I've dealt with my rage, my pain. You know, you don't get a nickname like Angry for nothing - I was a very angry boy. I grew into a very angry young man. When he was around he was a very explosive person - and he would just - as they say - go off at the drop of a hat. His rage was very unreasonable."

Instead of his father, Angry looked to his Uncle Ivan as his role model. "He wasn't like any of the others. My grandfather was a real teetotaller - no one in the family smoked or drank... Ivan on the other hand was a cigarette-smoking, beer-drinking, leather jacket-wearing, motorcycle-riding drummer in a swing band. So, I mean, here's this perfect role model for a guy, a young three- to four-year-old, wide-eyed kid. I've got Ivan to thank for everything.

"My first ride on a motorcycle [with Uncle Ivan]... I remember the wind on my face, the smell of the petrol, the sound of the motorcycle. I was sitting on the tank in between his arms and it was night time. I was maybe three or four years old, and I just thought, that's it. I know now that I made some sort of soul commitment at that moment - that's what I'm going to do - I'm going be just like him."

After the early example of Uncle Ivan, it seemed that Angry was destined for the world of rock'n'roll, but he nearly turned to the blues scene instead. "The people that I really identified with were the blues singers," he remembers. "I made a decision many, many years ago that I wanted to be a blues singer. I wanted to sit on a stool, with a guitar and sing about the pain and the angst of life, because that's what I knew. I understood pain. I knew what pain was about, I knew how lonely you could be."

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