Local author Denis Bright presents ‘Something is Seriously Wrong’, a real story of domestic abuse set in NSW

“WHEN our grandson was taken, locked away in a room, we thought the Department of Community and Justice would intervene. They didn’t.”

These are the words of local author Denis Bright, who saw his family torn apart by an abuser who, after the end of a toxic marriage to his daughter, attempted to get her back by kidnapping their own child and using them as bait.

Mr Bright says what followed was two years of lies, false allegations, threats of violence, abuse and isolation, while the courts and the police failed to see the truth.

“While talking about it, while writing about it, I just kept thinking, how could this happen? Something is seriously wrong. I found myself writing it a lot,” said author Denis Bright.

‘Something is Seriously Wrong’ is also the name of the book, which records Mr Bright’s account of this harrowing story, with some changes in names and dialogues to preserve privacy and present more impactful moments.

Mr Bright’s goal is not just to present his own, singular experience, but to put a spotlight on the many victims of domestic violence that have to navigate, often alone, a deeply broken system where the bigger picture is often ignored.

“One of the biggest misconceptions of domestic violence is that it ends when the relationship ends,” said Ann Fletcher, Assistant Manager at Port Stephens Family & Neighbourhood Services.

“Unfortunately, this is not the case. The abuse may change form, but it does not stop.”

After a court resolution that returned the child to her mother, 70 people showed up at a party to celebrate: that’s how many it took, over the course of two years, to get the police and the legal system to finally see through the lies and connect the dots.

Unfortunately, as Mr Bright and his family recognise, not everyone is so lucky. In the year 2024, 78 women in Australia were victims of femicide, and many more were abused by their partners, who often fail to face repercussions. Bright hopes that, through his book, more and more people will become aware of how common stories like his are, and recognise that the system has to change to protect women and children.

By Nico LOMBARDO