Most people have huge problems getting up in front of a crowd and speaking. Even a short talk at a wedding or a social club can cause people to become incredibly nervous, to the point that they feel sick and may even have (severe) anxiety attacks. My life now is filled with public speaking events and national television presentations but the road to being a professional public speaker was a tough journey.

When I was a small child I was very sick with asthma and our family doctor informed my parents that I should have my tonsils to help my problem. The doctor performed the operation when I was six years old. The operation was a complete disaster, the doctor pushed back my pallet to gain access to the tonsils, he did so with so much force, he paralysed the nerve that controls the pallet from shutting. This caused air that travelled over my voice box to pass out through my nose, thus in effect, making it almost impossible to sound words. I was left by this clumsy doctor literally "dumb".

The doctor told my parents that he could do nothing for me and that they better send me to a deaf and dumb school. Mum took me to a specialist who recommended that I be sent to a normal school to force me to try and talk. Little did I know I would be mimicked and ridiculed at school and life would be very difficult indeed.

I was sent to Sydney Grammar School and soon received the worst treatment from other kids one could imagine. The kids used to hold their nose and mimic my strange sounding voice. Because the doctor had done nothing for my asthma my body did not develop like other kids when it came to PHYSICAL strength.

Without strength I had no way of defending myself against the bullies of the school that gave me a hiding almost on a daily basis. My dad was very distressed at the treatment I was copping, so he bought me a punching bag. After school I would get rid of my anger and frustration on the bag until the asthma took hold and closed my airways to such an extent that I had trouble breathing.

My body became slowly a little stronger and the punching bag became an obsession. By the time I was nine I was still having enormous problem at school with the bullies and the general mimicking from many kids. I was starting to talk a little better but my main problem was of lack of self confidence. If the teacher asked me a question in class, the whole class would have a ball at my expense.

To add to my self confidence problems my teacher was partially insane. The man had been a soldier at the Duntroon Army college and while training with hand grenades, a grenade exploded in his hand blowing the hand completely off. He was discharged from the college and became a teacher with huge problems mentally. Because I was having such a shocking life at school my homework was always very poorly done and my teacher had no time for me whatsoever. One morning he asked me a question from my homework, he asked me to read out to the class from my book. I became filled with fear at the thought of standing in front of the class and speaking, I knew what the kids would do. I stood up and could hardly talk, my pallet would not allow me to pronounce the words. To get out of talking and reading to the class, I lied to the teacher and said "I did not do my homework sir" he became very annoyed and told me to see him at lunchtime, also he said "I will give you six strokes of the cane for not doing your homework."

I was terrified, the kids all laughed. At lunchtime I panicked and hid in the playground in a Hydrangea bush. The teacher sent out some kids to find me.

My greatest enemy was a large lanky kid that enjoyed bulling me when ever he could. He was very happy I was going to get the cane and had been watching me when I hid in the bush. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to the teachers office. There I stood 10 years of age, facing an enraged teacher with steel clamps replacing his blown off right hand. He said " Hold out your hands".

He then began to strike my hands with so much ferocity that the cane split the skin open across my palm and up the inside of my thumb.

I pulled my hands away in agony, he grabbed me around the neck and ordered I once again hold out my hands. I did and received numerous more cane lashes to my shaking fingers.

Then he stopped, I shook all over and felt weak from shock. My left hand was badly bruised, my right hand was bleeding, my wrists and forearms almost numb. I looked up at this cruel mans face to see fear in his eyes, he had realised what he had done. I do not know how many times he had struck my hands but I think about 12 or 15. He muttered in a nervous voice "Wash your hands son".

I walked out of his office still shaking and was welcomed by the lanky bully and his mates who giggled as I walked off down the playground to the gum trees that lined the yard. There I sat down and tried to regain my breathing, the caning had triggered an asthma attack. In those early days there was no such thing as a ventillin puffer to stop attacks, only small tablets called Neoepedine. These tablets made the heart race and did little to ease deadly asthma attacks. I sat under the trees, took a tablet and tried to settle my breathing. Eventually I took an early bus home.

When I got home that day, mum was crying, she had received bad news about dads cancer, mum had been told dad would die. I held my hands behind my back as mum told me the news. I did not want her to have even more problems. I went down stairs and locked myself in my room with my best friend a small corgi dog named Chester and wept.

"Don Athaldo was only 5 foot 4 inches tall, born a weakling with asthma. He became one of the worlds strongest men. His training programs and constant letters of encouragement to David, gave him the courage to deal with school bullies and his fear of speaking in public".

As time went on I kept punching that old bag and more and more wanted to become strong like the other kids. I found an advertisement in the paper. The advertisement said "Become a strong man, change your weak body to one of steel"

The add also had a photo of a famous Australian strongman, Don Athaldo. See photo above:

I asked my dad if he would give me the money requested in the advertisement for the fitness program. Dad agreed but requested I write to Don Athaldo and explain what had happened to me with my voice,the bullying at school and my asthma condition.

I sent off the money and a long letter .Each day, I came home hoping to find a reply letter. Day followed day with nothing, until after two weeks a package arrived.

It was a long letter from Don Athaldo. He told me how he also suffered under the cruelty of bullies AND WAS also an asthmatic. He also said if I stuck to the fitness program on a daily basis, I would greatly increase my strength, not only in my body but also in my mind.

Week after week I trained and after only a year I was a totally different person.

I took up gymnastics and boxing and soon gained the respect of the kids. They soon knew if you mimicked Dave Ireland you got a bloody nose for your trouble.

Unfortunately the lead bully of the school had left the school by the time I was strong enough to stand up to him. Years later, when I was 19, I met this bully that had given me hell for 5 years of my young life. I did not hesitate to give the man a good hiding for the years of torment. I was surprised how he cried like a little child when I knocked him to the ground. I guess that is the way with bullies, they are, in reality, cowards. Unfortunately there are too many bullies in this world. In my opinion they should all be treated with contempt.

Don Athaldo kept writing to me until he died, his letters changed my life. I became not only physically strong but mentally strong. I managed to face my fears, the fear of bullies, the fear of being ridiculed and the fear of public speaking.

As soon as I had mastered the art of public speaking, my self confidence allowed me to pursue a life of adventure. To face sharks, lions, crocodiles and all manner of animals and record their lives on film.

I am now 55 years old and still to this day train 4 times a week. I can still bench press 300 lbs. I am nothing special but I am not afraid to live my life to the full. With my beautiful wife Susan AND OUR four sons, Jason 4, Nathan 13 , Adam 17 and Luke 20. I am proud to say, Nat, Adam and Luke all do weights. Susan swims and runs daily.

Every man and woman should master the art of public speaking. To do so however, one must learn to face up to the fear within.

For more information about David please click here or read how David overcame his Davids Public Speaking experience.