Fighter in the face of tragedy

The Cloverdale resident had his early years scarred by violence and emotional neglect.

In his newest documentary Coyne examines how this has affected his life.

He stars in Fighter, one of two documentaries that will make up series two of From The Western Frontier. From The Western Frontier is a documentary series featuring the work of West Australian indigenous documentary directors and writers. It features the individual stories of everyday indigenous Australians who have a unique and inspirational story to tell and Fighter is Coyne's story. Three years after the family was torn apart, his mother was able to overcome her addiction to alcohol and was reunited with her family. These days, Coyne is a proud family man living in Cloverdale. He was also Western Australia's first Aboriginal pro-wrestler, known as N C Viper. He was in the game for more than seven years before darkness came upon him and this is where his latest story started. In the last 18 months, both his older brother and mother died unexpectedly. The deaths pushed Coyne into a downward spiral of apathy and depression. He became withdrawn and stopped communicating with his kids. "I stopped talking to anyone, stopped answering the phone and didn't want to wrestle," he said. "The documentary is very emotional and involves a lot of my family" it is one of my favourites." Coyne recognised he had not overcome the trauma of his childhood and began to draw inspiration from his mother's example. He realised that he needed to make a comeback for the sake of his family. "I looked a lot into who I was, and how I was a lot like my mum," he said. "There is a lot about her in this documentary. The documentary is a no-holds-barred exploration of one man's battle to overcome tragedy and to find the courage to be a fighter. n From The Western Frontier will screen on NITV at 7.30pm on May 24 and 31.