I knew I was going away
⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses addiction & recovery and trauma & healing, which some listeners may find distressing.
If you need support, you’re not alone. Help is available:
• SMART Recovery Australia (addiction): smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au
• ReachOut: au.reachout.com
• Blue Knot Foundation (complex trauma): 1300 657 380 · blueknot.org.au
• Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au
Paul Turley grew up in Sydney with loving but distant parents who separated when he was 14. The fracture triggered years of unmanaged grief, heavy drinking, drug use, and directionless drift through his late teens and early twenties. On New Year’s Eve 2004, fueled by jealousy and intoxication, Paul drove drunk and stoned from a party toward his girlfriend’s house, crashed into a car at high speed, and killed Yook Wai Leung, a 62-year-old chef coming home from work. The crash shattered Paul’s jaw, ruptured his bowel, and sent him to prison for two and a half years. In his hospital bed, Paul made two decisions: accept the consequence and find a way to make the tragedy mean something. He rebuilt himself through prison programs, moved to Western Australia to distance himself from old patterns, built a family and career in mining, and now speaks to schools, workplaces, and communities about decision-making, accountability, and the possibility of coming back from the worst choices. Today he honours Yook Wai Leung’s name in his advocacy work and hopes one day to meet the victim’s family.
Paul Turley is a book publisher, author, and senior operations executive in Western Australia’s mining industry. At 22, he drove drunk and stoned from a New Year’s Eve party, crashed into an oncoming car, and killed a 62-year-old chef. He served two and a half years in prison and has since dedicated his life to road safety advocacy and helping young people understand the weight of decision-making.
In this Kintsugi Heroes conversation with John Milham, Paul shares the story behind the moments below.
🕒 CHAPTERS:
00:00 The decision
04:00 Broken family, spiral begins
08:22 Humility and cockiness
11:10 New Year’s Eve 2004
13:30 The crash
16:52 Waking in the hospital
24:30 Owning the mistake
28:45 First day in prison
38:21 What is the why
46:30 Honouring Yook Wai Leung
52:45 The power of sharing
56:11 Gratitude and intention
🎧 If this story moved you, follow Kintsugi Heroes in your podcast app so you never miss an episode.
📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
whatforservices.com: whatforservices.com
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Welcome.
We’re glad you found your way here.
Kintsugi Heroes was created from a simple belief: every person has a story worth sharing, and sometimes the story we need to hear arrives exactly when we need it most.
Our name comes from the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold. Rather than hiding the cracks, they are honoured as part of the object’s history. We believe people are much the same. The experiences that challenge us, break us, shape us, and help us grow are often the very things that connect us to one another.
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