The War Puppy | Quaden Bayles

LEIGH SALES, AUSTRALIAN STORY PRESENTER: When Australian Story first met Quaden Bayles, he was a nine-year-old whose life had been made hell by bullying. Millions of people saw him in his darkest hours thanks to a social media post and one of those who noticed him was Mad Max director George Miller. Four years later, Quaden triumphs. Warning to our Indigenous viewers, this story contains images of deceased people and also references suicide.

(In the car)

Quaden: I have my first one soon. So, I need a, I need a new suit. I had to wait a bit, because I had to have it custom made and all that.

Yarraka: Yeah, it'll be good.

YARRAKA BAYLES, MOTHER: Being a disabled Aboriginal child, he never received an invitation to any party. He doesn't have sleepovers. So get invited to all these events now. He has experiences that many people never have.

(At the costume store)

Yarraka: Which do you prefer? I like the one in red. Do you like black? Really?

Quaden: I like black because it's just basic and classic and matches my flavors.

QUADEN BAYLES: I didn't really know what Mad Max was. And then one day I was like, I'm coming home, I told my brother, I'm in the movie Mad Max, bruh. You know what it is? And bruh, he was leaving. Like, how did you like it. You know what I mean? I was like, I didn't even know what that was.

(Costume adjustment)

Yarraka: Walk nicely like it's the red carpet.

Quaden: I could wear the fangs.
Yarraka: No, that's not the case.

Quaden: But they seem…

GEORGE MILLER, MOVIES: Something about Quaden really resonated. I was struck by his behavior from the start. There is a certain charisma about him.

(Costume adjustment)

Yarraka: Oh, that's how it is. Come on, war puppy. Let's go, war puppy!

Suit Fit

Yarraka: I'm so proud of you, it's going to be so good, I can't wait!

(Quaden grimaces, pushes Yarraka away)

Yarraka: I know I have to keep in mind that he's 13 now.

Quaden: Yeah, I'm not a baby.

Yarraka: I know I'm sorry. I'm so excited and I'm going to try to tone it down.

QUADEN BAYLES: You would think that being a young kid like me, just going through things in life, you wouldn't really make it. But one day I got this thing and my whole life changed like that. It's just crazy.

TITLE: The War Puppy

(TikTok Clips)

Quaden Bayles

Hello, my name is Quaden Bayles and I want to be famous on TikTok. I'm 9, I'm almost 10. People think I'm 18, but I'm really not, believe me. I really have 10, one and zero, I'm going to have that soon.

INTERVIEWER: How old are you now?

QUADEN BAYLES: 18. No, I'm kidding. I am 13 years old. Not 18 years old.

INTERVIEWER: What do you think nine-year-old Quaden would think of 13-year-old Quaden?

QUADEN BAYLES: Very, very proud of myself. Uh. Very proud.

YARRKA BAYLES, MOTHER: Quaden is no ordinary child. He’s definitely matured a lot over all the experience over the last few years. He becomes stronger, more confident and more comfortable with himself. So he managed to overcome all this adversity.

(Bullying video from February 2020)

Yarraka: That's the effect of intimidation.

Quaden: Give me a rope, I want to kill myself.

Yarraka: That's what bullying does.

Quaden: I just want to bang my head on the glass.

QUADEN BAYLES: The video, it's really hard for me to watch and watch. I don't really like watching it, but I'm glad we aired it. If mom had maybe never posted that video, I probably wouldn't be here, filming stuff, loving Mad Max and all that.

GEORGE MILLER, CINEMA: In this world of Mad Max, it's all about conflict and what conflict reveals. This reveals a certain essence of the human being. And everyone must endure the darkness so that there can be change and light. And I think Quaden's story is a bit m