He was on the road to an AFL career, but Andrew Arden's life was plagued by generational trauma and unthinkable tragedy. He reveals the heart-wrenching reality of his childhood to senior journalist LAURA TURNER and the grim truth that helped put him on a new path to being a community leader.

IT'S hot in the old weatherboard, and the air is thick with a mixture of Mildura heat and sweaty bodies.