Janda's special birthday
COURAGEOUS Cairns youngster Jandamarra O'Shane turns 18 today, more than a decade after a crazed stranger doused him with petrol and set him alight at a school.
The shy youngster, who captured the hearts of Australians with his inspirational recovery, is happy to spend his birthday away from the public eye that has watched him since the inexplicable attack.
"I'lll just be going out to a restaurant with family and friends," Janda, as he is affectionately known, told The Cairns Post.
He still bears scars but said he rarely reflects on the random attack that left him with burns to 70 per cent of his body when he was just six years old.
Janda, who now goes to Woree State High School, said he was puzzled by the attention still given to him, but said he was touched by the concern people still show.
"Yeah, it's a bit strange. Sometimes I forget that all of Australia knows what happened," he said.
"People still want to know how I'm going."
For now, his priority is to enjoy life and spend time with mates, including his fellow members of the Juda Mulla Wadama dance group, which had its first performance last week.
"I'm just loving life and cruising along," Janda said.
When he leaves school, he wants a mining job and to learn to drive trucks.
On October 10, 1996, a former street worker from Adelaide named Paul Wade Streeton, then 26, walked into the grounds of the former North Cairns State School carrying a five litre tin of petrol.
He grabbed Janda, who was playing with friends, doused him with fuel and set him alight using a cigarette lighter.
School principal Michael Aitken heard children screaming and ran out of his classroom to find Janda running towards him, covered in flames.
He used his shirt to smother the burning boy and was hailed a hero for saving his life.
Streeton surrendered to traffic police nearby and was later sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder.
Janda spent four months in the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane, enduring several operations and skin grafts.
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Loving life: Jandamarra O'Shane will celebrate his 18th birthday today, 12 years after he was set on fire in an horrific attack.
Remarkable recovery: Jandamarra O'Shane takes his first steps in hospital after the attack.
Milestone: Jandamarra O'Shane and his mum Jenni Patterson run with the Olympic torch.
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