As a child, he was called a multitude of nasty names but in his adulthood Mr Hoge wants to send a message to everyone.

“Don’t be afraid to be different and don’t let people define you by your differences,” he said.

After speaking with 450 students from Mater Dei Primary and College, the impact he had on them was obvious.

“I could tell by the questions that they were thinking about it,” Mr Hoge said.

The visit was to promote his book, Ugly, which was published last month but he is relishing the opportunity to talk to children at regional schools.

“The book is a good excuse to talk to the kids about being different and appearance,” he said.

Mr Hoge feels there is real value in standing in front of the students and speaking to them about how he got to where he is. He shared his experiences and gave them some tools and tips on how he dealt with different situations growing up.

His visit to Wagga was made possible by Shirley Clark from the Women’s Liberal branch. After hearing an interview with Mr Hoge about his book she tracked down the publicists and requested he visited Wagga.

“It is a great opportunity for the children to hear such an inspirational man speak.”