WEBVTT - Matty's Dedication To His Inspirational Woman 0:00:00.520 --> 0:00:03.960 Today I'm recording on Gadigle Country. As part of the urination, 0:00:04.320 --> 0:00:06.240 I'd like to pay my respects to their elders, both 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:09.479 past and present, and extend that respect all First Nations 0:00:09.480 --> 0:00:13.680 people listening today. I know you've gotta dig this. 0:00:15.000 --> 0:00:16.280 It's like I've. 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:20.200 Been given like an extra sprinkle of something. 0:00:20.320 --> 0:00:22.560 You've got layers, Yeah, I've got layers. 0:00:22.800 --> 0:00:23.239 I was just. 0:00:23.200 --> 0:00:26.400 Thinking, I'm like, we're just such beautiful storytellers. 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:30.480 You're making a lot of sense to that girl. No, 0:00:30.920 --> 0:00:38.159 I'm done to honest to go. Hey everyone, it's just 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:41.080 Maddie today. And as you know, Mother's Day was on 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:43.440 the weekend, so today I thought i'd do a very 0:00:43.479 --> 0:00:46.880 special episode with somebody who has been the mother figure 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:48.600 in my life since I was very young. 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:49.519 She isn't my. 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:52.800 Biological mother, but she has done everything and more that 0:00:52.920 --> 0:00:55.319 a mother could. And her name is Pips. So we'll 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:58.040 be getting into that conversation in a little bit, but 0:00:58.160 --> 0:00:59.720 before I do, I just wanted to tell you a 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:02.600 little bit about my early life before I met Pip. 0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:05.560 There's been a bit of a journey, you know. I 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:09.120 was born in the western suburbs of Sydney in a small, 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:12.800 little town called Claymore. It's a part of a much 0:01:12.800 --> 0:01:15.280 bigger town called Campbelltown. So if you know where Campbelltown is, 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:20.280 it's the poorest suburb in Campbelltown. As told by four Corners, 0:01:20.640 --> 0:01:23.800 I grew up in Claymore with my two brothers, Nathan 0:01:23.840 --> 0:01:27.280 and Aaron, my sister Kayla, and my mum Joanne, and 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:31.000 we grew up in many different parts of this one suburb, 0:01:31.319 --> 0:01:36.160 continuously moving from house to house after eviction and eviction 0:01:36.440 --> 0:01:39.080 and eviction. I grew up with a mum who was 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:42.800 mostly single during my childhood. My dad left when I 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:46.399 was very young, before I even started school, before I 0:01:46.520 --> 0:01:50.320 even attended my first kindergarten class, my dad wasn't in 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:54.320 the picture. Unfortunately, at that age, I don't have too 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:57.760 many memories of my dad. I have a photo that 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:01.800 is a memory of him, and he had long dreadlocks 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:05.480 and is a very different image to how I now 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.360 see my dad. But that photo meant a lot to 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:10.920 me at the time because I would talk to the 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:14.400 photo as if he were still around. But unfortunately, when 0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:17.679 I was very little, around the age of seven, I 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:21.400 was told that my dad had passed away. And this 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:25.120 was told to me by my mum, who at the 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:29.720 time was struggling with her own issues, which included mental 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:35.280 health issues, alcoholism, and drug addiction. My brothers and I 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:38.760 spent a lot of our childhood hopping from home to home, 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:41.840 and when we weren't in our own home, we were 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:44.000 in women's refuges. And if you don't know what a 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:47.880 women's refuge is, it is a place that women can 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:50.040 go when they don't have a home for them and 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:54.000 their children. It's normally filled with many different families that 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:58.360 share this same experience. I have so many memories, including 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:02.560 nine to eleven that very particular day, which is my 0:03:02.639 --> 0:03:07.079 mum's birthday. That memory for me was watching the screens 0:03:07.080 --> 0:03:11.119 from a woman's refuge. At that age, we were surrounded 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:16.440 by a lot of alcohol, drug use, and trauma. I 0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:19.240 think when I was younger, there were so many moments 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:22.880 in my life where I could see other moms in 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:27.639 the community, but also my Auntie be nurturing and caring 0:03:27.840 --> 0:03:31.440 and loving towards their children in a way that made 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:33.760 me feel like I was missing out on something. It 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:37.080 made me feel like my mum wasn't able to give 0:03:37.080 --> 0:03:40.160 me what I needed. As I've gotten older, there's definitely 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:44.760 become an understanding around that, and there's an empathetic nature 0:03:44.960 --> 0:03:47.520 to how I have a relationship with my mum now, 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:51.160 because when you're a kid, you don't realize that adults 0:03:51.200 --> 0:03:54.160 aren't the superheroes you want them to be. They're not bulletproof, 0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:57.480 they're you know, human beings just like you, and one 0:03:57.560 --> 0:03:59.920 day you will realize that what they've gone through in 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:02.880 their life impacts the way that they com parent and 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:05.520 the way that they can be your mum or your dad. 0:04:05.880 --> 0:04:09.600 And unfortunately, for what my mum had been through, she 0:04:09.760 --> 0:04:12.680 wasn't able to be the mum that I needed. So 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:15.720 after we moved from house to house, from women's refuge 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:19.839 to women's refuge, my mom's mental health declined massively and 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:23.880 unfortunately we were taken from my mum and put into 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:27.000 the care system. So this included not just myself but 0:04:27.080 --> 0:04:31.200 my brothers, Nathan and Aaron, and at first we were 0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:34.560 taken and put into one home where we all lived together, 0:04:35.200 --> 0:04:38.279 and unfortunately that became too much of a burden for 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:40.640 the care who was looking after us at the time, 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:43.359 so we were split up. We were put into separate 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:45.440 homes for the remainder of our time. 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:45.919 In care. 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:49.679 But during our time in care, there was a miracle 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:54.280 that happened, and until this day, I still see it 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:57.480 as almost a dream like moment. It was the moment 0:04:57.520 --> 0:04:59.920 that we were told as young kids that our dad 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:04.440 was alive. We were missing our mum throughout our time 0:05:04.480 --> 0:05:07.200 in care and we didn't think too much about our 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:09.440 dad because we thought there was no way that we 0:05:09.440 --> 0:05:11.640 would ever see him again because we were told that 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:15.680 he had passed away. Little did we know this was 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:19.039 the man who was going to come and save the 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:22.600 day like a superhero in a kid's book or film. 0:05:22.960 --> 0:05:23.360 He did. 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:26.039 He worked really hard for many years to get us 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:28.840 out of the care system. Once we had moved with 0:05:28.880 --> 0:05:33.000 my dad, it was like all our dreams had come true. 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:35.880 This man who was no longer alive came back from 0:05:35.880 --> 0:05:38.880 the dead and was able to look after his kids. 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:41.920 But once we had moved back to Tamworth and on Country, 0:05:42.520 --> 0:05:45.719 we still had that missing part of ourselves, which was. 0:05:45.720 --> 0:05:46.680 The love of a mother. 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:51.000 But luckily, there was somebody who came into our lives 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:53.560 not too many years after this moment who filled that 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:58.640 gap so amazingly, and her name is Pip. She came 0:05:58.680 --> 0:06:00.880 into our lives when I was at the end of 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:04.159 primary school and she has been in my life ever since. 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:07.680 She has filled that gap of a mother. She has 0:06:07.680 --> 0:06:09.880 given me the love and care and nurture of a mother, 0:06:10.400 --> 0:06:13.520 and she has been somebody who has been my stability 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:16.520 since the day that I met her. She's had the 0:06:16.560 --> 0:06:19.640 most profound impact on my life. And I don't think 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:22.760 that I would be anywhere close to where I am 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:25.040 at in my life right now if she didn't walk 0:06:25.080 --> 0:06:28.440 into my life. And today I feel so excited because 0:06:28.440 --> 0:06:31.360 I get to share with you our story of how 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:36.039 we met, our journey and what it's taken to get 0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:40.320 me through my life to this point, and how extremely 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:42.400 grateful I am for having this person in my life. 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:45.680 And she is here today. So please welcome the incredible PIP. 0:06:46.000 --> 0:06:49.000 Thanks Maddie. Glad to be here, Happy to be here. 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:51.280 Yeah, I'm so excited to be able to have you 0:06:51.279 --> 0:06:53.880 on the podcast. Obviously, you came into my life now 0:06:53.920 --> 0:06:58.880 twenty years ago, and that seems like a lifetime. You know, 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:02.680 it's for somebody, but it seems like such a long 0:07:02.720 --> 0:07:05.920 time ago, and I can't I don't have too many 0:07:05.960 --> 0:07:09.000 memories of my life without you in it. Now that 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:10.520 I'm you know, thirty years old. 0:07:11.920 --> 0:07:12.960 How did we get here? 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:15.640 How did we get here? It has been a journey. 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:18.440 I wanted to have you on the podcast because this 0:07:18.520 --> 0:07:22.120 is a Mother's Day episode and you've obviously come into 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:25.880 my life at a very young age, and you've been 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:30.560 the mother figure since you know, I was around ten 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:34.440 years old. Wow, which is, you know, a long time ago. 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:36.120 And I know that it didn't start off with you 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:39.960 coming in as the mother figure, and it wasn't something 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:43.800 that you know, any of us imagined this relationship would 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:46.960 be like. But I think this is a conversation to 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:48.920 have on the podcast because I think there are many 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:53.600 kids out there that maybe are in the same circumstances 0:07:54.000 --> 0:07:57.400 or have disconnection with their biological parents, and somebody else 0:07:57.400 --> 0:07:59.600 has come into their life, filled that gap and supported 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:02.480 them through their life and got them to a part 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:07.720 a part of their journey that you know, is normally 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:10.080 what a parent would do, or a mum would do, 0:08:10.160 --> 0:08:13.120 or a dad would do. But sometimes they're not biological 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:15.680 to us. Sometimes they're our foster cares. Sometimes they are 0:08:15.720 --> 0:08:18.760 people who just genuinely care about us. Sometimes it's our 0:08:18.800 --> 0:08:23.120 auntie's uncle's grandparents. So the word mother, I think has 0:08:23.280 --> 0:08:27.520 many different m you know it can it can, it 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:30.200 can have many different people take on that role. It 0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:32.679 doesn't have to be your biological mum. But I wanted 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:36.959 to talk to you about, you know, our journey, our relationship. 0:08:37.440 --> 0:08:40.080 And I want to go back to the start because 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:43.600 I met you through Sunday School. You did and when 0:08:43.600 --> 0:08:47.720 we were younger, what was your initial memory of me? 0:08:47.800 --> 0:08:50.120 Actually, I want to know that question. When did you 0:08:50.240 --> 0:08:52.000 what's your first memory of me? 0:08:52.840 --> 0:08:58.640 I remember you at Sunday School being very curious, very inquisitive, 0:08:59.320 --> 0:09:03.720 wanting to know, always asking questions, constantly asking questions and 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:08.079 wanting to know more, and then just wanting to expand 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:11.360 your horizon basically away from where you were. 0:09:12.280 --> 0:09:14.720 And so it was just who. 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:21.160 You were, an inquisitive, curious child who really stayed with 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:24.680 me all the time. After we'd finished Sunday School, you'd 0:09:24.679 --> 0:09:26.160 be there waiting for the bus and you'd be the 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:28.559 last one on because you'd be asking questions. 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:31.560 So where do you come from? Where do you live? 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:33.760 Can I come up to your place? 0:09:34.960 --> 0:09:37.319 So many questions and I'd say no, that would be 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:42.360 abduction because I don't know your mom and dad. And 0:09:42.400 --> 0:09:44.360 then I remember the first day you said, but I 0:09:44.920 --> 0:09:47.920 can get permission from my dad, and I said, well, 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:49.760 I would have to meet your dad. 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:52.439 I'd have to go to your house and Dad might 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:55.000 not be happy about that totally. So you went home 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:55.559 and asked your. 0:09:55.559 --> 0:09:58.280 Dad if I could come round to your house, which 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:00.800 I did about two weeks And I. 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:01.840 Remember that really clearly. 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:06.960 Yeah, and your dad and I met and we really 0:10:06.960 --> 0:10:09.679 got on well from day one and we still do. 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:10.320 Yeah. 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.839 He said something to me just on the weekend as 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:16.960 I was home, and he said, he is so grateful 0:10:17.040 --> 0:10:18.840 for what you've been able to do for his kids, 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:22.319 because it's not just me, it's my brothers, but also 0:10:22.440 --> 0:10:26.079 you know, the wider family. The amount of impact and 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:29.520 positive input that you've had in our lives is just astronomical. 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:31.600 I don't think we'd be anywhere near where we are 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:32.840 if it wasn't for you. 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:34.760 And that was a positive effect. 0:10:34.960 --> 0:10:35.160 Yeah. 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:40.600 No, Dad really recognizes the amount of love and nurturing 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:43.160 care that you've put in over the years. And he 0:10:43.240 --> 0:10:45.040 said that to me on the weekend, and I thought, 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:47.680 I know that you know that because there's been many 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:51.000 times where he's mentioned it to you and said to 0:10:51.040 --> 0:10:54.720 you that he's so grateful and so happy that you've 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:57.360 come into our lives. But I also think that he 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:02.199 to say that to us is also super important because 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:06.920 I believe that sometimes over the years you've actually taken 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:09.160 on the role of both parents for me, you know, 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:12.160 as much as because we've also been in the same city. 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:16.520 You know, you've you took me through boarding school and 0:11:16.520 --> 0:11:21.000 that whole process, and with Dad, you know, supporting on 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:25.520 the wings and always giving the approval and always and your. 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:28.120 Dad always did give approval. He was so good. 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:30.240 And that that's why I respect your dad so much, 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:34.160 because he recognized the fact that he couldn't be looking out, 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:36.920 that he could not look after you, and he was 0:11:36.960 --> 0:11:41.560 the one who said, please look after my boys, and 0:11:42.679 --> 0:11:46.160 I trust you and I know you'll never harm them. Yeah, 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:49.640 And to say that to somebody who really had only 0:11:49.720 --> 0:11:52.959 met probably for a year, and that you could have 0:11:53.000 --> 0:11:57.440 decision rights and make decisions on their behalf, on behalf 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:01.000 of him was of that was a huge thing. 0:12:00.920 --> 0:12:01.720 For your dad to do. 0:12:01.960 --> 0:12:08.040 Totally recognizing how much gratitude Dad has for the impact 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:10.440 you've had on our lives is something very special to 0:12:10.480 --> 0:12:13.200 me because we know my dad's heart and we know 0:12:13.520 --> 0:12:16.640 he's a good man, and he's somebody who would want 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:19.000 to do as much as he can for his kids, 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:23.880 and unfortunately, for many different reasons, he hasn't been able 0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:27.640 to contribute in a way that you've been able to. 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:33.800 And I think that you know, recognizing that Dad is 0:12:33.880 --> 0:12:38.320 grateful and so thankful that you've been able to, you know, 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.480 really take on that role is amazing. 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:42.880 It did. 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:45.439 When I wanted to ask when you were working in 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:51.520 Sunday School and Children's Church, did did you because you 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:54.440 started off as a preschool director? Yes, I did, And 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:59.320 so did your passion always revolve around children? 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:00.440 Yes? 0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:03.680 Over the years I developed more and more passion towards children. 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:07.560 And because I had experienced so many children and their 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:10.400 backgrounds and their parents and all the traumas and all 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:15.360 the things that happened to kids and parents, I just 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:19.880 developed a real interest in helping. So that's why I 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:22.240 went to Sunday School in the area that you were 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:24.920 living and not my own area, because there was a 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:28.280 call out to people anyone in Townworth to go if 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:31.560 they could to help at the Sunday School there. Somebody 0:13:31.600 --> 0:13:33.760 bought a bus and they were picking kids up from 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:37.760 all around cold Ale and providing that as a free service, 0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:40.280 and a lot of people were doing some good things there, 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:41.439 and I thought. 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:42.920 Yeah, this would be a really good thing to do. 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:45.440 And then the more I got to know you and 0:13:45.480 --> 0:13:51.320 your family and your siblings, and your dad was saying, 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:53.959 take the boys, do whatever, take them to the farm, 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:55.719 give them the experiences. 0:13:57.400 --> 0:13:59.560 That's how our relationship developed. 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:03.200 I always talked about what we were I was going 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:05.320 to do, and I would always get his permission, but 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:08.920 he didn't ever say no. Yeah, and I really respect 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:11.160 your dad for that because he wanted the best for 0:14:11.200 --> 0:14:14.040 you even though he could not give you. 0:14:14.240 --> 0:14:17.160 The best at that time. Yeah, So he was amazing. 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:20.640 I mean it's I love dad for that. I love 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:24.600 that dad has an openness and are willing to not 0:14:25.960 --> 0:14:27.960 you know, he doesn't have any ego, which I think 0:14:28.280 --> 0:14:31.160 is amazing because some parents might feel like, oh well, 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:33.080 if I can't do it, nobody else should. 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:33.840 Absolutely, but he. 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:35.880 Never had that no, you know, he never had. 0:14:35.760 --> 0:14:38.640 That viewpoint, which which I love. But you know, I 0:14:38.640 --> 0:14:41.640 think so our for the people who are listening. Pip 0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:45.680 and Ized relationships started when I was around ten years old, 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:50.880 and she also was taking my older brother to youth 0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:53.440 group on a Friday afternoon with a number of other 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:57.280 kids in the community, and it was a way to 0:14:57.600 --> 0:15:00.200 keep the kids, you know, occupied, but also connect than 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:04.640 with church and it was such a fun time for 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:07.200 us as kids, you know. I remember I was too 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:09.360 young at one point and I was nagging every time 0:15:09.400 --> 0:15:11.640 you would come and pick up Nathan. I would be 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:13.280 at the front door and I would say, Hey, when 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:15.360 can I come? When can I come? And you had 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:17.600 to be in high school. And so the moment I 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:19.760 got into high school, I was able to take part in, 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:22.720 you know, the youth group on a Friday, and then 0:15:22.760 --> 0:15:27.360 we would go to the Saint Peter's on a Sunday night. 0:15:27.400 --> 0:15:30.680 And those two moments in the week are such highlights 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:33.720 for me growing up because it took us outside of 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:37.120 our own community in terms of the experience, you know, 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:40.120 having a different experience outside of our own community, but 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:44.800 also allowed us to connect, you know, with God. And 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:49.400 I think that that was such such a a refreshing 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:53.040 thing for us as kids, because I know my dad's 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:55.880 connection with God, you know, he told me about when 0:15:55.880 --> 0:15:58.160 he was growing up in and the connection that he 0:15:58.240 --> 0:16:01.240 had with Sunday school and great memories that he had 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:05.520 through his mom, through his mum, that's right through my 0:16:05.640 --> 0:16:08.640 nan Irene. So he has such great memories of going 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:12.240 to Sunday School and always feeling you know, connected to God. 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:14.040 And I think that's something that you brought into our 0:16:14.040 --> 0:16:15.920 lives that I don't think many people would. 0:16:15.720 --> 0:16:18.240 Know about me. No, they probably do know they don't 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:19.240 a man of faith. 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:21.760 Yeah, So it's it's it's. 0:16:21.600 --> 0:16:26.000 Something that you know, I've had you know, ups and 0:16:26.040 --> 0:16:28.320 downs with in terms of that relationship with God over 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:30.600 the years. And I think that there's been moments where 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:33.720 I felt really strongly connected to my faith, and there's 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:36.560 been moments where I felt like I was maybe lost 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:39.040 and had other priorities. 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:40.600 So which you did? 0:16:40.680 --> 0:16:41.240 Which I did? 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:45.640 Yes, basically all of my twenties, you know, I was 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:49.200 they go where they're about to leave, aren't they? Yeah, 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:55.040 I'm about sent thirty. I wanted to talk about some 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:59.800 of the major milestones that we've achieved together in our relationship, 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:03.480 and one of them was going off to boarding school. 0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:05.879 And this was such a big moment in my life. 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:12.040 It changed my life. It was, you know, a tough 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:15.439 journey for both me and I would say, you know, 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:20.399 it was something that I was the first ever Indigenous 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:24.160 kid to attend this boarding school, so the Shaw School, And. 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:26.720 This was in two thousand and nine, and. 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:32.040 I want to tell the listeners or tell our audience 0:17:32.080 --> 0:17:35.960 how that moment came about. And it was a moment 0:17:36.200 --> 0:17:40.160 that we went and visited the boarding school's exposition in Tentworth. 0:17:41.520 --> 0:17:43.080 And do you want to tell us about that day? 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:48.840 Okay, Well, there was a boarding school expo in Tamworth. 0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:52.160 All the private schools came from Sydney and Brisbane and 0:17:52.320 --> 0:17:57.399 Orange and different rural areas too, and I decided I 0:17:57.400 --> 0:17:59.399 would go down there because I really felt that I 0:17:59.400 --> 0:17:59.920 should do that. 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:02.840 And I just chatted to some of the. 0:18:02.800 --> 0:18:06.520 Schools down there and I inquired about whether there were 0:18:06.560 --> 0:18:10.240 any scholarships for Indigenous children. And I spoke to Shaw 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:13.199 School and they and I said, I have a child. 0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:15.359 He's not mine, I have no money, and he's black, 0:18:16.800 --> 0:18:18.240 and I would like to. 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:22.480 Give him an opportunity to go to a boarding School's. 0:18:22.119 --> 0:18:23.240 Right, And I had our dad. 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:25.240 We'd consulted and Dad said yes, he thought it was 0:18:25.240 --> 0:18:28.520 a good idea. So anyway, they said no, they didn't 0:18:28.520 --> 0:18:31.000 have any and then I walked away. And then as 0:18:31.040 --> 0:18:33.080 I walked away. The head of boarding was one of 0:18:33.080 --> 0:18:35.960 the teachers there, and he came back and he said, look, 0:18:35.960 --> 0:18:38.560 we have talked about this at school, so I'll go 0:18:38.680 --> 0:18:41.439 back and I'll talk to the principal. And then we 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:43.600 didn't hear for a couple of months, so we thought 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:46.159 that was not going to happen. And then I had 0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:48.960 a call and they said, bring him for an interview. 0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:52.680 Yeah, And we went down in our Sunday best Yes, 0:18:52.720 --> 0:18:55.760 we're dad, we' dad, and I did a bit of 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:58.639 a speech, you know, in front of who was it 0:18:58.680 --> 0:19:03.040 was it the board principal and a few hours board members, 0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:05.600 and they got to know me. I remember where it was. 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:08.959 It was above the dining hall in the in the 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:13.119 boarding area, and I remember that moment. It was such 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:16.640 a turning point in my life, you know. And I 0:19:16.720 --> 0:19:20.280 was constantly looking for an out. And what I mean 0:19:20.320 --> 0:19:23.560 by an out is broader horizons. 0:19:23.119 --> 0:19:25.280 And a better situation, and a better situation. 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:30.560 You're right. I was constantly battling the path to go down, 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.399 what path I should go down, because I was wanting 0:19:33.400 --> 0:19:38.160 to do good. I always wanted to better my circumstances 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:41.880 but also change my life. Break cycles that I had 0:19:41.880 --> 0:19:45.760 seen in my world. But I was also a teenager, 0:19:46.280 --> 0:19:50.560 and there was a lot of you know, opportunity to 0:19:50.600 --> 0:19:51.160 go down. 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:53.760 The wrong path, a lot of influence, a lot of influence. 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:56.479 And I knew that if I was to stay in 0:19:56.520 --> 0:19:59.320 the community that I was growing up in, that maybe 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:03.320 I wouldn't be able to achieve what I've achieved at 0:20:03.320 --> 0:20:06.720 this point, and maybe I would have gone down the 0:20:06.840 --> 0:20:08.880 road that we see so many young people go down, 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:13.679 you know, the tough road, the challenges that are faced 0:20:13.720 --> 0:20:17.360 by many young people in rural and remote communities, especially 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:21.120 First Nations mob And I didn't want that for myself. 0:20:21.520 --> 0:20:21.960 You didn't. 0:20:22.080 --> 0:20:25.560 You had a firm grip on that idea, and you 0:20:25.800 --> 0:20:29.520 stuck to that through thick and thin, the bad times 0:20:29.520 --> 0:20:30.199 and good times. 0:20:30.240 --> 0:20:32.639 You kept that dream alive. 0:20:32.800 --> 0:20:33.160 I did. 0:20:33.280 --> 0:20:36.480 And even when we were told that my grades needed 0:20:36.520 --> 0:20:40.240 to improve, I remember, yes, you know, we had sent 0:20:40.280 --> 0:20:42.800 at my report cards and they said, well, you know, 0:20:43.119 --> 0:20:47.280 the grades aren't as great as they would like. And 0:20:47.520 --> 0:20:48.640 I remember going. 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:49.840 I've forgotten that bit. 0:20:49.880 --> 0:20:53.000 There I did, and I went and improved all my grades. 0:20:53.119 --> 0:20:54.800 You know, I won all the awards at the end 0:20:54.800 --> 0:20:58.080 of the year at Peel High and I won the 0:20:58.119 --> 0:21:02.159 Student of the Year award I won. There were a 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:05.439 few awards that I won at that assembly, and it 0:21:05.480 --> 0:21:07.919 was all because I went from basically getting d's and 0:21:07.960 --> 0:21:10.760 e's to I went and got a's and b's. And 0:21:10.800 --> 0:21:12.960 it was because I applied myself and I saw that 0:21:13.040 --> 0:21:15.200 I had a goal on the horizon. I was working 0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:19.960 towards something. And I think I've taken that way of 0:21:20.040 --> 0:21:24.399