My Mum is a Kurnai woman from Gippsland who was born on LakeTyers Mission and my Dad is from Holland.
"It's never to late to go after your dreams" - Brad Boon
He was born in a place called Texel and came out to Australia with his two brothers and parents in 1952. I am one of eight kids – three boys and five girls, and I have a very large extended family throughout Gippsland.
I love going back home any chance I get to see my family and having that feeling of being home – it feels like I have never been away.That saying about ‘home is where the heart is’ rings so true for me, and Gippsland will forever be that place for me, no matter where I live.
The biggest influences on my life have been my parents, my family and friends. I find it difficult to nominate one or two people that have inspired me, as I have taken a bit from everyone that is close to me and used it as a source of inspiration in building my own success as a father, brother, cousin, son and partner.
I am forever grateful to my parents
I grew up in Moe, but did all my schooling in Morwell at Collins Street Primary School and Kurnai College Morwell. I played football and soccer as a kid and I made a lot of friends and have a lot of great memories from being a part of those two sports. Sport has played such a huge part in my life and I am forever grateful to my parents for allowing me the opportunity to play week in, week out. They made a lot of sacrifices financially and socially in allowing me to play.
I am a dad to a boy named Moroka, who is like a little energiser bunny and a little sponge that absorbs everything around him. We currently call Shepparton home, as this is where my partner Belinda, grew up and it’s where her family still lives. I enjoy the slower pace of life, but I still miss the craziness of Melbourne at times – mostly the good food, great coffee and live music scene.
Chasing Dreams
Chasing my dream of being a musician (drummer) is something that I have always wanted to do and I am finally living my dream. Hopefully that inspires people to realise that it’s never too late to go after your dreams and that you’re the only one stopping yourself.
It’s never too late to go after your dreams and that you’re the only one stopping yourself.
Being respected by people in communities that I have lived in says that I must be doing something right. I started out like a lot of Koori people by working at the local co-op, then spent three years at Telstra. For the past 12 years, I have been working back at Koori organisations (VALS, VAHS and VACSAL) as a client service officer, an adult mental health worker and as a project officer in the Gambling Awareness Service.
I want communities to be one again, just like it was when I was growing up. I remember when we all used to come together and have fun at things like NAIDOC Week, cabarets and opening days. That was when communities felt like communities and not how it is today.
Sources
- The Deadly People and their Stories - 2011 Calendar (Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service)
- The Deans of Soul Website (Image source - www.thedeansofsoul.com)