“In 2013 I walked away with a Youth Worker of the Year Award…..if you had known me 2 years earlier you wouldn’t have ever pictured that as a possibility.
My days were spent at the skate park, drinking, smoking and skating. I was an alcoholic.
One day this random Christian guy Dave approached me at the park and asked me if I wanted to redesign the skate park. This was my dream! I thought it was an offer to good to be true but he was legit. Along with 3 other skaters and a designer we worked together and the Randwick Skate Park was reborn in March 2014!
Dave also offered me a job as a youth worker which I nearly turned down as I didn’t feel confident in myself. I knew I had to make some changes, particularly around my drinking. My Dad also used to drink but he has been 29 years sober and he also encouraged me to stop.
My job at Alfriston College as a youth worker is awesome. I get to teach science, basing it around skateboarding! Once a week we get to have class at the skate park!
I’ve just started to realise how important people are and how I influenced the young ones. I’ve had kids come up saying they wana be like me.
I’m still not perfect but I’ve definitely changed my life around.”
