IT wasn’t so long ago that Jonathon Captain-Webb was one of those kids ‘‘with endless potential but with not enough drive to utilize it’’.
Jonathon might be quoting teachers from Endeavour Sports High School or offering his own summary of himself, but it does not really matter because the young man who grew up in Mortdale has learned to use his potential.
Now 22, Jonathon is in his fourth year of Arts/Law at the University of NSW; is dad to 17-month-old Jandamurra; is engaged to be married to the child’s mum, Danielle; is holding down two part-time jobs and has his eye on a future career in politics.
And he has just won an Aboriginal Lands Council Freddy Fricke Scholarship, one of three recipients statewide.
In 2000 Freddy Fricke bequeathed his home to NSW Aboriginal Lands Council to help Aboriginal students reach their academic potential and launch their careers.
Jonathon, a Dunghutti and Gamilaraay man, was born in Redfern but raised by his grandparents, Annette and Peter Webb in suburban Mortdale, and is the first in his family to go to university.
Even as a young child Jonathon had aspirations to ‘‘better myself’’ and have ‘‘a positive impact’’ on the world around him.
‘‘I had a lot of friends and some family who were going on the wrong path and I knew I was not going to do that,’’ he said.
‘‘I also had amazing family support and I am extremely competitive — I love to prove people wrong.’’
Nonetheless first year university was a bit of a struggle for a kid with lots of potential but with few skills on how to use his time and energy.
So Jonathon applied to join the army, which accepted him, straightened him out and gave him the necessary discipline to continue with his studies.
‘‘I learned that skills taught in the army could be applied to university studies,’’ he said.
‘‘The army taught me time management and allowed me to focus — I would recommend the army to anyone.’’
These days Jonathon is a part-time rifleman in the reserves and a part-time employee in a law firm and shares his time between university, his grandparents home in Mortdale and Jandamurra and Danielle’s home on the Central Coast.
‘‘My son has solidified what I want to do with my life,’’ he said.
‘‘I like the idea of putting a mark on society for the better.
‘‘I have seen first-hand the barriers our mob face with education. I had many friends drop out of school and begin the cycle of criminality.’’
The Aboriginal Legal Service could be a start then perhaps a preselection for Banks, although he is not yet ready to declare his political colours.
Since 2002, 41 Aboriginal students have been awarded Freddy Fricke Scholarships.
The Scholarship is available for a range of subjects including finance and commerce, architecture, business management, community welfare services, community management, engineering, health-medicine, human resources, information technology, law-legal studies, science and tourism.
