Sam Ah-see hit the big time in the boxing ring and in retirement he went to Bowen Public School to inspire students to reach their potential on Friday.
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A former student of Bowen Public, he encouraged students to work together to achieve their goals.
His visit was part of the city’s annual NAIDOC Week celebrations, which included a smoking ceremony in the school’s cultural garden.
Mr Ah-see was the Australian light middleweight boxing champion in 2014 and now works as a youth support worker in Anglicare.
Mr Ah-see said it was “daunting” returning to the place he came to for kindergarten until year 6.
“It’s crazy to see how far you’ve come,” he said.
“So much has happened in between, so much you wouldn’t think would happen.”
While there’s memories which feel like yesterday for Mr Ah-see – he was there to encourage students to strive to reach their potential.
Mr Ah-see talked about training in Los Angeles.
“After training I was just laying in bed, thinking ‘this little black fella from Jilba Street in Orange is taking on the world’.”
He shared some of the stories of his youth including what it was liking visiting a shop with his indigenous friends and then returning another time with a different group of mates.
“I can see how far we’ve come, but it also drove me to be a better person,” he said.
Mr Ah-see said a lot had been achieved in the 50 years since the 1967 referendum and there was more that could be achieved.
NAIDOC Week celebrations, National Sorry Day, Orange’s Aboriginal Medical Service and Gerald Power and Jamie Newman becoming community leaders were prime examples of progress.
“Let’s move forward, look how much we’ve done, in another 50 years we could have a black PM,” he said.
Bowen Public School teacher Emily Day said it was special to have Mr Ah-see return to speak to students.
Mrs Day is a member of the committee who organised the NAIDOC Week celebrations at the school.
She said Friday’s celebrations and Mr Ah-see’s talk was to encourage students to think about their futures.
“We hope that for our older students especially, that they can see how much they can do,” she said.
“Using [Mr Ah-see’s] example to see how far they can go with their lives.
“When Sam was here, he wouldn’t have dreamed he would have been such a successful person.
“He’s not just representing his family, he’s representing his culture.”