Luke Brown stars on ABC's Message Stick
Monday, 22 October 2007

Luke Brown was featured on ABC program Message Stick on Monday, October 15.

Shepparton's Luke Brown will hit the big screen on Monday night (October 15, 2007) when he features on the ABC as part of the Message Stick program.

Luke, 17-years-old, is an energetic Indigenous youth who turned his life around about two years ago. "He was on a downward spiral with no vision for the future and was about to drop out of school in Year 10 when he came to Ganbina for help. We were able to help him look at the bigger picture and he just turned his life around," Ganbina Projects Manager Kellie Marsters said. "He's such an inspiration to his family and friends now with goals to finish Year 12 and go to university. His confidence and determination to succeed is infectious and there is no doubt Luke will be successful - he's just come so far in the past two years and we're very proud of him."

Luke is currently studying Certificate III in Sport at the Academy of Sport Health and Education (ASHE) and plans to complete Year 11 and 12 VCE at Wanganui Park Secondary College by 2009. He has been the captain of the Rumbalara Football Netball Club U/17 football team for the past two seasons and is a youth ambassador for Ganbina.

Message Stick came to Ganbina in its search for positive Indigenous stories around Australia. Message Stick is a half hour magazine style TV program about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lifestyles and issues. It features profile stories, interviews, video clips and cooking segments and provides a slot where special half hour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander documentaries can be shown. It allows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to tell their stories in their own way.

Ganbina supports Indigenous youth in Shepparton and Mooroopna in education, training and employment and runs a suite of programs that build strong foundations for Indigenous youth to reach their goals and be successful.