"The example par excellence": The NRMA deckhand who turned his life around
22/05/24
By Allie Voyage
Thomas Wright is 48 years old. He’s currently employed as a deckhand for the Manly Fast Ferry – part of NRMA’s marine business. This is the first job Thomas has held.
A proud Dunghutti man, Thomas found his way to the NRMA through the Maritime Training Course run by Tribal Warrior and the Babana Aboriginal Men’s Group.
“I was in a rehab out at North Richmond,” explains Thomas. “I’d had a drug addiction for about 12 years. And one day I finally woke up and said, ‘that’s enough for me.’”
As part of Thomas’ rehab program, he was required to join Asuria - a connected job agency – in order to actively look for work.
“I got a message one day asking if I’d like to come in and do a deckhand course. I didn't even know what a deckhand was,” muses Thomas. But once finding out the course was run through Tribal Warrior, Tom got in touch with their CEO Shane Phillips.
“I know the CEO of Tribal Warrior – I got his number and rang him up. He said ‘come in you’ll love it. I’ll explain what a deckhand is when you get here.’”
Living in North Richmond, the commute to take part in the course was an hour and a half each way for Thomas but his commitment to turning his life around shone through.
And within the next few months, Thomas had flown through the course without exception.
The course began with a day out with Michael Betteridge – NRMA’s GM of Tourism Development, Tribal Warrior CEO Shane Philips, and Babana Chairman and Founder Mark Spinks, on one of the Manly Fast Ferries. The student cohort learned what to expect in the course and what could come out of it.
“Every day for 8 weeks I was coming from North Richmond. But our classroom was the Mari Nawi so we were on the harbour every day, cruising, doing our work – that was the best part of it.”
Thomas learned all the ins and outs of being a deckhand and was thrilled the day he got the call offering him a job with the NRMA.
“A deckhand keeps passengers safe going from one location to the other,” Thomas explains. “There are a lot of regulars and I do get a lot of g’day’s and hellos and how's your day been and it’s very nice to have that said to me.”
“For me it’s still a 2:30am start, up and to the train station for a 5am shift... I'm loving the job, the people are great. It’s like a family, they all look after each other.”
As a father, family plays a big part in Thomas' life and while searching for jobs, he was worried how he could juggle visits with his daughter, as well as work.
“This place has been really great for me. To give me a roster that gives me weekends on and weekends off so I can have my little girl – I've never heard of a place other than the NRMA who would do that.”
Not only did the maritime course foster a sense of pride in his role, but it also expanded Thomas’ community within the NRMA and beyond it. He and some of the other Indigenous employees of Manly Fast Ferries have their own WhatsApp group that they regularly talk on.
He's been the example par excellence of what you would want from a program like this.
Reflecting on his life up until this point, Thomas says he’s not ashamed and is proud of how far he has come. “Alcohol came into play, then the drugs... hitting rock bottom three or four times, numerous rehabs,” says Thomas looking back at his life so far. “And now to a life where I work on the harbour of the prettiest city of the world.”
“I come from an Indigenous background and not knowing anything about working on a boat, but I want to be one of the best deckys I can be, for myself and the company, and continue to help more Indigenous people that want to do what I’ve done.”
Thomas is proud to tell his story and hopes he can inspire anyone in a similar situation.
“I want to tell my story in hope one of the brothers and sisters out there really listens to what I’m saying, and they can do what I did.”
Thomas Wright with the Manly Fast Ferries
Babana Men’s Group and NRMA's meaningful impact
In his role as General Manager of Tourism Development at the NRMA, Michael Betteridge was responsible for growing marine businesses including Manly Fast Ferry, Fantasea Cruises and Gordon River Cruises. Michael is proud of his Aboriginal ancestry through his father who was born on Gamilaraay land in the Pilliga and with extended ancestry into Murri lands (southwestern Queensland).
Mark Spinks, the chairman of Babana Aboriginal Men’s Group, founded the organisation 20 years ago. He recognised the gap in bringing together men in the community and wanted to address the big social challenges that Aboriginal men face. Babana is focused on First Nations health and wellbeing, particularly suicide prevention, as well as employment and breaking cycles of impoverishment.
After Michael’s first Babana event, he was all in. Michael continued to attend and bring along others so more and more people could see what Babana was doing.
The events are held on islands in the harbour and one year when there was a hitch using the Tribal Warrior boat to ferry attendees to and from the event, Michael stepped in to offer up a Many Fast Ferry in its place. NRMA has continued to support Babana in this way ever since.
"It was Michael that connected us with the Harbour Trust," says Mark, of the relationship that has allowed Babana events to now be held on Cockatoo Island/Wareamah four times a year. “We’ve built a relationship on trust and respect over the last seven or eight years,” says Michael. “I hope that continues for a long time to come.”
These events bring so many of our people from across the country together
In 2018, Babana partnered with Asuria and Tribal Warrior, to run a maritime training program, helping Aboriginal Australians achieve their Certificate I in Maritime Operations. This is the course Thomas Wright completed and the latest cohort for the course begin this May.
After a break due to Covid, the course started up again a few years ago. NRMA supports the course throughout with Michael speaking to the cohort at the beginning about what life in maritime looks like, and what opportunities may be there at the end of it. At the end of the program, NRMA can employ the best and brightest of that course.
“I’m proud of the fact that the marine business is probably the smallest operating division of the NRMA and yet we are currently running at about 10% First Nations employment,” says Michael. “It’s phenomenal.”
Michael can see the difference the course and employment has made in Thomas.
“He's been the example par excellence of what you would want from a program like this,” says Michael of Thomas.
“We created a trusted and safe workspace where there is support within the leadership group... and he’s flourishing.”
In February 2024, the NRMA won the Enterprising At Heart award at Asuria’s Awards Night where Thomas was also a speaker.
