Ben reflects on his early teenage years shaking his head and commenting, “I was headed in the wrong direction. Lucky for me I had good parents who listened and pulled me into line.” Ben, his brother and his parents moved to Mt Druitt, where he attended school and now lives. Ben’s family have always supported him, in particular his father who noticed when Ben was headed in the wrong direction and needed to pull himself together. “One day, Dad just pulled me aside and told me to get myself together. I wasn’t listening, I couldn’t look anyone in the eyes, I had no self-respect, all my friends had jobs and I didn’t,” Ben remembers of his teenage years.

After finishing school at 17 and getting his life back on track, Ben focused on getting a job. The first time Ben applied with the Commonwealth Bank, he wasn’t contacted for an interview. This didn’t stop him, it only spurred his determination; “I wanted the job twice as bad because I didn’t get it the first time. Nothing was going to stop me.”  He applied again with the Commonwealth Bank for one of their Indigenous Trainee positions; it wasn’t until two months later he was called up for an interview. Ben is now employed with the bank as a Customer Service Representative.

Ben talks fondly of the traineeship with Commonwealth Bank and in particular he enjoys the progressive Redfern branch where he is based. When he started he met CEO, Ralph Norris who talked about the Commonwealth Bank’s established Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Regular meet ups with the other Indigenous trainees are arranged as part of the RAP for support and to encourage inter-peer mentoring. To Ben, it is the local branch and employees in Redfern who make his work life so enjoyable. When he started, the then bank manager made him feel welcome. “I love working with my colleagues here. I like how we are all from different cultures and backgrounds.” He especially enjoys pension day when all the pensioners come in to bank their cheques. They always tell the same stories over and over again, which provides much entertainment for the Redfern staff.

As a Customer Service Representative, Ben has become more confident. Everyday, facing new and different people, Ben has had to open up and overcome his reservations towards others. “I never thought I could be confident, that’s what this job’s been good for.”

Ben would like to inspire and motivate other young kids to help point them in the right direction. He has been having conversations with his old school to talk to some of the students about ambitions and goals. “I loved it at my school when old boys came in and spoke about what they were doing. It made a difference to me, I could relate to them.” Ben imparts some of his own knowledge to other kids out there that may be headed in the wrong direction, “there are plenty of things that will let you down in life, it’s often hard to get away. But at the end of the day, it’s up to you.” Having a job has instilled this confidence in Ben.

This is only just the beginning for Ben.  At 19 he is armed with a strong will, a good education and plenty of enthusiasm to tackle any of life’s challenges.