Community
21 August, 2024
Thurston launches academy site in Mount Isa
The North Queensland Cowboys legend wants to help youth in the North West.
Writing in his autobiography, released to coincide with his 2018 retirement, Johnathan Thurston tells of a brief time in his teenage years when he would break into cars and garages in the suburbs of Brisbane in search of loose cash or lawn mowers to pawn.
“We started with sheds and ended up moving onto cars – I would always carry a screwdriver in my pocket,” the NRL champ wrote.
“We had a few run-ins with the cops. We were chased a few times after being sprung but we outran them every time. They were always stopping us, too. We couldn’t go a night without having them stop us for a once-over.”
Thurston admits to this wayward youth in a chapter, appropriately named Skeletons, which he was reluctant to include in his final book.
However, he said at the time that he hoped by admitting his own faults it could serve as a lesson to other youngsters.
“The mistakes I have made in my life have helped shape me into the person I am today as much as the things I got right,” he wrote.
“I hope my confession can do some good. If just one kid reads this and is inspired to make a life-changing choice, I will be glad to have told you about the bad that I went through.”
Thurston said it was positive role models that led him away from those poor decisions and into his eventual position as the superstar footballer he is today.
After his retirement, he established the Jonathan Thurston Academy, which operates early intervention programs that focus on mentorship and leadership skills to build self confidence among at-risk young people aged 11-17.
The programs attempt to reduce offending and promote educational and employment opportunities among young people by fostering stronger family, cultural and community ties and goal setting.
Mount Isa residents will soon see window artwork and bunting going up on an office space on Simpson Street, as the JT Academy becomes a fixture in our city.
When North West Weekly met with Thurston and his team, the ink had just set on the office lease and plans were underway to transform the building into a hub to work with at-risk youth in the city.
The academy has already steered its first group of Mount Isa young people through its 10-week academy program, alongside established courses in Townsville, Cairns and Brisbane, with plans for similar skill development for more local youngsters in the coming months.
Thurston said he wanted to use his post-footy career to help improve the lives of young people, especially Indigenous youth.
“I could have been one of those kids,” he told North West Weekly.
“I had the right support crew around me that fortunately steered me away from bad decisions and with the right support crew around these kids in Mount Isa, we can help them make better choices.”
JT Academy regional manager Antonio Winterstein, who wore the number five Cowboys jersey in the 2015 premiership winning side, said it was a conscious decision to make the office building prominent in the Mount Isa community.
“We want this to become a drop in centre as well, so any young people who are struggling and looking for help can open the door and come inside for a chat,” he said.
“We want to be a known and active part of the community.”
A University of Sunshine Coast evaluation of the JT Academy program, which was co-sponsored by Queensland Police Service, found it is underpinned by solid psychological theories of “mechanisms of change” – promoting prosocial behaviour through positive reinforcement and ongoing support from role models.
Thurston said he believed athletes could play a unique role in steering young people away from poor decision-making because they are viewed as role models for so many kids.