Henry Doyle, a young Aboriginal man born and raised on Palm Island, works in youth services helping kids who've fallen through the cracks. From organising footy teams to converting a bakery into a youth hub.
I'm a local on Palm Island. I'm Aboriginal. I've lived here since I was born.
The farm. I love it. It's a good place, beautiful. Everyone gets the chance to come in and enjoy it. What I get up to mostly is work, and I've got footy training. I play for a club at Charters Towers and I train for the All Blacks in Townsville. Then I go out to the PYC. Run around with the teens and the kids.
What I do for work is youth services. I work with disengaged kids, or kids who are not going to school. They come here and we create programs with them. We've got kids in and out of Cleveland, and we help them with community service and other programs. Getting their licence when they come of age, boat licence, whatever they need.
Mostly the kids getting into mischief are in Townsville. Nothing much has been happening over here lately, and that's a good thing. But either way, they're probably just bored of whatever they're doing and want something proactive. There's an under-fifteens footy club in town. They go in, play teams, have games. It keeps them active.
Around the time of the storm, for me it was alright. I like rainy weather. But throughout the whole week it was just all raining. The power outage, the landslides. It was hectic. Most of the workers couldn't come in and nothing got done, so they told us to stay on and weather it out.
The community reacted different ways. Some negative towards it, but that's how they feel. Mostly people don't have cars so they can't get to where they need to go for food. When the power went out, all the food would've gone off in the fridge, the deep freezer. Next time, probably be more prepared.
With the kids, we do a lot. Take them fishing, whatever they want to do. We can go play touch footy. Last year for the Christmas Cup we had a big footy carnival over here and put in an under-fifteens side with all the boys who don't really get to play. They really enjoyed it. We won one game, second game was a bit of a loss, but it was alright. All the boys enjoyed it. They took home jerseys and that.
They're all looking forward to playing again at Christmas Cup time. They asked me if we're putting a team in and I said yeah. It's just going to be more structured this time.
A lot of the boys who were disengaged last year, they're starting to rock up to school more this year. That's a good thing. Some of them still don't show up, but we try and encourage them to go.
If I could tell one story to the rest of Australia about these kids, it'd be simple: just encourage them the best you can. Just be there, supportive. Family's there, but it's always good to have that extra support on the side.
Right now through our program, we just did up an old bakery shop. Turned it into a hub. We've got TVs, couches, PlayStations for the kids to go down and enjoy themselves.
Just be there for them. That's it, really.
Henry Doyle
Palm Island, Queensland, Australia
Henry Doyle is a dedicated youth advocate and proud Aboriginal resident of Palm Island, whose passion for his community is evident in his work with disengaged youth. Living on the island since birth, Henry combines his love for sports, particularly footy, with his commitment to keeping young people active and engaged. Through his role in youth services, he designs programs that offer youth meaningful opportunities, from securing driver's and boat licenses to participating in community service. His efforts extend to nearby Townsville, where he supports the next generation by cultivating a sense of belonging and resilience, ensuring they steer clear of mischief. Henry's vibrant presence and unwavering dedication make a profound impact, offering hope and guidance to those who need it most.
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