Speak From the Heart and They Will Listen

My name's George Leon. I'm a Kalkadoon Elder, Mount Isa. Been in this area since I was born, same as the family. My father moved here in 1947.

Where we're talking now is the house where all twelve of us were born and raised in this yard. But it wasn't just us twelve. Thousands and thousands of people came through here. From all over the communities, footballers especially. A lot of footballers came to play rugby league, and they all stayed here. My father looked after them. You had to go to work. He made us go to school. Even the mayor's son ran away from home to come live here.

What I've done in my life. I've been on both sides of the fence, like everybody. Nobody's pure. People make mistakes, and you can always improve. And I think the best way is helping people. That's how I got a name here.

I started as a PLO. Police Liaison Officer. I was just about to retire and I decided, there's still a lot to be done here. People talked to me about helping the community, and they knew I give tough love.

When I joined, I created a position where I engaged with schools. All the crime they talk about. The only way you're going to find out who these kids are is engage with them when they're young, in school. I'd go into every school, any class, and talk to them about behaviours. I wasn't just dealing with the bad kids either. I never ignored the good kids. Every kid I engaged with. About four or five hundred a week.

All the families used to try and talk to kids, get them to school. They'd tell the kids, "Uncle George is coming over. If you're not ready for school, he's going to drag you to school." Even now that I've finished, the parents are still saying that.

Since I've finished, I've seen more and more kids out on the street during the day. Not one person, no agency doing what I used to do. Pulling up, talking to these kids, asking why they're not at school.

When I was young here, it was good. It was a lot better. Everyone got on. You could sleep outside, doors open, you trusted anyone. We had football clubs. We looked after each other. But since the phones came in, life's changed. And it's changed for the worst, not for the best.

People apply for grants to run things, but you've got to know the people first. Know the needs before you set anything up. You can't just take kids out bush for a week or two and expect they're going to change. These kids will take years to change.

We're not targeting the main ones. People target kids that are just being a bit naughty. But they're not targeting the real leaders. The kids who lead the others into trouble. That's who you grab. You grab them and start working on them so they can work on the rest.

People send workers to do courses in Brisbane or Melbourne. Courses on what? You've got to learn to speak from the heart. If you speak from the heart and you tell the truth, people listen.

I've got naughty kids, bad kids, and real terrible kids. Those terrible ones, I growled at them. But then I'd say, "You know why I'm saying this? It's because I care. I care about your life. I'm not here to just tell you off. I'm here because I care."

That police job was one of the hardest jobs. I was a boilermaker before, worked in the sun and sweated. But working as a police officer dealing with the community, that was harder. I was on terrible money and overworked, but I liked what I've done.

You want to prove your life? Get a group of good people together. You can stop it. I tell you right now, if you get a group together, you can stop it.