“I was doing just lowlife activities. I had no empathy. I didn’t care about anyone – not even myself.”
When Thomas walked through the doors of MOB Academy at the start of the year, everything changed. He was 16, stuck in a cycle of crime, and had lost sight of what a future could look like. Seven months later, he’s earned his QCE, enrolled in a full-time Certificate III in Individual Support, and is preparing to move north to start a new chapter.
This is his story – in his words.
“I was out of control. Now I’m calm and collected.”
Before MOB, Thomas says he was “just doing nothing” with his life. I was completely out of control. I wasn’t empathetic at all – didn’t care about myself or anyone else.”
He didn’t come to MOB by accident. His mum, who he says is the “hardest working person he knows” tried sending him to a trade school, but it didn’t stick.
“It just didn’t work. MOB was different. Everyone’s equal here. I saw the school on social media and I was keen straight away.”
That first impression turned into real change – fast.
“Now, I actually care for people. I’m calm and collected. If I feel like doing something stupid, I just go to the beach instead.”
“I did it in seven months.”
In just over half a year, Thomas earned his QCE – something that typically takes two full years.
He did it by stacking up certificates: mechanics, business, a school-based apprenticeship, PCYC, and MOB’s Certificate in Individual Support.
“The Individual Support Cert brought me the furthest,” he says. “Boys, just do the certs. Listen. It’s not hard. Some of them only take five weeks.”
“I never had anyone talk to me like a real person before.”
The biggest shift, Thomas says, came from the people around him.
“Damo’s the school dad. I don’t have a dad around. He sat with me when I was upset. Just talked to me like a person. I’ve never had that before.”
He also credits mentors like Koo, Ash, and TK. And he’s quick to point out the impact of MOB’s female staff.
“I didn’t know how to treat women before I came here. Now I see them as equals – like, they’re just people. Jess and Belle, they helped shape that.”
“MOB showed me I don’t have to go backwards.”
Beyond the certificates, Thomas says MOB helped him see things differently:
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About learning: “It’s not shapes and stuff. It’s budgeting. Real world, life stuff.”
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About speaking up: “If something happens I’m not comfortable with, I’d go straight to a staff member. That wouldn’t have happened before.”
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About police: “MOB brings them in to serve food, so we get used to them being human. That helped change my whole perspective.”
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About behaviour: “At other places, you get punished. Here, they actually try and help you work through it and get down to the root problem.”
And the impact runs deep.
“I used to carry myself in a way that made people hold their purses on the tram. Now, I wear the MOB shirt and I don’t get looked at. Not because of the shirt – because of who I became wearing it.”
“Most of my mates are in juvie. I’m not.”
When Thomas talks about where he could’ve ended up, he doesn’t sugarcoat it.
“You mess up once, and that’s it. Four years in jail. That could’ve been me. Most of my friends are in juvie. I’m the only one who’s not.”
Instead, Thomas is heading north – with a QCE, a plan, and a sense of self-worth that wasn’t there before.
“MOB feels like family.”
For Thomas, the sense of belonging at MOB has been one of the most powerful parts of his journey.
“When you walk through the doors here, it’s different. I feel safe. I can breathe. That’s never happened at a school before. It’s a proper family vibe.”
And when asked what he’d tell someone starting Year 11 at MOB, he’s direct:
“Don’t be rude. Just let it roll. Don’t leave too early. MOB will help you if you want the help.”
And if he could go back and talk to his younger self?
“Listen to Mum. Lock in at school. I had A’s and B’s once – I just threw it away for the wrong crowd. But I got it back.”
A Final Word
“Some of these boys won’t make it. But if you put in the effort, MOB gives you everything you need. That part’s up to you.”
Thomas’s story is living proof of what’s possible when someone is given the right people, the right structure – and the belief that they’re worth something more.
