James Speedy has just received the Certificate 4 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice which is the first step in achieving his ultimate goal.

The qualification opens the door for James to become a nurse or a paramedic. Health care is a passion for James because he sees Indigenous health as a problem in Glen Innes.

“I started in February last year on the road to achieving the goal because indigenous health and helping my mob is something that I am passionate about,” he said.

“When I was younger I never thought I’d be on this path, I drank and smoked and had a good time with my mates, but as I’ve gotten older and become a parent I have become more concerned with my own health.

“I want to be around for my kids and not die young, so when I thought about my own health I then started to think about the community and that is when I started on this path.”

Mr Speedy said he has had a connection to Glen Innes all his life.

“I was a young person here, then I moved away for work and then I moved back here and have been here for a long time now, I don’t see myself living anywhere else, so doing something for my community is what motivates me now,” he said.

“I work at the outreach centre in Armajun where I am an Aboriginal health worker; this sees me working with local indigenous people with an aim to making them aware of their own health and taking care of themselves.”

Mr Speedy sees this as important work and takes pride in making a small difference in the lives of his clients, or his “people” as he calls them.

“I have been doing this job for the last seven years and I just try and make people aware of their health by making doctor’s appointments for them, helping them get to appointments things like that, which is important because many people don’t realise their health is precious,” he said.

“One of the reasons I took this job and have a goal to become a nurse or a paramedic is because I don’t see many Aboriginal health workers, doctors, nurses and the like around and I want to change that.”

Mr Speedy sees big problems with Indigenous health in Glen Innes and has made it a personal quest to change attitudes both from his people and the wider community.

“I see it every day, the hardest thing for my people to get away from is smoking and drinking, cancer and diabetes is also a big problem within the Indigenous community,” he said.

“I want to help people to get the care they need, for example a lot of people don’t realise they have diabetes until it is too late and by the time they do all I can do is try and assist them to get the right treatment.

“It would be good to encourage healthy living so problems like diabetes don’t occur, or happen less, I am only 43 but I have a lot of mates who have been diagnosed with diabetes because they won’t look after themselves, that needs to change, and I’d like to be there for my community to help, but to do that I need to have higher health qualifications, so that is what I am going to do.”