As a photo essay, this is best viewed on a desktop or laptop computer. 🙂

“Life is a wonderful journey, it’s like a movie. Each year plays a role of scene,  which ads up to the big finish.  So as time goes by, I tend to make sure I keep myself in the right lane to achieve the outcome of what I plan to do.”

“Describing myself in three words, I like to say I’m earnest, modest and honest.”

  Pictured below – Ernest’s bedroom.

What do you do for work? “I work in Campbelltown at the local court… I help new clients, [and] hear cases as well. I’ve also been working with the indigenous youth in Wollongong in the AIME program. Tutoring them in order for them to meet the mark that they want, to get into university.”

What kind of law are you interested in?

“I did criminal law, but I want to get more into family law.

I looked at the indigenous population as well, and their customary law attracted me to it. Just to be able to share my experiences with them, and also get to learn more about their experiences, because there’s no “Australian law”, as far as Australia goes. We rely on the British law, and therefore the only Australian law we have is the indigenous customary laws. So I was trying to mix the two together where I could come up with a solution where I could approach the Elders, and tell them about how the Commonwealth sees it, and this is how you see it, but if we can put the two together, this can be something we can work towards.”

  Pictured below is the kitchen in Ernest’s house.

Did you feel you had access to role models? “I did not, but it was more of – you get into this state where the world is against you, and your back is against the wall. I always tell my brothers, “a man is born free, but everyone is in chains.” The second you take your first step, life becomes a challenge. The only way I could build myself back up – was to write poetry and write music. But at the same time, I learnt about life with the soccer ball. That was my escape. I cannot play soccer now, because I have a medical condition… nerve/muscle issue. I went to Sydney FC, and they told me no. That was the darkest day, and the worst time.”

Ernest had been writing a script about his life, which went through the specific events that took place in his life whilst in the refugee camp. He’d written eight books by hand, but unfortunately they were thrown away. He now writes on his phone. “I still write, most of the time. it’s my only way to get emotions out. There [were] times when I was writing me against my alter egos… I’m writing a volume right now which is called ‘Ernest v Joe,’ which is myself and my alter ego. It was more of my mum that put it in that way, ‘When you’re nice, I call you Ernest, when you make me mad I call you Joe.’ My mum called me Joe when I was born, my dad called me Ernest when I was born. When they were filling the documents my dad ran out the door and put Ernest instead of Joe.”

It sounds like you’ve had some interesting experiences using your Law degree, but you’ve got a different interest now? Or did you always have your sights set on Medicine? “I think it was more that, when we were in the camp, I had two cousins and they passed away at a very young age. The oldest one wanted to be a business  man, and the youngest one wanted to be a lawyer. So, it was more like, once I didn’t get into Medicine – because they passed away at my own expense [in that] they were killed because I was told not to escape the camp, and I ran away. And they told me to run away after one had died, so the reason why the second one passed away was because I went back to the camp – so, it’s more like, when they gave me Law, I thought I could just have something there to make sure it’s for him. Medicine was what I wanted to do. I’ve always been the nurse, like even when people get injured, I always help them out.”