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Grant Maling inspired by memories of his grandmother
by Rebecca Harcourt 22 January 2014
M
y name is Grant Maling and I am from Sydney, Australia. I have lived here my entire life but I have travelled throughout Australia visiting family and holidays. I grew up in the Eastern Suburbs with family and attended Banksmeadow Public School, Matraville Sports High School for year 7 and JJ Cahill Memorial High School for the rest of my high schooling. My main role model is my grandmother because she spent her life helping others and giving them
Grant with one film and television celebrity Aaron Pederson. Images supplied
information and resources they needed, she put smiles on a lot of people’s faces and had many, many friends. She inspires me to see the positive side of everything I do and with her tragic loss to her fight with cancer almost six years ago, I have even more motivation to live in her memory and make her proud. I tend not to see celebrities or people I don’t know personally as a role model but I do adore Beyonce and Pink. They are strong women who do what they want and what makes them happy, they don’t care about what other people think of them and
they love to entertain and amuse other people. You’ve just finished your first year studying journalism at UNSW, when did you first come across Nura Gili and UNSW? I first came across UNSW when I was in year 10 in 2010, when the Aspire program came to my school to talk about tertiary education. I then found out about Nura Gili and in particular their Indigenous Admissions Scheme which helps Indigenous students to get into university, provided they have the ambition, determination and relevant experience. Even back
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then in 2010 I was still unclear as to whether or not I would go to university but as the end of year 12 came closer I realised that having experience and a degree under my belt would put me ahead of other people going for the same job as me. I didn’t go to Winter School, but I do know people who did and they said they loved it I applied for UNSW through the Indigenous Admission Scheme and although it was quite daunting: getting the paperwork together and heading to this huge university to sit a test and an interview with Heads of departments, all of which could well determine my next few years, it was totally worth it. As I had completed a traineeship with Channel 9 for two years, I had the basic experience and the interviewers could tell that I was genuinely interested and driven to not only complete this course but do my best along the way. How has your first year been? In my first year I have met so many amazing people from all over the country and been involved in some awesome programs and activities including the Indigenous University Games. This year I have completed eight subjects:
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Grant with Kerrianne Kennerly
1. Aboriginal Australia 2. Media Industry Context 3. Media, Culture & Everyday Life 4. Introduction to English 5. PR Principles 6. News Reporting 7. Australian Legends 8. Media, Society, Politics The first four were in semester 1 and the second four were in semester 2. My favourites would have to be the journalism majors: Media Industry Context and News Reporting. They are the main part of the course I am doing and I loved every bit of them. From interviewing people to taking the photo to for the story to writing the story and having the end product, those two subjects have already taught me so much and I can only imagine how much better it will get. I have written three news stories so far. Can you share some of the challenges of your first year? My first year at university has also been quite the rollercoaster if that’s not too cliché; I braced myself for heaps of work but was not ready for the work load that
I received. I had two 3000 word essays and an exam within two weeks and also had about 12 minor assignments due in another two week bracket. Apart from all the work you do, as I said earlier, I have met some amazing people and Indigenous University Games was the most amazing experience I have ever had. Not only did I grow closer to a group of people I go to university wit, I also gained many Aboriginal friends from all around Australia, from Perth to Adelaide to Melbourne, right up to Cairns and Darwin. What sparked your interest in journalism? In year 9, 2009, I embarked on this program called “How Big Are Your Dreams” which saw around 15 students from year 9 to 12 complete a yearlong project to discover our dreams and career paths. We visited many Indigenousrun places and also land marks and learned a lot about our history. One of the places we went to was Koori Radio in Redfern. I absolutely loved the trip and at the end when we were given the opportunity to go on-air I jumped. That night I Facebook messaged my uncle who
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was the General Manger at the time and asked him if there was any volunteer work on the airways. He replied saying there is a show that runs every day which is dedicated to young Indigenous people and it is voluntary. Within two weeks I was in the studio with a group of friends blasting music and taking requests. I have now been doing the show, with various other friends, for two hours each week for the past four years and I still love it. When I first started my mother even said to me “this will be a great job for you, you can talk all you want.” Apparently I loved talking when I was younger. The past four years with Koori Radio has been amazing and has taken me to the Deadlys for the past three years working on the red carpet and back stage interviewing celebrities such as Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Ian Thorpe, Timana Tahu, Aaron Pederson and Miranda Tapsell. Towards the end of year 10, in 2010, two ladies from the Aboriginal Employment Strategy came to my school and asked the Indigenous students what they were interested in doing after school. I said media and was told that there were currently no media partners to take trainees so I should also write a second option. They called me the next week and said I had an interview with ANZ which I aced. I had got the job at ANZ which I was okay with; it meant I could have a day off school each week. However, a week later the lady called me back and said “Look, I don’t want to get your hopes up but a media outlet has come to us and said they would like to try the traineeship scheme for the first time. Channel 9 would like to have an interview with you if you would be interested.” I jumped at the offer
and went along to the interview, did a ‘day-on-the-job’ and wrote a report about how the day went. For the next week or so I was so anxious about what the result would be and when I got that phone call to say I had got the position, the biggest smile ever grew upon my face. My first day was starting at 5 am which to be honest I wasn’t too thrilled about but went along with anyways because I was so excited to be working for a major television station throughout Australia. The following two years saw me working with the cast of the Today Show, Kerri-Anne Kennerly, Sonia Kruger, David Campbell, Peter Overton and Amelia Adams along with the producers, reporters, camera people and studio staff. I had the opportunity of meeting some awesome people such as Keith Urban, Cyndi Lauper, The Wiggles, and Lady Antebellum. What aspects of working professionally in the entertainment industry are particularly appealing for you? My main interest is entertainment and as I said previously I have met and interviewed many famous people already. I particularly like the red carpet, ‘suit and tie’ sort of events, Award shows and the like. I am yet to pursue any professional experience as part of my tertiary studies but I am thinking about doing an internship through the university next year. My top goal is to move and work in America as not only an entertainment reporter but as an American correspondent for an Australian television station. It would also be amazing to have my own television show, IN AMERICA! There’s an idea, Aboriginal Australian’s own television show
broadcast right around USA. What does Nura Gili mean to you? They mean the world to me, without the staff I wouldn’t know where to go for information not only with my assignments but personal things too - what to do if I’m ever stuck with pretty much anything. The Nura Gili environment is always a welcoming one; all the students and staff are so friendly and just completely down to earth people. The programs they run are not only informative but also enjoyable and fun for both staff running the program and the people who are in it. What else have you been involved with as at UNSW? To be honest, my first year has been quite hectic and I haven’t been able to get involved in many things, but if I ever turn up to Nura Gili and there is a BBQ on, I will definitely help out.. As I said, I went to the Indigenous University Games held in Penrith which was the most uplifting event I have ever attended. I’m not even sporty but I went, had fun, socialised, met people and played the games with everyone else which is what the games are all about. Any tips for others who are thinking about coming to study here? I would say go for it, it is seriously better than doing a gap year or just going straight to work, it’s fun, you meet new people, you get involved in programs and events that enhance your life and you get a degree at the end of it. I am actually really glad I made the decision to go to university because I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t. This article was first published in Nura Gili News, issue 9 on 19th December 2013.
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