‘It was one of the hardest days of my life’: Justin Hodges’ shocking family revelation

Former Broncos captain Justin Hodges has revealed details about the “heartbreaking” discovery of a shocking part of his family history that he says has changed him forever.

It was the news that shook his world.

Justin Hodges, former rugby league hard man, Broncos captain and Australian and Queensland State of Origin representative centre, says he was left heartbroken at an unexpected and shocking part of his family history that he describes, simply, as “the hardest day of my life”.

Hodges, 40, who has Indigenous heritage, was left reeling with the discovery that his family on his mother’s side was part of the Stolen Generations.

“I was in disbelief,” Hodges says.

“Probably one of the hardest days of my life, just finding out my family is part of the Stolen Generation and I had no idea.

“My family was deeply impacted through that. It was really heartbreaking.”

Former Brisbane Bronco Justin Hodges discovered his family was part of the Stolen Generations. Picture: Annette Dew

Hodges’ family and ancestry were examined as part of his participation in the SBS program, Who Do You Think You Are?

He says the experience has changed him forever, going so far as to say it has made him a better father and person as well as awakening an unexpected spirituality.

“It has had a massive impact on me,” he says.

“I’m starting to feel that identity that’s been missing for so long. It’s one of the best feelings and best adventures I’ve ever taken, even in terms of my sporting career.

“I’m so thankful I got to find out some information about who I am.”

Hodges was born in Cairns, in far north Queensland, as the youngest of three sons to Roy and Cheryl Hodges. While he knew he had Indigenous heritage, Hodges says he knew very little about his family ancestry, particularly on his mother’s side and that his upbringing “wasn’t culturally strong”.

Hodges began his rugby league career with the Brisbane Broncos, debuting at age 17 (in 2000), before signing with the Sydney Roosters in 2002 and then returning to the Broncos in 2005.

He played in Indigenous All Stars teams and captained the Broncos in 2014 (as co-captain) and in 2015. He announced his retirement from the sport at the end of the 2015 NRL season.

Justin Hodges of the Maroons makes a break during game one of the State of Origin series in 2015 in Sydney. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Hodges now works for the club in its Beyond The Broncos community program where he mentors Indigenous school students. The program aims to improve school attendance and year 12 attainment rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in eight high schools across the Greater Brisbane region.

He is married to Gyanne, 38, and together they have a son Carter, 8, and daughter Milane, 5.

Justin Hodges with his wife Gyanne and children Milane, 5, and Carter 8. Picture: Annette Dew

“For 15 or 16 years of my life, it was always about rugby league and being a rugby league player. For all those years, I was just known as a rugby league player and I saw myself as that. My cultural side was sort of lost,” Hodges says.

“To be honest, there was quite a lot I didn’t know about my family history. I knew a little bit about my dad’s side, I didn’t know too much about mum’s side. It was obvious that I was Indigenous … we had an idea that mum’s side maybe had a bit of Indigenous blood but we weren’t 100 per cent sure.

“When I was playing in the Indigenous All Stars, like a lot of young players, we didn’t know who we were and where we came from. It was challenging for a lot of us.

“Through all the history of what happened to our people, a lot of our old people weren’t allowed to talk about anything or pass things down the line.

“We were the generations where a lot of us were unlucky because a lot of those stories and knowledge weren’t passed down to us.”

Justin Hodges with Councillor Francis Pearson on Poruma Beach Jetty, Torres Strait Islands, as part of his participation in SBS program Who Do You Think You Are?

Through the journey into his family ancestry, Hodges learns that his great-grandmother Dolly was adopted by a white family called Smith while Dolly’s Aboriginal mother Minnie (Hodges’ great great-grandmother) was sent to an Aboriginal mission at Yarrabah, a community near Cairns.

The removal of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families and communities – breaking cultural, spiritual and family ties – is known as the Stolen Generations.

Hodges travels to Yarrabah and visits Jirrbal country, near Herberton, that he learns is the traditional land of Minnie and experiences an emotional “reconnecting”with country, meeting local elders and walking on the banks of the Wild River.

“I never thought I was a spiritual person because I wasn’t connected to culture or country,” he says.

“But I’m getting more of a sense of purpose and belonging. This land is where some of my people have walked and lived. It was the swimming holes they swam in and the path that they took. I could feel that; I could sense that. Even though they (my ancestors) have passed away, their spirits are still here and I felt that.”

Former rugby league footballer Justin Hodges with his mum Cheryl Hodges, as part of his participation in SBS program Who Do You Think You Are?

On his father’s side, Hodges knew a little more about his Torres Strait ancestry – his grandfather William Hodges was born on Thursday Island and Hodges visited the island when he was 12 for his grandfather’s funeral. But he knew little more than that.

Hodges further learns his great great-grandparents were Daniel Hodges, an Englishman, and Dinah Walton who was born in the Torres Strait. He travels to Poruma Island, also known as Coconut Island, 130km northeast of Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, where Dinah was born.

He discovers Dinah was the daughter of a local Islander woman and an English sea captain, William Walton, who, in the late 19th century, operated a lucrative business in beche de mer or sea cucumber.

Even though it was his first visit to the island, Hodges feels a compelling connection to the land and discovers that his two and three times great-grandparents had their umbilical cords buried there in the sand, following traditional custom.

“I was never a spiritual person,” he repeats.

“I never really felt that because I never really connected to where I come from or found out who I am. I didn’t even know the island existed but I remember going for a run on the island and some days I’d get goosebumps or something would draw me to a different point, I just couldn’t get my mind around it.

“It was crazy to feel that connection straight away. I’d never been spiritually connected to anything really. But spending two or three days there walking around the island and I felt a real connection to that place. That was really mind-blowing for me because I’ve never had that feeling. I couldn’t believe that side was actually coming out of me.”

Hodges says the whole experience “kickstarted” a desire to find out even more about his family and was the beginning of a “long journey to take”. He is also determined that his children grow up with a strong cultural identity.

Justin Hodges with wife Gyanne and kids Milane, 5, and Carter 8. Picture: Annette Dew

“It’s been a bit of a wake up call,” he says.

“What they (ancestry researchers) found out about my family was just unbelievable. Now I want to find out more stories and reconnect with more family. I want as much information as I can get that’s still out there. That’s what it’s about for me now.

“I’ll be taking my kids to these places that I went to, showing them what tribe and what part of country they are from so they can find the same connection. I want to pass down who we are to my kids and for them to know who they are. I don’t want them to go through what I experienced as far as not knowing who I am and where I come from.

“As a father, it’s important for me that my kids never have to second guess themselves that they are Indigenous. Information is the most powerful thing. As a father, it’s the most rewarding gift I can give them.”

Who Do You Think You Are? SBS, Tuesdays at 7.30pm. Hodges’ episode is during NAIDOC Week on July 5.