ARTIE Academy delivers new car to Marsden State High to help indigenous kids to practise driving

Arthur Beetson would have been a proud man on Wednesday after one of rugby league’s most successful mentoring projects helped put indigenous teens in Queensland on the road to success.

ltr Steven Page, Kerry Cohen, Andrew Peach, David Contarini and Jada Cohen pose for a photograph at Marsden High School, Wednesday June 24, 2020. The Artie Beetson Academy is celebrating its 10th anniversary at Marsden High School. (Image Sarah Marshall)

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League legend Artie Beetson was renowned for his deft on field skills but few knew he had beautiful handwriting as well.

It was part of an education he was proud of and his eternal wish for indigenous youth was not that they could slip a pass like he could but they could become educated, get jobs and, importantly, get a driver’s licence.

Beetson, who died in 2011, would have been a proud man on Wednesday when Marsden State High was given a Holden Cruz for indigenous teens to practise driving before getting their licence.

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The ARTIE Academy has delivered for Marsden State High.

It was part of the ARTIE Academy, rated one of league’s most successful mentoring projects, which reaches 4000 indigenous children in 37 schools with the Queensland State Government chipping in for primary school sponsorship and the Federal Government for the secondary schools.

Marsden High is the state’s third largest school with a large proportion of students from ethnic and indigenous backgrounds.

Under new state rules, learner drivers must chalk up 100 hours of driving before they are eligible to sit for their test.

Former Broncos captain and Origin star Gene Miles visited students on Wednesday to present the keys of the car, supplied by the RACQ, to Marsden High principal Andrew Peach.

“This is Arthur’s legacy,’’ Miles said.

Not only a great player, Arthur Beetson also enjoyed success as a coach at Origin level.

“He was all about his people — first and foremost getting an education, getting to school and staying in school and going as far as they possibly can then — with no down time — going straight into a real job.

“When we used to go on the road with him I heard him say to kids all the time … ‘How are you going at school? Are you behaving yourself? Are you good for your teacher?’

“They would want to talk about footy but he would just turn the conversation around saying ‘footy is fine but you have to get an education’.

“He was very well educated himself — I still remember his beautiful handwriting.

“There has been some great talent come through Marsden like Cam Smith and Israel Folau but we are not about identifying talent. We want kids going to school.”

Beetson and John Lang at the first-ever Origin match in 1980.

Miles said his friend and late mentor would have been proud that with the 40th anniversary of the iconic first Origin match looming next month, his influence on indigenous culture remained as great as ever.

Marsden High student Jayda Cohen said driving lessons were expensive and she didn’t have access to a reliable car so the school vehicle would allow her to chalk up the 100 hours.--