United in grief: Cody Walker’s cousin also killed in crash that claimed the life of Latrell Mitchell’s cousin
United by a shared heritage and rugby league, Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker are now bonded by tragedy after losing cousins in the same car crash.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
NRL stars Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker are now bonded by more than just their heritage and passion for footy after both losing young cousins in the same horror crash in Northern NSW.
The two Rabbitohs woke to the news one Saturday morning in November that their cousins – one just 14, the other 15 – were killed instantly when the stolen VW Tiguan they were travelling in around Jubullum Mission, between Casino and Tenterfield, smashed at high speed into a tree.
The wreckage told a tale of the horror inflicted on the two boys.
The passengers in the back of the car miraculously survived.
In a cruel irony, Mitchell and Walker had spent much of their spare time this year travelling around the state with senior NSW police officers to encourage kids in the bush to make smart choices and be the designers of their own future.
Now they know first hand the pain that engulfs a community, when teenage risk taking goes horribly wrong.
In an exclusive interview with The Saturday Telegraph, Mitchell said he was distraught by the death of his young cousin.
“It’s so sad, I don’t want to see anyone go through this. The impact that it’s had on my family and community has been heartbreaking,” he said.
“I’ve experienced that the last few weeks. It’s a pretty devastating thing to have happen to you. A piece of our future is gone.
“Kids out there don’t understand the impact it’s gonna have joy riding or whatever, but our choices can have a lasting effect on our family and community. I want to support a message that allows people to say no.
“There’s two ways you can go, you can get out in stolen cars or whatever it is your mates want to do or you can say no. It’s cool to say no, it’s your personal decision and you’ve got to make the right one.”
In the months before the tragedy, Mitchell and Walker travelled the state with senior NSW police.
The proud Aboriginal athletes teamed up with police after a chilling rise in serious crimes being committed by 10 to 14-year-olds.
While police made no apologies for coming down hard on repeat offenders stealing cars, joy riding, breaking into homes and committing armed robberies, they committed to digging deeper – finding ways to engage kids and get them involved with their communities.
Mitchell and Walker were key players, determined to bust the myth that police and Indigenous communities “couldn’t get along”.
“I really want to help break out the stigma, I guess the generational trauma has meant we just think Aboriginal people and police don’t get along in this country and that’s something we need to break down,” Mitchell said.
He praised Assistant Commissioners Gavin Wood and Peter McKenna for spending time “in community”, listening to elders.
“It’s all about that connection and you guys help show that police aren’t scary people, you get involved and that’s why we have a great relationship and we are closing the gap between Aboriginal people,” Mitchell said.
For Walker, the most important message he could give was telling kids to “dream big”.
“Dream big and chase your dreams. As kids start to get older, 13 and 14, that’s where the choices in their lives become pretty important, peer pressure is a big one,” he said.
“My young boy is turning 12, so I need to teach him there are consequences for choices kids make and some really good rewards if you make the right choices.
“Latrell and I are reaping the rewards now of making good choices … it’s a far cry from growing up in Casino as a five, six or seven year old kid. Not many of my family would have dreamed of playing on TV or the bright lights of the city. We are living examples of living out your childhood dreams.”
Mitchell said he was lucky to have good mates, cousins, and a mum and dad who kept him on the “straight and narrow”.
“I had great role models in my life, especially at school. My dad worked there so I couldn’t get up to much, instead of getting sent to the principal I would get sent to him,” he said. “That’s when you knew you were in trouble.”
The two men conceded not everyone can make it to the NRL.
“But whatever it is you want to be in life, it comes down to attitude,” Mitchell said.
“I knuckled down deep and tried to be the best person I could be. Anyone can be a good person, it starts from within yourself. And it doesn’t cost anything to smile. If you put good energy out you get it back and it does come back in bucketloads.
Assistant Commissioner Wood said he was always amazed at how willing the “rock stars” of the game were to give up their time.
“What underpins these two men is that they are decent to everyone. Travelling around the state I have seen so many kids, thousands, coming up to them and they always give them time,” he said.
“The kids clearly listen to these two men who they consider role models so their involvement is crucial. It shows you that everyone needs to buy in and present this sort of narrative.”
NRLW star and reality TV contestant Mahalia Murphy also works tirelessly in the community to inspire young kids.
“People like myself sharing our experiences through the struggles and success is important for people to know because I want them to know that us as ‘successful’ people have struggled too just like a lot of people do,” Murphy said.
“To help spread awareness that no matter where you are in life, where you live or what you are going through, you can always grow and achieve your goals.
“I love to work alongside community to help empower them to live a happy and healthy life and be confident in themselves to determine their own destiny and be able to make decisions to stay focused on their goal without unnecessary or negative distractions that may appear to them whether that’s their own family, friends or community.”
WE RISK LOSING A GENERATION TO CRIME
NSW police fear the rise in youth crime in regional areas may put at risk the next generation of Indigenous leaders.
Enlisting high profile athletes is one tool in their arsenal of circuit breakers to encourage kids to engage in sport, education and other activities that will steer them away from crime – a complicated challenge in remote country areas.
For police, it’s a “critical time” in the fight against potentially deadly risk-taking by kids as young as 10.
In an exclusive interview with the Saturday Telegraph, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos said the community as a whole, not just police, needed to work together to encourage kids to embrace and love their culture.
“If this generation of kids is going to develop and represent Aboriginal people it can’t be through committing crime and serious behaviour and misconduct,” Mr Pisanos said.
“Our fear is that kids falling into crime and harmful behaviours as evidenced by some of these tragic events is not going to assist and support Aboriginal culture and the future of their people. That’s not going to support another generation of young Indigenous people to get them into positions of influence to represent their community. It’s a critical time.”
Mr Pisanos said the recent tragedy involving the young cousins of Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker was another example of kids falling into the trap of risk-taking behaviour that was threatening their community.
“This personal tragedy for Latrell and Cody is proof of that – there couldn’t be more of a clear message from that.”
Mr Pisanos said one of the key issues for teenagers in regional NSW was the growing influence of social media and its impact on behaviours. .
“They know through social media the stuff going on in the world, they are not bound by geographics anymore, they see the dangerous behaviour on Tik Tok, social media posts, they copy the behaviour, it’s a way of feeling engaged in what’s going on in the world.”
Mr Pisanos conceded the problems were social problems that were difficult to untangle and needed a combined community approach.
Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna likened the work of police in the bush to being “the ambulance at the bottom of a cliff”.
“We know there’s a lot of agencies and people trying to do a lot of work in this space, but often we feel like we’re out there on our own, because realistically, after five o’clock, on weekends, we are” he said.
“We care about communities, kids in particular, we want to make a difference and we are doing a lot in the prevention space, especially with Aboriginal communities all across the state.
“We have to balance this with our obligation to our role in keeping the whole of community safe and don’t want people to think that we are out there just trying to arrest our way out of problems.”
Mr McKenna said the rise in risk-taking behaviour by young kids was happening in metropolitan areas but more evident in regional NSW.
Got a news tip? Email weekendtele@news.com.au
Join the conversation
USYD academic calls for Zionists to be ‘executed’
A University of Sydney academic has published a tweet calling for Zionists to be ‘executed like we executed Nazis’, sparking condemnation and an investigation by the institution.
Read more
Steely resolve: New minister’s strong message for Trump
Protecting Australian jobs is not enough for union secretary turned minister Tim Ayres. Now he’s focused on defending Australian steel against Donald Trump.
Read more