Monday Buzz: Indigenous bush footy player Ethan Pegus turns life around after ice addiction and jail
This is the remarkable story of an Indigenous bush footy player and his determination to make amends after ice addiction and jail, via PHIL ROTHFIELD.
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Ethan Pegus is usually too ashamed to talk about his dark past as an ice addict and convicted armed robber.
He spent two years in prison, classified A2 for the most dangerous, high risk criminals in the state’s toughest jails.
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This is the remarkable story of an Indigenous bush footy player and his determination to make amends through the game that has saved his life — rugby league.
And how the NRL’s Indigenous stars Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker are his inspiration.
The 25-year-old father of two plays for the Gulgong Terriers in the Group 14 competition.
He wants to tell his story as a warning to other youngsters.
ARMED HOLD-UP
Raised in Moree, Ethan got into the wrong crowd in his early teens. He needed money to fund his ice addiction.
“I was young and dumb,” he says, “My life was drugs and crime.
“A fella said to me he was going to do a job and asked me to come along. We knocked off the servo at Bellata (50km south of Moree).
“I was off my face. We pulled up and one of the boys ran in with the gun.”
Ethan emptied the cigarette cabinet and grabbed the cash. One man was later arrested and rolled over to police.
“I was on the run for a couple of weeks before they got me,” he says. “Looking back I’m lucky. Thankfully no-one got hurt and jail was the best place for me to get off drugs.”
LIFE IN JAIL
Ethan hardly left his cell for the first three weeks as he was coming down off ice.
“I don’t like talking about it because it makes me ashamed of myself,” he says, “I just laid in my cell sweating, shaking. It was like being in a cage. It was terrible.
“I was classified A2 so they moved me around a bit — Tamworth, Lithgow, Cessnock, Silverwater … all over the place. You’re locked into this confined space. It’s like being a dog. You get out at 9am and then get locked up again at 3.30pm. That’s maximum security.”
He eventually got the ice out of his system, started a carpentry course and worked on his fitness.
There were long, painful days.
Like missing his son’s first two birthdays.
“Ethan Junior was not even one when I got locked up,” he said, “That was the hardest part. It was so bad thinking of him. I was supposed to be his father. When you’re off drugs you can feel the shame. I’ll never go back there again.”
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THE BOOMERANGS
Ethan was released from jail on May 24, 2019.
“It’s a date I’ll never forget,” he says, “and that feeling of freedom.”
Importantly he needed to avoid the old temptations and bad influences.
The local footy club, the Moree Boomerangs, became his saviour.
“Rugby league gave me something to do on the weekend instead of crime and drugs,” he says.
“It gave me direction and discipline. It kept me strong, it kept me fit and it kept me healthy.
“Chris Binge was the coach. He told me to keep coming to training. I had to earn respect and a place in the team … and I eventually got there.”
He went from jail to winning a first grade grand final in four months.
“It was unbelievable,” he said, “To start a footy season in jail then win a comp.”
RUGBY LEAGUE
The importance of football in Indigenous communities can never be underestimated.
“If it wasn’t for footy I’d be back in jail,” Ethan said, “No question, it’s saved my life.”
There are police statistics across the state to prove it.
Crime rates drop during the footy season.
Instead of roaming the streets at night, kids are training at the local oval.
Their weekends are about sport rather than crime.
“Rugby league clubs are regularly the focal point of most things that happen in these communities,” says NSWRL chief executive Dave Trodden.
“These clubs provide purpose and meaning and it is one of the most important tools to maintain mental fitness in the community.”
A NEW LIFE
Away from football Ethan speaks so proudly of his achievements.
Buying his trusty old Holden Commodore for $700. Basic things like finally getting a driver’s license.
“I’ve done a TAFE course, a traffic control course and I got a forklift license,” he says.
We chat over breakfast in Mudgee on Saturday morning with his partner Maddie.
It’s hard to believe you are sharing a table with an ex crim. They are such a nice couple. Good company, genuine people, madly in love.
“I couldn’t have done this without her,” he says, “Maddie’s stood by me the whole way.”
Their life is now about raising Mataiya, their five-month-old daughter. Ethan Junior, 5, lives with his mum in Tamworth but they catch up at every opportunity.
“I didn’t want my kids to look at me as a criminal,” he says, “There’d be nothing worse. I want them to look up to me as a good father, even a role model.”
He has a job at Honey Haven in Mudgee.
THE TERRIERS
Ethan moved out of Moree to get a fresh start and avoid any possible relapse.
Gulgong has a population of just 2500 but a proud rugby league history.
This is Canterbury star Josh Jackson’s old club, 30 minutes down the Castlereagh Highway from Mudgee.
He was offered money to play for a rival club in Group 14 but chose the Terriers.
“It’s about the badge and the jersey,” he says, “like the Boomerangs back home. You play for pride, not money.”
We watch him debut for Gulgong in a trial on Saturday afternoon against the Kootingal Roosters. He played centre and fullback and looked a skilful and sharp player. Kootingal won 28-10 but the scoreboard didn’t matter. The story was about his road to redemption.
His coach David Morrison says: “I can’t fault him. He’s one of our fittest blokes, his attitude has been perfect and he’s well mannered. He can play, too.”
THE ALL STARS
Don’t ever doubt the importance of this game in the Indigenous communities.
“It means the world to us,” Ethan says, “You see Latrell (Mitchell) and Cody (Walker) not just as footballers but what they’ve done with their lives.
“How proud they are of their past. You also see their skills and try to replicate some of the stuff they do. It’s so inspirational.”
Ethan wants to be a role model too, just like his heroes.
“I’ve come a long way from the boy I used to be and I feel heaps proud,” he says.
“That why I’m telling my story. Back home there’s still kids walking the streets and thieving. I want to sit down with them. I want them to learn from my mistakes.”
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Originally published as Monday Buzz: Indigenous bush footy player Ethan Pegus turns life around after ice addiction and jail
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