Former Olympic boxer Damien Hooper in action.
Camera IconFormer Olympic boxer Damien Hooper in action. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Boxing hero gifts life skills tips

Sally McGlew, Midland ReporterHills Avon Valley Gazette

The school has 130 students from kindergarten children to Year 7.

Hooper believes students should follow their dreams and visited the school with his WA trainer David Hassan to tell the youngsters about his own journey to success.

The 22-year-old, who started boxing at age 11 at the suggestion of a local policeman keen to keep him out of trouble, is passionate about preserving Aboriginal culture and wants his behaviour to reflect that for his fans and family.

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At the London Olympics in 2012, he stepped into the ring for his Olympic bout wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the Aboriginal flag.

The Australian Olympic Committee demanded he make a public apology, claiming wearing the shirt breached the Olympic Charter.

‘I’m representing my culture, not only my country,’ Hooper said later.

Hooper still stands by his decision.

‘It was important for me to wear the Aboriginal flag T-shirt,’ he said.

‘I was paying respects to my grandmother, my elders and the ancestors.

‘Aboriginal people are the oldest people in the world and I’m part of that.’

He also held up a sign that said: ‘I love you Nan’.

Moorditj Noongar Community College has small class sizes to enable students to receive more teacher-pupil time.

Attendance rates are high because children have access to transport to and from school.

The school’s headmaster, Brian Avies, likes to give students access to positive role models from across the community.

Hooper was in WA for a scheduled fight last night at Metro City, Perth. He has won all seven of his professional fights so far.

He also visited indigenous prisoners at Acacia after the school.