Jason Coombes celebrates receiving his first round offer of a Bachelor of Nursing and hopes to work in the Indigenous community after his studies. By Monique Ebrington
LAST year’s school leavers weren’t the only ones anxiously waiting by their post boxes for their first round offers on Tuesday 20 January.
After 15 years as a flight attendant, and having ticked off the first of his dream jobs, Healesville resident 38-year-old Jason Coombes applied to do nursing.
“When I was little I always wanted to either be a flight attendant or a nurse,” Mr Coombes said.
In his 15 years in the air he says he never worked with another Indigenous flight attendant.
With his future resting in the contents of the envelope he received last Tuesday Mr Coombes says it took him hours to pluck up the courage to open it.
“I was going out to buy the paper and then the letter came in the mail. I was so nervous I wouldn’t open it for three hours,” he said.
“I was not expecting to get my first preference at all. I was ecstatic because this is my new career starting off. I rang everyone to tell them the great news.”
After finding out he had been offered a place to do a Bachelor of Nursing at RMIT in Bundoora he quickly let his delighted Indigenous family and his adoptive family know.
At nine months old Mr Coombes was adopted out by his Indigenous family and became part of the McGeorge household, it was an agreement he says was both mutual, and successful.
He says he was never treated as a novelty foster child, but always as a brother or a son in his adoptive family.
“I was fostered out at nine months of age but I was always given the opportunity to go home. I think my situation is a success story of what needs to be done in that adoptive situation,” he said.
“My adoptive family have been a guideline for me and they haven’t taken my heritage and identity away from me and always let be go back and see my Indigenous family.”
Mr Coombes says that after his three-year course he hopes to work at a training Hospital in Alice Springs or to combine both dream jobs and work for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“I don’t think there are enough Indigenous nurses so I definitely want to go into the Indigenous community,” he said.
“I think they’d find it easier to talk to an Indigenous nurse on a cultural aspects rather than a non-Indigenous nurse, I’d talk to them as a brother rather then just a nurse to a patient.”
