A $100m plan to deliver a better future … and maybe an indigenous PM, is the title of a tribute by the newspaper The Australian, to the Greek-Aborigine, Thanasis Tiliakos.
The 14-year-old student, member of the Gurindji tribe, whose home town is about 460 km southwest of Katherine in northern Australia, and is also of Greek descent from the beautiful island of Kalymnos, lives in Darwin with his grandmother Elaine.
Thanasis’ persistence and tenacity is inspiring as he chose not to compromise with the few educational possibilities offered in Darwin and sought better prospects for a good college education. After a series of interviews, he was granted a boarding scholarship at Scots College in Sydney. The scholarship is worth about $55,000 a year.
Thanasi grew up in Darwin with his grandmother. He was only 18 months old when his grandmother successfully fought for his custody through courts, a battle that proved the ultimate foundation for his start in life. “My mum wasn’t very capable of raising us . . . Nan just didn’t think she could do a very good job,” he said. “I guess she (Nan) did a good job because I am here.”
These are the words of mature Thanasis, whose desire for learning gave him the power to make his dream come true.
Bin-Sallik, an emeritus professor at Charles Darwin University, is the first Aboriginal to work in Australia’s higher education system and the first to gain a doctorate – in education – from Harvard. “Thanasis realized he had opportunity – a bright child with an inquisitive mind. He begged me to help him get to boarding school, and begged me to convince his nan Elaine to let him go,” she said.
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