Regional Australia is about to hear captivating stories from its young people in ABC's Heywire storytelling competition, including one of our own from Cloncurry.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Almost 700 people aged 16 to 22 entered Heywire this year, which has been showcasing regional youth for the past 20 years.
Just 38 were selected, including a record number of Indigenous winners. One such storyteller is Zurack Dempsey, who told ‘How my family and hairdressing saved me’.
Mr Dempsey said he was a bit of a wild child, straying as a young boy growing up in a small town.
“I did some silly things – fights, graffiti, getting into trouble. I was going off the rails,” Mr Dempsey said.
“Mum and my step dad decided to move us to Townsville to get a fresh start. I was 14 and I knew I had to step up my game.”
Mr Dempsey said an Indigenous teacher at his new school helped him get back on track.
“He told me, ‘the only person that can change you is you’," Mr Dempsey said.
“I listened. I started to work hard at school and connect with my Indigenous culture. I was shy about it at first but my confidence grew when I started to do traditional dancing.”
A new passion was kindled when he discovered the art and trade of hairdressing, eventually leading him home to Cloncurry.
“My uncle and cousin have a shop in the centre of Townsville. I used to like going in there and watch them cut hair and chat to the customers,” Mr Dempsey said.
“I've never told him, but watching him work really inspired me to be a barber.”
Taking scissors to a cousin’s hair for his first attempt, Mr Dempsey said he did “a terrible job” but has learned plenty since.
“I've improved heaps by practising on my friends. Skin fades, mid fades, high fades, under cuts, crew cuts and buzz cuts — I can do them all.”
Proving that hard work truly gets results, Mr Dempsey has now launched his own business cutting people’s hair out of his home.
“The walls of my bedroom probably aren't typical for a teenager. They are covered in pictures of different cuts that I like to do,” he said.
“People come to my place and tell me what they want, I look at the posters, or look up images on the net and I just go do it!
“I charge people $20 for a cut, but sometimes they pay me $50 if they're really happy with the look.”
Mr Dempsey is proud to be finishing high school before hopefully heading to Sydney to train to become a fully qualified barber.
Then, he wants to return to Cloncurry and open his own shop. “One day soon, Zu Zu Cuts will be the place to get your hair cut in north west Queensland!”
Heywire winners were told earlier in the year about their success, so they could work with ABC Heywire to professionally produce their stories.
The content then reaches millions of people through ABC Radio, TV and digital platforms, giving audiences an incredible insight into life in regional and rural areas.
In February, the winners will attend the Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra. During the week-long summit, the winners will meet with Members of Parliament and community leaders, to develop ideas to strengthen their communities.
