A young Whakatane man often judged on his looks is holding his head high after six weeks at Hobsonville Point. Ryan Nathan came away from a Limited Services Volunteer (LSV) programme with his platoon's top trainee certificate, a full-time job in Auckland and a desire to travel the world.
MrNathan was born without one of his cheekbones. Surgery early in his life saw two of his ribs replace the missing cheekbone, but the disfigurement resulted in judgment from others, and was also behind an aggressive spell in life. "It took me a while to work out getting angry at the reactions of others wasn't right," he said. "But, because of the way I look, I guess I've always kept my head down when with strangers."
Whakatane's Ryan Nathan. Photo / Supplied
And that was how he went into the LSV programme. LSV is a six-week New Zealand Army-run, Ministry of Social Development and New Zealand Defence Force-funded course, offered to people between the ages of 18 and 25 on the unemployment benefit. It aims to develop life skills and skills that support employment, further training or education. "It took me a while but, when I realised no one on the programme was judging me, I got over myself and gave it everything," Mr Nathan said.
His course report says Mr Nathan pushed himself toward his own personal goals and set an excellent example for the rest of his platoon, tirelessly working to motivate and encourage them, making him an inspiration to staff and peers alike. Described as humble, the author goes on to say while at Hobsonville, Mr Nathan developed an authentic leadership style and was called on to guide others as they had full confidence in him.
Nearing the completion of the programme, he put his hand up to make his platoon speech and also perform the wero (challenge) at the graduating ceremony. "I got the okay to do the wero but not the speech, and I guess I was a little gutted at the time," he said. But disappointment turned to astonishment when his name was called as the top trainee for 3 Platoon Course NO4/15. "I heard my name and was standing there thinking 'wow, seriously', when our sergeant came over and told me to go and receive the award."
Both his parents and other family members were at the graduation. "My mum said she shed a few tears when I did the wero. It was an awesome day."
Mr Nathan has moved to Auckland to work with Fulton Hogan. "I'll also be turning my head to a career as a chef within the New Zealand Navy," he said. "I love food and I want to see the world and I reckon it's a perfect opportunity to do both."
