Why did you decide to head the St Joseph's College Indigenous Fund after 20 years in law and investment banking?

Even though my career was driven by making money, I always had a plan that in the future I would be able to spend my time working on something that I had a personal interest in. I always had a strong affiliation with indigenous issues and people who have been marginalised by society. Many policies relating to indigenous issues are bandaid solutions. Improving education is a longer-term solution as it impacts life expectancy, employment prospects and broader social issues.

Why is the program restricted to private schools?

The public education system is available to everyone. Our program targets kids from Dubbo, Moree and Bourke. In these communities, kids don't even go to schools. If they do go to school, they don't learn anything. We have had kids who have come to Joey's [St Joseph's] at the age of 11 and still can't read or write. Within a few years of leaving Joey's they have to do their HSC [Higher School Certificate] and entry into a university. That simply doesn't happen in those schools. I am not attacking them, but clearly something has to be done.

Private schools also offer boarding. This means these kids can't sneak out of the window because there is nowhere to go. When they are back home, they can jump out of the window and go play golf all day and no-one would really care. In a boarding school, you are in a safe, healthy environment and are given three meals a day. These kids are not exposed to drugs or erratic people.

What is the level of intake?

We take in 41 indigenous boys, which represents 5 per cent of the boarding school population. The foundation will only fund kids who are in financial need. In the last four years we have had 10 indigenous kids finish their HSC, four are at university, three have entered into apprenticeships and the other three have all got themselves careers. This is not a program, however, for kids that have academic brilliance. It is targeted at kids who are in desperate financial and social need that would otherwise not get the opportunity. They need to demonstrate leadership and have a supportive group of family or carers, otherwise the program just won't work.

How do you choose your intake?

We normally have children referred to us from the school's network. St Joseph's been a boarding school for 125 years. It has a great network and relationship with the local priests, nuns and old boys in the regional and rural communities of NSW.

For example, a priest from Walgett will refer us to a boy who does his homework everyday and has a supportive group of people around him. To us, doing your homework everyday while your mates are out playing demonstrates real leadership.

We had one kid who came to us in year nine. He was illiterate so had one-on-one tutoring every evening. In year 11 and 12 he received this tutoring twice a week. He is now studying to become a teacher at university and is getting distinctions in his subjects. He is meeting with the Governor-General, writing newspaper articles and giving speeches on Aboriginal reconciliation. He wouldn't have got into the school program, however, if it was based on an academic test.

Have there been any cultural integration issues?

Joey's as a school is very proud of its indigenous initiative. Kids here are proud of the fact that they go to a school that has shown leadership on this issue. Staffs also receive cultural training and we have a full-time indigenous staff member who provides support to the kids. In the early years of the program there may have been some issues. When a DVD was stolen, an Aboriginal kid would be blamed. But that simply does not happen anymore.

Will you be rolling out the program in other schools?

We had a fundraising program to raise $5 million for an endowment fund. This sort of fund is more sustainable as yearly income can provide funding for scholarships. We are now looking to expand the program outside of Joey's and move into a similar program for girls' schools. Religion has nothing to do with the program. Most Catholic schools are further down the track with their indigenous programs but that doesn't preclude private schools from getting involved. We absolutely embrace them.

How do you get funding?

We have adopted a targeted fundraising program. We receive money from foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. About 85 per cent of the funds raised are from people that have had no association with Joey's.

I have been overwhelmed about how few people say no. My background in banking and charity has come in handy. We spent 12 months working on an information memorandum, which is 50 pages long and details how we seek funding, how the money is invested, who is managing the money, including financial modelling. So in the end we have presented a well thought out plan.

We have a zero cost basis. We all work voluntarily. I was lucky with a bonus or two during my career. When we raise a dollar, it all goes towards indigenous education and that is a very powerful proposition for people investing in our program.