31 May, 2013 2:58PM AEDT

Former Aboriginal politician urges youth to think big

Growing up on a reserve near Nambucca Heads, Aden Ridgeway was a wide-eyed five-year-old when the historic 1967 referendum was passed giving Indigenous Australians the right to vote. Thirty years later he would become the second Aboriginal person elected to Federal Parliament. Aden Ridgeway has led an extraordinary life.

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His childhood was as far removed from the corridors of power as you can get.

It was around the time South Sydney was winning in the grand finals and a senator from Queensland became the first Indigenous person in the Federal Parliament, that a young Aden decided he wanted a career in politics.

With his cousins just next door, his childhood was spent fishing, swimming in the lagoon and diving in a local waterway for golf balls.

A Gumbayyngirr man, his simple and earthy upbringing kept him grounded when he was elevated onto the national stage.

As a student of St John's College in Woodlawn, near Lismore, Aden was one of just a handful of Indigenous students at the Catholic boarding school.

"The challenge for me was that feeling of isolation, being away from family and community and being completely unfamiliar to my own growing up," he said.

"They were mostly sons of graziers in Western, north-western New South Wales; they had different world views and outlooks and I had to find my way in amongst all that."

While these years were challenging at times, it was an experience that proved to be formative.

"All in all it was a good experience and that was probably where I got a good grounding in Western education."

After leaving school in year 11, he worked as a boiler-maker.

He lasted 6 weeks.

His next gig was at National Parks and Wildlife Service.

"I knocked on their door constantly. They said we haven't got anything... It might have been five to six weeks of constantly talking to the local employment officer, and in the end they just gave in and said we have a job for you."

It was in this job - working with a team of archaeologists to map Aboriginal sites - that Mr Ridgeway said he hit his stride.

But having a son at the age of 18 meant that while most of his peers were out having fun, he was supporting a young family and trying to make ends meet.

In 1990, Mr Ridgeway was elected onto the first ATSIC Sydney Regional Council, and in 1995, he became the executive director of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council.

In 1998 Mr Ridgeway was elected into the Senate for the Democrats.

In his first few months he found himself sitting down with the then Prime Minister John Howard discussing changes to the constitution during the republic debate.

Throughout his parliamentary career, Mr Ridgeway was a passionate advocate for Indigenous issues, and as the one Aboriginal voice in parliament, his voice had weight and attracted media interest.

In 2001 he was elected as Deputy Leader of the Democrats.

The Democrats would famously unravel due to an array of leadership problems and by 2005 Ridgeway had lost his seat.

Yet despite the fallout, Mr Ridgeway hasn't lost faith in the political party he gave so much to.

"Politics swings back and forth... And it depends upon the issues at the time. If you don't see much difference between either the major parties or others then people are always on the lookout for credible alternatives," he said.

"The Democrats have a long history, the facts are there and the record of achievement is listed."

Currently the ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and executive chairman of Indigenous Tourism Australia, Mr Ridgeway is happy to be out of politics.

But that hasn't stopped him striving for change.

A partner in communication company Cox Inall Ridgeway - which specialise in Indigenous communications, policy, project delivery and research - his goal now is to open up the corporate world to young Indigenous people.

"The staple diet had been the community sector and the public service, and I think it's great if we can diversify and go down different paths.

"We've got to make the best that we can and if we can make it better for our kids than that's what it's all about."

A large part of that change, he said, is encouraging young Aboriginal people to think big.

"You can easily fall on the side of being a victim but I won't accept that.

"You don't always have to accept what is given, particularly if it is not what you want to do. And if you persist you can eventually get to where you want to go."