A passion for the law was pulling him in one direction, but his proficiency in English sent him in another.
Almost 20 years later though, after a little detour in a completely different field, Nathan has achieved a long held dream to become a lawyer.
Nathan was recently administered to the NSW Supreme Court.
It was the last step Nathan needed to achieve before he could put his University of New England Bachelors of Law degree into practice officially.
“My admission to the Supreme Court signalled the end of a long journey, but it is also the start of a new one,” Nathan said.
“My wife Stephanie really has been my rock.
“Without her, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have achieved. We have two beautiful kids – five year old Henry and two year old Audrey.
“I’ve also worked full time in a fairly demanding job throughout my studies.
“You really need to find the right balance in life to study in those circumstances.
“You also need to make sacrifices and surround yourself with supportive people.”
While studying law Nathan has been working as secretary and compliance manager of Murray Irrigation.
He plans to continue on with Murray Irrigation, where he will put his legals skills into practice.
Nathan originally came to Deniliquin to pursue a career in journalism.
He only just graduated high school in 2006 when he began his cadetship at the Pastoral Times.
When he left his family in Sydney, he told them he’d “be back in three years”.
But then he met Stephanie, and the pair chose to start their lives together in her hometown.
In 2012 Nathan switched careers and began work as the project officer at Murray Irrigation.
Since then he has worked his way up in the company.
“I have always had an interest in law,” Nathan said.
“I probably fell in love with it during high school legal studies. However, I chose to pursue journalism immediately after school, because writing was my strength.
“My career was, however, naturally taking me into a very legal-orientated world, so I decided to bite the bullet and study law.”
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