Even as a young boy Jack Sullivan was invested in other people’s happiness.
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He has always been the kind of kid to lend a hand to anyone in need.
“I love helping people out in the community,” Jack said
“It means I’m not always taking but giving back as well. And I feel great knowing that I can be of help.”
With his impressive range of technical know-how, Jack is in great demand around his community, whether it be solving a teacher’s computer malfunction, running audio for school assemblies and ANZAC Day commemorations, livestreaming 2NVR’s Studio 3 events, hosting his own radio show, or mentoring other kids.
The Bowra Central Grade 10 student is usually found working quietly and confidently in the background, but on Friday, Jack Sullivan was the one in the spotlight.
The Governor of New South Wales, and patron of The Order of Australia Association NSW Branch David Hurley presented Jack Sullivan with a John Lincoln Youth Community Service Award for outstanding service and engagement with his local community.
“I was amazed when I found out,” Jack said
“But my friends weren’t.”
Students across the state were nominated by their school principal as being exemplary community role models before a selection panel determined the final award recipients.
Order of Australia Association (NSW) Branch Chairman, John Archer OAM, congratulated Jack saying he is an exemplary community role model.
“Jack is one of 26 high school students recognised today to have selflessly volunteered their time to a wide range of organisations and for many very worthy causes while busily preparing for their Higher School Certificates,” said Mr Archer.
“Jack has contributed beyond the norm and his actions have inspired his fellow students. He is a beacon of inspiration for others to follow.
Jack did not seek recognition for his actions, but today we honour him with the highest recognition available to NSW high school students.
“We are fortunate to have such role models active within our communities.”
Of course a little of the credit should also go to his dedicated parents, especially his mum, Eve, who has chaperoned him at the radio station since he was 11 and a half.
“It’s funny how it started,” Jacks’s mum, Eve Sullivan said.
“We got him onto computers very young because we could see it was the way of the future.
“One day his father, Peter, and I were sitting out on the verandah and we heard ‘1,2,3, Hello Bowraville, this is Jack Sullivan bringing you the best music of the day’.
“He set his own little radio station up in his room on his computer.
“Every weekend we could see that he was getting better and better- his performance was smoother and more polished, and I thought how can I nurture this?
“One day I was driving past the community radio station and I thought I’d go in and ask on Jack’s behalf, and the manager there said to bring him along one day to sit in on a show and watch how it all goes down.”
Well suffice to say, Eve did, and Jack loved the experience, and the rest, as they say, is history.
At the tender age of 16 and a half, Jack has now hosted his own 2NVR radio show—Jack’s Tracks— for the better part of six years.
“I mainly strive to just play music now, because people are on their way home during my time slot and I think they’d rather hear good music and jam out,” Jack said.
And as part of the 2NVR tech team, he’s always tirelessly helping any of the elderly presenters with the finer technical points of the job.
“We have a lot of elderly people who aren’t computer-savvy an Jack is just so gentle and gorgeous with them,” Eve said.
“He just patiently talks them through—nothing is too much of an effort.”
Eve said that she was incredibly proud of her son and inspired by the other incredible kids who received awards on Friday.
“People always say ‘Oh this generation, they’re so disengaged’, but you get those 26 young kids in a room and you start to think the future’s probably going to be alright,” Eve said.