Timana Tahu
Transcript: Abbey, Olivia & Zoe. Timana quits footy over racist remark. remarkable person of significance like the rest of us. nsw origin Plays centre Currently playing for Penrith Panthers Aboriginal rugby league player Previously played for Paramata Eels Nationality: Aboriginal, Maori decent Date of Birth : 16 October, 1980 Height : 185 cm Weight : 98 kg Position : Centre Research "We are still hearing the same things that my mother was hearing when she was little." Timana Tahu HIS STORY Timana's mother is of Aborinal decent, and his father of Maori backround. Timana's mother was brought up in a mission and moved to Bourke where Timana was born. ''One day I was walking in Bourke by myself,'' Timana says. ''I had no money, I was starving, didn't have many clothes and my friends were doing bad [stuff] like stealing and whatnot. They were going down the wrong path, I was following them and I realised I hated the person who I was. I hated myself. And I said to myself, 'I want to change my life'.'' ''Dad loved me but I probably didn't feel like I was getting the attention I needed from both of them,'' Timana says without so much as a hint of disdain or sadness. ''A few friends of mine were going to the hostels and said you get to go to school and you get shoes, clothes. And I was just like, 'New shoes! I wanna go'. ''It was tough growing up there, so I ended up going. I did it on my own back - I caught a bus.'' Tahu walks out on Blues after offensive comments from Andrew Johns Offensive comments by Blues legend and current assistant coach Andrew Johns led to NSW winger Timana Tahu walking out of the NSW origin camp. FACTS (cc) photo by jimmyharris on Flickr (cc) photo by Metro Centric on Flickr TIMANA TAHU Timana Tahu San Francisco Budapest Notes Timana Tahu (cc) photo by Metro Centric on Flickr Stockholm Important Details (cc) photo by Franco Folini on Flickr