Established by Russell Crowe and his former South Sydney club co-owner Peter Holmes à Court in 2006, Souths Cares assists disadvantaged youth, particularly in the South Sydney and Coffs Harbour communities.

While visiting Coffs Harbour last week, Beau discussed his involvement with Souths Cares and as a Coffs Harbour Souths Cares Ambassador.

After a childhood on the Aboriginal mission in Kempsey, before relocating to the La Perouse community in Sydney, Beau has seen many mates end up in jail or on drugs and wanted to use his sporting profile to promote better choices.

“I know what’s wrong and right,” he said.

“My mum, my dad and my nan were very positive in teaching what’s right and wrong.

“Just getting that through to kids and being a positive role model can change kids’ lives.”

Making a difference one life at a time is important to Beau.

“If you just change one or two kids’ lives and keep them away from drugs and alcohol it can have a real impact on someone else in their life and can be a snowball effect,” he said.

Aside from the usual school sporting clinics, Beau and the Souths Cares players spend their own time visiting inmates at Acmena Juvenile Justice Centre in Grafton, meeting with community groups such as Headspace, unemployed jobseekers and indigenous people hoping to start their own businesses.

“My key message is that if there is an opportunity there, just to grab it,” Beau said.

“A lot of people aren’t fortunate enough to get opportunities, or don’t know the opportunity is there until it’s gone.”

He attributes his own success to ambition and family support.

“I had a dream to one day play NRL and I knew if I took this path or that path, then I wouldn’t be able to achieve my dream,” he said.

“Along the way I had to make sacrifices and my family were very supportive all the way.”

Locally, the Souths Cares project is partnered by the Enterprise Training Company (ETC), supporting Aboriginal people in particular, focusing on drug prevention strategies and goal setting.

Beau said when he visited his Kempsey Dunghutti community “they get a really big buzz when I get back home, they love their football and you just bring a bit of hope to the community”.

“There’s not much happening there for youth and we’re (ETC, Souths Cares and a Kempsey employment agency) trying to make a difference there and change some things by giving them opportunities, such as apprenticeships,” he said.

In Souths territory, Beau is one of 14 players who work every week in schools with high numbers of indigenous students, poor attendance rates and correspondingly low literacy and numeracy performance.

All school indicators are improving under the mentorship of the Rabbitohs teachers’ aides.