Jacob Currie’s creative spirit grew when he used to paint with his dad as a child.
“That’s where I picked up painting. Dad did Aboriginal painting and landscapes,” he said.
“When I paint, I don’t think about anything to be honest – I just paint.”
Jacob, now 19, expresses a lot of his creativity through his work as an automotive photographer, combining his love of cars and photography and working for car dealerships
He got his first camera last year, was a quick learner and what started as a hobby, using his phone to do baby announcement photos for his family, turned into his livelihood.
Jacob got his first job as soon as he was old enough.
He was 14 and nine months and the gig was at Beaudesert McDonalds.
While he was grateful for the work, he knew even then that he wanted to be an entrepreneur.
“I wanted my own money I guess, but I figured out very early on that I didn’t love typical jobs and I guess that stemmed from being a creative person,” he said.
“The industry I’m in now allows me to be more creative – I’ve always been creative whether it’s photography, drawing, painting or dancing.”
When Jacob lost his dad at a young age, he got by with the love and support of family.
Georgie ‘Doolie’ Currie passed away in 2013 when Jacob, his youngest son, was 11.
The loved local Mununjali man served for a time as Community Education Counsellor at Beaudesert High, where Jacob went on to complete his own high schooling and even met his girlfriend of three years, Emily Peach.
Jacob loved doing Creative Generation—State Schools Onstage, which incorporated traditional Aboriginal dancing, so much he went back to help choreograph this year’s dance for the students.
Jacob made headlines when he was born at Beaudesert Hospital on 4 June 2002.
He was born in Beaudesert through the sheer determination of his mother Shelly Currie after birthing services were closed there.
Ms Currie refused to travel 50km to give birth at Logan Hospital, determined Jacob would be born where she, former husband Doolie and their five other children were born.
Hospitals turned out to be a big part of Jacob’s life, starting with major life-saving surgery in ICU when he was 17 days old. He’s had 12 major surgeries at Mater Children’s Hospital with the same specialist the whole time.
These days he’s fit and healthy and has even worked as a fully qualified personal trainer.
Jacob, who has always been the baby of the family, now has nine nieces and nephews.
“Family has always been a big part of my life, and Beaudesert just has that sense of community – you always know someone, and someone always knows you,” he said.
