I was shocked and honoured recently to be invited to visit my old school again and have an oval named after me. It's certainly very special because I have great memories of Oak Flats High. It's not until you step outside school that you realise that your school days are the best part of growing up. I made a lot of mates here.
I remember sitting and talking with my best mate from school, Adam Rainford, in Year 7. He always wanted to work for Walt Disney as an animator and I always wanted to play cricket for Australia. He achieved his dream just six months after I started playing test cricket. And we're still the best of mates. The best thing about life right now is being able to play cricket for my country. It's something I've dreamt about since I was 10 years old playing for Oak Flats Rats. I just wanted that baggy green cap. I always knew that I would play test cricket one day. It's taken a lot of work, commitment and sacrifice, although when it finally happened, I was still very shocked.
Becoming the fastest bowler in the world has also been a dream. I always wanted to bowl quicker than any other kid. A lot of people think you need to be six foot four, and a massive bloke with lots of muscles, but that's not true. It really comes down to a lot of hard work, coordination and things going in the right direction at the right time.
You've also got to train the right way and do specific things to make your muscles function quicker. For example, I don't touch weights. But every morning, I do a five kilometre run in soft sand. It builds up the muscles in my calves, legs and butt. Then when you run on a flat surface or grass, it seems easy. Lately, I've been quite busy because I recently launched my own line of clothing. I've always had a passion for fashion, I love getting dressed up and like looking at what other people are wearing. I worked in a menswear store in the city for over four years while I was establishing myself as a cricketer. About 12 months ago, I was joking with my boss, Richard Bowman, and I asked 'When's my clothing label coming out?' And he said, 'Don't laugh, that's not as silly as it sounds'.
We've planned the clothing launch for the past year and now we've got one-, three- and five-year strategies. It's not a quick money-making thing. I have a real passion for it because I have a hand in choosing and designing everything that comes through. I decide on the styles and cuts that I personally would wear. It's a business, there are targets we want to achieve and I treat it as seriously as I treat cricket. I'm involved in a lot of different things at the moment, but my true love is cricket! It's a great feeling, and a lot of fun, knowing there's 60,000 people at the ground, right behind you. Not to mention all the people watching on TV.
I also love playing in our band, Six and Out. There might only be 1000 people but it's very different to cricket fans. It's not too nerve-wracking but I'm out of my comfort zone. Before I joined the band I couldn't even read music. A bunch of guys - my brother Shane Lee, Richard Chee Quee, Brad McNamara, and Gavin Robertson - were talking about starting a band. I looked around and realised there was a lead guitarist, a leader singer, a drummer and a rhythm guitarist. But they didn't have a bass player. So I said, 'Boys, here's your bass man.' That's exactly how it started. I went to the local music store in Wollongong the next day, bought myself a bass and tried playing along to songs on the radio.
Another thing that's been a lot of fun was CLEO Bachelor of the Year. I didn't take it very seriously and didn't care if I came 50th but I was honoured to be part of it. I received $5000 for coming second and donated that to a charity, ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency). One of the things they deal with is awareness and prevention of youth suicide. My brother Shane and I have raised about $375,000 so far. It's something that's close to our hearts because we had a close friend who took his own life. We wondered why he did it and thought about how we could help stop other kids. Hopefully, I can use my profile to get out there and help raise money and awareness for the cause.
People in my position can be role models to young kids- when I was 10 years old, I used to look up to Australian cricketers and think they were fantastic. Signing autographs is part of the job, I love doing it and I try to do it as much as I can for young kids. But I really think that people like doctors are the ones who should be signing autographs.
When I was at school, my favourite subject was sport of course. I liked English too, and maths was always a good challenge. I hated biology. I kept exploding things and breaking beakers. I didn't manage to blow up any science labs, but I certainly came close. Our sport teacher, Les Trist, was more like a mate. He has that sort of rapport with a lot of the kids here, guys call him Tristy and I think that's fantastic. Kids will learn a lot more if they can look on a teacher as a mate.
He's down to earth and lets each kid live their own dream. With sport, he always used to give everyone a fair chance, there were no superheroes in his classes. He loved it when students excelled but for kids who didn't have as much talent, he made them feel just as special. I think the thing that makes Tristy such a great teacher is that he makes each and every kid shine in his own backyard.