Humble beginnings, Hagan rises to the Times
26.06.2010

By Tony Koch.

MANY newspaper editors have come from humble beginnings, but it is unlikely any could be more basic than that of Aboriginal academic Stephen Hagan, the new head of the National Indigenous Times.
Hagan was born 50 years ago, the second of five children to Jim and Jean Hagan, and for the first eight years of his life the family lived in an Aboriginal camp on the outskirts of Cunnamulla, Queensland, in a makeshift galvanised iron humpy with dirt floors, no running water and no electricity.
But Jim, a ringer on famous Bulloo Downs, wanted a better life for his family. He joined the Australian Labor Party where a friend offered to back him for a home loan as he had a full-time job. So the Hagan family became the first Aboriginal family in Cunnamulla to buy a home.
Hagan, a gifted student, attended the local state school, and his parents then took on the financial commitment of sending him away to high school -- boarding at Marist Brothers Ashgrove in Brisbane.
He went on to gain several tertiary degrees and is currently completing a doctorate in business administration at Toowoomba's University of Southern Queensland, where he is also a lecturer in indigenous studies and cultural heritage.
His latest challenge will call on all the skills he garnered over a varied career, which includes running several indigenous health and employment organisations and a stint as an attache with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka.
Hagan has been a prolific columnist in newspapers for years and came to national prominence with his successful battle to rid a Toowoomba sports oval of the ``Nigger Brown'' sign above one stand.
He has written books about racism in sport and the long ``Nigger Brown'' battle.
``I was approached by the owners of the National Indigenous Times, who asked me to take it over. They had been reading the fortnightly column I wrote in the rival Koori Mail, so I decided to listen to them,'' Hagan said.
``The NIT is a fortnightly, with a circulation of 12,000.
``Until now it has been seen as a left-leaning newspaper, very political, and certainly very critical of government and big business. I will be taking it in a different direction, although government decisions affecting indigenous people will be given critical scrutiny.
``I am looking to make the paper more inclusive because it was my view that many indigenous organisations and prominent individuals were excluded from its coverage.
``What I envisage is a paper that caters for all views, but one that is a must-buy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families -- a paper which includes content which is of interest to children, teenagers and families.''
In his first two editions, Hagan has introduced a Living the Dream page, which looks at achievers and role models, and has engaged a coterie of indigenous columnists, including four lawyers, three of whom are women.
Sport has not been forgotten, with rugby league international Tony Currie covering rugby league and Brisbane Lions championship medallist Daryl White contributing the AFL news and views.
Hagan writes a column in each edition and does the leaders.