Hayden’s interest in law was piqued when he was just a child. If he misbehaved and his parents punished him, Hayden always started thinking about crime, punishment and how these worked together to govern our society.
As Hayden grew older he became more interested in politics and leadership. At school Hayden became involved in the SRC and then the Youth Parliament.
The NSW Youth Parliament is the largest of its kind in Australia. Every July, when the NSW Parliament breaks for holidays, a group of school students come together and spend a week preparing legislation on topical issues. The students then present their draft legislation in front of sitting members of parliament.
Hayden participating in the Youth Parliament program.
When Hayden participated in the NSW Youth Parliament, he presented a bill relating to euthanasia. This draft legislation is now in its 28th draft and is currently being submitted to parliament. Hayden has also delivered reports on mandatory minimum sentences in criminal cases and drafted a report summary for the NSW Select Committee on the Impact of Gambling, as part of his youth parliamentary work.
In Year 12, Hayden was the School Captain at Kurri Kurri High School. Interestingly, many members of the Gray family have held leadership positions at the same high school. His grandmother, sister and one of Hayden’s uncles were all school captains at Kurri Kurri High School.
Hayden when he was School Captain at Kurri Kurri High School
Hayden chose to study at the University of New England in Armidale as he is a country boy at heart. He grew up in Cessnock, in the core of the Hunter Valley, and he loves the space and serenity of the rural landscape.
In order to get the most out of his university study, Hayden chose to couple his law degree with a degree in criminology. Hayden’s favourite law subject so far has been criminal law with Dr Ben Livings. In fact, Ben was really surprised when Hayden turned up to the first day of lectures with the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) bound and ready to go. Hayden is also looking forward to enrolling in Sentencing and Advanced Sentencing later in his law degree.
Whilst attending UNE, Hayden has embraced a number of other worthwhile extracurricular activities. He is an active member of Enactus, who work together to make other’s lives better. Their slogan is ‘we can’t change our world but we can change theirs.’ Hayden joined Enactus as he saw this as an opportunity to enhance his leadership and advocacy skills, whilst making a difference to the community.
Hayden really enjoys living in Armidale as he likes living in a dynamic multicultural community, where his efforts make a real difference to people’s lives!
