Written by Julia Day
Scott at Buckingham Palace
Several years ago, Scott was living in London with his partner ‘raising capital.’ He received a cryptic social media message from his dad and he instantly knew something was amiss. He decided to return to Australia. Once there he found out his mum had been diagnosed with leukaemia 10 years previously. She didn’t tell her family about her diagnosis as she didn’t want to worry them. Scott decided to stay in Australia and nurse his mum. He notes ‘my parents have always done so much for me, it was the least I could do.’ This was a significant sacrifice for the entrepreneur, as he had to leave his partner in the UK. In fact, Scott hasn’t seen his partner for a couple of years now due to the Covid pandemic.
Poem from Scott’s mum
One of Scott’s mums favourite saying was ‘Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape’… in my opinion a truer word has never been spoken… Scott’s mum was instrumental in getting him to enrol in a law degree. When he came back to Australia she thought Scott would get bored without some intellectual stimulation. Sadly, Scott’s mum passed away before she saw him complete his degree. Scott has fast-tracked his degree to make sure he completes it whilst his dad is still alive. He notes ‘I want dad to tell mum ‘I did it’ when he sees her in the next life!’
Scott with his dog Georgie Girl
Scott grew up in Bourke where he lived with his family on a large sheep property. Life on the property was very different to what we have come to expect today. The family had a diesel generator as their power source, but Scott’s grandfather used to say ‘the generator uses enough diesel without turning it on!’ So, it was rarely in use. They also did not have a TV in the household until 1974. When they finally got this technology, the one channel available was the ABC in black and white!!! Scott’s family had access to a ‘party line’ for phone calls. There was only one exchange which connected the surrounding properties and anyone could listen into conversations which were hosted on the same line.
Scott with his family
By any measure Scott excelled in his law studies. He received 49 high distinctions out of the 93 assessments he completed during his degree. In turn he can boast a GPA which is unachievable for a mere mortal! Perhaps unsurprisingly given Scott’s background as an internet entrepreneur, Scott’s favourite subjects were as follows: Technology Law with Professor Michael Adams; International Trade Law and Natural Resources Law with Dr Andrew Lawson; Innovation Law and Intellectual Property Law with Anne Fitzgerald; and Corporations Law with Dr Same Varayudej. To cap off his degree, Scott completed an honour’s project with Anne Fitzgerald. In his thesis he argued that due to blockchain technology, it is inevitable that lawyers will no longer undertake conveyancing.
In terms of his secret to success, Scott notes ‘each component of the law degree is like working with a set of building blocks. You should only focus on one block at a time and continue building the components incrementally. Don’t look at it as a whole and just focus on the block which is right in front of you.’ 
Whilst studying with us, Scott also enjoyed the opportunity to give back to UNE by being elected to the Law School’s Education Committee. He notes ‘it was great to work with Michelle Edgley and her team. It opened my eyes as to how much work goes on behind the scenes.’
After Scott finishes his law degree, he hopes to become a barrister, or perhaps return to the corporate world and explore investment banking.
Thank you, Scott, for sharing your story!
