Cranbrook school asks student who grew up in Bondi Junction to give speech at assembly about adversity

RAGS TO RICHES: A student at a prestigious private school in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has shared his remarkable story of transformation, against all odds.

Year 11 Cranbrook student, Dane Oliver-Gordon gave a speech at school assembly yesterday about his traumatic childhood in Bondi Junction.

“Life was very different for me back then,” he said.

“For starters I used to go to Waverley College, and my parents were forced to cook dinner every night as we didn’t even have a private chef!”

The 17 year old didn’t hold back when sharing his confronting story, detailing how his childhood home had no tennis court or harbour views.

“We only had a view of Queens Park,” he said. “And some of my good friends went to Randwick High School.”

But with the odds stacked against him, Dane Oliver-Gordon staged a dramatic turnaround, after his father got a high paying job in finance.

“Thankfully we managed to escape Bondi Junction,” he told students. “We moved to Rose Bay and then in year 7, I switched to Cranbrook.”

“When I leave school next year it looks like I’ll walk straight into a high-paying job at the company where dad works.”