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When director Abraham Byrne-Jameson was a sporty kid – playing rugby league, snowboarding and racing motocross bikes – he never told anyone he was Indigenous. Now 32 years old and launching his first documentary, Dreaming Big, the Wuthathi man is proud to be showcasing the next generation of Indigenous sporting talent. From surfing and boxing, to karate, soccer, rock climbing and motorsport, the six-part NITV series celebrates community, culture, and ambition by profiling 13 First Nations athletes aged between 12 and 19 from around Australia.
“When I was [motocross] racing, there was zero Aboriginal culture around, and not through shame or anything like that,” says Byrne-Jameson, whose mob hails from the east coast of Cape York. “But I just never mentioned anything about my culture during those sporting times.”
Karate champion Jesse-Rose Talbot-Cooke stars in the NITV documentary series Dreaming Big.
Co-produced by Wildbear Entertainment (Great Australian Stuff, Makers of Modern Australia) and Indigenous-owned production company Wirrim Media, Dreaming Big highlights achievement over struggle.
“Of course, it’s so important to understand the past so we can create a better future,” says Byrne-Jameson. “But I wanted to champion how good we can be, without focusing on why it’s cool that we’re so good because of the past traumas.”
A snapshot of the athletes includes 18-year-old supercar driver Karlai Warner, who finished in the top five in the Queensland State Excel Championship; boxer Georgia Lawson, 18, who is ranked sixth in the world; and rock-climber Kyle Heuston-Connor, who is in the Australian National Youth team.
Sixteen-year-old Jessie-Rose Talbot-Cooke from Beechmont in Queensland won gold at the 2025 Oceania Karate Championship and appears in the series alongside her soccer-star sister, Julianna-Bree Talbot-Cooke.
Landen Smales after winning at the 2024 Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles.
“We’re honoured to say that we both have made the Australian side,” says Jessie-Rose. “And that we’ve both been able to represent our country as strong Indigenous young women, representing our culture and striving for bigger and better things and showing younger girls and Indigenous children that anything is possible – no matter the age, no matter the difference, no matter the sport.”
Having begun training at age six, Jessie-Rose hopes the series broadens the scope of sporting options for kids.
“It’s harder for Indigenous people to step out of their comfort zone and try something different,” she says. “But once you do, it’s always good and you never know the opportunities that come up, so you might as well give everything a try … For me, karate really is a lifestyle. I have a second family in karate and I don’t know where I would be without it.”
Dreaming Big documentary maker Abraham Byrne-Jameson.
Noosa surfer Landen Smales, 18, is ranked third in Australia for his age group. He appears alongside his brother and sometime rival, Kaiden Smales. “[The series] shows the real journey for young athletes and the challenges we face … Surfing is an awesome way to connect with other people and the places where you are.”
Byrne-Jameson “felt the story most personally” while filming NSW flat-track motocross racing cousins Riley and Jayden Holder.
“From what we could identify, the Holders were the only Indigenous people in the pits,” says Byrne-Jameson. “Motorsport, in Australia, is an affluent sport. You cannot be super low-socioeconomic … I was able to have an extremely blessed childhood. My father didn’t – his family was part of the Stolen Generation.”
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The series reinforces the positive pathways through sport for at-risk youth.
“With our mob, when things get really difficult, there might not be that support structure that mainstream Australia has, and it’s very easy to fall off that path,” Byrne-Jameson. “[Boxer] Georgia Lawson is a great example of that, having had trouble with the juvenile justice system. But she goes to the boxing gym, and a couple of years later, she wins an Australian title. She’s amazing.”
Byrne-Jameson hopes Dreaming Big inspires more young Indigenous Australians to pursue their goals. “Anyone can do anything if they truly put their mind to it and they have the support.”
Dreaming Big premieres at 7.30pm on Friday, 5, on NITV and streams on SBS On Demand.
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