Childhood friends Paul Scully and Ryan Park now serve in NSW cabinet together
Scully and Park have been friends since childhood and now both serve as NSW Labor state ministers.
Paul Scully and Ryan Park grew up together in the Illawarra because their mothers were friends through work, either at David Jones or WIN TV. Despite living in different suburbs and attending different schools, the pair stayed in contact.
Paul Scully and Ryan Park both went to the University of Wollongong and came from working-class backgrounds, which led them both to the Labor Party. Park was elected to Parliament in 2011; Scully joined him in 2016.
At Scully's first cabinet meeting, the two were seated next to each other by the seating plan. "It was just a bit uncanny," Park said.
Now they see each other daily and speak constantly.
- Dapto
- Park's background
- Mount Kembla
- Scully's background
- 2011
- Park elected to Parliament
- 2016
- Scully elected to Parliament
Why it mattersTheir story shows how personal bonds and shared background can shape political careers, and how chance can bring old friends together in unexpected places.
AustraliaFor people in the Illawarra, it is a source of local pride to see two neighbourhood kids rise to serve together in NSW government.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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