The modern world does not except failure the way it should or the way the world used to. Many young people don’t try anymore in case they fail, and that is a shame for in failing we learn.

For years I watched the Bartolo boys from afar as they grew up. The vast majority of times they succeeded but there were times they didn’t, however whatever they were doing they gave it 100 percent. 

That commitment and determination is driving them to further success as they make their way in the world, in sport and academia. Though they are undoubtedly talented it is their work ethic that has (and continues to) take them places.

Father Dave came to Mount Isa from Babinda to do an electrical apprenticeship and is now Superintendent at George Fisher.

He also arrived with a passion and talent for Rugby League and was a fixture of Townies and Mount Isa sides for many years. Lightning quick he was struck down with injuries toward the end of his playing career and looked around for another way to stay fit and keep the competitive juices flowing.

Julie was a Mount Isa girl who captured his heart and she was a particularly good Hockey player. As such the boys played Hockey, Soccer and League and Cricket in summer.

Instead of trying to work in with each other Mount Isa sporting associations always think they are the most important. That was the case when Rugby League changed juniors from Sunday to Saturday and clashed with Hockey.

“I loved League as much as Hockey but when they went to the same day I had to choose.” Luke shrugged. “I chose Hockey and that year made the Queensland under 12 side.”

Since then Luke has worn the maroon colours in Under 13, Under 15, Under 16 and Under 18.  Several times he was in two age groups in one year which was the case in his last year in under 16.

Not only did he make the Queensland under 16 and under 18 sides but that year was selected in the Australian Merit side in under 16. As a sixteen year old he was selected for the Australian under 18 watch list, which is basically a shadow position.

The following year he was a fully fledged Australian player when for the first time in 20 years Australia sent an under 18 side on an international tour. The team played a Quad Series with India’s Under 18’s and conditions were more comfortable for Luke than many others.

“We took a thermometer on the pitch and it was 41-42 degrees when we played at 5:00pm.” While that temperature is not unusual for a boy from Mount Isa humidity is a foreign agent, “the humidity was about 40 percent, so not the 80-90 but still up there.”

The 18 and 21 year’s age groups are a big focus and investment for Australian Hockey at the moment because of an event in six years time.

“They did a data survey and the average age of Kookaburra’s at Olympic Games was 24.” Luke said with it not being lost on him that when Brisbane rolls around he will be that age.

Mature beyond his years he knows it is a long journey and the most important thing is to focus on the journey and the lessons it provides. Fortunately he is able to share the journey with one of the biggest influences on his life and someone he admires greatly; his brother Kyle.

Three years into a five-year Electrical Engineering and Economics degree Kyle has been someone to look up to as well as a brother and teammate. Both attend University of Queensland and have found themselves on the same team again.

“We train club hockey together and we've been lucky to play in the same team, the same division one team on the weekend.” Kyle said.

The standard is extremely high and their UQ team currently sits fifth out of 10 teams in Division 1. When they need inspiration, it is not hard to find.

“Oh, it's absolutely excellent.” Kyle confirmed of the standard. “The quality is second to none. My hockey has taken leaps and bounds since coming down here because you are training twice a week, our coach coaches junior Australia teams and Queensland teams, we've got 4 members in our squad who play in the Australian hockey league.”

Both have embraced the elevated level of play and training and enjoyed the challenge with their dedication and application quickly earning them respect.

“The coaches have loved that down here because you're always showing up, you're always wanting to get better and they've been able to help take me through the different divisions up to division one this year.” Kyle explained. “It's something that I knew was in reach, but didn't realise that I could really become a consistent division one player. So, yeah, that's been a pretty awesome.”

That pressure to constantly perform can drown people in expectation

“Every training you show up to you've got ex Kookaburras watching you.” Luke said with an air of excitement.  His coaches include Olympic Gold Medal winner Matthew Wells and Queensland Open Men’s coach Darren Fowler.

“It's just every day you've got to be switched on.”

While Luke has not taken advantage of his access to sports psychologists he has worked hard on his mental application to ease the pressure of expectation.

“If you think about it being a lot of pressure then, you know, you get overwhelmed. There definitely is that sense of pressure but it's like you've been given the opportunity and now you've got to kind of repay it, I guess.”

His love of learning has eased the pressure he felt in younger years especially around 14 to 15.  

“I had a lot of anxiety around hockey and performance and not being good enough,” he admits. “That's been something I've really tried to improve on, switching my mindset and enjoying it.

I still obviously get nervous and feel pressure and that just shows you care, but I've definitely got a lot better at just like, this is my goal. Like, ‘I practised, I'm prepared, I've trained,’ and just backing myself.

That is where having someone who knows you so well can be a blessing. The pair have been apart for around three to four years and absence has made the heart grow fonder.

“It's something I've appreciated a bit more this year,” admits Kyle. “We've had the last 3 years of being separated in college and boarding school but now I get to see him a couple times a week, which I think we both appreciate.”

Kyle has been at University for three years while Luke spent years 10-12 boarding at Cathedral School in Townsville although he could have been there earlier.

“I'd been pushing for it since like year seven- year eight and mum and dad were like, ‘no way, no way, you're way too young.”

That changed when they visited in year nine. Not only did they love the school but there was also a Mount Isa connection with teachers Luke Bailes (became principal when Luke was year 11) and Chris Anderson and others.

Luke explored a lot of schools from Townsville, Brisbane and Cairns because they would allow him to play in strong Hockey competitions.

In the end a big factor was family as Julie’s parents, Jack and Barb Spradau, lived in Townsville.

While the pair excel in physical endeavours they are obviously pretty cluey with Kyle doing his dual engineering/economics degree and Luke studying to be a PE teacher. Both admit any scholastic success has come through hard work and a firm hand from mum and dad.

“They wanted us to do as much as we possibly could,” said Kyle. “But they still knew that school work came number one and we had to stay up in that to keep doing all the sports that we wanted to do.”

If the boys wanted to go on a sporting trip their parents always put a caveat in place that they had to me ahead of their schoolwork, not just up to date. Those expectations have remained and Kyle has found handling university studies by managing his time.

“It doesn't even have to be a trip now, If I've got an assignment and I want to go out this weekend, I need to get ahead and make sure my assignment's done middle of the week, not end of the week, and all those kind of things.”

While it sounds simple in theory Kyle admits it is hard but getting ahead of tasks is the key thing.

That time management ability started in Mount Isa where he would go to school and stay until 3:30-4 a few days per week to get help from teachers with tutorials. Then it was home for another hour of study before training and another hour or two after training and study on weekends as well

While Luke admits he tried his best in Mount Isa it was boarding school that set him up to manage his time.

“I think when you go to boarding school you learn a lot of skills,” Luke said. “Like organisation, time management - there's no one there to do it for you. It's on you, like you're responsible for yourself.”

He struggled a fair bit when he arrived at boarding school but once he got into his processes and routines it became a lot easier. He worked hard at it and when he looks back now he sees the difference from the kid in Mount Isa to the one at boarding school.

“I knew what I wanted to do and it forced me to grow up really quick.”

Kyle acknowledges the relationship has changed over the years due to maturity and separation. It became especially prominent when they went in separate directions, one to uni the other to boarding school. 

They went from seeing each other every day to seeing each other every school holidays but the separation has strengthened their bond.

“You realise that you don't have that person there every day now and you've got to make the most of the phone calls and the most of the in-person time you've got. So yeah, it's something I've appreciated a bit more this year.”

For Luke his brother has always been an inspiration and someone to look up to.

Kyle was Spinifex School Captain and so Luke wanted to be (and was) school captain at Cathedral. Kyle played Hockey and so Luke wanted to play Hockey. Kyle was good at school, so Luke wanted to be good at school.

“He's always been the one to set the standard.”  Luke unabashedly admits. “Like he's honestly a genius.”

That admiration is now a two-way street with both taking from each other.

“I think he looks at the things I've done and wants to be like me,” said Kyle. “I look at the discipline that takes him to do five or six trainings a week in his program and I want to be a bit more like that as well. So, I think we use each other a lot nowadays to help keep each other in line.”

Hockey was a family affair but it was mum Julie who was the first to take up the stick when she was a young whippersnapper. Father Dave began when he retired from Rugby League and before the two boys left they were able to play in the same team.   

Luke’s final year at school and in Mount Isa was the last season men’s Hockey were able to play a full competition. The numbers dropped off the next year, and it became a social competition. 

“Me, dad and Luke all played in that team, and we won the grand final that year. So, I think that was a pretty special game and moment for the whole family. ”Kyle recalled. “We knew we were all moving out and onto different places and things the next year, so to have that last game together and that last grand final win for pirates was a pretty big thing for us.”

While there are professional leagues around the world Hockey is not a sport you play to make money. That means the turnover after each Olympics is high, although the lure of a home Olympics may see less of a turnover after Los Angeles in 2028.

Both boys are quite practical and that shines through when you think of the decisions they have made and direction they have steered their lives.

“There was definitely times in my younger age when I went to tournaments for hockey and hoped to make Queensland” Kyle reflected. “Yeah, it's disappointing when you miss selection but you move on and as you get older in high school, you've got to start to make some career plans and decisions.” 

“Probably around grade 11, that's when I kind of realised that I'm loving my sport and my hockey and I'm happy to keep playing that, but I've found another passion for what I want to do with my life.“

“There’s one year I thought he probably was a bit stiff not to make Queensland,” Luke said defensively. “Then as he got a bit older he became a lot more serious about study but he’s playing div one in Brisbane, which is like no easy feat.”

There are a variety of sports available to play in Mount Isa and both boys acknowledge it was a blessing to grow up in the city. 

“I absolutely loved it.” Kyle said. “I loved having so many sports that you could play and so many different things you could do, especially at a young age. You weren't just bent on one sport or one direction.

“It's a different life down here. It's not five minutes across town from one sport to the other; it's a 50 minute drive for this game and then to this other game. 

“Its actually physically a thing you can’t do down here.”

“Mount Isa is a great place to grow up, and I know different people say different things, but I still stand by that, it's an absolutely great place to grow up, and hopefully people can see there's also a lot of opportunities.” 

Much of their success comes from an inner drive that both attribute to their parents.

“100%.” Luke states. “Growing up in a house where they've always said, you don't really get anything from life without hard work. They've never controlled but been supportive.

“Like they'll pull you up but they'll also let us also kind of explore. Mum and dad have always been, ‘this is either right or this is wrong,’ you know what I mean? So we've been pretty strong on that and then kind of just built it into our values.

Many people would buckle under the strain of what the boys cram into their life but Kyle sees it as helping to release pressure.

“I loved doing the sport throughout high school and uni as well. I think the breakup has helped me more than the time it's taken away, you've got to balance. You got a way to get out there and run around and get some exercise and interact with some more people and you're not just stuck at your desk studying all day and all night.”

Young people are pulled in so many directions it is hard to stay focussed and so many drop by the wayside when it comes to sport. Both recognise the sacrifices their parents have made and also the sacrifices they themselves have made to have the best shot at their dreams.

“I play hockey for myself, but I also play for my family, my friends and my community as well.” Explained Luke. “Like, I love Mount Isa and I think that it's an awesome place. And when everyone asks me about it, I say I love it and how good it is, it's where you come from and I think it's important not forgetting that.” 

“I think that our age now is kind of a bit of a make or break period. Not just in the sense of hockey, but just in life. I think that once you come out of school everything changes.”

Out of the 100 kids who played for Queensland since they were 12 only three are in the high performance unit.

“Like there's three of us who come up and we all are still committed. So, you know, it's very few people actually want to do it and show up every day.”

A big believer in the journey rather than the destination Luke says if all you're waiting for is to, say make Australia, you're not really going to be happy along the way.

“I'm pretty practical and I think that, yeah, I love hockey and I love what I'm doing and I think as long as I love my course I'm studying, I'll keep on doing it.

“But I'm not afraid to say if I wake up and it's not necessarily what I want to do anymore. I think that I would take a career pass somewhere else.

“But you know, I’ll try to be successful in whatever I do.”

Luke has a two-hour Hockey training on Monday, two and a half hour gym session on Tuesday, two-hour Hockey training Wednesday and Thursday, hour and a half gym on Friday and occasionally a Friday afternoon Hockey training session.

For uni he has classes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Friday is study day and on Saturday he plays Hockey.