) ▁and ▁W oll ong ong ▁( 1 9 9 9 – 2 0 0 3 ). ▁He ▁was ▁a ▁parliament ary ▁secretary ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁two ▁terms ▁of ▁the ▁Car r ▁Labor ▁government . ▁ ▁Early ▁years ▁ ▁Mark ham ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁W oll ong ong , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁Vincent ▁Mark ham ▁and ▁his ▁wife ▁I ris , ▁and ▁studied ▁at ▁West ▁W oll ong ong ▁Public ▁School ▁and ▁W oll ong ong ▁Junior ▁Techn ical ▁College ▁( now ▁Ke ira ▁High ▁School ). ▁He ▁dropped ▁out ▁of ▁school ▁at ▁fifteen , ▁and ▁took ▁up ▁an ▁app rent ices hip ▁as ▁an ▁elect rical ▁f itter ▁with ▁the ▁Electric ity ▁Commission ▁of ▁New ▁South ▁Wales . ▁He ▁worked ▁in ▁the ▁K em ira ▁mines ▁for ▁two ▁years ▁after ▁the ▁completion ▁of ▁his ▁app rent ices hip , ▁before ▁sh ifting ▁to ▁the ▁Co al cl iff ▁mines , ▁where ▁he ▁spent ▁a ▁further ▁ 2 4 ▁years . ▁He ▁joined ▁the ▁Labor ▁Party ▁in ▁response ▁to ▁the ▁Australian ▁constitution al ▁crisis ▁of ▁ 1 9 7 5 , ▁and ▁was ▁active ▁in ▁his ▁local ▁branches ▁for ▁many ▁years ▁there after . ▁ ▁State ▁politics ▁ ▁Mark ham ▁won ▁Labor ▁pr ese lection ▁for ▁the ▁newly ▁created ▁seat ▁of ▁Ke ira ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 8 , ▁following ▁the ▁abol ition ▁of ▁the ▁previously ▁safe ▁Labor ▁seat ▁of ▁Cor r imal ▁held ▁by ▁the ▁long - ser ving ▁Member ▁for ▁Cor r imal , ▁Laur ie ▁Kelly . ▁Kelly ▁challeng