Jonathon Nicholas performs with his band, Encore. The Year 12 student says music helped him navigate the loss of his veteran father and inspired him to pursue a career in the industry. Photo: Supplied.
When Jonathon Nicholas lost his father in October 2024, he wasn’t searching for a stage. He was searching for something to hold on to.
The Year 12 student at St Edmund’s College had always loved music. It was something he shared with his father, Paul Nicholas, during countless car rides listening to their favourite songs together. But after his father’s death, the guitar became much more than a hobby.
“I didn’t really see any value in going and talking about it,” Jonathon told Region.
“I thought there was probably a better way to channel my feelings.”
At first, music became a distraction. Then it became something much bigger. “It really helped to make sure that I wasn’t spiralling or falling out of control,” he said.
“It really helped to make sure that I stayed on the right path.”
Today, the Canberra teenager is studying Double Music at St Edmund’s College, has formed a band called Encore with friends he has known since kindergarten and is preparing to perform at the Officers’ Spring Ball at Victoria Barracks in Sydney later this year.
Behind the music is the story of a young man finding a way through grief.
Paul Nicholas served in the Australian Army as a Military Police Officer for 27 years and was a Totally and Permanently Incapacitated veteran before his death. Throughout Jonathon’s schooling, the family had received support through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Education Scheme.
After Paul’s death, the DVA worked with the family to support music tuition as part of Jonathon’s wellbeing plan.
His mother, Kelly Nicholas, said she had recognised her son’s passion for music long before tragedy struck.
She remembers taking him to Better Music in Canberra to try an electric guitar.
“As soon as he sat down and started playing it, I thought, ‘I’m in trouble because that’s going to cost me a lot of money,’” she laughed.
“I could see his passion for it straight away.”
After Paul’s death, that passion became an anchor.
Jonathon immersed himself in music classes at school, where he found comfort in spending time with friends and teachers who understood what he was going through.
“I think one of the first moments I realised it was helping was being able to go to music class, have a laugh with my friends and play music,” he said.
“Before that it was hard to enjoy myself and have fun. Playing music really helped me start feeling a bit better about it.”
Jonathon Nicholas performs with his band, Encore, during a school performance at St Edmund’s College. Photo: Supplied
Kelly said the support her son received extended well beyond the classroom.
His tutor, Den Hanrahan from GTR Tuition, helped build both his confidence and musicianship, while St Edmund’s Head of Clancy House Jeff Vayo and Head of Music Rachel Rasmussen provided constant encouragement as he navigated one of the most difficult periods of his life.
Music has long been part of the Nicholas family’s story. Jonathon’s grandfather, Jon Hayton, was a respected session musician who performed alongside Johnny O’Keefe and The Delltones. During Chuck Berry’s Australian tour in the 1960s, he also performed with the rock-and-roll legend.
Inspired by that musical legacy, and by the music he had shared with his father, Jonathon formed Encore with school friends Ryder Darling, Gordon and Riley, mates he has known since kindergarten.
While the other band members focus on writing and performing, Jonathon has taken on another role.
He manages Encore’s social media, branding and promotion, helping grow the band’s audience beyond Canberra.
“I do all of the social media management and all of the promotion for the band,” he said.
“That’s how we’ve really expanded it and gone from being a little thing in Canberra to now being something bigger.”
There are moments on stage, however, when everything else fades away. “When we’re playing, I like to think that he’s there watching me,” Jonathon said of his father.
“I’ve got all the control, and I’m just kind of watching. I like to think that he’s there watching me, and he knows how I’m feeling.”
He believes his father would have been proud. “I think he’d probably think we’re doing pretty good,” he said.
“And the music is music that he enjoyed, so I think he’d have a good time.”
After finishing Year 12, Jonathon plans to move to Melbourne to study sound engineering, which will allow him to build a career in the music industry while continuing to perform with Encore.
For Kelly, watching her son emerge from unimaginable loss has been its own reward.
“I think the main point is that sometimes through tragedy, you can turn that around,” she said.
“I’m most proud of Jonathon’s resilience.”
To follow Encore, visit Instagram … and they’ll be at Smith’s on 30 August.
