Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to share with the Senate a few events that have taken place in the Northern Territory over the few weeks since we last sat. One of the places that I'd like to speak about is my home community of Borroloola, where we have the Malandarri Festival, a very special festival. In fact, it's a festival that was in its 10th year, so it was a special anniversary, the 10th-anniversary celebration. We were able to see that the four language groups—the Yanyuwa, Marra, Gudanji and Garrwa peoples—came together to be able to dance and pass on the songs and ceremonies in an entertainment kind of way—one where a lot of people can have a lot of laughs and join in as well, because there are so many significant moments in the dances of the four language groups.

It is a weekend of much pride. And I want to mention my sister, Marlene Timothy, who, for 10 years, has worked very, very strongly to ensure that the festival continued and saw that each year there would be the bands. This year we saw, for the first time, the Malandarri band. For the Senate to understand, the Malandarri band was the first ever band of the Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Mara and Gurandji peoples. They were formed in the late seventies, early eighties, and they travelled down to South Australia to what was then known as CASM, the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music, to which many of our community members would go. The Malandarri band members, who are well into their 50s and some in their 60s, got up to perform at the festival. It was a pretty special occasion to see some of them get up and perform. They also had younger performers come on as well, because, sadly, we have lost a few band members over the years to early deaths.

I would also like to mention Dr Shellie Morris. Shellie Morris has done an outstanding job as a singer, performer and artist working with communities across the Northern Territory. She has also come back to Yanyuwa country because that is her grandmother's country, and her grandmother was part of the stolen generations. Shellie has worked diligently with the Borroloola Songwomen, and the Borroloola Songwomen were able to perform on the Saturday night of the festival. In doing so, they lifted the sky and the stars even higher with their singing. The Borroloola Songwomen don't want to be called a choir because they're not a choir. They have a very special kind of singing that makes everybody get up and dance. They're in great demand. They've been travelling to Victoria. They've also travelled to Queensland to sing. And I understand that even requests from overseas have come in, from Ireland and a few other places. I definitely know that Ireland was on the list, and Shellie Morris will certainly let me know of some of the other countries.

I think it's wonderful that here we have a place, 1,000 kilometres south-east of Darwin, a place that is very close to my heart, one where this festival brings everyone together for a lot of joy. There hasn't been a lot of joy and happiness with recent deaths, but the coming together since the referendum in October was important. It was important that people celebrate and come together, reinvigorate, reset, and know they are strong, resilient people with plans for the future and hopes for their young ones. It was good to see the young people get up and dance. We see too many issues with our youth, so this weekend made everyone leave that festival ground feeling strong, feeling good, feeling positive and, most of all, feeling loved—that they are part of a community that cares. I congratulate NT Outback and all its members who work so closely with the Borroloola people, and I commend everyone for the work that you've done at the Malandarri Festival.