Kerrianne Cox: News

Healing our differences

On 7-8 October 2005 the annual Gnujurung Festival was held at Ngarlan Burr (Beagle Bay). Gnujurung means 'coming together and sharing'. Traditionally people of the lands - family and kinship mobs from all over the Dampier Peninsula in the remote north-west Kimberley, as it is now known - would travel and meet together at Ngarlan Burr to conduct traditional business and clear disputes within family and clan mobs as part of the enduring cycle of life and culture. Elder Paul Cox (aged 75 years) speaks about how the ground would be shaking and the chanting and cooing of people travelling from afar would signal their closeness to Ngarlan Burr, where the Nyul Nyul people would wait for their arrival.

This year’s Gnujurung Festival was held at the end of a unique year for the community of Beagle Bay. Since November 2004, Beagle Bay has been on a path of positive change in partnership with the Australian Government. This year marked the 30th year since the Reserve was handed back to the people to form a ‘community’. For the people of Beagle Bay, Gnujurung heralds a new phase of prosperity – a better quality of life, a new store next year, more real and lasting opportunities through Shared Responsibility Agreements with individuals, families and the whole community and most of all, no turning back from a brave and optimistic future.

The Festival was opened by three elders of Ngarlan Burr – Lulu Paul Cox, Lulu Stephen Victor and Granny Rita Augustine – who brought a message of healing, moving forward and never forgetting the richness of culture. Granny Rita emphasized the importance of building respect for each other. Lulu Stephen Victor reminded everyone about living peacefully by saying : “Let’s get on with life and be happy with one another.”

‘Astonishing’ Annette Victor, BRACS Coordinator for Beagle Bay said, “For the elderlies, it was so deadly to see them up on stage to express what Gnujurung means to them. As a broadcaster, I felt the atmosphere was culturally strong. We’ve had a big and hard year in Beagle Bay. We aren’t defeated. We saw that at Gnujurung when we gathered to share our truths as a community. A big highlight in our healing was the performance by Hubert Stumpagee (aged 8) of Bon Jovi’s song “In These Arms” which was unforgettable. Thanks to Cameron Victor for bringing the music out from within Hubie. Thanks also to Kerrianne Cox and Kari Kristiansen for their efforts and conviction to stand beside us and make so many changes come about in Beagle Bay over the last year – we are getting closer to having a community-friendly town. Big mob thanks also to Rose Kelly and the Festival Team for a fantastic output.”

For Kerrianne Cox, Festival Director and internationally renowned performing artist and co-founder with Lulu Paul Cox of the Gnujurung Festival, it was another dream come true: “It was good to wind down with Gnujurung – sharing of music, culture, stories, respect, love and commitment to the new year and all that we stand for. It’s been a hard year for those of us who have taken a courageous stand to create a fair and just society in Beagle Bay .”

Beagle Bay is a musical community – Kerrianne Cox, Da Billard Boyz, Blacksoil Band, Blacksnakes Band – made the event a special gathering of local home-grown talent. This year the Limestone Cowboys and Shattered Image also came from Derby – big mob thanks!

The visitors – mainly tourists and government mob – had a chance to enjoy local hospitality, sit on the lands of the historical and traditional owners of Beagle Bay and feel the heartbeat of a community made famous around the world by the signature tune called Beagle Bay Dreaming.

Kerrianne Cox was a guest presenter at the 11th DEADLY AWARDS on Thursday 22 September 2005 at the Sydney Opera House.

The Deadlys was a night of spectacular entertainment and awards as the cream of Australia's Indigenous talent took to the stage at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall to celebrate achievements in entertainment, music, sport, community and the arts.

Kerrianne was a guest presenter with David Page of Bangarra Dance Theatre in the categories of Outstanding Achievement in Film and Television and Outstanding Achievement in Literature.

Kerrianne was named the 2001 Deadlys Artist of the Year.

KERRIANNE COX has been named the inaugural winner of the Yvonne Cohen Award for Creative Indigenous Australian Youth, securing a prize of $5,000 to aid in her future growth.

The late Yvonne Cohen was a successful non-Indigenous visual artist with a beautiful spirit, who lived a great part of her life on Timara Island, North Queensland. The newly established award is auspiced by Victorian College of the Arts' Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development on behalf of sole trustee Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Wandin Murphy.

“The award is open to individuals 30 years and under, spanning across all art disciplines. It hailed a diverse response nation-wide, representing immense talent within Australia’s Indigenous youth community.” Aunty Joy said.

Aunty Joy sought the expert advice of Kristy Edmunds (Artistic Director of the Melbourne International Arts Festival 2005 – 07) and Michelle Evans (Head of The Wilin Centre) for the selection of this year’s winner.

“Kerrianne clearly displays a very mature artistic sensibility in her work, and in the depth of spirit she brings to it. She has an authentic and generous voice, and is a demonstrated leader – not only in her community, but also in her art making” Ms Edmunds said.

In 2004 when her people elected Kerrianne as the Chairperson of Beagle Bay Community, she effectively put aside her constant touring (Australia-wide, America and South Africa) to concentrate on her community, but has never wavered in her passion for her creative ability.

“I feel on top of the world that my work has been recognised and honoured by judges of the Yvonne Cohen Award. Receiving the award gives me strength to endure hard times, to not lose faith and to continue believing in life, my work and the freedom to create beauty through self-expression as a performing artist and community leader.”

Kerrianne says, as the inaugural winner, she is honoured in setting a standard of achievement for herself and the award in years to come.

“I hope it will encourage creative self expression by young Indigenous artists whose merit and conviction make them worthy to receive a cash endowment, and apply it wisely to develop greater richness in their work.”

“Thank you for the Yvonne Cohen Award” Kerrianne said from her home in Beagle Bay.

In an article published in the Koori Mail (Australia's leading Indigenous newspaper) on 17 August 2005, Kerrianne describes her 'return to country':

"In February 2004 I came home to Beagle Bay to spend some precious final days with my Aunty Lizzie Cox. Within a fortnight Aunty Lizzie had passed away. She was 43 years old.

A parent doesn't expect to bury a child. When my grandfather, Lulu Paul Cox laid Aunty Lizzie to rest, he must have felt untold grief. As a man of culture and faith, Lulu is deeply alert to the cycles of life and death. We all had heavy hearts for Aunty Lizzie. As our grandfather, Lulu has been our greatest mentor. He has never complained, nor allowed us to complain. He has been the giant on whose shoulders we have all moved through the world.

When Aunty Lizzie passed on, the page turned and there was no looking back.

To quote a beautiful extract from a novel I'm reading:

"They say that the country calls you. Like a shadow of yourself, she beckons even when you've mislaid your heart and forgotten about home. The country doesn't care for your excuse, as you sit enveloped in her midst. The Mother has kept a place for you. She waits silently for you to recognise her."

After ten years away from home, I was ready to return and stay put. In October 2004 I became the elected leader of the Beagle Bay Community. I promised my people that I would give my all to the community. I knew that it would involve sacrifices. I had toured the world with my music and sung my signature tune Beagle Bay Dreaming to audiences in New York and Durban, Hobart and New Caledonia. I had spent many days and nights homesick for Beagle Bay. Now I was back in my community with a big job in front of me.

Being a leader involves taking risks. I could have turned a blind eye to the legacy of the past - chronic maladministration and self-interest, under-resourcing by successive governments, internal oppression and a sense of defeatism.

After all, isn't that the stereotype of a typical Aboriginal community? Not enough funding, people divided into the 'haves' and 'have nots', a hot bed of poverty, depression and anti-social behaviour, with a strong dose of infighting thrown in to complete the sorry picture of low quality of life.

But I wanted to be a worthy leader. A leader who wasn't gamin. A leader who actually did something and didn't just claim power for the sake of sitting fees, access to information, control of the resources and more of the same bad habits that every single community person knows about but is sometimes afraid to challenge for fear of being victimised.

In Beagle Bay we have made it our business to fix up the deep-seated problems that have held up our progress. Most of all, we must do it for our people, for one another. As I write to the Koori Mail today, I am filled with sadness at the loss of one of my tiddas over the weekend. At 26 years old with a beautiful son and the world at her feet, my tidda chose to end her life on 13 August. When she comes home to rest, she will lay beside Aunty Lizzie in our home - Beagle Bay. We ask ourselves what we can do to make living the safest option and to end the spiral into despair."

Kerrianne Cox is an outstanding example of an Aboriginal person who honours her roots through her work with her people and moves the world with her music and creativity.

Take the link - http://www.ilb.unsw.edu.au/current/index.html - to the current issue of the Indigenous Law Bulletin and read an article by Kerrianne Cox and Kari M S Kristiansen on Shared Responsibility Agreements.

In 2004 under Kerrianne's leadership, the Beagle Bay Community entered into a Shared Responsibility Agreement with the Australian Government.

Kerrianne was profiled in the West Magazine on 30 July 2005.

In a thoughtful and compelling story, Angela Parker relates how "Kerrianne Cox was once hailed as WA's Next Big Thing. Now she's a pillar of strength in her community".

In 1996 Kerrianne won the inaugural The Next Big Thing (WA) competition. As she says, "both professionally and spiritually The Next Big Thing was a stepping stone for me."

Kerrianne Cox was named ARTIST OF THE YEAR at the National NAIDOC Award Ceremony and Ball in Adelaide on Friday 8th July.

The National NAIDOC Awards recognise the outstanding contributions that individual Indigenous Australians make to their own communities and the broader Australian community.

NAIDOC celebrates the survival of Indigenous culture and the Indigenous contribution to modern Australia.

In her acceptance speech, Kerrianne acknowledged her family and the people of Beagle Bay for their support, in particular, Lulu Stephen Victor:

"Thank you to Lulu Stephen Victor for nominating me. Thank you to the NAIDOC Committee for selecting me. I am proud of my career and the many achievements which have brought me to this point. I am proud also to be here tonight as the elected leader of my community. As a performing artist, every single part of my life is connected to the whole, to what I express in my music. I am here tonight because of those parts to my music, my uniqueness as an individual, my conviction as a person, my loving family and my humble people. I especially want to thank my Lulu at home for bringing music to life all my life."

[For the information of readers: "Lulu" means grandfather]

Read more at http://www.naidoc.org.au/award_winners/nnaw/artist.aspx.

Kerrianne Cox performed at the National Indigenous Women's Conference in Kurrajong, NSW on 7 June 2005.

Joining Kerrianne on stage to sing their special song together - Strong Strong Orang - were the women from Beagle Bay who travelled to attend the conference - Aunty Pauline Murphy, Aunty Mona Stumpagee and Mama Lucy Williams (along with Cherie Shibasado from Djaridjin, WA).

The National Indigenous Women's Conference - a gathering of 300 Indigenous women from all over Australia - was hosted by the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination (OIPC).

Thanks to OIPC for a deadly event (go Kerrie Tim!).

Kerrianne Cox graduated from the Australian Indigenous Leadership (AILC) course in Canberra on 21 May 2005.

The Leadership Program is a practical hands-on course delivered in a residential module over a period of one week.

Kerrianne was one of 21 Indigenous participants from across Australia who attended the course.

Thanks to the AILC and its sponsors for this golden opportunity!

Kerrianne Cox is proud to announce that the youth of Beagle Bay have been honoured by the Jessie Street Trust in Sydney.

They are the lucky recipients of the Jessie Street Trust grant of $5,000 for 2005.

The Jessie Street Trust was established in 1989 during the centenary celebrations of Jessie’s life. Jessie often helped others using her own money to provide seeding grants. The Trust is a small volunteer based organization which celebrates the life of Jessie Street by raising funds for causes like those she supported. In 2004 the women of Mudgin-Gal in Redfern received a grant for a project to develop family safety strategies and prevent drug use and sexual exploitation of girls in the Redfern community.

The theme for 2005 is for a project working towards developing Indigenous youth leadership skills.

At the Annual Lunch for the Jessie Street Trust held at Parliament House in Sydney on Friday 22 April 2005, over 220 Trustees and supporters joined by guest speakers, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, MBE, OAM and Linda Burney MP, gathered to announce the winner of the 2005 Jessie Street Trust Grant – the Gnujurung Festival Youth Leadership Project in Beagle Bay.

Tauri D’Eatough – former solicitor at the Aboriginal Legal Service and owner of the only Aboriginal surf school in Australia [Taupu Surf School, Wollongong] – received the grant on behalf of the community of Beagle Bay.

The Jessie Street Trust grant will focus on a group of 12 young Aboriginal people in Beagle Bay, aged from 15-19 years, in the lead up to the annual Gnujurung Festival held in Beagle Bay on the first weekend of October. Over a three-month period, they will participate in the coordination of the Festival by developing a range of specific skills through the Gnujurung Festival Youth Leadership Project.

As the Festival Organiser, Kerrianne says that the Gnujurung Festival Youth Leadership Project will be a mixture of brainwork and fun – song writing and dance workshops, a learning circle focused on Aboriginal governance, organisation and team building skills, all with the guidance and support of the elders, women and men of Beagle Bay.

At the Annual Lunch, Kerrianne sent a message of big mob thanks to the Jessie Street Trust:

“We are honoured that you think of us as worthy and special people to give these valuable funds to for building and nurturing the seed of our youth here in Beagle Bay.

We are very proud of our youth. It’s exciting for us to see them grow into amazing people and leaders.

What is a leader? A leader is a person who knows the people, walks with the people, lives with the people and empowers the people. A true leader goes direct to the core of people’s hearts and minds and does all that is possible to bring out from within their very essence.

In Beagle Bay we see our youth every day as the bosses. To see them shine and be happy keeps us going – we live for them.

Through the Jessie Street Trust funds, we will create a deadly program which truly acknowledges the youth of Beagle Bay.”

For more information, go to the Sydney Morning Herald online at http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/04/22/1114152325406.html?oneclick=true and ABC Message Stick at http://www.abc.net.au/message/news/stories/s1354178.htm.

"Thanks for all your support and great feedack - the emails keep flowing from all over the world!

I'm in my country - Beagle Bay - creating music and working hard for my people every day.

After many years on the road, it's great to be at home. My people know that I am committed in every way and they give me strength and inspiration on a daily basis to do whatever is needed to make Beagle Bay strong and prosperous.

I'd love to tour where you all want me to go - the UK, the US again, and other places where my music is heard and loved.

It's always special to receive your messages - sending you all the best wherever you may be."

Kerrianne Cox was the headline performer at the Wardarnji Aboriginal Cultural Celebration on 20 November 2004. The theme of the festival was 'resonance'.

In the words of a concertgoer:

"That was a fantastic performance. Please keep singing from your heart ..... I really like the songs you sang ...... they just touched my heart. You have added another fan to your list."

Kerrianne Cox performed live to a packed audience at the Albany Town Hall Theatre on Wednesday 17 November 2004. The concert was broadcast live on ABC across Western Australia.

Kerrianne Cox recently appeared on Abracadabra Films 63 minute documentary THE LIFE & TIMES OF MALCOLM FRASER. Kerrianne was performing one of her own works at Sorry Day which was held at Parliament House in 2003. The documentary was funded by the Australian Film Finance Corporation and was shown on SBS television in August. Watch out for the reruns.

Kerrianne Cox was elected Chairperson of Beagle Bay Community for a two-year term by her people on 14 October 2004.

At 29 years of age, Kerrianne describes her election as a "dream that is now a reality. I'm on the right track, the right journey. Everything that I set out to achieve, I have succeeded in and in this moment, I am very proud of my life. Home is everything to me, and when everything is good at home, everything is good in the world as well."

Beagle Bay is an Aboriginal community 127 kms north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula.

Kerrianne sees the future with both optimism and realism: "No leader who understands people, ever makes promises to do everything in one day or to do it alone. In Beagle Bay, we share our hardships, our differences and our common sense. We're not silly people - we're deadly people!"

Take a look at the October 2004 edition of Voyeur - the in-flight magazine of Virgin Blue. You'll find Kerrianne talking about the food, fun and atmosphere of Broome on page 72.