Bundjalung Nghari – Indigenise 2022

Melissa Lucashenko

Melissa Lucashenko is a Goorie author of Bundjalung and European heritage. Her first novel, Steam Pigs, was published in 1997 and since then her work has received acclaim in many literary awards. Too Much Lip is her sixth novel and won the 2019 Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Queensland Premier’s Award for a Work of State Significance. It was also shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction, the Stella Prize, two Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, two Queensland Literary Awards and two NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Melissa is a Walkley Award winner for her non-fiction, and a founding member of human rights organisation Sisters Inside. She writes about ordinary Australians and the extraordinary lives they lead.

Photo | LaVonne Bobongie

Kylie Caldwell

Kylie is an experimental Bundjalung emerging writer and inter-disciplinary artist based in Northern Rivers, NSW. Her writings and art explore themes that reverberate around her. Her attentions lie in reviving and pursuing traditional cultural practices and values whilst delving deeper into present-day issues and themes interconnected to her interests and lived familiarities. In 2020 Kylie participated in a First Nations Writers / Illustrators Residential Retreat; reigniting, connecting and encouraging the writer in Kylie to venture out.

Daniel Browning

Daniel Browning is an Aboriginal journalist, radio broadcaster, sound artist and writer. His paternal Bundjalung family is from Fingal on the mouth of the Tweed River, and he grew up there and across the river in South Tweed and later Cabarita. His mother’s family is from south-eastern and south-western Queensland, extending from Yugambeh country north to Kabi Kabi country and west to Kullilli country. Currently, he is the ABC’s Editor of Indigenous Radio, overseeing the flagship programs Awaye! and Speaking Out. Daniel also presents The Art Show on ABC Radio National, the specialist arts and journalism network. A visual arts graduate, Daniel is also a widely published freelance writer on the arts and culture. He is a former guest editor of Artlink Indigenous, an occasional series of the quarterly Australian contemporary arts journal and is the inaugural curator of Blak Box, an award-winning, architect-designed sound pavilion commissioned by UTP, the multiform arts organisation based in western Sydney.

Photo | Kelly Gardner. Noble Savage Pictures

Ella Noah Bancroft

Ella Noah Bancroft a descendent of the peoples of the Bundjalung nation and has bloodlines to England, Poland and Scotland. Indigenous change-maker, artist, storyteller, mentor and founder of “The Returning” and Yhi Collective, Ella Noah Bancroft is active advocate for The Decolonisation movement. Through her writing and work Ella has been promoting re-wilding, the return of the black matriarchy, a remembering to deep relationship nature and decolonizing of personal, social and ecological well-being for 10 years. A current theme she has been exploring in her current world is “It takes cour

Photo | Charlotte Wighton

Billy McPherson

A Kamilaroi and Kooma man from south-west Queensland, Billy is an actor and playwright living in Sydney. Billy’s recent screen work includes roles in The Twelve (Foxtel), RFDS (Nine Network) and Frayed (ABC). Other television roles include Thalu (NITV), Black Comedy, Redfern Now, My Place, Dead Heart and Heartland (ABC). Billy’s theatre credits include most recently, Cutter and Coota for Moogahlin Performing Arts, Boomkak Panto for Belvoi Theatre, Yellamundie Festival 2021 at Carriageworks, and The Black Drop Effect (Sydney Festival 2020).

Photo | Tree Faerie

Sarah Roberts-Field

Sarah Roberts–Field is a Bundjalung Woman belonging to the Widjabul/Wieybal clan group. She commenced working in the creative industries at the age of 16 years, while a student at Maclean High School and completing work experience with the Northern Rivers Performing arts ( NORPA) . This has led to the involvement in the theatre production Three Brothers, assisting with the photographing, documenting and collecting and compiling research for the production over a period of two years. Three Brothers was under the Artistic Direction of Julian Louise with Creatives the late David Page and Kirk Page. In July 2018, Sarah performed in the NORPA multi-disciplinary production A Horses Mouth Director Kirk Page, with Victoria Hunt and Jade Dewi, performing several roles. In 2016 Sarah performed alongside Shari Sebbens and Richard Franklin in play readings, Conversations with the Dead as part of the Blues / Boomerang Festival at Byron Bay for the Talks and Ideas program. She has performed at the Cultural Opening events as a dancer for Boomerang Festival, The Dreaming Festival and Homeground at the Sydney Opera House. Currently Sarah is looking at developing her craft and continues to attend auditions and castings and is signed to the acting agency BGM.

Photo | Sarah Roberts-Field

Name

Letila Mitchell is a Rotuman performing artist from Fiji, and currently undertaking her Doctor of Creative Industries at QUT. Letila is the Managing and Artistic Director of Rako, a multi-disciplinary artist and designer collective. She is Former Director of the Fiji Arts Council, Founder and Secretary General for the Pacific Arts Alliance, and Member of the Commonwealth Group for Culture and Development. Letila has trained and worked as an arts manager, producer and project manager, and as a practicing artist in the Pacific region for the past 17 years. She has gained experience and education working internationally in London, the US, Australia and New Zealand. She has worked extensively in the Pacific arts and cultural sector, and trade and tourism, both at community and government level. Her current consultancy and development work focuses on cultural entrepreneurship, arts education, arts for social change, and developing Pacific models for environmental and cultural sustainability through the creative industries.

Karl Johnson

Karl has worked with NORPA since 2001 and has 30 years experience in lighting design and production management. Credits include Company B, Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Urban Theatre Projects, Powerhouse Youth Theatre, Lismore Lantern Parade and collaborations with many artists such as Noel Tovey, Deborah Leiser-Moore and Michael Hennessy.

Photo | Kate Holmes