I believe in spirits, only I call it culture
Fresh from the Anzac Commemoration at Villers Bretonneux in France, paying tribute and respect to the Indigenous men and woman who have served our Country Australia, David Hudson was invited to take part in the Dawn Service playing the didgeridoo on the 25th April 2017. “At the end of the service I was able to lay a wreath to honour and represent the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who served our country for the past 100 years and beyond.” David says.
The ceremony had 2,133 in attendance which was down from last year’s attendance of about 3,100. This year marked the centenary of the dreadful tragedy of the two battles of Bullecourt which claimed more than 10,000 Australian lives lost in the bloodiest battles of World War 1, for negligible strategic gain.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane and pay respect to a pioneer Indigenous artist, David Hudson!
Coming from the homelands west of the Great Dividing Range rich in Ancient rock art, hot thermal springs, volcanic lava tubes that have formed hug crater/tunnels underground and gem fields that have gold, quartz, agate, granite, topaz and various other beautiful gemstones, shines an amazing and multi-talented Indigenous performer Dahwurr (Black Palm), known to most as David Hudson.
Born in Cairns, his mob is the Western Yalanji and Ewamian of North Queensland. At an early age, David’s mum Esme Grogan Hudson got a job as a cook on a cattle station called Spring Creek and Rosella Plains south west from Cairns (his fathers country). Relocating with David this is where he remembers being taught traditional skills from fishing, hunting, riding horses and having the ability to grow up on country with his family.
“My mum installed in me to be proud of my identity and to always remember that without my Culture my life would be like a tree without roots.” David says.
At the age of 7, David and his mum returned to Cairns where he attended school. He completed year 12 in the late 70’s and within a week, left home and ventured out into the big bad world, going to Alice Springs. Playing rugby league, working on the railways than later as a health worker at Congress Medical Centre. “These years were some of my memorable ones but I wanted more out of life so my girlfriend (later wife) and I travelled to Perth, Western Australia where I attended Nedlands College and I became a Sports Recreation Officer.” While in Perth he formed great friendships with Ernie Dingo, Richie Walley in the early 80’s and they still remain great friends.