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Indigenous stations shine at community broadcasting awards
The contribution of Australia's dynamic network of Indigenous broadcasting stations has been recognised in the most recent round of Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) Awards.
The Indigenous radio station of the Derby region in Western Australia, 6DBY, won the CBAA's ‘best innovative new program/segment idea' award.And the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA), won the contribution to Indigenous broadcasting category.
For Derby's 6DBY the award was very welcome recognition of the role the station plays in the lives of the people of the Kimberly region.
Due to a lack of resources, the station took years to obtain a full Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) licence. It had to ask the ABA for extensions to the period before the station could attain operational status. It was fully licensed by the ABA in 2000.
‘That history makes this award all the sweeter,' Richard Allen, 6DBY station manager, told DATA.
‘It's a signal of where we are now, and that is a voice for the Aboriginal people of this region.'
Richard developed 6DBYs winning Stories of History and Country program which aims to highlight and preserve the stories of the Kimberly region as an important part of Australian history.
‘The Kimberly has a unique position in Australian history—there are so many layers of history here—from the first people of the land and their dreaming stories, through to the infiuence of Malay and Chinese immigration, and then the area was bombed by the Japanese in World War II,' Richard said.
‘It's very much a race against time, and we have to face the fact that the people who hold these stories are gradually dying. We want to be able to preserve this material after the storytellers pass away.'
Some of the unique stories collected through the project include emotional recounts of massacres and the stolen generation, as well as stories that describe the incredible beauty of the Kimberley, and traditional dreaming legends.
There have also been stories of plane crashes, cyclones and people who communicate with sharks.
The essence of these amazing stories has been captured by returning the storytellers to their homelands and country, to the sites of the events they were describing. This evoked some strong emotions in some of the storytellers, which added to the stories being told.
‘People become much more motivated and passionate about the stories that they've got to tell. It definitely adds another layer of authenticity,' Richard said.
One of the places Richard and his production team visited was Freshwater Cove in the Buccaneer Archipelago. ‘It's as remote as you can get, and just absolutely pristine and beautiful.
‘The Worora people were relocated from this area after WWII and moved to a new home at Mowanjum near Derby. For Heather Umbagai, one of the elders, it was the first time she'd been back to this spot since she was a baby.'
The success of Derby Radio 6DBYs program has also been recognised by other community radio stations around Australia, who have been broadcasting the Kimberly programs. The stories have been aired from Sydney, Gosford, Perth and Halls Creek, and through the National Indigenous Radio Service, which syndicates material to the network of Indigenous broadcasters around Australia.
After producing almost 100 stories, the award has motivated Richard to continue the project.
‘The Community Broadcasting Association award was really validating for us. It's encouraging to see our work recognised in this way and we want to keep the project going as long as we can.'
Indigenous stations shine
Since July 2004 DCITA has been administering the Australian Government's Indigenous Broadcasting Program. The program supports 108 Indigenous owned and controlled community radio services in both urban and remote locations and the Imparja Television service in Central Australia. The networks give Indigenous Australians access to broadcasting services similar to those available in the wider Australian community.
The Indigenous radio broadcasters can be commissioned to carry messages on important services and programs out to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
For information on the program you can visit www.dcita.gov.au> Indigenous programs > Indigenous broadcasting.