Bobby McLeod
Encyclopedia
Bobby McLeod was an Aboriginal
activist, poet, healer, musician and Yuin
elder. He was from Wreck Bay Village, Jervis Bay Territory
. He was involved in the fight for Aboriginal rights in Australia and travelled the world speaking about cultural lore, health and healing.
and the local Baptist church. Her father was Robert Brown, the first Aboriginal stipendiary magistrate. His father's father was a black tracker on the NSW south coast. Bobby started his singing career in the Baptist Youth Fellowship choirs. He learnt to play the guitar from Jimmy Little
's family.
Bobby completed his Intermediate at Nowra High School in 1963, excelling at sport. His family moved to the new "model suburb" of Green Valley
in Sydney's south-west. In 1966, a Sydney City Mission report on the suburb described "a lack of community life, a breakdown in family life, large numbers of deserted wives, needy children and bewildered people". Within two years of moving there, Bobby had been sentenced to five years in jail for assault and robbery after a fight at Blacktown RSL.
After being released from prison in 1968, Bobby played rugby league for the Redfern All-Blacks.
Bobby was in prison a second time in 1973 when his father died. He wrote his first song, "Wayward Dreams", after attending the funeral on day release.
After being released from jail, Bobby lived at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
on the lawns of parliament house in Canberra
. On 28 February 1974, he achieved some notoriety when he "arrested" Francis Herbert Moy, an assistant secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA), at gunpoint. The incident happened in the DAA offices in Canberra.
Earlier that day there had been a land rights demonstration when Queen Elisabeth and Prince Philip
arrived at Parliament House
for the opening of parliament.
Bobby had gone into the DAA office with Reuben John Smith and Neville Foster, looking for the department head, Barrie Dexter, who was away in Tasmania at the time. They held Moy and three other DAA staff members in the office for an hour and a half. Bobby allegedly told them "I'm going to keep you here for four or five days and teach you to starve".
After about an hour Charlie Perkins
arrived from outside parliament house and convinced Bobby to give him the gun. Charlie removed the bullets from the gun, which he later handed over to the police. The fact that there were no bullets in the gun when it was given to the police meant that Bobby was only charged with possession of an unlicensed gun, rather than the much more serious charge that would have followed if it had been loaded.
Bobby was fined $40 for the incident and put on a 12-month good behaviour bond. He remained grateful to Charlie Perkins for having the presence of mind to remove the bullets. The matter was discussed in parliament.
A few days after the incident, during an interview on ABC radio, Bobby said "I would die for my people, I'm not frightened of that".
After that, Bobby left Canberra for Melbourne, where he played with a group called the Kooriers with Paul and Dudley (aka Doug) Meredith, a couple of musicians from Cherbourg
in Queensland
. They played a lot of union gigs and recorded a demo tape at the ABC studios. According to Bobby, the Kooriers music expressed "the confusion and frustration of Aborigines and their cultural dilemma which came as a result of westernisation".
Bobby said later that the reason why the Kooriers didn't go further than they did was because they drank too much. When the Meredith brothers left Melbourne, he immersed himself even more deeply in alcohol, singing here and there, but mostly devoting his life to drinking. He hit rock bottom in 1983 when he went into an alcohol related coma for seven days, and nearly died. That was his wakeup call and he returned to Nowra, after an absence of twenty years, and gave up drinking permanently.
In 1987, Bobby played at the Tamworth Country Music Festival
. While he was there, he met people from the Enrec recording studio and ended up recording with them, Buddy Knox
and Mick Lieber. This led to his first album Culture Up Front being released by Larrikin Records
in 1988.
In 1990, Bobby, along with Vic Simms
, Roger Knox
and the Euraba band were invited to North America by Indigeous Americans, to play prisons and reservations. When he got back to Australia, he recorded his second album Spirit Mother, backed by the Flying Emus
. Talking about the change of mood from his previous album, Bobby said "[......] if you sing about the sorrow of things, it sort of keeps people in that sadness. So what I did [with Spirit Mother] was to try and change it to find out what was good about being me and stuff."
Inspired by his experiences with Indigenous people in Canada, Bobby set up the Doonooch Aboriginal Healing and Cultural Centre at Wreck Bay
in 1990 - initially as an attempt to address the high levels of violence found in Aboriginal communities. 'Doonooch' refers to the owl dreaming.
In the early 1990s, he started the Doonooch dance group, primarily as a way to keep young Aboriginal people away from alcohol and other drugs and provide them with gainful employment and a cultural and spiritual awakening. In 2000 the Doonooch dancers performed at the Olympic Games
opening ceremony and at the World Indidgenous Forum in Noumea
.
McLeod's album Dumaradje was nominated for Best World Music Album at the 2005 ARIA Awards.
"Wayward Dreams" was featured in both the SBS
documentary and the accompanying cd, Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
activist, poet, healer, musician and Yuin
Yuin
Yuin people are those Australian Aborigines from the South Coast of New South wales who are considered to be the traditional owners of the land and water from Merimbula to Port Jackson.- Country :...
elder. He was from Wreck Bay Village, Jervis Bay Territory
Wreck Bay Village, Jervis Bay Territory
Wreck Bay Village is a town in the Jervis Bay Territory Australia. It forms part of the Jervis Bay Village Council. It is a largely Aboriginal community.-Geography:* coordinates: * elevation: ~30 m, 106 ft...
. He was involved in the fight for Aboriginal rights in Australia and travelled the world speaking about cultural lore, health and healing.
Life
Bobby was born in 1947, the oldest of 6 kids, and a descendant of the Monaro people. He grew up at Worragee, an Aboriginal community outside Nowra. His father, Arthur, was a labourer, a boxer, and an alcoholic. His mother was active in the Worragee-Wreck Bay chapter of the Country Women's AssociationCountry Women's Association
The Country Women’s Association of Australia is the largest women's organisation in Australia. It has 44,000 members across 1855 branches. Its aims are to improve the conditions for country women and children and to try to make life better for women and their families, especially those women...
and the local Baptist church. Her father was Robert Brown, the first Aboriginal stipendiary magistrate. His father's father was a black tracker on the NSW south coast. Bobby started his singing career in the Baptist Youth Fellowship choirs. He learnt to play the guitar from Jimmy Little
Jimmy Little
Jimmy Little AO , is an Australian Aboriginal musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose career has spanned six decades. For many years he was the only Aboriginal star on the Australian music scene...
's family.
Bobby completed his Intermediate at Nowra High School in 1963, excelling at sport. His family moved to the new "model suburb" of Green Valley
Green Valley, New South Wales
Green Valley is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Green Valley is located 39 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Liverpool and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.-History:Green Valley was...
in Sydney's south-west. In 1966, a Sydney City Mission report on the suburb described "a lack of community life, a breakdown in family life, large numbers of deserted wives, needy children and bewildered people". Within two years of moving there, Bobby had been sentenced to five years in jail for assault and robbery after a fight at Blacktown RSL.
After being released from prison in 1968, Bobby played rugby league for the Redfern All-Blacks.
Bobby was in prison a second time in 1973 when his father died. He wrote his first song, "Wayward Dreams", after attending the funeral on day release.
After being released from jail, Bobby lived at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
Aboriginal Tent Embassy
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a controversial semi-permanent assemblage claiming to represent the political rights of Australian Aborigines. It is made of a large group of activists, signs, and tents that reside on the lawn of Old Parliament House in Canberra, the Australian capital...
on the lawns of parliament house in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. On 28 February 1974, he achieved some notoriety when he "arrested" Francis Herbert Moy, an assistant secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA), at gunpoint. The incident happened in the DAA offices in Canberra.
Earlier that day there had been a land rights demonstration when Queen Elisabeth and Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
arrived at Parliament House
Old Parliament House, Canberra
Old Parliament House, known formerly as the Provisional Parliament House, was the house of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 as a temporary base for the Commonwealth Parliament after its relocation from Melbourne to the new capital, Canberra,...
for the opening of parliament.
Bobby had gone into the DAA office with Reuben John Smith and Neville Foster, looking for the department head, Barrie Dexter, who was away in Tasmania at the time. They held Moy and three other DAA staff members in the office for an hour and a half. Bobby allegedly told them "I'm going to keep you here for four or five days and teach you to starve".
After about an hour Charlie Perkins
Charlie Perkins
Charles Sullivan Perkins was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched for the 1930 Philadelphia Athletics and the 1934 Brooklyn Dodgers. He attended Williams College. His remains were cremated.-External links:...
arrived from outside parliament house and convinced Bobby to give him the gun. Charlie removed the bullets from the gun, which he later handed over to the police. The fact that there were no bullets in the gun when it was given to the police meant that Bobby was only charged with possession of an unlicensed gun, rather than the much more serious charge that would have followed if it had been loaded.
Bobby was fined $40 for the incident and put on a 12-month good behaviour bond. He remained grateful to Charlie Perkins for having the presence of mind to remove the bullets. The matter was discussed in parliament.
A few days after the incident, during an interview on ABC radio, Bobby said "I would die for my people, I'm not frightened of that".
After that, Bobby left Canberra for Melbourne, where he played with a group called the Kooriers with Paul and Dudley (aka Doug) Meredith, a couple of musicians from Cherbourg
Cherbourg, Queensland
Cherbourg is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is located off the Bunya Highway approximately north-west of Brisbane and from the town of Murgon. It is situated very close to the dam wall of Bjelke-Petersen Dam. Attractions in Cherbourg include the 'Bert Button...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. They played a lot of union gigs and recorded a demo tape at the ABC studios. According to Bobby, the Kooriers music expressed "the confusion and frustration of Aborigines and their cultural dilemma which came as a result of westernisation".
Bobby said later that the reason why the Kooriers didn't go further than they did was because they drank too much. When the Meredith brothers left Melbourne, he immersed himself even more deeply in alcohol, singing here and there, but mostly devoting his life to drinking. He hit rock bottom in 1983 when he went into an alcohol related coma for seven days, and nearly died. That was his wakeup call and he returned to Nowra, after an absence of twenty years, and gave up drinking permanently.
In 1987, Bobby played at the Tamworth Country Music Festival
Tamworth Country Music Festival
The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia and is a celebration of Australian country music culture and heritage. The festival lasts for two weeks during late January and during this period the city of Tamworth comes alive, with...
. While he was there, he met people from the Enrec recording studio and ended up recording with them, Buddy Knox
Buddy Knox
Buddy Knox was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1957 rockabilly hit song, "Party Doll".-Biography:...
and Mick Lieber. This led to his first album Culture Up Front being released by Larrikin Records
Larrikin Records
Larrikin Records is a record company founded in 1974 by Warren Fahey. Larrikin started as an independent label and was sold in 1995 to Festival Records....
in 1988.
In 1990, Bobby, along with Vic Simms
Vic Simms
William Victor Simms, known as Vic Simms and Vicki Simms, is an Australian singer and song writer. He is from La Perouse, New South Wales and is a Bidjigal man....
, Roger Knox
Roger Knox
Roger Knox is an Australian country singer known as the Black Elvis and the Koori King of Country. He is an Gamilaroi man , was born in Moree and grew up in the Toomelah Aboriginal Mission near Boggabilla near the border between New South Wales and Queensland.In 1980s Knox was in a plane crash that...
and the Euraba band were invited to North America by Indigeous Americans, to play prisons and reservations. When he got back to Australia, he recorded his second album Spirit Mother, backed by the Flying Emus
Flying Emus
Flying Emus were an Australian country/bluegrass band. They won the 1988 ARIA Music Award for Best Country Album for their album This Town. They won CMAA Country Music Awards in 1986 , 1987 , 1988 and 1991...
. Talking about the change of mood from his previous album, Bobby said "[......] if you sing about the sorrow of things, it sort of keeps people in that sadness. So what I did [with Spirit Mother] was to try and change it to find out what was good about being me and stuff."
Inspired by his experiences with Indigenous people in Canada, Bobby set up the Doonooch Aboriginal Healing and Cultural Centre at Wreck Bay
Wreck Bay Village, Jervis Bay Territory
Wreck Bay Village is a town in the Jervis Bay Territory Australia. It forms part of the Jervis Bay Village Council. It is a largely Aboriginal community.-Geography:* coordinates: * elevation: ~30 m, 106 ft...
in 1990 - initially as an attempt to address the high levels of violence found in Aboriginal communities. 'Doonooch' refers to the owl dreaming.
In the early 1990s, he started the Doonooch dance group, primarily as a way to keep young Aboriginal people away from alcohol and other drugs and provide them with gainful employment and a cultural and spiritual awakening. In 2000 the Doonooch dancers performed at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
opening ceremony and at the World Indidgenous Forum in Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
.
McLeod's album Dumaradje was nominated for Best World Music Album at the 2005 ARIA Awards.
"Wayward Dreams" was featured in both the SBS
SBS
-Banking:* Swiss Bank Corporation, previously one of the major Swiss banks, now merged into UBS* SBS Bank, a building society in the Southland region of New Zealand that is now registered as a bank* Skipton Building Society* Scarborough Building Society...
documentary and the accompanying cd, Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music.
Discography
- Culture Up Front (1992) - LarrikinLarrikin RecordsLarrikin Records is a record company founded in 1974 by Warren Fahey. Larrikin started as an independent label and was sold in 1995 to Festival Records....
- Spirit Mother (1993) - Larrikin
- Paradox (2001)
- Dumaradje - ACMEC
Selected performances
- Oz Against Apartheid, 26 June 1986, Selina's Coogee Bay Hotel
- With Roger Knox and Euraba Band, 5 December 1986, The Settlement, Chippendale
- Tamworth Country Music FestivalTamworth Country Music FestivalThe Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia and is a celebration of Australian country music culture and heritage. The festival lasts for two weeks during late January and during this period the city of Tamworth comes alive, with...
, 1987, Tamworth - Festival of Pacific ArtsFestival of Pacific ArtsThe Festival of Pacific Arts, or Pacific Arts Festival, is a traveling festival hosted every four years by a different country in Oceania . It was conceived by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community as a means to stem erosion of traditional cultural practices by sharing and exchanging culture...
, August 1988, Townsville - Building Bridges Music Festival, 26 January 1990, Bondi Pavilion
- Afrika Night, 24 March 1990, Paddington Town Hall
- Support People of the Rainforests, 14 October 1990, Paddington Town Hall