Richard Walley

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Richard Barry Walley (born 1953) OAM is a Nyungar man and an Aboriginal Australian performer, musician and writer, who has been a campaigner for the Indigenous cause. Walley is also a visual artist.

Contents

Life and career

Walley, born in 1953 in Meekatharra, 750 kilometres (470 mi) north of Perth, Western Australia, spent much of his childhood at Pinjarra, 800 kilometres (500 mi) south of Perth. [1] He began his work in social justice for Indigenous Australians in the Perth region, Nyungar country, at a young age.[ citation needed ]

He is known for helping to develop the modern Australian welcome to country ritual, [2] when in 1976 he and Ernie Dingo and created a ceremony to welcome a group of Māori artists who were participating in the Perth International Arts Festival. [3]

In 1978, he founded the Middar Aboriginal Theatre [4] with three friends, [1] including Ernie Dingo, who he had met playing basketball. Walley had realised early the powerful potential of theatre to raise issues and bring messages to the broader community, black and white. Aiming to take the Nyungar culture from the south-west corner of Australia to as many people as possible, the Middar group went on to perform in 32 countries, [1] on every continent, to live audiences totalling almost ten million people.[ citation needed ]

After acting in theatre and TV, Walley went on to further develop his theatre skills, holding the role of either director or assistant director in 10 productions in theatre and TV from 1982 to 1993. Several of these productions took place in the United States and the UK.[ citation needed ] In March 1990, the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust staged the world premiere of his play Munjong, directed by Vivian Walker (son of Oodgeroo Noonuccal [5] [6] ), at the Victorian Arts Centre. [7]

In 1993, Walley was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to the performing arts and Nyungar culture. [8]

Walley is also a renowned didgeridoo player and has produced a six CD collection of didgeridoo music that is inspired by the six seasons of the Nyungar calendar. He has played didgeridoo live at London's Royal Albert Hall, as well as in Greece, Slovenia, Japan, Mexico, the US and Canada.[ citation needed ]

From 2000, he served as Chair of the Australia Council's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board, a position he had held previously between 1992 and 1996. [9]

In 2001, Murdoch University in Western Australia recognised his contribution to Nyungar culture and the wider community with an honorary Doctorate of Letters. [1] [10]

In 2001, he performed in Westminster Abbey for dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II, as part Australia's Centenary of Federation celebrations. [11]

Walley has been involved as director, designer, writer, musician, dancer and actor with a range of stage and television productions, including The Dreamers (1982), A Fortunate Life (1984), Bullies House (1985), Coordah (1985), Australian Mosaic (1988), Jackaroo (1990), Balaan Balaan Gwdtha (1992) and Close to the Bone (1993). [9]

Walley is a fluent speaker of the Nyungar language,[ citation needed ] and an accomplished visual artist. [12]

In 2013, Walley designed a football jumper for the Fremantle Football Club to wear during the Australian Football League's Indigenous Round. In 2016 he was appointed as the club's honorary number 1 ticketholder. [13]

Discography

Albums

TitleDetails
Bilya
  • Released: 1990 [14]
  • Label: Sunset Music Australia
  • Format: CD
Kooyar
  • Released: 1995 [15]
  • Label: Sunset Music Australia (SMACD09)
  • Format: CD
Yoowintj
  • Released: 1995 [16]
  • Label: Sunset Music Australia (SMACD11)
  • Format: CD
Waitch
  • Released: 1995 [17]
  • Label: Sunset Music Australia (SMACA13)
  • Format: CD
Carda
  • Released: 1996 [18]
  • Label: Sunset Music Australia (SMAD16)
  • Format: CD
Boolong
  • Released: 1996 [19]
  • Label: Sunset Music Australia
  • Format: CD
Two Tribes
  • Released: 2003
  • Label: SunMusic (SMACD35)
  • Format: CD
Two Roads
  • Released: 2005
  • Label: Abilya Records (Abilya 01)
  • Format: CD

Awards

West Australian Music Industry Awards

The West Australian Music Industry Awards (WAMIs) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on annually by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM). Richard Walley has won one awards. [20]

YearNominee / workAwardResult (wins only)
2006Richard WalleyBest Indigenous ActWon

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Honorary Degree Recipient" (PDF). Murdoch University . Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  2. ↑ Penberthy, Natsumi (3 March 2016). "40 years of the 'modern' Welcome to Country". Australian Geographic. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  3. ↑ Westwood, Matthew (15 February 2016). "Perth International Arts Festival gives welcome to west country". The Australian . Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Indigenous Tourism in the South West Region of Western Australia". Murdoch University. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  5. ↑ "Kabul Oodgeroo Noonuccal, 1953-". Fryer Library Manuscripts. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Kabul Oodgeroo Noonuccal". AustLit . 23 July 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "Aboriginal National Theatre Trust Limited - records, 1902-1991 [Catalogue record]". State Library of New South Wales. Old Catalogue. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  8. ↑ "AIA – Music" (PDF). Australia Council for the Arts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  9. 1 2 "Dr Richard Walley reappointed to Australia Council". Media release. Senator Rod Kemp (Federal Minister for Arts). 2 December 2002. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  10. ↑ "Honorary Degree Recipients – Murdoch University". Murdoch University Handbook. Murdoch University. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  11. ↑ Flint, David. "Proceedings of the Twelfth Conference of The Samuel Griffith Society". Chapter Twelve : A Century of Achievement. The Samuel Griffith Society. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  12. ↑ "Gallery". Aboriginal Productions. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  13. ↑ Balme, Ned (23 March 2016). "Richard Walley is new number one".
  14. ↑ Walley, Richard (1990), Bilya, Sunset Music, retrieved 3 April 2019
  15. ↑ Walley, Richard (1995), Kooyar, Sunset Music, retrieved 3 April 2019
  16. ↑ Walley, Richard (1995), Kooyar, Sunset Music, retrieved 3 April 2019
  17. ↑ Walley, Richard; Sims, Ron (1995), Waitch, Sunset Music, retrieved 3 April 2019
  18. ↑ Walley, Richard (1996), Carda, Sunset Music Australia, retrieved 3 April 2019
  19. ↑ Walley, Richard (1996), Carda, Sunset Music Australia, retrieved 3 April 2019
  20. ↑ "WAMi AWARDS CONGRATULATIONS". WAMi Festival 2006. WAMi Festival. 2006. Archived from the original on 24 February 2006. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
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