Winanjjikari and Coloured Stone tour the Barkly
Throughout the early weeks of December, Barkly Regional Arts’ Winanjjikari Music Centre team hosted Australia’s longest surviving Indigenous band; Coloured Stone. Music icons, Bunna Lawrie and Jason Scott made the long drive up to the Barkly for three weeks of adventures, travelling over 2500kms across two states for two weeks of remote music workshops and four concerts in Burketown, Canteen Creek, Ampilatwatja and Tennant Creek.
During the first leg of the tour, the Winanjjikari team made a quick jaunt across the border and up into Gulf country to provide audio and lighting production as well as some musical support for a Coloured Stone concert on Gangalidda-Garawa country in Burketown, Queensland.
The team then made the long journey back to the Barkly and out to Owairtilla School in Canteen Creek. Coloured Stone and the Winanjjikari scene worked with students to write and record a song about the wonderful Owairtilla community, perform at a concert at the end of the week.
The final leg of the tour saw the team journey further into Alyawarr country to visit the community of Ampilatwatja. The team worked with the students of Ampilatwatja school to write and record another song before assisting with the production for the school’s end of year awards, capped off with a performance for the school, community and visitors.
To cap things off, on Saturday night Coloured Stone had the crowd at Tennant Creek Memorial Club on their feet and dancing for over two and half hours as Coloured Stone powered through all their hits, energising yet another audience.
The generosity, goodwill and energy Coloured Stone put out over three weeks of working and travelling in constant temperatures above 40 degrees was incredible and proved again just how special this band, their music and their legacy is. Coloured Stone’s ongoing commitment to sharing songs, stories and culture and their willingness to do all the hard yards over many a red dusty road is unrivalled by any band in the country.
