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Explore powerful stories at the intersection of history, culture, and music—from Aboriginal cricket pioneers and war heroes to legendary albums by Hendrix, Miles Davis, and Gurrumul. This blog dives deep into First Nations resilience, iconic protest music, and untold truths that shaped Australia and the world. Engaging, thoughtful, and unapologetically real—where powerful voices from the past meet today's social conversation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this page contains images and names of deceased persons.
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Blak History Month 2026
Closing Reflections – Blak History Month.
As Blak History Month comes to a close, we simply want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, share, comment and engage with these stories. Your encouragement, curiosity and generosity reminded us that there is a genuine appetite to learn more about the people, cultures and histories that have shaped this country for tens of thousands of years. Over the past month we've celebrated artists, musicians, filmmakers, entrepreneurs, activists, language k
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 312 min read
Our closing story for Blak History Month: Amethea Mamarika.
Amethea Mamarika is one of the leading voices on Groote Eylandt, combining a passion for community, language and culture with a remarkable career in broadcasting. A proud member of the Mamarika Clan—one of the 14 major clan groups of Groote Eylandt—Amethea joined Groote Broadcasting's Anindilyakwa Radio in 2019. Her natural leadership, commitment to community and exceptional broadcasting skills quickly saw her rise through the ranks, and in April 2021 she was appointed Statio
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 312 min read
Blak History Month. Jedda Monaro.
Jedda Monaro and the Rise of Indigenous Entrepreneurship. Across Australia, a quiet business revolution is taking shape. Over the past decade, the number of Indigenous-owned startups has grown by around 30 per cent, reflecting a new generation of First Nations entrepreneurs who are building businesses grounded in culture, creativity and community. From technology and tourism to fashion, food and the arts, Indigenous entrepreneurs are proving that success doesn't have to come
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 292 min read
Blak History Month: Faith Bandler (1918–2015)
Faith Bandler was an Australian civil rights activist, writer, and campaigner for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as well as Australian South Sea Islanders. She is best remembered as one of the leading public figures behind the successful 1967 referendum campaign that helped remove discriminatory provisions from Australia's Constitution and expanded the Commonwealth government's ability to legislate for Aboriginal Australians. Bandler co-founded th
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 272 min read
Blak History Month: Jimmy Little
Jimmy Little — a proud Yorta Yorta man from Cummerangunja Mission in New South Wales — holds a distinction that should be far more widely known: he was the first Indigenous Australian to achieve mainstream chart success. His 1963 recording Royal Telephone was the first recording by an Indigenous Australian to achieve mainstream chart success, reaching number one on the Sydney charts and number ten nationally. To fully grasp how remarkable that was, consider the context — in t
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 251 min read
Blak History Month: Jack Patten (1905–1957)
Jack Patten was an Aboriginal Australian activist, journalist, and soldier who became one of the leading figures in the early movement for Indigenous civil rights in Australia. A Yorta Yorta man, he helped bring national attention to discrimination against Aboriginal people and played a central role in several landmark campaigns that shaped later advocacy for equality. Patten was the first president of the Aborigines Progressive Association (APA), established in 1937 to campa
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 242 min read
Blak History Month: Lowitja O'Donoghue (1 August 1932 – 4 February 2024)
Lowitja O'Donoghue was an Australian Yankunytjatjara leader, nurse, and public administrator who became one of the country's most influential advocates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Through decades of public service, she helped shape national policy on Indigenous rights, health, reconciliation, and native title, while breaking barriers in government and public life. Born at De Rose Hill in remote South Australia, O'Donoghue was removed from her mother at
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 222 min read
Blak History Month: Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls (1906–1988)
Sir Douglas Ralph Nicholls was a Yorta Yorta man whose life spanned leadership in sport, Christian ministry, civil rights advocacy, and public office. He is widely remembered for advancing Indigenous rights and for becoming the first Aboriginal Australian to be knighted and the first—and still only—Indigenous Australian to serve as a state Governor, as Governor of South Australia. Nicholls first gained national recognition as an Australian rules footballer, playing for Fitzro
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 201 min read
Blak History Month: The Pigram Brothers: The Sound of Broome, Family and Country.
Some bands are defined by chart success. Others leave a lasting mark by telling stories that could only come from the place they call home. For more than three decades, The Pigram Brothers have done exactly that, creating music that captures the spirit of Broome, the Kimberley and the rich cultural tapestry of northern Australia. Made up of brothers Stephen, Alan, Philip, Peter and Colin Pigram, the band grew up surrounded by the diverse influences that make Broome unlike any
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 182 min read
Blak History Month: More Than a Didgeridoo: The Ancient Instrument with a Story to Tell.
It's one of the most recognisable sounds in the world—a deep, earthy drone that seems to echo across the landscape itself. But the didgeridoo is far more than a musical instrument. It's a living expression of culture, ceremony and storytelling that has been part of Aboriginal life for thousands of years. Believed to have originated among the Aboriginal peoples of northern Australia, particularly across Arnhem Land, the didgeridoo is known by many traditional names, including
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 162 min read
Blak History Month: The Many Languages That Make Australia Home.
Step inside homes across Australia and you'll hear a remarkable chorus of languages. From the oldest living languages on Earth to those carried here by migrants from every corner of the globe, Australia's linguistic landscape tells the story of who we are and where we've come from. Long before English arrived, more than 250 distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages were spoken across the continent, with hundreds of regional dialects reflecting thousands of year
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 142 min read
Blak History Month: The Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir. Voices That Carry Culture Across Generations.
Music has always been a powerful way to share stories, preserve culture and bring people together. Few groups embody that spirit more beautifully than the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir. Made up of women from remote communities across Central Australia, the choir is unlike any other. Their performances blend centuries-old Lutheran hymns with the rich sounds of Aboriginal languages including Arrarnta and Pitjantjatjara, creating a musical tradition that is both de
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 112 min read
Blak History Month: Warwick Thornton. Telling Australia's Stories Through a Different Lens.
Filmmaker Warwick Thornton has entertained and challenged audiences, becoming one of Australia's most celebrated and influential Aboriginal directors. Born in Alice Springs and a Kaytetye man, Thornton DJ'd at CAAMA Radio in his early years. He has spent his career telling stories that are deeply personal, unapologetically honest and unmistakably Australian. His films don't rely on spectacle—they draw audiences in through quiet moments, powerful performances and breathtaking
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 102 min read
Blak History Month: David Unaipon. Inventor, writer, orator and campaigner.
David Unaipon, a Ngarrindjeri man born in 1872 at Point McLeay Mission in South Australia, registered patents for 10 inventions between 1909 and 1944 — including an improved handpiece for sheep shearing, a centrifugal motor, a multi-radial wheel and a mechanical propulsion device. His sheep shearing handpiece — patented in 1909 — transformed circular motion into linear motion and delivered significant economic benefits to Australia's wool industry. Its design is still in use
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 82 min read
Blak History Month:Patty Mills — the kid from Canberra who conquered the world.
Patty Mills picked up a basketball at four years old, playing for a little Indigenous club his parents started in Canberra called "The Shadows." From those humble beginnings, he went on to do something no one in this country had ever done. But before the trophies, there's a deeper story...and it matters. Patty's father, Benny, is a Torres Strait Islander. His mother, Yvonne, is an Aboriginal woman of the Kokatha people. As a child, Yvonne was forcibly removed from her family
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 62 min read
Blak History Month: Warumpi Band; The Sound of a New Australia.
Before Indigenous music was regularly heard on mainstream radio, four young men from the remote community of Papunya were quietly changing Australian music forever. Formed in 1980, Warumpi Band became one of the country's first Aboriginal rock bands to achieve national recognition. Their music blended infectious rock rhythms with stories of Country, family and identity, creating a sound that was unmistakably Australian. What made Warumpi Band truly groundbreaking was their fe
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 42 min read
Blak History Month: The hidden history of Aboriginal stockmen and stockwomen.
This is a story that doesn't get told nearly enough — the hidden history of Aboriginal stockmen and stockwomen, and the back-breaking, brilliant, largely unacknowledged role they played in shaping rural Australia as we know it. From the earliest days of European pastoral expansion, Aboriginal people didn't just work the land — they made the industry possible. Station owners conceded they could not survive without Aboriginal knowledge and labour — pastoralists were even willin
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 33 min read
Blak History Month 2026.
This July 2026, we celebrate Blak History Month — a powerful time to honour the strength, survival, and sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s more than a look back — it’s a spotlight on the truth, brilliance, and resistance that continues to shape this country. Blak History Month is about truth-telling — unfiltered, unapologetic, and proud. This is a time to remember our warriors, our artists, our trailblazers. A time to reflect on injustices, cel
Groote Broadcasting
Jul 11 min read
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