Aboriginal political activism | Groote Broadcasting

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.

The day an Aboriginal man claimed England.

The day an Aboriginal man claimed England. And did it with more manners than the British ever showed us. Picture the scene. 26 January 1988. Exactly 200 years to the day since the First Fleet sailed into Warrane, Sydney Cove and planted a flag on land that was already home to hundreds of nations. Across Australia, the government was throwing a giant birthday party for itself. The Bicentenary. Two hundred years of "settlement," celebrated with fireworks and tall ships, while F

Groote Broadcasting

Sep 162 min read

Music Spotlight: From My Eyes [1982].

A group of young Aboriginal men, most of them raised on Koonibba Mission near Ceduna in South Australia, came together while studying at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music in Adelaide. It was there, for the first time, that they heard the sounds coming out of Jamaica — Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff. Reggae. Music of struggle, of resistance, of a people refusing to be broken. And something clicked. Led by Pitjantjatjara man Bart Willoughby on drums and vocals, th

Groote Broadcasting

Sep 122 min read

Alexis Wright: Writing from an unshakeable Waanyi worldview.

Alexis Wright is a member of the Waanyi nation, from the southern highlands of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Born in Cloncurry in 1950, she grew up to become not just one of Australia's finest writers, but arguably one of the most important literary voices this continent has ever produced. And that's not us being generous. Before the novels, there was the activism. Wright worked for decades across Aboriginal organisations and campaigns...on land rights, on mining, on community. Th

Groote Broadcasting

Sep 12 min read

The media has enormous power to shape what people know.

What happens when the stories we hear about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are overwhelmingly stories about crime, disadvantage and conflict? We start to believe that those stories are the whole story. That was one of the concerns raised during the Australian Parliament's current inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The inquiry is examining not only racism itself, but also the influence of social media

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Aug 132 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

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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

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Jul 11 min read

NAIDOC Week is almost here — and this year is a big one. The 50th.

Most people know NAIDOC Week as a time of celebration. Flags flying, art, dancing, community events, kids learning culture at school. And it absolutely is all of that. But the story of how it began? That's something every Australian should know. Because NAIDOC didn't start as a party. It started as a protest. Back in 1938, on the 150th anniversary of British colonisation, Aboriginal leaders organised what they called the Day of Mourning. While the rest of the country celebrat

Groote Broadcasting

Jun 262 min read

Artist Spotlight: Emma Donovan.

Emma Donovan is one of those artists that has the rare ability to make you feel every word they sing. A proud Gumbaynggirr and Yamatji woman, Emma has spent more than two decades establishing herself as one of Australia's most respected and beloved performers. Whether she's singing soul, country, gospel or blues, there's an authenticity to her music that can't be taught. It comes from culture, family, experience and a deep connection to story. Born into the renowned Donovan m

Groote Broadcasting

Jun 201 min read

Barunga Festival: What It Is, Why It Matters, and Why You Should Know About It

If you've never heard of Barunga Festival, you're not alone — but you probably should have. Every King's Birthday long weekend in June, something quietly extraordinary happens in a small Aboriginal community 80 kilometres southeast of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Thousands of people roll in from across Australia — and beyond — set up tents in the red dust, and spend three days immersed in one of the most authentic Indigenous cultural experiences this country has to of

Groote Broadcasting

Jun 84 min read

National Reconciliation Week.

National Reconciliation Week starts today. And this year, the message is simple: All In. Not some of us. Not when it's convenient. Not just during the one week a year when it appears on the calendar and organisations put up a poster in the lunchroom. All of us. Every day. All in. National Reconciliation Week runs from 27 May to 3 June every year — and those two dates aren't chosen randomly. They mark two of the most significant moments in this country's history. On 27 May 196

Groote Broadcasting

May 272 min read

Artist Spotlight: Ziggy Ramo

An award-winning musician, writer and producer of Wik and Solomon Islander heritage, Ziggy Ramo has become one of the most fearless and important voices in contemporary Australian music. Through hip hop, soul, spoken word and razor-sharp storytelling, he’s built a body of work that confronts racism, identity, history and healing — without ever losing sight of humanity. What makes Ziggy stand out is his ability to balance power with vulnerability. One moment he’s delivering bl

Groote Broadcasting

May 161 min read

We are now LIVE at 5.00am!

New broadcasting times are now in effect and don't forget the sensational sista's Amathea and Jaslyn will be starting their new Daily Show soon! Stay tuned.

Groote Broadcasting

May 41 min read

'The Loner' by Vic Simms.

Some albums are polished in studios. Others are forged under pressure — and 'The Loner' is about as raw and real as it gets. Recorded in just one hour inside Bathurst Gaol in 1973, with a mobile studio rolled in by RCA, this wasn’t meant to be a landmark moment in Australian music. It was supposed to be a public relations exercise for the prison system. Instead, it became something else entirely. Vic Simms — a Bidjigal man and inmate at the time — turned that brief window int

Groote Broadcasting

May 22 min read

On This Day, 4 February 1939: The Cummeragunja Walk-Off.

On 4 February 1939, a quiet but revolutionary act unfolded on the banks of the Murray River. About 200 Aboriginal men, women and children walked off Cummeragunja Aboriginal Station, near Moama in southern New South Wales, in what became one of the first mass Indigenous strikes in Australian history. This was no spontaneous protest. It was a carefully considered act of resistance against years of neglect, abuse and control imposed by the NSW Aborigines Protection Board, the go

Groote Broadcasting

Feb 42 min read