Gus Fitzgerald, a surfer and swimmer and commercial diver, describes a life of lessons learnt from the man who taught him to swim. And Timmy Burarrwanga tells the history of pre-colonial contact between Makassarese of Indonesia and the Yolngu people of Arnhem land — a history rooted in sea cucumber.
This week, knowledge gained and bonds formed by the ocean.
‘In The Deep’ by Gus Fitzgerald
Many of life’s lessons Gus learnt in the sea. But his dad’s cancer diagnosis when Gus was only a small child meant a father-son relationship in the shadow of loss; one that would eventually teach Gus the most important lesson of all. How to stay afloat when you lose the people you love the most; how to survive in the deep.
Gus Fitzgerald. Photo by Justin Kennedy.
Gus told his story live in May 2018 at SPUN at Garrmalang Festival at Darwin Entertainment Centre.
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Storyteller: Gus Fitzgerald
Producer: Sam Carmody
‘Trepang’ by Bridget Chappell
Bridget Chappell interviews Yolngu cultural leader Timmy Burarrwanga of Yirrkala about his community’s connection to Makassan sailors from Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Producer: Bridget Chappell
Supervising producer: Mell Chun
Music: ‘Trepang: an Indigenous Opera’, ‘Gapala Bawaka’, songline sung by Timmy Burarrwanga.
All The Best credits:
Executive Producer: Ryan Pemberton
Victorian State Coordinator: Mell Chun
Host: Maddy Macquine
Episode mix and compile: Ryan Pemberton
Community Coordinators: Chloe Gillespie and Danni Stewart
SYN Community Coordinator: Lee Robinson
Social Media Producers: Matilda Fay and Angela Moran
Photo: The Mulka Project.