Author: Kev

The Australian newspaper finally catches up with kevgillett.net. Last June I posted on Gallarway Yunupingu, the Black Prince of Arnhem Land and raised several questions based on what I witnessed at Nuhunbuy in Arnhem Land. When there, I notice a chopper flying around;

“Who owns it? I ask. “Well not Galarrwuy. He owns the company that owns the chopper�?

The’ve learnt these people, I was told, just like white shonky businessmen, they now set up companies so they can state very clearly that they don’t own certain luxury items but they are reserved for their private use. From the Australian newspaper

By contrast, Mr Yunupingu is regularly piloted in a helicopter, which cost the Gumatj Association $169,949 in “repairs and maintenance” last financial year. The chopper absorbed $20,592 in fuel and is used to reach one of four houses at Mr Yunupingu’s disposal, at Ninyakay outstation in western Arnhem Land

along with the Range Rover and several other cars. Last year Galarrwuy met us at an outstation driving a 100 series fully optioned Toyota that looked decidedly out of place beside the communities other vehicles in the parking area- mostly tired clapped out fords. Last year I wrote;

We met one chap who had traveled with the band (Yothu Yindi)for 12 years and I quite liked him (no names- no pack drill) but noticed body language that would indicate that he was not a favoured son. Alcohol, drugs and a murder investigation is cramping his style.

(no names-no pack drill) can now be identified as one of Galarrwuy’s sons who has recently been convicted of kicking a woman to death. Being chairman of the Northern Land Council, Galarrwuy gets to control allocation of funds but has never been hampered by a sense of fairness.

MORE than $3 million in housing grants controlled by the Northern Territory’s most powerful black politician, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, has funded construction of just four houses in four years for his impoverished Arnhem Land people. One of those houses was for Mr Yunupingu’s use.

And I personally know that one other is set aside and considered as the private property of a favoured son known by all at Nuhulunbuy as Galarrwuy’s successor. It sits on prime real estate overlooking the bay with no chance of ever being built out. No one occupies it while he is away down south at a boarding school – barely a teenager he effectively owns a house while the rest of his tribe live in squallor. And this;

Mr Yunupingu’s cousin Dhanjah Gurruwiwi lives at the eastern end of the beach in similarly poor accommodation with her brother Djalu Gurruwiwi, the legendary yidaki (digeridoo) carver and player.

I visited the Gurruwiwis and can sympathise with them on their allocated accomodation. The local white population, including the police, referr to Galarrwuy’s four houses as ‘Galarrwuy’s Palaces’. We didn’t get to see them. The question is that this has all been local knowledge for years and nothing has been done about it. Why? There is more on my experiences in Arnhem Land in the right-hand menu bar under Travel, The LTD04 Tour.