Burragubba
Encyclopedia
Adrian Burragubba is an Aboriginal Australian musician skilled in didgeridoo
particularly known from his many years busking in Brisbane
's Queens Street Mall and for having stood for Queensland
parliament in 2004 seeking full reimbursement of past Aboriginal wages 'stolen' by the Queensland Government. He most recently made the news when he was the victim of an apparently racially motivated attack while performing.
, Adrian has been a notable figure in Brisbane's Queen Street Mall for the past 18 years and for 5 years in Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise.
He has performed at venues for the Brisbane
Lord Mayor
's office, the Queensland Premier's Department
, and at other events requiring a "traditional" Aboriginal presence.
He has released two musical compilations, Didj In Us (2001) and Didj a Tale (2007), as well as a "Beginners Guide to Playing Didjeridoo" (2008).
His musical career is supported by speeches and school performances explaining Aboriginal Australian culture and history. International performances include appearances promoting Aboriginal Australian culture in the United States, Europe and Asia.
, arguing that the Government's offer of $4,000 reimbursement for each worker was insulting to his people. He attracted 310 primary votes.
A hunger strike was threatened to highlight the need for Aboriginal culture to be recognised in Brisbane.
He was born in Brisbane and is recognised by the traditional owners as having historical connection.
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
particularly known from his many years busking in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
's Queens Street Mall and for having stood for Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
parliament in 2004 seeking full reimbursement of past Aboriginal wages 'stolen' by the Queensland Government. He most recently made the news when he was the victim of an apparently racially motivated attack while performing.
Musical career
His musical performances combine traditional Aboriginal dress and body painting with instruments including an unkeyed didgeridoo and clapsticks. Renowned for his buskingBusking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
, Adrian has been a notable figure in Brisbane's Queen Street Mall for the past 18 years and for 5 years in Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise.
He has performed at venues for the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
Lord Mayor
Campbell Newman
Campbell Kevin Thomas Newman is the leader of the Liberal National Party of Queensland. He was the 15th Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 2004 to 2011....
's office, the Queensland Premier's Department
Premiers of Queensland
Before the 1890s, there was no developed party system in Queensland. Political affiliation labels before that time indicate a general tendency only. Before the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, political parties were more akin to parliamentary factions, and were fluid, informal and...
, and at other events requiring a "traditional" Aboriginal presence.
He has released two musical compilations, Didj In Us (2001) and Didj a Tale (2007), as well as a "Beginners Guide to Playing Didjeridoo" (2008).
His musical career is supported by speeches and school performances explaining Aboriginal Australian culture and history. International performances include appearances promoting Aboriginal Australian culture in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Political activism
Burragubba is an activist for the reimbursement of Aboriginal Australians for unpaid work performed for governments in the early days of white settlement in Australia. In 2004 he stood for the Queensland parliament against Premier Peter BeattiePeter Beattie
Peter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...
, arguing that the Government's offer of $4,000 reimbursement for each worker was insulting to his people. He attracted 310 primary votes.
A hunger strike was threatened to highlight the need for Aboriginal culture to be recognised in Brisbane.
Personal life
Burragubba is from the Wangan people of the Wiri language group of Central Queensland. He is principal of the Didgeridoo School and cultural advisor for Musgrave Park Cultural Centre Inc.He was born in Brisbane and is recognised by the traditional owners as having historical connection.