Aboriginal Community Videos

Join Wurundjeri Elder, Aunty Joy Murphy, as she performs a traditional Welcome to Country in the form of a smoking ceremony with the burning of dampened gum leaves. Courtesy of ‘Visit Victoria’.

Stories around the Fire (2011) was a storytelling event filmed at ‘the meeting place’ in Atherton Gardens, Fitzroy. It features Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, musicians and community members talking about the historical significance of Fitzroy. The event, filmed by Daybreak Films, was presented as part of the Gertrude Street Projection Festival.

Old Fitzroy (2010) is a music film clip by singer-songwriter Dan Sultan that beautifully captures Melbourne’s oldest suburb, Fitzroy, and some of its well-known local characters, identities and Elders. Produced by Daybreak Films.

The Aboriginal History of Fitzroy ‘Plaques and Places’ Launch (2009) was filmed at ‘the meeting place’ in Atherton Gardens, Fitzroy, in 2009. It features Annette Xiberras, Denise Lovett, Alma Thorpe, Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter and Kutcha Edwards. Filmed and edited by Daniel King.

This clip, filmed at the iconic Fitzroy Stars Gym, features former Black Panther Billy X Jennings and influential Aboriginal activists Gary Foley and Robbie Thorpe. Clip produced by NITV in 2013.

This clip focuses on Wurundjeri Ngurungaeta, Simon Wonga (Billibellary’s son). It is an excerpt from the deeply moving six-part series, First Australians (2008), which was written, narrated, produced and directed by Rachel Perkins.

This clip focuses on Doug Nicholls, one of the most influential leaders to emerge from Fitzroy. It is an excerpt from the deeply moving six-part series, First Australians (2008), which was written, narrated, produced and directed by Rachel Perkins.

Smith Street Dreaming (2013) was a celebration of Aboriginal music and culture held at the old meeting place on the corner of Smith Street and Stanley Street in Collingwood. Performers included Bart Willoughby, Kutcha Edwards, Illana Atkinson and Roger Knox.

Parkie Days (2009) focuses on interactions between members of the Fitzroy/Collingwood Parkies community and Victoria Police in the lead up to the activation of a new local law which banned public drinking in the area. Also see the Smith Street Dreaming clip. Produced by Stuart Braun to accompany a radio documentary aired on ABC’s Radio National’s ‘360’ program.

Childhood Memories of Fitzroy by Deborah Deacon focuses on family and community in and around Fitzroy from the late 1950s onwards. She also speaks fondly of her mother, Elinor Harding, a well-loved and respected identity in Fitzroy’s Aboriginal community. The film was produced by Sista Girl Productions as part of the Pitcha This Fitzroy digital storytelling project (2009).

Francis Gallagher, a Gunditjmara woman, speaks of the negative impacts of successive government policies on her life, and the importance of Aboriginal people being in control of Aboriginal affairs. The film, entitled Doing it our Way, According to our Culture, was produced by Sista Girl Productions as part of the Pitcha This Fitzroy digital storytelling project (2009).

Howard ‘Choc’ Edwards is a survivor of the Stolen Generations, police harassment and imprisonment. His story, Victimised, Assimalised, Correctionalised, is one of survival in the face of adversity. The film was produced by Sista Girl Productions as part of the Pitcha This Fitzroy digital storytelling project (2009).

Arika Walau is a proud Gunditjmara / Gunai woman who comes from a family of strong political and social justice fighters. Her story, Inheriting, speaks of land rights, activism and social justice. The film was produced by Sista Girl Productions as part of the Pitcha This Fitzroy digital storytelling project (2009).

Growing up in Fitzroy by Marlene Scerri speaks of the tight knit community of families in Aboriginal Fitzroy from the 1950s onwards. It also touches on the annual Christmas parade down Smith Street, which featured elephants, performers and Santa in a ‘sled’ drawn by horses. The film was produced by Sista Girl Productions as part of the Pitcha This Fitzroy digital storytelling project (2009).

Black People Power by Kelvin Onus speaks of the influence of the ‘Black Power’ movement in Aboriginal Fitzroy. It is also about social justice activism and the importance of Aboriginal controlled health organisations. The film was produced by Sista Girl Productions as part of the Pitcha This Fitzroy digital storytelling project (2009).