Gregory Downs is a long way from anywhere but after a weekend when the racecourse was transformed for a huge rodeo and music Gulf Frontier Days festival, organiser Alec Doomadgee is continuing to think big.
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“I’ve been dreaming this festival up for a long time now and it is good to see this actually happening,” Mr Doomadgee said.
“To put the pieces together and make a jigsaw puzzle happen is a bit of a relief but you know I’m excited and I’m thankful I’ve got good people around me to make it happen.”
Mr Doomadgee used his connections in the industry to attract a stellar line-up of artists to the festival.
“Kevin Bennett and the Flood are playing tonight,” he said Saturday.
“He’s been an Australian institution for almost 40 years he blows Tamworth away every year.”
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Like many of the other bands and artists on the bill such as Yothu Yindi, Warumpi Band, Shellie Morris and Archie Roach, the Flood have a strong Indigenous flavour.
Bennett told the audience he found out 10 years ago he was a Kamileroi man from the Tamworth area.
“I was born white but I’ll die black” Bennett said before launching into a song about the experience.”
When the North West Star joked with Mr Doomadgee about whether he lied to performers that Gregory was “just outside Brisbane” to convinced them to play here, he laughed but answering the question seriously.
“I’ve built up my reputation in the industry, I’ve been working in radio and television for 25 years and I’ve worked really hard to earn my respect among these artists,” he said. “And I’m a man of my word, I said ‘one day I’m going to have a festival in the Lower Carpentaria, are you in?’”.
Mr Doomadgee said with this festival and his work with the Waanyi PBC which is working to help re-open New Century Mine he wanted to put a lot of effort into helping his own backyard “while I still have the strength”.
“I’m a Doomadgee boy, born and raised, I love Burketown my family is there, I love Normanton, my grandfather is buried there, I want to do things for the Gulf.”