Legislative Assembly

11361 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Wednesday 9 May 2012 __________ The Speaker (The Hon. Shelley Elizabeth Hancock) took the chair at 10.00 a.m. The Speaker read the Prayer and acknowledgement of country. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Notices of Motions General Business Notices of Motions (General Notices) given. TRIBUTE TO JAMES OSWALD "JIMMY" LITTLE, AO Mr VICTOR DOMINELLO (Ryde—Minister for Citizenship and Communities, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs) [10.07 a.m.], on behalf of Mr Brad Hazzard: I move: That this House acknowledges the contributions of James (Jimmy) Oswald Little, AO, to music, the community and Australia. Jimmy Little was "little" in name only. Indeed, Jimmy Little meant a great deal and made a great contribution to the lives of a great many people—his family, his fans, the Aboriginal community and the people of New South Wales and Australia. Therefore it is a great honour to speak to this condolence motion on behalf of the New South Wales Government. But it is also a great challenge to find the rights words to sufficiently dignify a dignified and musical man who led a dignified and musical life. Perhaps it is best to start from what we know and love the most about Jimmy Little—his songs. Jimmy Little was all about songs. Songs are very important. They are not just about some words and some music; they are not just about notes, chords, melodies and harmonies. Songs, both as they are written and as they are sung and performed, tell the story of us—the story of who we are as individuals, our joys and our sorrows, and who we are as a community, our hopes and our frailties. Perhaps Jimmy Little's greatest contribution is that he masterfully told the story of us, as Australians, and about a country with an extraordinary inheritance from its first peoples—Aboriginal Australians. Jimmy Little's own story had many rich and colourful chapters. He was born on 1 March 1937 at the Cummeragunja Mission, New South Wales, about 30 kilometres from Moama and Echuca, on the New South Wales and Victoria border. Jimmy was blessed with a deep knowledge of his country and from growing up in an Aboriginal family, of which he was the eldest of seven siblings. This knowledge was instilled in his mother, Frances, a Yorta Yorta woman, and his father, James Little Snr, who was from the Yuin people. James Little Snr, a capable entertainer in his own right, performed throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Jimmy reflected on his upbringing in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Commission. He said his parents "taught me well about the value of life, freedom, love, respect and all those basic things that we all need". In 1939, after the Cummeragunia walk off, Jimmy's family moved to his father's tribal land near Wallaga Lake and lived for some years at Nowra and Moruya on the New South Wales South Coast. Tragically, not long after the move, his mother, Frances, passed away. As early as age 13 Jimmy performed at local concerts, and at age 16 the Australian radio waves were graced by his voice on Australia's Amateur Hour. His mellow style earned him the nicknames of Balladeer, Gentleman Jim and the Honey Voice. Jimmy began his recording career in 1956 with Regal Zonophone Records, but his career was launched when Ballads with a Beat reached the Top 10 in the Australian music charts. Throughout the 1960s a string of extended plays, singles and albums followed, including the chart-topping Royal Telephone in 1963, which sold more than 75,000 copies. Royal Telephone achieved gold record status and became one of his signature tunes. Jimmy Little's nationwide profile grew through regular television appearances, radio air play and constant touring. He also began acting in the 1950s. He played a major role in Shadow of the Boomerang, followed by performances in stage plays such as Black Cockatoos. He was also in the 1991 film Until the End of the World by Tracy Moffatt and Wim Wenders. In the 1970s he was acknowledged as one of this country's 11362 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 9 May 2012 premier country music stars but he also remained fond of big orchestral sounds, which were heard in his 1972 album Winterwood and An Evening with Jimmy Little—Live at the Sydney Opera House. In the 1980s Jimmy diversified into reggae and became known as a role model and mentor for Indigenous youth. In 1999 he was awarded an ARIA—an Australian Record Industry Association award—for Messenger in the category of Best Adult Contemporary Album. That album reached the top 10 of the alternative music charts and introduced Jimmy to a new, younger audience. He was also inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association Australian Music Hall of Fame. It is important to view Jimmy Little's career in its historical perspective. He was a star before the 1965 Freedom Ride and the 1967 referendum. Jimmy Little was an Aboriginal success story in an era when Aboriginal discrimination was still essentially the law of the land. That success was, in part, based on talent and ability, but it was also based on perseverance and hard work. His success in the 1950s and 1960s would have shattered many of the stereotypes held by some in the broader community of the day about Aboriginality. Indeed, Jimmy Little was the personification of a proud and successful Aboriginal man who could walk the path of the broader society without compromising his heritage. This pride came through in his work for his community, not only in his music but also in education. From 1985 Jimmy taught and mentored Aboriginal music students at Redfern. From 2002 he was an ambassador for literacy and numeracy for the then Department of Education, Science and Training. Partially building on this life experience, the Jimmy Little Foundation was launched in 2006 to help Indigenous Australians succumbing to kidney disease and to promote the benefits to children of healthy eating through the Thumbs Up! program. He travelled throughout Australia and attended community events, schools, health seminars and music festivals to raise awareness about these issues. He also served as patron of the Indigenous Doctors Association of Australia, an ambassador for the Fred Hollows Foundation and Kidney Health Australia. Jimmy Little was the recipient of the National Aboriginal Day of Observance Committee [NAIDOC] Aboriginal of the Year award for his work in the Aboriginal community. In 2002 he was the New South Wales Senior Australian of the Year and in 2004 he received the Red Ochre Award of the Australian Council for the Arts. On Australia Day 2004 Jimmy Little was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for work with Indigenous health and education programs. The citation for that award stated: "For service to the entertainment industry as a singer, recording artist and songwriter and to the community through reconciliation and as an ambassador for Indigenous culture." In that year he was also voted a Living Australian Treasure—no mean feat. It was very clear by the community response to Jimmy Little's passing that he was indeed a treasure. Here in this place we speak not for ourselves but, at the best of times, for the wonderful New South Wales community that we all share. It is therefore fitting and appropriate to use this occasion to note some of the comments made by community members on Jimmy Little's life. During the recent commemorative service for Jimmy Little held at the Opera House, Premier Barry O'Farrell said: He was a man of soul. He had his country in him. He disarmed us, he charmed us and he encouraged us to think beyond ourselves. Jimmy was a straight-up man of action. The Premier acknowledged Jimmy Little not only as a talented musician, but also as "an ambassador for Aboriginal culture and a passionate advocate for improved Aboriginal health". I was present at that service. I was born in 1967 so my understanding of the great legacy of Jimmy Little is not as great as that of many others. At that service I was enchanted not only by the moving dedications of those who spoke but by how wonderfully his talented children, who are also musicians, sang with dignity and courage in celebration of the life of their father. As those present listened to the speeches about this great Australian they also watched some video clips of his earlier works, including the Thumbs Up! campaign and how he engaged with the community—the great repertoire of his life. One image stood out for me, and I suspect it will remain with me for the rest of my life. One of the video clips depicted Jimmy turning around with a distinct twinkle in his eye. I remember thinking to myself at that time that everything being said about Jimmy Little is true—he was a gentle soul, a good man. That twinkle in his eye revealed his soul. I encourage others to take a look at that moving footage. The Chairman of New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council and Wiradjuri man, Stephen Ryan, commented that Jimmy's beautiful, gentle nature would be sorely missed. He said further: Jimmy was a man of many talents, and although he dipped his toes into acting, his true love was music and singing. 9 May 2012 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11363 His daughter, Frances Peters-Little, said that the Little family had enjoyed sharing their "Uncle Jimmy" with his diverse range of fans. She said: The type of strength that dad had has allowed him to be able to open more doors and cross more boundaries than most people can even imagine.

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