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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-11-30 Daily Xml
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Condolence

Dalaithngu, Mr David

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:07): I rise today to speak on the passing of an iconic, once-in-a-generation artist who helped shape the history of Australian film and Aboriginal representation on screen: David Dalaithngu AM. I note that now he has passed into the Dreamtime, the family has asked that he be referred to by David Dalaithngu rather than the name that he used in life.

David Dalaithngu was from the Mandhalpuyngu clan of the Yolngu people and was raised in the traditional ways in Arnhem Land. In his later years, he was a resident of Murray Bridge. He was a brother, son, father, grandfather and husband, an actor, dancer, singer and painter, and one of the greatest Australian artists of all time.

His breakout role in Walkabout, released by British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg in 1971, was the first time that many in Australia and internationally had seen an Aboriginal character portrayed on screen. His haunting, moving performance was equal parts devastating as it was electric. Critics described him as the 'emotional centre of the film', a performance that was so warm and affecting it catapulted him to instant stardom.

He was only 16 years old when he caught the eye of Roeg, who was scouting for locations in Maningrida. His traditional dancing, wide smile and charisma saw him cast in the pivotal role. His performance, at a time when blackface and mockery of our First Nations people were still common, changed the industry and our nation for the better.

David Dalaithngu's star was on the ascendance. He went on to star in two of the highest grossing Australian films of all time: Baz Luhrmann's Australia and the hugely successful Crocodile Dundee franchise. It was his stand-up performance in Crocodile Dundee in 1986 that saw Dalaithngu recognised for his services to the arts in the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours List, being awarded a Member of the Order of Australia. But the film he described as his favourite movie was Storm Boy. Made in 1976 by Henri Safran and based upon the book by local author Colin Thiele, Storm Boy has a special place in the heart of all South Australians.

David Dalaithngu went on to collaborate on a trilogy of films with renowned Dutch Australian auteur Rolf de Heer. He was a muse and a collaborator to de Heer, starring in Ten Canoes, The Tracker and Charlie's Country. The 2002 film The Tracker is the one Dalaithngu believed was his best film, which was proved after it screened in competition at the Venice Film Festival and awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Valladolid Film Festival. Dalaithngu himself won every significant Australian best actor award for his portrayal of the titular tracker.

In a 2019 interview with Rolf de Heer, the director touched on his collaboration with Dalaithngu, stating that he considered him a brother and a friend and saying, and I quote:

…in this world I cannot think of a more complete actor…the perfect combination between instinct and intelligence.

David Dalaithngu himself was slightly more wry. In an interview with NITV, he reflected on his life that, and I quote:

I thought I was going to be a big movie star… but I just ended up being a big movie star.

A movie star he certainly was. He rubbed shoulders with Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Bob Marley. He partied with Muhammed Ali, and he even danced for Her Majesty The Queen at the Sydney Opera House, but he never forgot who he was. He carried his people and his country with him always.

David Dalaithngu's life was not without its struggles. He encountered racism and discrimination and lived with the pressures of the divide between his traditional lifestyle and his huge public profile. I was fortunate enough to meet David Dalaithngu on a number of occasions, most recently in March this year at the Adelaide Festival's premier of his last film, My Name is Gulpilil, in which he tells his own story directed by the wonderful Molly Reynolds.

His final film, 50 years after his breakthrough on screen, saw Dalaithngu credited for the first time in his career as a producer, alongside Reynolds, filmmaker Rolf de Heer and Yolngu filmmaker Peter Djigirr.

Diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017, he was never expected to survive until the end of shooting, let alone the premiere, yet it was no surprise to anyone that he was front and centre in black tie looking resplendent on opening, night where he would receive his final standing ovation. In 2002, Marcia Langton said:

David has been absolutely critical to both representing Aboriginal people in modern Australia in the cinema…and also, in his own ironic and charismatic way, undermining the stereotypes that were forced on him. He’s a tremendously important person to us culturally.

What always struck me about David was his humour and just how unassuming he was. He was a giant of the cinema but he was also a gentleman. He was a man who loved his land and his culture, and he was a man who took it to the world. As he said in his 2014 one-man stage show, also at the wonderful Adelaide Festival:

…acting came natural to me…I know how to walk across the land in front of a camera, because I belong there.

And belong there he did. My thoughts are with his family, his huge group of friends and supporters, and in particular to his dear friend and carer, Mary Hood. Vale, David Dalaithngu.

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:13): I rise on indulgence to acknowledge the death of Australia's greatest Aboriginal actor David Dalaithngu after a long battle with cancer at his home in Murray Bridge.

David Dalaithngu was a Yolngu man from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. In his later years, of course, he was a resident of our own Murray Bridge. David was a father, a grandfather, a brother, an actor, an artist, a ceremonial dancer, a hunter and a tracker. He revolutionised the way the world saw Aboriginal people by bringing traditional culture to our screens.

Growing up in the bush of Arnhem land, David spent his childhood submerged in the customs and the traditions of his people. At 15, he was already an accomplished hunter and tracker and ceremonial dancer, and in 1969, when English film director Nicolas Roeg toured Arnhem Land scouting for locations for a forthcoming film, he asked elders who was their best young dancer. According to Dalaithngu, they all pointed to him. He was 16 when Walkabout was released, his first film, which remains one of his most compelling performances of all time. David became an instant global celebrity.

As a fresh-faced young man, he went from Arnhem Land to London, where, as the Premier mentioned, he met the Queen. Then he went to Paris and beyond. He mingled with John Lennon and Muhammed Ali. He hung out with Bruce Lee. He played the didgeridoo with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley. His role in Walkabout is credited with helping bring an end to the use of blackface in Australian cinema.

As an artist, David has made an outstanding contribution to the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people nationally and internationally, introducing audiences to traditional practices and Aboriginal forms of interpersonal communication. With a career spanning 50 years, David acted in some of the most renowned works in Australian cinema history, including, as the Premier mentioned, Storm Boy, The Last Wave, Mad Dog, Crocodile Dundee, The Tracker, The Proposition, Australia, Ten Canoes and Rabbit-Proof Fence.

Beyond the screen, David was a highly respected elder. He was a highly respected dancer, mentor, leader and advocate for homeland, teaching the Yolngu culture. David lived his life across the many worlds that make up our community, a balancing act that he performed with great grace and poise.

The shadow minister for Aboriginal affairs, the Hon. Kyam Maher—who is, I understand, the only initiated Aboriginal man ever elected to this parliament—as did the Premier, had the great pleasure of spending time with David and visited David's country in East Arnhem Land on more than one occasion.

David will be remembered as an international superstar. He was a truly extraordinary talent. His life, his work and his triumphs uplift us all. His death is too young and too soon. Our heartfelt condolences to his family, his dear friend and carer, Mary Hood, and all those who loved him. May he rest in peace. He has certainly done our nation and his people proud.

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