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Katie Woolf spoke with Garrmalang Festival Co Creative Director Ben Graetz · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: If you want to know what's happening on the local
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: political landscape, Katie Wolf has it covered on three sixty
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: every One is Listening Mix one oh four point nine.
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  Speaker 1: I'm very excited to be joined in the studio by
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  Speaker 1: the Garamlung Festival co creative director and well all round
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  Speaker 1: well known territory and Ben Gratz. Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. How are you.
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  Speaker 1: I'm always well been, I tell you. For a bit
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  Speaker 1: of background for our listeners, you and I worked together
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  Speaker 1: in about twenty fourteen. I reckon it was. I was
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  Speaker 1: helping the entertainment center with a few different things in
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  Speaker 1: my role as a consultant. And well you and I
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  Speaker 1: work together on the very fin Along Festival.
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  Speaker 2: Festival with Ursula Raymond and now I've got Nina. It's
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  Speaker 2: the daughter.
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  Speaker 1: Well that's exactly right. So now you are working with
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  Speaker 1: her beautiful daughter Nina as the other co creative director,
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  Speaker 1: aren't you.
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  Speaker 2: Yees. So it's had a really interesting journey, this garam
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  Speaker 2: Alung Festival, and you know this year, it's so excited
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  Speaker 2: to be back and be a part of the team.
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  Speaker 2: I was supposed to do it last year actually, but
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  Speaker 2: because of COVID everything like it's stopped. And then this
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  Speaker 2: year to be able to come back and also bring
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  Speaker 2: Nina with me is really, you know, such so great.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, you must be so proud though the two
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  Speaker 1: thousand and fourteen when it all began, and you know
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  Speaker 1: we're now talking twenty twenty one and it continues to grow.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, And I think it's you know, when I
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  Speaker 2: reflect on it, it's a bit like, you know, First
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  Speaker 2: Nations people, we are thriving and we're surviving, you know
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  Speaker 2: what I mean, Like it's had a really interesting journey
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  Speaker 2: and a couple of years it has it didn't happen
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  Speaker 2: and obviously through COVID, but you know, to look at
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  Speaker 2: the program this year and to know that, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we only really started putting the program together earlier this year,
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  Speaker 2: when you know it's only May like February, so it's
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  Speaker 2: you know, to put something together like this. I'm extremely
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  Speaker 2: proud of the team at the Entertainment Center Nina as well.
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  Speaker 2: And you know the great thing about this festival is
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  Speaker 2: that it's you know, by First Nations people for First
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  Speaker 2: Nations people, and right down to looking at the program,
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  Speaker 2: the artwork, graphic artists that we used as a Larakia
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  Speaker 2: person that you know, all of the entertainers, so you
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  Speaker 2: know it's really steeped in First Nation culture and mob
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  Speaker 2: and really heavily based in Darwin and the NT.
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  Speaker 1: That must make you feel incredibly proud, you know that
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  Speaker 1: it's come so far and by the look of it,
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  Speaker 1: it's going to be an absolutely cracking event.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, like we've got some really special events
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  Speaker 2: and bringing Electric Field up for it. So just confirm
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  Speaker 2: they're in Adelaide, so they're not in Melbourne's spots. So
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  Speaker 2: we're a bit worried about the hotspots, but no, they're
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  Speaker 2: able to be here. But you know, to engage. We've
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  Speaker 2: got over thirty First Nation artists involved in the festival
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  Speaker 2: this year and it's really about giving them a platform.
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  Speaker 2: It's about inviting people into our culture, honoring our elders,
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  Speaker 2: our youth and really celebrating who we are as a
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  Speaker 2: community up here.
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  Speaker 1: So Ben talk us through what wonderful events are happening.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, so it's Saturday, and so this weekend, Saturday is
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  Speaker 2: our really our signature day. So we've got a jam
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  Speaker 2: pack day from nine am right into one am. So
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  Speaker 2: in that day we've got things for all the family
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  Speaker 2: and for adults to come on down and check that
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  Speaker 2: out to In the morning, we've got House of Darwin
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  Speaker 2: who's got a stall there and we've got screen printing,
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  Speaker 2: so and come down and do some screen printing. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: some music happening. We've got our Elders Morning Tea which
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  Speaker 2: is at nine point thirty and that's for everyone as well.
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  Speaker 2: And then we have our opening which is that night
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  Speaker 2: at seven pm, so come along to that, that's free,
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  Speaker 2: and then we've got Electric Fields and then a club
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  Speaker 2: night I know, so it doesn't stop. And then Sunday
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  Speaker 2: we've got a comedy spectacular with over fifteen stand up
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  Speaker 2: comedians based in Darwin, First Nations, Aboriginals. Yeah, so that's
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  Speaker 2: on the Sunday when you know a little recovery comedy.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, Oh that's.
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  Speaker 1: So much fun. And we know that the territory and
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  Speaker 1: Darwin well particularly absolutely loves their comedy. It's going to
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  Speaker 1: be fantastic like.
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  Speaker 2: That, you know, the Deadly Darwin Mob and Constantina and
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  Speaker 2: you know, I've got any June Mills in there. Crystal
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  Speaker 2: loves making a comeback as well. So you know, like
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  Speaker 2: like I said, fifteen stand up comedian original comedians comedians
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  Speaker 2: like I think we're leading it in the country actually.
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  Speaker 1: Inside Yeah, oh that's so good. Look I've been, you know,
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  Speaker 1: I just love seeing how much is on and water
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  Speaker 1: showcase cic is of the territories culture, but the Larachia culture,
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  Speaker 1: and I think that that's such an important thing for
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  Speaker 1: us to all see on display this weekend.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, we have a really great relationship with Larikiir
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  Speaker 2: and the community, and you know, it's really important to
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  Speaker 2: also know that Darwin has made up a lot of
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  Speaker 2: a lot of different mobs that have been here for
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  Speaker 2: a long time as well, so it's about honoring them
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  Speaker 2: as well, and honoring all our First Nation brothers and
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  Speaker 2: sisters that live here and our diverse community.
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  Speaker 1: Really absolutely, Ben, Where can people go for some further
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  Speaker 1: information if they're keen to buy tickets, keen to find
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  Speaker 1: out a bit more.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, you can just go to the Guramalung Facebook page
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  Speaker 2: or your center, dot com, dot a. You have a
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  Speaker 2: look at all the tickets and all the information, and
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  Speaker 2: as I said, there's free events as long as ticketed events,
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  Speaker 2: and family and adult events as well.
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  Speaker 1: Well. Ben Gratz, it is always wonderful to catch up
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  Speaker 1: with you and a big congrats to you and Nina
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  Speaker 1: on the work that you've done to put this festival together.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you.