Pika kura ngaranyi - Utju community

The lead up to this trip began many weeks ago with Utju being the first community to participate in Red Dust's remote learning music program delivery model due to the COVID virus & border closures.
Abraham and Stephan had been zooming weekly with Red Dust to begin the song creation process. However, a few weeks ago the Bio security lifted for remote communities in the NT and the opportunity arose for NT based staff to pay Utju a visit in person.
The week began with the band jamming and recording 5 songs in a studio set up in the school, eventually working on one of the songs that had been developed through the remote delivery project.
Stephan, Melvin, Dickie, and Ephram among others all played on the song with many others contributing in other ways throughout the recording process. The song was then further developed by senior Unity College students currently at Areyonga School and some former students in the community also getting on board to write lyrics and record vocals, even incorporating local members of the famous Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir.
The whole project was very much community driven with Abraham playing a primary role in producing the song and mobilising the community around the project which is evident in both the song and the video. The song is about how communities look after each other and keep each other safe and whilst it does not explicitly mention Covid19, the song is inspired by recent events and talks about keeping communities safe from within and the need for everyone to listen and work together in Utju to stay safe.
Some truly incredible local musicians are featured here with a stunning backdrop, so while we can't all be there in person right now, we can in spirit & it was amazing to get our feet back on the red dust.
Big shout out to @Jonty & the amazing teachers & staff at @Areyonga School.
Happy Fathers Day!
Technical details:
Video Production: Wayne Glenn
Audio Recording: Wayne Glenn
Audio Production/ Mixing: Steve Lane (www.realtone.com.au)
Mastering: Joseph Carra (www.crystalmastering.com.au)