A musician, role model and cultural leader who has become a cultural ambassador on the world stage has been recognised as the Australian of the Year in the Northern Territory.
Songman Grant Ngulmiya Nundhirribala, an internationally recognised musician, who is a cultural leader in Numbulwar community, Arnhem Land, received the award at a ceremony at the Darwin Convention Centre on Monday night.
Nundhirribala, 49, has inspired Numbulwar's next generation to excel at performing their traditional music and dance, showing them how to earn an income from expressing their culture, in a place where employment is scarce.
He has been an ambassador for his music, language and culture across the world, collaborating with the Budapest Art Orchestra to release an award-winning album and worked in Japan with North Indian classical artists.
Nundhirribala regularly performs at Garma Festival and for decades, he’s led the renowned Red Flag Dancers.
He shares ceremonial songs and his family’s Dhumbala/Red Flag culture, which includes stories of hundreds of years of trade and cultural exchange between remote Arnhem Land, Makassar and other parts of South-East Asia.
Nundhirribala has recently returned from India, where he was recording music.
