SEAMAN DAN - ARIA AWARDS 2009

AT 80 YEARS OF AGE IT IS TRULY AN AMAZING HONOUR FOR ME TO BE AWARDED AN ARIA FOR MY FINAL CD ‘SAILING HOME'.

IT IS TIME TO HANG UP THE UKULELE AND PASS ON MY LIFE-LONG LOVE OF MUSIC TO YOUNGER MUSICIANS AND SINGERS SUCH AS THE OTHER NOMINEES.

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MY LIFE HAS BEEN LIVED BY AND ON THE OCEAN AND THAT IS WHAT THE  ‘SAILING HOME' CD IS ALL ABOUT: THE ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL BUT ALSO PERILOUS OCEANS OF AUSTRALIA.

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IN 2004 - WHEN I WAS A ‘YOUNGFELLA' OF 75 - IT WAS A GREAT HONOUR TO BE AWARDED AN ARIA FOR THE ‘PERFECT PEARL' CD.

WITH GREAT PRIDE I TOOK IT HOME TO THURSDAY ISLAND AND IT IS ON DISPLAY AT OUR GAB TITUI CULTURAL CENTRE - TO SHOW UP AND COMING MUSICIANS AND SINGERS THAT IF THIS ‘OLDFELLA' CAN DO IT, THEY CAN TOO!

I WILL DO THE SAME WITH THIS AWARD BECAUSE I AM A PRODUCT OF MY TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER CULTURE AND PROUDLY CARRY ON ITS MUSICAL TRADITIONS.

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MUSIC, LIKE SKIPPERING A PEARLING LUGGER, IS A GROUP EFFORT AND I WANT TO THANK SOME OF THE MANY PEOPLE WHO HELPED ME ALONG THE WAY BY INSPIRING AND RECORDING MY MUSIC:

MY EXTENDED FAMILY,

PRODUCERS NIGEL PEGRUM AND KARL NEUENFELDT,

ALL THE NORTH QUEENSLAND MUSICIANS, SINGERS AND ARRANGERS,

ALL THE SONGWRITERS ON THE CD, ESPECIALLY JOSH CUNNINGHAM OF THE WAIFS, SHANE HOWARD, AND THE PIGRAM BROTHERS FOR WRITING GREAT SONGS ABOUT THE OCEAN,

GRAEME REGAN AT MGM/PLANET FOR HIS ON-GOING SUPPORT,

HOT RECORDS FOR THEIR HARD WORK ON THE EARLIER CDS,

AND JOURNALIST/ MUSICIAN TONY HILLIER FROM KAMERUNGA WHO HAS ALWAYS CHAMPIONED MUSIC FROM NORTH QUEENSLAND.

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IN MY LANGUAGE,  ‘ESSO' MEANS ‘THANK YOU' AND ‘YAWO' MEANS ‘GOODBYE'.

SO - BIG ‘ESSO' TO EVERYONE AND ‘YAWO' TO EVERYONE ...

I'LL BE  ‘SAILING HOME' A VERY, VERY HAPPY - AND VERY HUMBLED - MAN.