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SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
The music icon and croc hunter who was a driving force for NAIDOC Week
Ted Egan isn't just a songwriter with an extensive and well-known catalogue documenting life in the Northern Territory. As a public servant, he also played a significant role in the formation of the group behind what is today known as NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week. Born in 1932 in Melbourne, Egan moved to the Top End in 1949 and started working for the NT Department of Aboriginal Affairs. His work as a patrol officer and reserve superintendent took him out of the city and on to cattle stations and crocodile-hunting expeditions. In his late 30s, Egan worked as a project officer with the Office of Aboriginal Affairs: a new national agency within the Prime Minister's Department that had been established following the successful 1967 Referendum, which saw the Commonwealth now having overall responsibility for Aboriginal affairs. In 1970, a year after Egan wrote the track Gurindji Blues with land rights leader Vincent Lingiari, Egan was sent to Sydney to attend the annual general meeting of the Commonwealth Council of NADOC (National Aborigines' Day Observance Committee). The purpose of the National Aborigines Day Observance Committee was to "create and promote an informed public opinion on the status and needs of the Aborigines". The committee had been set up back in 1957, two years after the National Missionary Council of Australia (NMCA) had asked the federal government to establish a National Aborigines Day. While denying the request for a National Day, the federal government supported a National Aborigines Day via funding for publications, leaflets and stickers as a way of "creating and promoting an informed public opinion on the status and the needs of the Aborigines … as to what is being done, and what remains to be done". In 1969, the NADOC Federal Executive was made up of Rev Frank Engel (chairman), Rev Robert Denham (secretary), Rev Richard Udy (treasurer) and committee members: Rev Robert Brown (SA), Rev James Sweet (Qld), Rev G Night (NSW), Mr Ken Colbung, Mrs S Dunn (NSW), Rev E Newman (NSW) and Pastor Schultz (NSW). A turning point In the overall historical context of National Aborigines Day or NAIDOC Week, the February 1970 meeting of the National Executive was a turning point. At the meeting, there was a move to elect an Aboriginal man — Ken Colbung from WA — as the new National Chairman. Colbung was the Secretary for NSW NADOC which had large staunch Aboriginal membership including Kaye Mundine, Clive and Tom Williams, Charles 'Chicka' Dixon, Lyall Munro, Bert Groves and Reverend Frank Roberts. It would be the first time an Aboriginal person would be at the helm of the National Committee; Lester Bostock was also elected a joint treasurer. On returning to Darwin, Egan typed up a report to his supervisor — Frank H Moy, assistant director (research) at the Office of Aboriginal Affairs — about the meeting. "The members of the outgoing committee seemed anxious to replace some of the church officials on the Executive with Aboriginals and this is an encouraging sign," he wrote. Egan recommended that NADOC should be a national committee made up entirely of Indigenous representatives. Moy endorsed his observation about the lack of Aboriginal people on the National Executive. "We have been lecturing them on this for two years now," Moy scrawled in pen over this section of Egan's report. In his report, Egan went further, writing that the NADOC should be a national committee made up entirely of Indigenous representatives. "It seems to me that if this is to become a national body, NADOC should appoint a representative (preferably an Aboriginal) in each state," Egan wrote. "Mr Phillip Roberts would be an ideal choice for the Northern Territory and perhaps one of our liaison officers for the ACT. Could it be suggested to NADOC that an Aboriginal be appointed in each State, NT and ACT?" From National Aborigines Day to NAIDOC Week Later that year, in September 1970, the annual general meeting of the National Council of NADOC saw Indigenous representatives from across the nation attend. These included: Dick Roughsy (Mornington Island Qld) G Winnunguj (Goulburn Island NT), Tom Williams (Foundation Aboriginal Affairs NSW), George Abudullah (WA), Lyall Munro (Moree Advancement Committee), Kath Walker (National Tribal Council), and Dulcie Flower and Faith Bandler (Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders - FCAATSI). Egan also used his report to cheekily comment on the lack of interest in the NT about the national celebrations. "I know at present in the Northern Territory little is done towards the observance of National Aborigines Day because it is considered to be a day on which a few 'compensation neurotics' do a bit of stirring in Sydney," he wrote. LISTEN TO SBS News 04/07/2025 05:58 English Egan's attendance at the meeting occurred in an era of growing calls to make National Aborigines Day a proper national day. "It seems to me that there should be a move to make it a national day in its true sense," Egan summarised in his report. "I think that our role should be to make the thing financially secure as far as publications etc are concerned and thereby make it an attractive enough proposition for Aborigines to take over 'their day'," he concluded. Ken Colbung would again sit as National Chairman in 1971 with Pastor Frank Roberts, Kath Walker and Dulcie Flower joining him on the National Executive. In 1972, control of NADOC was given to the newly established Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal Affairs, and in 1974, the Committee had full Aboriginal representation for the first time. In 1975, National Aborigines Day became NAIDOC Week. By this point, Egan had already released several albums and begun to establish his reputation as a musical chronicler of outback life. He would go on to be a member of the first National Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and serve as administrator of the Northern Territory from 2003 to 2007. NAIDOC Week will be marked 6-13 July.
SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
INTERVIEW: Australia among first countries to launch lung cancer screening program
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ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
The best ways to clean your home coffee machine
Have you bought an espresso machine to cut down on buying takeaway coffee? They can save you money but require a little cleaning and maintenance to keep them running smoothly. Here's what is recommended. Marco Farina says he can taste when a machine hasn't been cleaned recently enough. He sells, repairs and services domestic and commercial coffee machines in Naarm/Melbourne. Mr Farina says a household machine often makes three to four coffees a day. This might not seem like a lot, so people do not tend to clean them often, he says. But he recommends giving machines a simple clean every day. "The cleaner it is, the better it is for the next coffee." Consumer group Choice recommendsemptying and rinsing the portafilter (the part of the espresso machine with the handle) and wiping out the filter basket with a clean cloth after every use. If you enjoy coffee with milk, Choice advices purging the steam wand by turning it on and off before and after you steam milk, and wiping it clean after use. Mr Farina says this should be done with a wet cloth every time the machine is used to avoid an off-milk smell developing. Wiping the bench and surrounding areas, plus emptying the drip tray are other tasks you'll want to do after you've finished making coffee for the day. Lara Timbrell is the head barista and assistant manager of Tribute cafe in Perth, on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people. She says a domestic espresso machine is likely to benefit from a more intensive clean once every week or two, or monthly, depending on how often it is being used. Source: Choice Ms Timbrell says both home and commercial machines tend to have plenty of nooks and crannies. Her trick is folding a cleaning cloth into quarters or eighths "so you have a nice firm corner" that you can use to remove grind build-up, particularly around the group head. Choice says a weekly clean can include refilling the water tank, and emptying coffee grounds from your knock box. For a monthly clean, it recommends removing the filter basket from the portafilter and soaking them both in a cleaning solution and using a toothbrush to clean grounds from around the shower screen. Ms Timbrell recommends dismantling the group head and cleaning behind the shower screen (the fixture that diffuses water from the group head onto the filter basket) for a more intensive clean, which Choice lists as an annual task. It's best to consult the instructions for your specific machine first. Mr Farina recommends back-flushing the machine with a blind filter regularly. He says espresso machines should come with a blind filter. It's a solid basket, while the filter baskets used with coffee grind have a series of small holes. Back-flushing involves placing the blind filter into the portafilter, placing it in the group head and turning on the espresso button, allowing pressure to build before turning it off and repeating a few times. It's not something every machine can do so check your model and its instructions. Mr Farina says it helps clean away leftover oil residue from the grind. Coffee supply stores sell cleaning products designed to help with this, he says. For semi-automatic and manual machines, Choice says to use the blind filter to flush hot water through about once a week. For a monthly clean it advises a "back-flush (for three-way-valve systems) using a commercial coffee machine cleaner" or running a cleaning cycle (if the model permits). "A good rule of thumb is to do this once for every 4kg of coffee you put through the machine." Choice also recommends descaling the coffee machine as part of an annual clean following the manufacturer's instructions, but some manuals will advise you do this more often. Ms Timbrell says depending on where you live, you can get a lot of build-up through the machine because of the water which will require you to descale. She says water also impacts the taste. "I would say one thing that you would really taste the difference with your coffee is, if you use filtered water instead of tap water." Ms Timbrell says regardless of whether your coffee grinder is a separate appliance or built into the espresso machine, looking up the manual before cleaning is a good way to get started. "When you keep grinding more and more coffee, the [remaining] coffee is getting ground over and over again." She says this may result in a bitter taste, because some of the grind will be older and finer (more likely to burn). She recommends emptying out the grinder and clearing out residual grinds with a dry brush or vacuum. Choice does not recommend using water to clean out rancid coffee bean oil from your grinder, and warns the blades can be sharp. It suggests using a small, clean paintbrush, soft-bristled toothbrush or a vacuum for the "really committed".
