A place in the Cape for making music and connections

It would be a place in Cape York to foster musical talent, where the remote location makes it tougher for kids to access opportunities.  

Setting up Ganhaarr Cultural Education and Entertainment Indigenous Corporation allowed them to bring attention and funding into the art space, where their vision was to host young people on Country and mentor them musically and culturally. 

Singing a new tune

Harrigan brothers, Dylan, Vincent, Cliff, Anselm and Anselm’s son, Arrami, make up Black Image. They’re professional musicians and Traditional Owners of Balnggarrawarra Country, encompassing sandstone escarpments and tropical savanna of Cape York, where Normanby Station is situated. Their connection to the land is strong, and they care for Country through various environmental projects.

From the office at Normanby Station, Cliff says the work began to continue the family legacy and keep Country and culture strong. ‘This place is my Grandfather’s Country, old Jack Harrigan, our dad’s father. He was born out this way and it was given back to him in 1995 – after that he lived for 2 more years. We wanted to keep the place going in memory of him and all our ancestors buried on this Country,’ says Cliff.

After working together for decades on caring for Country projects, the brothers set up Ganhaarr and began applying for music and arts-related grants. With funding from the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, a creative bootcamp was the first shift into a music-related activity. 

A place for young people to create and connect

Partnering with arts organisation, Topology, and with funding from the Australian and Queensland Governments, the Normanby Creative Bootcamp began. The event brought to life the Harrigan brothers’ vision to offer an enriching cultural experience for young people on Country while nurturing creative expression.

Participants from Cooktown High School came away from the first bootcamp with more musical knowledge from mentors. But the benefits were more than skill-based – the students reported emotional healing and better wellbeing from the experience. 

What bootcamp participants had to say

‘What inspired me most was the channelling of emotions through music. You can convey what you want to say better.’

‘It’s helped me use my emotions through song instead of through anger.’

‘There’s no criticism – even when you mess up they don’t sit there telling you what you shouldn’t be doing, they teach you better ways around an issue – better resolutions.’ 

Cliff reflects on the importance of connecting with young people through music and creating an environment where they can be themselves.

‘When some of the kids come out first, they’re pretty shy. You can’t get a boo out of some of them,’ he says.  

‘By the end of the week they don’t want to go back into town. They enjoy it out here with all the different things they’ve learned. They come out of their shell. They get away from that shame factor and they feel more relaxed.’

Anselm adds the kids as well as the teachers and schools are now excited about the program. The first teachers and students felt the benefits of getting away on Country to be creative and connect.

‘They get a lot out of it – they get fed, looked after, camp in the bush and have a week outside of the normal classroom to sit and play,’ Anselm says with a laugh.

‘They really enjoy it. Around half of the last mob that were here in 2024, they come back. And the teachers all want to come here because the first teachers said how amazing it was. This year, we have a rotation of 3 or 4 different sets of teachers come through.’

Composing the future

The journey into the arts side of connecting with culture and Country is continuing for Ganhaarr, securing an Indigenous Language Australia grant for the next 2 years to run language and music programs. This will involve language maintenance for Kuku Yananji and Guugu Yimithirr, both widely spoken in the region. With the grant, Ganhaarr will help kids to create songs in language. This way, as the songs are sung, language is practised and shared. They also plan to introduce a music mentoring program for adults to foster musical talent and potential recording artists.

Through their vision to connect people, music, Country and culture, the Harrigan brothers are also fostering creativity using their unique skillset. Cliff is strong in his view that the family will keep the stories continuing well into the future. He notes it’s important to share the duty to care for Country with young people in the family, as well as those who come from far and wide, through Ganhaarr’s programs.

‘We sit down with the younger ones – our children and grandchildren – and tell them the stories that we were told when we were kids. We show them all the areas, where to go and where not to go. It’s a part of every day. And we want to show all the other kids as well – those who don’t have the opportunity to be shown by their parents or grandparents.

‘It’s a relaxing week for us to get away from our workload as well, with mentoring the kids out here. We thrive out here in this environment – camping out, enjoying the animals, just sitting around the fire and talking.’