Kununurra

Distinguished and Famous people from Kununurra

David Newry

David Newry helped establish the work of Mirima Council from the 1990s and chaired the organisation for more than two decades. His work in Kununurra has included language and cultural teaching, developing the Miriwoong Seasonal Calendar and supporting the establishment of other Aboriginal organisations. He also helped initiate the work that led to the Kimberley Interpreting Service in 2000, responding to interpreting needs in health and justice. These are practical cultural contributions: helping knowledge pass between generations while making institutions more accessible to the people using them.

Che Kelly

Che Kelly has brought Miriwoong language teaching from the Kununurra classroom to a wider listening audience. A teacher at Mirima Dawang Woorlab-gerring, he presented a 26-part series produced with Waringarri Media, sharing language through community broadcasting. His appearances on the ABC’s Word Up also introduced listeners to words and the cultural knowledge connected with them. His local association is ongoing work in language revitalisation and media, showing how a community language centre can reach beyond its own doors without losing its grounding in Country and local speakers.