Queensland Day is officially celebrated on 6 June as the birthday of the Australian state of Queensland.

History[link]

Moves towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider separation from New South Wales. As the push for separation gained momentum, Queen Victoria was approached to consider establishing a separate colony based at Moreton Bay. The Queen gave her approval and signed the Letters Patent on 6 June 1859. On the same day an Order-in-Council gave Queensland its own Constitution. Queensland became a self-governing colony with its own Governor, a nominated Legislative Council and an elected Legislative Assembly.

Now 6 June is celebrated by Queenslanders as the day when the new colony of Queensland was established.

With the word ‘Separation’ painted on its hull, the ship Clarence sailed into Brisbane on 10 July to be greeted by a jubilant crowd eagerly awaiting the news of separation. Clarence was welcomed with a 14-gun salute, a 'blue light' display and fireworks.

On July 20, Queensland was informed that Sir George Ferguson Bowen would be the State's first Governor. Celebrations resumed with fireworks, cannon fires, flag raisings and the sound of gun shots.

On 10 December 1859, Governor Bowen arrived in Brisbane to a civic reception in the Botanic Gardens. He officially marked the historic occasion of Statehood by reading a proclamation from the verandah of the Deanery of St. John's Cathedral.

Queenslander of the Year[link]

Since 1981, Queensland Day has been celebrated as the official birthday. Celebrations provide an opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of Queenslanders with "Queenslander of the Year", "Young Queenslander of the Year" and "Community Spirit" awards.^[1]

See also[link]

• History of Queensland

References[link]

• Queensland Government's History of Queensland Day
• Official Queensland Week Website

Queensland
Flag Coat of arms
Slogan or nickname: Sunshine State
Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful)
Other Australian states and territories
Capital	Brisbane
Demonym	Queenslander
Government	Constitutional monarchy
- Governor	Penelope Wensley
- Premier	Campbell Newman (LNP)
Australian State
- Established as Self-Governing Colony	6 June 1859
- Became State	1901
- Australia Act	3 March 1986
Area
- Total	1,852,642 km2 (2nd largest) 715,309 sq mi
- Land	1,730,648 km2 668,207 sq mi
- Water	121,994 km2 (6.58%) 47,102 sq mi
Population (June 2010)
- Population	4,580,700[1] (3rd)
- Density	2.61/km2 (5th) 6.8 /sq mi
Elevation
- Highest	Mount Bartle Frere +1,622 m (5,321 ft)
Gross State Product (2009–10)
- Product ($m)	$254,550[2] (3rd)
- Product per capita	$56,362 (4th)
Time zone	AEST UTC+10 does not observe DST
Federal representation
- House seats	30
- Senate seats	12
Abbreviations
- Postal	QLD
- ISO 3166-2	AU-QLD
Emblems
- Floral	Cooktown orchid (Dendrobium phalaenopsis)
- Animal	Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
- Bird	Brolga (Grus rubicunda)
- Fish	Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos)
- Gem	Sapphire
- Colours	Maroon
Web site	www.qld.gov.au

Coordinates: 23°0′S 143°0′E / 23°S 143°E / -23; 143 Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state of Australia, located in the northeast of the country. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, southwest and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. Queensland has a population of 4,580,700, concentrated along the coast and particularly in the state's South East. The state is the world's sixth largest subnational entity, with an area of 1,852,642 km2. The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane, Australia's third largest city. Referred to as the 'Sunshine State', Queensland is home to 10 of Australia's 30 largest cities and is the nation's third largest economy.

Queensland was first occupied by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived at least 40,000 years ago.^[3] The first European to land in Queensland was Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1607. In 1770, Lieutenant James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for the Kingdom of Great Britain. The colony of New South Wales was founded in 1788 by Governor Arthur Phillip at Sydney; New South Wales at that time included all of what is now Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. Queensland was explored in subsequent decades until the establishment of a penal colony at Brisbane in 1824 by John Oxley. Penal transportation ceased in 1839 and free settlement permitted in 1842. Queensland was separated from New South Wales, forming a self-governing colony, on 6 June 1859, a date now celebrated state-wide as Queensland Day. Queensland achieved statehood with the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901.

Queensland's Governor is Penelope Wensley, and the Premier is Campbell Newman of the Liberal National Party.

Etymology[link]

The state was named in honour of Queen Victoria,^[4] who on 6 June 1859 signed Letters Patent separating the colony from New South Wales. Queen Victoria, who went on to become Britain's longest reigning monarch, chose an eponymous name for the colony over Cooksland, which had been suggested by the influential local Presbyterian minister John Dunmore Lang in honour of navigator James Cook.^[5][6]

History[link]

The history of Queensland spans thousands of years, encompassing both a lengthy indigenous presence, as well as the eventful times of post-European settlement. Estimated to have been settled by Indigenous Australians approximately 40,000 years ago, the northeastern Australian region was explored by Dutch, Portuguese and French navigators before being encountered by Captain James Cook in 1770. The Australian Labor Party has its origin as a formal organisation in Queensland and the town of Barcaldine is the symbolic birthplace of the party.^[7] The state has witnessed frontier warfare between European settlers and Indigenous inhabitants, as well as the employment of cheap Kanaka labour sourced from the South Pacific. June 2009 marked the 150th anniversary of its creation as a separate colony from New South Wales.^[8] A rare record of early settler life in north Queensland can be seen in a set of ten photographic glass plates taken in the 1860s by Richard Daintree, in the collection of the National Museum of Australia.^[9]

Geography[link]

Commonly-designated regions of Queensland

The Great Barrier Reef, which extends along Queensland's northern coastline

A coral garden in Osprey Reef

Queensland is bordered to the north by the Torres Strait with Boigu Island off the coast of New Guinea representing the absolute northern extreme of the territory. The triangular Cape York Peninsula, which points toward New Guinea is the northernmost part of the state's mainland. West of the peninsula's tip, northern Queensland is bordered by the Gulf of Carpentaria, while the Coral Sea— an arm of the Pacific Ocean— borders Queensland to the east. To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory, at the 138°E longitude, and to the southwest by the northeastern corner of South Australia.

In the south, there are three sections that comprise its border: the watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River; the river section involving the Dumaresq, the MacIntyre and the Barwon; and 29°S latitude (including some minor historical encroachments below the 29th parallel) over to the South Australian border.

The state capital is Brisbane, located on the coast 100 kilometres (60 mi) by road north of the New South Wales border. The state is divided into several officially recognised regions. Other smaller geographical regions of note include the Atherton Tablelands, the Granite Belt, and the Channel Country in the far southwest.

Queensland has many places of natural beauty, including: the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast having some of the state's most popular beaches; the Bunya Mountains and the Great Dividing Range with numerous lookouts, waterfalls and picnic areas; Carnarvon Gorge; Whitsunday Islands and Hinchinbrook Island.

The state contains six World Heritage listed preservation areas: Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, Fraser Island, Great Barrier Reef, Lamington National Park and the Wet Tropics of Queensland.

Climate[link]

Because of its size, there is significant variation in climate across the state. Low rainfall and hot summers are typical for the inland west, a monsoonal 'wet' season in the far north, and warm temperate conditions along the coastal strip. Inland and in southern ranges low minimum temperatures are experienced. The climate of the coastal strip is influenced by warm ocean waters, keeping the region free from extremes of temperature and providing moisture for rainfall.^[10]

There are five predominate climatic zones in Queensland,^[11] based on temperature and humidity:

• hot humid summer (far north and coastal)
• warm humid summer (coastal elevated hinterlands and coastal southeast)
• hot dry summer, mild winter (central west)
• hot dry summer, cold winter (southern west)
• temperate – warm summer, cold winter (inland southeast, e.g. Granite Belt)

However, most of the Queensland populace experience two weather seasons: a "winter" period of rather warm temperatures and minimal rainfall and a sultry summer period of hot, sticky temperatures and higher levels of rainfall.

The annual mean statistics^[12] for some Queensland centres is shown below:

The highest maximum temperature observed in the state is 49.5 °C (121 °F) at Birdsville on 24 December 1972 (The temperature of 53.1 °C (128 °F) at Cloncurry on 16 January 1889 is not considered reliable; the figure quoted from Birdsville is the next highest, so that record is considered as being official).

The lowest minimum temperature is −10.6 °C (13 °F) at Stanthorpe on 23 June 1961 and at The Hermitage on 12 July 1965.^[17]

Demographics[link]

State capital and most populous city, Brisbane, located in southeast Queensland.

Queensland has a less centralised population than other states, with significant populations in regional cities such as Townsville (above).

A smaller proportion of Queensland's population lives in the capital city than any other mainland state. As of June 2004 the capital city represented 45.7% of the population; for the whole country, capital cities represented 63.8% of the total population.

• Christian: 70.9%:
  • Roman Catholic: 24.9%
  • Anglican: 22.3%
  • Uniting: 8.4%
  • Lutheran: 2.1%
  • Other: 13.2%
• Non-Christian: 2.3%
  • Buddhism: 1.1%
  • Islam: 0.4%
  • Hinduism: 0.3%
  • Judaism: 0.1%
  • Other: 0.4%
• No Religion: 14.8%
• Not Stated: 12.0%

On 9 December 2005, the population of Queensland officially reached 4 million. According to Queensland's Office of Economic and Statistical Research the estimated population of the state at the end of 2007 was 4,228,290 which is almost 20% of Australia's total. For many years until 2008, Queensland was the fastest growing state in Australia. At its peak growth in 2007, it was estimated that over 1,500 people moved to the state per week including 1,000 to the southern part of the state alone and the state recorded a TFR of 2.1, the highest since 1977.^[20] Queensland's growth rate has since been surpassed by Western Australia^[21]).

Economy[link]

Sugar canefields south of Childers

Queensland's economy has enjoyed a boom in the tourism and mining industries over the past 20 years. A sizeable influx of interstate and overseas migrants, large amounts of federal government investment, increased mining of vast mineral deposits and an expanding aerospace sector have contributed to the state's economic growth. The 2008–09 saw the expansion slow to just 0.8% the state's worst performance in 18 years.^[22]

Between 1992 and 2002, the growth in the Gross State Product of Queensland outperformed that of all the other states and territories. In that period Queensland's GSP grew 5.0% each year, while growth in Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose on average 3.9% each year. Queensland's contribution to the Australian GDP increased by 10.4% in that period, one of only three states to do so.^[23]

In 2003 Brisbane had the lowest cost of living of all Australia's capital cities. In late 2005 Brisbane was the third most expensive capital for housing after Sydney and Canberra and just ahead of Melbourne by $15,000.

Primary industries include: bananas, pineapples, peanuts, a wide variety of other tropical and temperate fruit and vegetables, grain crops, wineries, cattle raising, cotton, sugar cane, wool and a mining industry including bauxite, coal, silver, lead, zinc, gold, and copper. Secondary industries are mostly further processing of the above-mentioned primary produce. For example, bauxite is shipped by sea from Weipa and converted to alumina at Gladstone.^[24] There is also copper refining and the refining of sugar cane to sugar at a number of mills along the eastern coastline. Major tertiary industries are the retail trade and tourism.

Tourism[link]

Tourism is Queensland's leading tertiary industry with millions of interstate and overseas visitors flocking to the Sunshine State each year. The industry generates $4.0 billion annually, accounting for 4.5% of Queensland's GSP.^[25] Queensland is a state of many landscapes that range from sunny tropical coastal areas, lush rainforests to dry inland areas.

The main tourist destinations of Queensland include, Brisbane, Cairns, Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest, Gold Coast, the Great Barrier Reef, Hervey Bay and nearby Fraser Island, Townsville, Magnetic Island, North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island, Sunshine Coast, Hamilton Island, Daydream Island and the Whitsundays known for Airlie Beach and Whitehaven Beach.

The Gold Coast of Queensland is also sometimes referred to as "Australia's Theme Park Capital", with five major amusement parks. These are Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World, Wet 'n' Wild and WhiteWater World.

There are numerous wildlife parks in Queensland. On the Gold Coast there is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary at Currumbin and David Fleay Wildlife Park at Burleigh Heads. On the Sunshine Coast there is UnderWater World at Mooloolaba and Australia Zoo near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains, home of Steve Irwin until his death in 2006.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary at Fig Tree Pocket and Brisbane Forest Park at The Gap are located in Brisbane. North of Brisbane is Alma Park Zoo which is relocating to Logan City and Kumbartcho Wildlife Sanctuary which was originally called Bunya Park Wildlife Sanctuary.

Accommodation in Queensland caters for nearly 22% of the total expenditure, followed by restaurants/meals (15%), airfares (11%), fuel (11%) and shopping/gifts (11%).^[26]

Transport[link]

Cairns International Airport

Queensland is served by a number of National Highways and, particularly in South East Queensland, high quality motorways such as the M1. The Queensland government Department of Transport & Main Roads oversees the development and operation of main roads and public transport, including taxis and local aviation.

Principal rail services are provided by Queensland Rail and Pacific National, predominantly between the major towns along the coastal strip east of the Great Dividing Range.

Major seaports include the Port of Brisbane and subsidiary ports at Gladstone, Townsville and Bundaberg. There are large coal export facilities at Hay Point / Dalrymple Bay, Gladstone and Abbot Point. Sugar is another major export, with facilities at Lucinda and Mackay.

Brisbane Airport is the main international and domestic gateway serving the state. Gold Coast Airport, Cairns International Airport and Townsville Airport are the next most prominent airports, all with scheduled international flights. Other regional airports, with scheduled domestic flights, include Great Barrier Reef Airport, Hervey Bay Airport, Mackay Airport, Mount Isa Airport, Proserpine / Whitsunday Coast Airport, Rockhampton Airport, and Sunshine Coast Airport.

South East Queensland has an integrated public transport system operated by the TransLink Transit Authority, which provides services bus, rail and ferry services through contracted bus and ferry operators and Queensland Rail. The TransLink network operates a fare system which allows a single ticket to be used across all modes for the same price irrespective of the number of transfers made on the trip. Regional bus and long-distance rail services are also provided throughout the State. Local bus services are also available in most regional centres.

Governance[link]

The Parliament House in Brisbane.

Executive authority is vested in the Governor, who represents and is appointed by Elizabeth II on the advice of the Premier. The current governor is Ms. Penelope Wensley, AO. The head of government is the Premier, who is appointed by the Governor but must have the support of the Legislative Assembly. The current Premier is Campbell Newman of the Liberal National Party. Other ministers, forming the Executive Council, are appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Assembly on the Premier's recommendation.

The Queensland Parliament or the Legislative Assembly, is unicameral. It is the only Australian state with a unicameral legislature. A bicameral system existed until 1922, when the Legislative Council was abolished by the Labor members' "suicide squad" so called because they were appointed for the purpose of voting to abolish their own offices.^[27] The Parliament is housed in the 19th century Parliament House and 20th century Parliamentary Annexe in Brisbane. The state's politics are traditionally regarded as being conservative relative to other states.^{[28][29][30][31][32]}

The judicial system of Queensland consists of the Supreme Court and the District Court, established by the Queensland Constitution, and various other courts and tribunals established by ordinary Acts of the Queensland Parliament.

In 2001 Queensland adopted a new codified constitution, repealing most of the assorted Acts of Parliament that had previously made up the constitution. The new constitution took effect on 6 June 2002, the anniversary of the formation of the colony of Queensland by the signing of Letters Patent by Queen Victoria in 1859.

Local government[link]

Local government is the mechanism by which towns and districts can manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by the Local Government Act 1993–2007. Queensland is divided into 73 local government areas which may be called Cities, Towns, Shires or Regions.^[33]

Each area has a council which is responsible for providing a range of public services and utilities, and derives its income from both rates and charges on resident ratepayers, and grants and subsidies from the State and Commonwealth governments.^[34]

Universities[link]

Bond University in Robina

The state's first university, the University of Queensland was established in 1909. It was moved to St Lucia in 1945, where it remains today. The University of Queensland ranks amongst the top 100 universities in several global rankings.

James Cook University was setup in 1970 to become the first tertiary education institution in North Queensland. Griffith University was established in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan in 1971. Bond University was established in 1987 as a not-for-profit university, the first of its type in Queensland and is located at Robina on the Gold Coast. In the Brisbane central business district at Gardens Point the Queensland University of Technology was opened in 1989.

In the following decades the Central Queensland University, University of Southern Queensland and the University of the Sunshine Coast were established. The Australian Catholic University also operates a campus in Brisbane.

Sports[link]

The Brisbane Broncos are one of the most successful teams in the National Rugby League competition

The Queensland Bulls take part in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments

The state of Queensland is represented in all of Australia's national sporting competitions and is also host to a number of domestic and international sporting events. The most popular winter and summer team sports are Rugby league, Rugby union and cricket, respectively. Rugby league football's annual State of Origin series is a major event in the Queensland sporting calendar, with the Queensland Maroons in 2011 winning a record sixth series in a row. The Brisbane Broncos are the state's most successful team of any sport, having won 3 premierships in the NRL rugby league era and 6 in total during their 23 year existence.

Queensland's dominance is not restricted to rugby league. The early part of this decade saw the AFL's Brisbane Lions claim a hat-trick of premierships between 2001–2003 inclusive, and coming so close to a record-equalling fourth, whilst recently Brisbane Roar FC won its first A-League title in March 2011, the culmination of a season of long dominance in which it has not lost since September last year. Just four years after being branded "the joke of rugby", the Queensland Reds won its first Super Rugby title in July 2011. The Queensland Firebirds were also an outstanding team in 2011, going undefeated in the Netball ANZ Championship to win the Grand Final.

Swimming is also a popular sport in Queensland, with a majority of Australian team members and international medalists hailing from the state. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Queensland swimmers won all six of Australia's gold medals, all swimmers on Australia's three female (finals) relays teams were from Queensland, two of which won gold.

Major professional teams include:

• Australian Football: Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns
• Basketball: Townsville Crocodiles, Cairns Taipans and the Gold Coast Blaze
• Cricket: Queensland Bulls, Brisbane Heat
• Football (soccer): Brisbane Roar, North Queensland Fury (no longer in the A-League) and Gold Coast United
• Netball: Queensland Firebirds
• Rugby League:
  • Representative: Queensland Maroons
  • Clubs: Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and the North Queensland Cowboys
  • State Competition: Queensland Cup
• Rugby Union: Queensland Reds

Events include:

• Gold Coast Indy 300
• State of Origin
• Queensland 400
• Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro

See also[link]

	Geography portal
	Oceania portal
	Commonwealth realms portal
	Australia portal
	Queensland portal

• Queensland Council of Unions
• Queensland Day
• Queensland Expatriate Awards
• Queensland State Archives
• 2010–2011 Queensland floods
• United Nations Association of Australia (Queensland) Community Award

Lists:

• Governor of Queensland
• Premier of Queensland
• List of highways in Queensland
• List of schools in Queensland
• Protected areas of Queensland
• Category:People from Queensland

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Queensland

• Government of Queensland
• Queensland State Archives
• [1]

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David Gordon "Slim Dusty " Kirkpatrick AO, MBE (13 June 1927—19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter and producer, with a career spanning nearly seven decades. He was known to record songs in the legacy of Australian poets Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson that represented the Australian Bush Lifestyle, and also for his many trucking songs. Dusty was the first Australian to have a No. 1 Hit song with Gordon Parsons (Pub With No Beer).^[1] He received an unequalled 37 Golden Guitar and two ARIA awards and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and the Country Music Roll of Renown. At the time of his death at the age of 76, Dusty had been working on his 106th album for EMI Records. In 2007 his domestic record sales in Australia surpassed seven million.

Early life and career[link]

David Gordon Kirkpatrick was born on 13 June 1927 in Kempsey, New South Wales, the son of a cattle farmer. Kirkpatrick adopted the stage name "Slim Dusty" in 1938 at eleven years of age.^[2] His earliest musical influences included Jimmie Rodgers. In 1945, Dusty wrote When the Rain Tumbles Down in July and released his first record that year at the age of eighteen. In 1946, he signed his first recording contract with Columbia Graphophone for the Regal Zonophone label.^[3]

Rise to fame and enduring popularity[link]

Statue of "The Cunnamulla Fella" erected as a tribute to song writer, Stan Coster and singer, Slim Dusty.

In 1951 Dusty married singer-songwriter Joy McKean and, with her help, achieved great success around Australia. In 1954 the two launched a full time business career, including the Slim Dusty Travelling Show. McKean was Dusty's wife and manager for over 50 years. Together the couple had two children, Anne Kirkpatrick and David Kirkpatrick, who are also accomplished singer-songwriters.^[4] McKean wrote several of Dusty's most popular songs, including: "Walk A Country Mile", "Indian Pacific", "Kelly's Offsider", "The Angel Of Goulburn Hill" and "The Biggest Disappointment".^[5] Although himself an accomplished writer of songs, Dusty had a number of other songwriters, including Mack Cormack, Gordon Parsons, Stan Coster, and Kelly Dixon, who were typically short on formal education but big on personal experience of the Australian bush. Drawing on his travels and such writers over a span of decades, Dusty chronicled the story of a rapidly changing postwar Australian nation. Nevertheless, the arrival of rock and roll music saw major metropolitan music radio stations abandon support for country artists, and despite record sales in the multimillions, after the 1950s Dusty was rarely heard on-air outside regional centres in Australia.^[6]

Dusty's 1957 hit "A Pub With No Beer" was the biggest-selling record by an Australian to that time, the first Australian single to go gold, and the first and only 78 rpm record to be awarded a gold disc.^[7] Over the course of his career, he collected more gold and platinum albums than any other Australian artist. (The "Pub with No Beer" is a real place, in Taylors Arm, not far from Kempsey where Slim was born).^[8] In 1959 and 1960 Dutch and German cover versions of the song became number one hits (even evergreens) in Belgium, Austria and Germany, brought by the Flemish country singer-guitarist and amusement park founder Bobbejaan Schoepen.

1964 saw the establishment of the annual Slim Dusty Australia-round tour, a 48,280 kilometres (30,000 mi) journey that went on for ten months. This regular event was the subject of a feature film, The Slim Dusty Movie, in 1984.

Dusty recorded not only songs written by himself and other fellow Australian performers but also classic Australian poems by Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson, with new tunes to call attention to the old 'Bush Ballads.' An example is The Man from Snowy River by Paterson. In 1970 he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to music.^[9] In 1973 he won Best Single at the inaugural Country Music Awards of Australia at the Tamworth Country Music Festival (McKean won Song of the Year as writer of "Lights On The Hill"). In all, he won a record 35 "Golden Guitars" over the years.

Slim Dusty and his wife were patrons of the National Truck Drivers' Memorial located at Tarcutta, New South Wales. The General Manager of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, invited him and his wife to perform in 1997, recognising 50 years contributing to Country Music. The following January, he was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for his service to the entertainment industry.^[10]

Dusty recorded and released his one hundredth album, Looking Forward, Looking Back, in 2000. All 100 albums had been recorded with the same record label, EMI, making Dusty the very first music artist in the world to record 100 albums with the same label.^[11] He was then given the honour of singing Waltzing Matilda in the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, with the whole stadium singing along with him.

Death[link]

Dusty died at his home in St Ives, New South Wales, on 19 September 2003 at the age of 76 after a protracted battle with cancer.^[12]

Thousands gathered at St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, on 26 September 2003 at a state funeral attended by the prime minister and the opposition leader. Anglican Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen's tribute included leading the congregation of family, statesmen, fans, and musicians in the singing of "A Pub With No Beer". The funeral featured tributes from Slim's children as well as words from other national music stars (Peter Garrett and John Williamson) and music from Graeme Connors, Kasey Chambers, and Troy Cassar-Daley. Thousands of fans travelled from around Australia to stand outside the cathedral.^[13]

At the time of his death, Dusty had been working on his 106th album for EMI. The album Columbia Lane - the Last Sessions debuted at number five in the Australian album charts and number one on the country charts on 8 March 2004. It went gold after being on sale for less than two weeks.

Columbia Lane is a tribute to the laneway juxtaposed to Parramatta Road in Strathfield (near the railway bridge link), where the EMI studios once stood (now Kennards Hire), and it is where he traversed to begin his music career.

In 2004, Tamworth hosted the "Concert for Slim" as a memorial tribute featuring more than 30 Australian musical artists including Paul Kelly, Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan and Kasey Chambers^[14]

In 2005, a statue of the "Cunumulla Fella" was unveiled in Cunnamulla, Queensland, in tribute to Dusty and Stan Coster and to the iconic song of that name performed by Dusty with lyrics by Coster.^[15] The song recalls Coster's days working as a sheep-shearing "ringer" around Cunnamulla in the 1950s. Dusty recorded the song and it became an enduring country music hit, later covered by Lee Kernaghan. The statue was unveiled by country music personalities Anne Kirkpatrick (Dusty's daughter), Jayne Kelly, and Tracy and Russell Coster.^[16][17]

EMI Records' Australian sales of Slim Dusty records surpassed 7 million in 2007.^[18]

Honours and milestones[link]

Slim Dusty was Australia's most successful and prolific musical artist, with more Gold and Platinum albums than any other Australian artist.^[19] Slim Dusty was also:^[11]

• The first Australian to receive a Gold Record.
• The first Australian to have an international record hit (Pub with No Beer).
• made a Member of the Order of the British Empire and an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to entertainment.
• The first artist broadcast from space when astronauts played his rendition of Waltzing Matilda from Space Shuttle Columbia as it passed over Australia on its maiden flight in 1981.^[20]
• the winner of an unequalled 36 [Golden Guitar awards] from 72 nominations at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. (see www.country.com.au/cmaa-awards/winners-archive)
• one of the earliest members of Australia's country music Roll of Renown.
• the achiever of more Gold Record and Platinum Record Awards than any other Australian artist.
• Inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and the ARIA Special Achievement Award.

Legacy[link]

• EMI Records' Australian sales of Slim Dusty records surpassed 7 million in 2007.^[18]
• Slim Dusty was a guest on the Wiggles' children DVD "Wiggly Wiggly World".
• His daughter Anne Kirkpatrick is also an award-winning country singer.
• Slim's life was the subject of a 1984 feature film: The Slim Dusty Movie"
• The Slim Dusty Centre will be built in Kempsey, NSW, Slim’s home town.^[21]
• The 2010 book 100 Best Australian Albums by Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell ranked The Very Best of Slim Dusty as the 24th best Australian album of the last 50 years.^[22]

Discography[link]

• Slim Dusty discography (incomplete)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website (includes a more thorough discography)
• Slim Dusty at the National Film and Sound Archive
• Slim Dusty Centre Project
• Listen to a clip from 'Pub With No Beer' and read more about it on australianscreen online
• 'Pub With No Beer' was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia Registry in 2008

Music career[link]

Matt Corby began his music career at age 16 on the reality TV talent show series Australian Idol in 2007, which ultimately saw him place as the season's runner-up to Natalie Gauci. In 2009, he independently released his debut EP Song For... before relocating to London and signing with renowned UK indie label Communion after capturing the attention of the label's owner, Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons fame. Corby has previously been compared to legendary artists such as Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley. After recording with Ian Grimble (The Libertines, Seasick Steve) and releasing his third EP, Transition to Colour in late 2010, Matt busied himself playing numerous live shows. Matt spent the earlier part of 2011 playing sold out shows in London and showcasing at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas in February before coming back to Australia to play a string of intimate 'Secret Garden' shows in fans' backyards throughout Australia. He soon after joined legendary UK band Elbow as the main support on their sold out national tour of Splendour sideshows in July.

Made of Stone was featured on an episode of Underbelly: Razor in 2011 and Brothers and Sisters. Lighthome was also used in an episode of Home and Away in 2011, as well as Song For... in 2012. He has since recorded a cover version of iconic Australian band INXS's "By My Side" for their Original Sin album (bonus track on the iTunes edition) and featured on a track on Julia Stone's debut album The Memory Machine and on UK singer-songwriter Passengers' title track "Golden Thread". After spending a few months writing, Matt spent most of September 2011 recording his latest EP, Into the Flame, with producer Tim Carr (Ernest Ellis). The EP "Into the Flame" showcases a new direction for Corby, including soul-influenced growling vocals along with a bluesy melody, coupled with Corby's signature folk style. The song has been called "lyrically raw and endearingly honest". The EP also features a duet with keyboardist Bree Tranter, previously of Australian band The Middle East. The EP is his first entry on the ARIA Charts when it reached number 46 on the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart on 4 December 2011. It has since peaked at #3.^[1] On its release date, Corby posted on his website and Facebook page:

"After 12 months of lots of ups and downs, I'm so excited to share this EP with you. I honestly felt like giving up music back in April but all of you inspired me again. It's been an incredible few months re-connecting with all of you in gardens around Australia. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support. It's been said by others before… but you guys really are the best fans ever. Let's stay close on this journey."

"Into The Flame" has since reached 3x platinum status in Australia, making it Corby's most successful release to date.^[2] Matt is to support the release of his EP and single 'Brother' with a national 'Into the Flame' tour around Australia, many of which have already sold out, along with a mini 'Secret Garden' Summer Tour around NSW. In January 2012, Matt was named the 'Next Big Thing' and won 'Song of the Year' for Brother at FBi Radio's annual SMAC Awards in Darlinghurst, Sydney. He soon after premiered his own take of The Black Keys' song "Lonely Boy" on Triple J's Like a Version show with Tom & Alex, along with an acoustic rendition of his own song Brother. Both have since received significant attention online. Corby secured a support slot with Feist in Adelaide on her 2012 Australian tour. He is to tour throughout the U.S. and U.K. in the early part of 2012. He will also be writing and recording his debut album, which is due to be released later in the year. Corby's song "Brother" was voted into the #3 position for the Triple J Hottest 100, 2011.

Discography[link]

Extended plays[link]

Singles[link]

Music videos[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website: http://www.mattcorby.com.au
• Official MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/mattcorbyau
• Official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/mattcorbyau
• Official YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/mattcorbyau
• Official Twitter Page: http://www.twitter.com/matt_corby
• Official Fansite: http://www.mattcorby.org/
• Label Website: http://www.communionmusic.co.uk/

References[link]

The Kuku Yalanji are an Indigenous Australian group originating from the rainforest regions of Far North Queensland. They are also known as the "Rainforest People". Kuku Yalanji also lived in coastal and riverine regions with territory from Port Douglas in the south, Cooktown in the north, Chillagoe in the west. It is thought that there were three to five tribes of Kuku Yalanji prior to European settlement.

History[link]

1877 saw contact between European settlers a bla bla bla poo nd Kuku Yalanji through the discovery of gold, mineral exploration and the development of a coastal road. Contact between the groups was violent. By 1890, the tribe was decimated. From 1897 to the 1960s, the Kuku Yalanji like other Aboriginal tribes faced the Government's paternalistic legislation that allowed for Aboriginals to be placed under "protection" in attempt to preserve their culture. The Kuku Yalanji began concentrating around the Mossman Gorge Reserve around the time of World War II and the Daintree people were moved to the northern bank of the Daintree River. They were further subjected to more relocations by the government.

Their culture fortunately has survived.

Other spelling variations of Kuku Yalanji are: Kuku Yulangi and Gugu Yulanji.

External links[link]

• Bamanga Bubu Ngadimunku Inc (2006) webpage: "Kuku Yalnji Dreamtime: The People." Accessed 16 March 2009