Robert Jabanungga facts for kids

Robert (Bobby) Mellor Granites Jabanungga, also known by other names like Robert Kantilla, was a talented Aboriginal dancer, musician, and TV actor. He was born in 1946 and passed away in 1985. Bobby was famous for playing the didgeridoo at many events in Canberra and around the world. A street in Canberra, Jabanungga Avenue, is named after him. The name Jabanungga is a special skin name that connects people to their family and community.

Early Life

Bobby Jabanungga was born in 1952 in Yuendumu. This was a place set up by the government to help the Walpiri community. He grew up as a Walpiri person with eight brothers and eight sisters. They lived in a traditional shelter called a humpy. They hunted animals like kangaroos, goannas, lizards, and snakes for food.

Bobby received a traditional Aboriginal education. This included learning bush craft and important tribal customs. During this time, the government had policies that aimed to make Aboriginal people live like white Australians. Some of Bobby's cousins were taken from their families and placed with white families.

Later, Bobby's family group moved to Mt Doreen Cattle Station. Then they moved to Warrabri, another community. Here, Bobby received both traditional and Western schooling.

He eventually lived with the Mellor family in Alice Springs. He finished school there and started training to be a butcher. He worked in a butcher shop for three years and even used the Mellor family name for a while. In the late 1960s, he spent some years in Adelaide.

Career and Contributions

In the early 1970s, Bobby moved to Melbourne. He worked as a teacher aide at Debney Meadows Primary School. The school had a new program that combined performing arts with Australian history. Bobby taught students about Aboriginal culture, including the corroboree, which is a traditional dance ceremony.

Australia's TV industry was growing and needed Aboriginal actors. Bobby found work in TV shows like ABC-TV's Bellbird and Channel 7's Cash and Company.

Throughout the 1970s, Bobby traveled to places like Malaysia and Hong Kong. He performed by playing the didgeridoo and dancing. He also worked as an Aboriginal Culture Advisor for the Victorian Department of Education.

In the 1980s, Bobby worked at "Birrigai." This is an important Indigenous Outdoor Education Centre near Canberra. He taught Aboriginal Studies there.

Bobby also performed with the famous Australian band Goanna in the 1980s. He played the didgeridoo and appeared in their music video. Bobby passed away in 1985 at the age of 39.

His Voice

Robert Jabanungga saw many changes and challenges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. He shared his experiences and thoughts with Aboriginal writer Kevin Gilbert for the book Living Black: Blacks Talk to Kevin Gilbert.

Bobby believed that Aboriginal people had faced many difficulties. He felt that they were sometimes seen as less important. He wanted Aboriginal people to feel proud of their history and background. He also spoke about how Aboriginal people were sometimes forced to work on stations. He compared this to a form of ownership, even if it wasn't like the slavery seen in other parts of the world.

Acting Credits

• Cash and Company (credited as Jabanunga Kantilla) 1975
• Bellbird