Stars and Stories: The Black Star Radio Podcast
Broadcasting straight from the heart of Remote Communities, Black Star Radio brings a fresh twist to local radio with stories, music, and connections that matter. Powered by Queensland Remote Aboriginal Media (QRAM), we’re here to amplify voices, celebrate culture, and bring you the latest from Far North Queensland.
Episodes

Monday Apr 04, 2022
Jessie Williams QLD Indigenous Leadership Programmes
Monday Apr 04, 2022
Monday Apr 04, 2022
Mark Hogan interviews Jessie Williams, The Senior Program Officer for the indigenous Youth Leadership Program.
Jessie explains the program, the importance of it and how it impacts the community as well as how to apply to be a part of the program.

Monday Mar 28, 2022
Raelea Connolly Yarrabah Aboriginal Corporation for Women
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
A great interview between Mark Hogan and Raelea Connolly, Manager of the Yarrabah Aboriginal Corporation for Women. They discuss the Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Yarrabah Aboriginal Corporation for Women.

Wednesday Mar 23, 2022
Ella Hartwig - New East Coast Tour
Wednesday Mar 23, 2022
Wednesday Mar 23, 2022
Local Cooktown Ella Hartwig is releasing a new single on the 8th April . This comes with more exciting news… of her debut East Coast Tour!
She will be heading all the way up here in Thursday Island, down to Brisbane! She has multiple regional venues she will be playing at including TI, Cooktown, Mission Beach, Mackay, Airlie Beach and Agnes Water! Ella is so excited for this and would love share her new music throughout the East Coast of Australia.

Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Davinder Hart, Spirit of Sound Book
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Mark Hogan interviews Davinder Hart, author of new book, The Spirit of Sound.
Hearing Australia launched the Spirit of Sound children’s book to support First Nationals Children’s hearing health.
Artist Davinder Hart discusses what inspired him and the impact he hopes the book will have.

Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Craig Crawford - Cultural Heritage Laws
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
A very informative interview between Mark Hogan and Craig Crawford, Minister for Seniors and Disability Services
and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships. They discuss the Changes to the Cultural Heritage Laws.

Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Gayle De La Cruze - Project Manager of the Gulf Academy, Bynoe CACS
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Mark Hogan interviews Gayle De La Cruze, Project Manager of the Gulf Academy.
The Gulf Academy is a project in the making to further education in the community.
They discuss the importance of this project and all that is currently in progress.

Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Gillian & Carmen from ICAN re Collapse Of Funeral Funds
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Interview with Gillian and Carmen from ICAN about the collapse of the Aboriginal community funeral fund

Wednesday Mar 09, 2022
Singer Songwriter Melody Lee Hayden
Wednesday Mar 09, 2022
Wednesday Mar 09, 2022
Melody Lee Hayden is a singer-songwriter from Malanda Far North Queensland. Born in Newcastle NSW, she studied piano, guitar and musical theory and modern, classical and tap dancing, before starting her career as a singer, dancer and model in Sydney.
Songwriting from the age of ten, Melody Lee has a positive and determined attitude despite huge adversity in her life. She was hit by a drunken driver and the accident ended her dancing and modelling career.
She is hoping to be able to share her music locally as well as on Black Star radio.

Monday Feb 28, 2022
Rainbow Knowledge Survey with Lulkbudia McLean
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Interview between Mark Hogan and Lulkbudia Mclean about the Aboriginal-led survey to better understand the mental health of young Aboriginal LGBTQA+ people
A project, lead by Aboriginal and Aboriginal LGBTQA+ researchers examining the mental health of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ people, is launching a nation-wide survey, to help drive meaningful change for the community.
The Walkern Katatdjin (Rainbow Knowledge) project was developed in response to concerns from the Aboriginal LGBTQA+ community about a lack of data on their mental health, and the fact that many do not receive the same level of social support and healthcare as others in their community.
The project aims to better understand what causes poor social emotional wellbeing and mental health in the community and what can be done to improve it, and then work with health services to remove barriers to accessing support.
Walkern Katatdjin is a partnership between Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre (Murdoch University), Kurongkurl Katitjin (Edith Cowan University), and Telethon Kids Institute.
The survey is now open to LGBTQA+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people between the ages of 14 and 25 years.
Researcher and Yamatji woman, Shakara Liddelow-Hunt, said the results of the survey will be used to influence changes in service provision and better inform policy decisions.
“There’s currently no existing data on what the mental health situation is like for this population, even though in theory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and LGBTIQA+ young people are both high-risk groups for poor mental health,” she said.
“We’re really keen to find out what the issues are, and what needs to change.”
Miriwoong woman Lulkbudia Mclean is a community researcher on the project and said as a Aboriginal young person, it can be difficult to find services that are relevant.
“I think for a lot of people their sexual identity and their cultural identity can be really separate for a time and this study is an opportunity to see them as one, which is really healing,” she said.
“It’s also hard to know if a service is a safe space for you when you walk into it. You might be accessing an Aboriginal health service but there’s no LGBTQA+ services that exist there.
“It can be really hard for people to get access to services that meet all of their needs.”
The survey aims to reach as many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ young people as possible over the coming months from all parts of Australia.
Ms Liddelow-Hunt said the project would work with service providers to co-design the way they offer support to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ people.
“We’ll be working with the Aboriginal LGBTQA+ community and service providers, sitting down with them and working out what they need and how the services can support them, and co-designing some interventions that will be effective,” she said.
The Walkern Katatdjin project is overseen by a Youth Advisory Group made up of young Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander LGBTQA+ people, and a Governance Committee of respected Aboriginal LGBTQA+ people in the community.
The project is partnered with Wungening Aboriginal Corporation, Yorgum Healing Services, First Peoples Rainbow Mob WA, Sexual Health Headquarters, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) Brisbane and Elizabeth Morgan House.
The project has additional support from Nunkuwarrin Yunti and the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT).

Friday Feb 25, 2022
Ella Hartwig (Singer/Songer writer)
Friday Feb 25, 2022
Friday Feb 25, 2022
Get ready for another beautiful Local Talent on our morning breakfast show with Mark Hogan.
Don't miss out on this interview with Ella Hartwig and Mark Hogan
Here is a little bit about Ella:
Ella Hartwig is a young singer/song-writer from Far North Queensland (Cooktown), currently living up in the Torres Straight Islands. Ella’s original music has an indie, folk and country influence and has been recognised on both a national and international level. Her songwriting has been acknowledged through receiving a Queensland Music Award Nomination two years in a row, for songs she wrote at ages thirteen and fourteen! She has plans in the works to head south on an East Coast Tour down to Brisbane, where she is hoping to pick up music full time.
Her feature song is “Dear Grandpa”:
“Dear Grandpa” is a ballad straight from the heart, referring to missing our grandparents and not being able to visit during lockdown. The song is inspired by the passing of her grandpa’s late wife, where Ella express how grateful she was to have visited and played them a song on her new guitar before she passed.
Ella's favourite line is “it’s changed a bit now that we’ve all grown up”. It relates to how everyone always mentions that the children grow up, but unfortunately our grandparents grow older as well.
The release date was February 6th, which is Ella's mothers birthday but also her grandma, who inspired the song. The original inspiration came from the “all the carpets in your home had been rolled up” line, where she noticed on her visit that the home had changed- the carpets had been rolled up because she was getting sick and had to roll them up for mobility issues. She hope the song can relate to a lot of people as she knows it hits home for her!
Article that explains a lot more!
https://scenestr.com.au/.../an-emotive-songwriter.../amp
Ella Hartwig

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