HOW did a Gamilaraay man from Walgett, some 460 kilometres from the coast, end up representing Australia at the world oyster opening championship? As Gerard ‘Doody’ Dennis says, “being Aboriginal from the black soil plains and representing Australia in opening oysters is quite ironic”. Perhaps his great-grandmother, a Yuin woman who was stolen from Wallaga Lake, passed something down to him. Mr Dennis moved to Batemans Bay when he was 14. Through school he did work experience at T & J Lucas Oysters and then worked weekends at Batemans Bay Oysters. He loved the work – it was physical and ou ..read more

WARNING: Readers are advised this story mentions themes of suicide and self-harm. REGISTRATIONS are now open for The Push-Up Challenge, Australia’s largest mental health and fitness event. From June 5-28, participants will take on 3,249 push-ups across 24 days, putting the spotlight on the tragic number of lives lost to suicide in Australia in 2022. Media star, Indigenous & LGBTIQA+ advocate and Health & Wellness Influencer Matty Mills, a proud Kamilaroi man, is taking part in this year’s challenge. He said the challenge is a great way to get fit, connect with your community, and learn ..read more

THOUSANDS of people attended opening night at this year’s Parrtjima – A Festival in Light, and as the free 10-night festival rolled on, thousands more turned out to soak up the spectacular installations under star-studded desert skies. From April 12-21, both locals and tourists flocked to the Alice Springs Desert Park to watch the night sky above Mparntwe/Alice Springs light up against the backdrop of a 300-million-year- old canvas, the MacDonnell Ranges. Celebrating this year’s theme, ‘The importance of interconnectedness across First Nations culture’, curator for Parrtjima, Rhoda Roberts AO ..read more

KYAH Simon believes A- League Women underdogs Central Coast can go all the way, and that her body can help them get there. Simon played a full 120 minutes in the Mariners’ gutsy elimination-final win over Melbourne Victory which sets up a two-legged semi-final with Sydney FC. Simon, 32, was contentiously picked for last year’s Matildas’ World Cup squad, despite having not played since tearing an ACL in October 2022. Multiple setbacks meant she never appeared in her home tournament, then missed a large chunk of the Mariners’ season. “That’s the most minutes I’ve played since… The post Fit again ..read more

WALKING through Todd Street Mall in Mparntwe/Alice Springs at 9.30am on a Monday, it’s hard to believe the tired-looking shopping strip was once a bustling tourist mecca. But these days, most of the shutters on the shops are down, the mall is all but deserted, broken glass is scattered along footpaths, and there’s a high level of security and police presence roaming the streets. And that’s just during the daytime. When approached by the Koori Mail, an Arrernte woman in the mall who asked to be referred to as ‘Ms Arrernte’, said what’s happening in Mparntwe recently – in terms of the negative p ..read more

In our latest edition, ON SALE TODAY, you’ll read about: • AFTER winning the shucking competition at last year’s Narooma Oyster Festival, Gerard ‘Doody’ Dennis travelled to Ireland to compete among the best in the world. Now he’s sharperning his skills once again, hoping to take out the competition at this year’s festival, which takes place May 3-4. • TRACING his Aboriginal relations back 65,000 years, Indigenous artist Archie Moore has drawn on his “connection to place” in his winning entry at a major European art exhibition. Moore designed the Australian pavilion, called kith and kin at ..read more

HAVING just returned home from their first international performance at the renowned SXSW (South by Southwest) festival in the USA, rising Boorloo / Perth-based hip-hop stars FLEWNT and his 11-year-old son INKABEE are showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Next up is the Sydney Opera House. It’s there that the West Coast’s freshest father and son MCs will take to the stage to land their Vivid LIVE debut alongside rap star Tasman Keith for a massive show in June. “We are both just absolutely spinning out about our upcoming show at the Sydney Opera House,” FLEWNT told the Koori Mail. “An ..read more

LEILANI MITCHELL is living the dream on and off the court after having secured her fourth WNBL championship. The mother of two is one of three mothers in the Southside Flyers team – joining the great Lauren Jackson, and Carley Ernst – which secured the 2023-24 WNBL championship after defeating Perth Lynx 115-81 to win the three-game series 2-1. Mitchell proved her quality in the series, scoring 14 points with three triples in game three to win her fourth title. This also is the franchise’s fifth championship, and second since the rebrand from the Dandenong Rangers. The Flyers were led by the l ..read more

NGARRINDJERI woman Ally Wilson and Wiradjuri and Gamilaroi-Gomeroi man William Hickey led Australia to a triumphant FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup championship in Singapore last weekend. Wilson and Hickey were part of the respective four-person ‘Gangurrus’ women’s and men’s teams that swept past formidable opposition to claim double honours at the popular tournament, cementing Australia’s status… The post Wilson, Hickey Gangurrus win at 3×3 Asia Cup first appeared on Koori Mail ..read more

LEGAL experts have blamed the latest riot at the Northern Territory’s notorious Don Dale youth detention centre on failing standards and inadequate care. The embattled centre was placed into lockdown last week after a group of inmates set fire to the education centre and climbed onto the roof as part of a riot on Wednesday evening. Police were called to the centre on Wednesday afternoon after reports of smoke billowing from the education facility and 14 children on the roof of the… The post Calls to close Don Dale first appeared on Koori Mail ..read more