Indigenous leader Ray Kelly to receive Honorary Degree

Wednesday 4 October 2006

Indigenous community leader and artist/playwright Ray Kelly will tomorrow receive an Honorary Degree from the University of Newcastle.

Ray will be honoured with a Doctor of Letters honoris causa in the graduation ceremony to be held on Thursday 5 October 2006 at 6pm, in the Great Hall at the University of Newcastle.

He is being recognised for his contribution to the Indigenous community at regional, state and national levels, during which he has demonstrated a deep commitment to maintaining, preserving and managing the unique cultures of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Ray spent his childhood on an Aboriginal settlement called 'Silver City' on the outskirts of Armidale and is a member of the Djungutti and Anawain people.

He has lived in Newcastle with his wife Amanda and three children for more than 25 years and in that time has made an enormous contribution to the Awabakal people and the wider regional community as both a leader and an artist/playwright.

Ray has held several positions within the community including Chief Executive Officer of the Awabakal Newcastle Aboriginal Cooperative and Director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts under the Australia Council for the Arts. He has also been a member of several boards such as the Hunter Area Health Service and the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust and has served as a representative to the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council and Chairperson of the NSW Ministry of the Arts’ Aboriginal Advisory Group.

His play, Somewhere in the Darkness, was the first work by an Indigenous person to be produced by the Sydney Theatre Company.

Ray said he was delighted to receive the degree.

"It is a great honour to have my efforts within the community recognised by a University which plays a leading role in Indigenous education in Australia," he said.

"I enjoy a strong connection with the University's Wollotuka School of Aboriginal Studies and am inspired to see the way in which education enables Indigenous Australians to grow their knowledge and awareness of cultural practices and values."

Ray is currently working with the Buragudini Aboriginal Performance Company as a dancer, singer and storyteller and this allows him to return to what he loves best - working with Aboriginal people at the grass roots level to reclaim language, dance and story and to assist all Australians in discovering and understanding our shared history.

For interviews: Ray Kelly on 0401 949 136