AN indigenous Australian didgeridoo player has been able to perform at a historic and morale-boosting West Papuan cultural festival thanks to the generosity of Queensland Catholics.
More than $1200 was donated after a recent plea for support through The Catholic Leader by Brisbane Catholic academic Dr Greg Poulgrain.
The didgeridoo player Adrian Ross, who opened the soccer section of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was a key attraction in the four-day Lake Sentani Cultural Festival.
The festival ran from June 19 and drew more than 100,000 people from all over West Papua. Many walked for up to four days from remote areas to attend.
It was the first such festival that the Indonesian Government had permitted to be held since it took control of the province in 1963.
Speaking soon after his return from the Lake Sentani Cultural Festival, Dr Poulgrain said the donations had funded travel expenses for Mr Ross.
Also travelling with Dr Poulgrain were a representative of the Torres Strait Island people Allen Reid and director of the Habitat Pacific aid agency Malcolm Prowse with a small film crew.
Dr Poulgrain said the level of excitement and enthusiasm at having the indigenous Australian musician attending the festival had been beyond his greatest expectations.
“Later I saw West Papuan people crying when they heard the didgeridoo.
“It seemed they had never expected to be permitted to hear the instrument even though they had read about it.
“No doubt few had even expected they would ever have a cultural festival of their own.
“Even the Indonesian army in the area was given one afternoon off to listen to the didgeridoo player.”
Dr Poulgrain’s next project is to prepare the way for a medical team of 10 Australian doctors – headed by Queensland eye specialist Dr Bill Glasson – to carry out eye operations on such conditions as glaucoma and cataracts in the more remote western regions.
