Ron Murry

Ron Murray is a Wamba Wamba man (Swan Hill area) living at Yapeen, near Castlemaine, in central Victoria on Jaara country. Yapeen in the local Jaara language means ‘corroborree ground’. Ron is a cultural educator, storyteller, musician, didgeridoo maker and wood sculptor. He has made beautiful art pieces for Muhammad Ali, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Sir Bob Geldof, American composer Philip Glass, Cathy Freeman and the Harlem Dance Company, to name a few.

Ron has an international reputation as a didgeridoo soloist, having performed widely in Australia, and also in New York, Jordon, Canada and New Zealand. He also performs as part of the Celtic-Indigenous fusion duo, Kinja with fiddler/ vocalist Sarah James, “He is one of Victoria’s most respected players”. (The Age, Larry Schwartz, October 2nd 2008, “Didgeridoo Dreaming”, page 15)

Ron says that he was lucky enough to grow up with his culture near Balranald, NSW (Muthi Muthi country), with his mother, father and five sisters at a time when many Indigenous children were being removed. He grew up surrounded by Aboriginal sacred country and sacred sites. He is passionate about his heritage and about keeping Aboriginal art and culture alive.

Ron has recently received his MA (Education) from RMIT University. His thesis looked at how Indigenous knowledges can combat racist attitudes in the wider community. He has been employed by Victoria Police, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and is currently Indigenous trainer for Diversity@Work. He has a national reputation as a cultural awareness educator and guest speaker, presenting across a variety of sectors. Ron regularly gives presentations and lectures on Indigenous issues in the areas of employment, history, the environment, justice, cultural heritage, arts practice and the positive contributions of Indigenous people to Australian society. Ron also passes on his knowledge to Indigenous youth by teaching didgeridoo and boomerang making in Victoria’s youth justice centres, with a focus on cultural healing.