Goolarri Media and the Shire of Broome Collaborate to Connect the Local Creative Community
A night where the Kimberley’s creative community came together to share, connect, and inspire – Goolarri Media and the Shire of Broome hosted an Arts Industry Night to celebrate the
On Tuesday 17 December 2024, the Shire of Broome and Goolarri Media Enterprises teamed up to host a vibrant industry night celebrating the rich arts scene of the West Kimberley region. The event aimed to spotlight the incredible creative output of local artists while offering a chance for them to connect, share, and inspire each other—something that’s often hard to come by in a region where many work in isolation.
Seventeen visual and performing artists, both First Nations and non-First Nations, took the stage to showcase original works and share their muses. The evening was opened by the Shire of Broome President, Chris Mitchell, who emphasised the importance of the Shire’s Arts and Culture Strategy and Action Plan and welcomed special guests from the Shire of Derby West Kimberley.
Highlights of the night included a puppetry from Big MAMA Productions, which is developing a unique Australian-Indonesian collaboration about local celebrity, Millie the black kite bird hand reared coincidently by the shire president and the team at Kimberley Wildlife Rehabilitation. Millie accidently travelled to Indonesia on a cruise liner and is now confined to a wildlife park in Bali.
The youngest performer, 16-year-old Amber Hurley, impressed us all with her profoundly beautiful voice and growing collection of original songs. The oldest performer was Derby artist Noonie Clancy, who was supported by Lucy Lemann on ukelele/ She shared story after story about the things that inspired her. One being the immense sadness that she felt for the Boab tree in Kings Park. Like so many people from her Country, Nyikina Country, who was taken from the Kimberley unwillingly and without permission, the tree was left sad, cold and hungry in the city. Her song concludes that the tree should be allowed to come home back to its Country.
Tara Gower, a former Bangarra dancer and First Nations choreographer, got the crowd moving with a piece that she choreographed for Bran Neu Dae, the musical by Broome’s own Jimmy Chi as performed at Perth Festival in 2020.

Two alumni artists from Regional Arts WA’s Next Level fellowship program also performed: rapper Jacob Gregory, whose work is inspired by his father, and Georgia Deguara of Yuck Circus, whose muse is the community she serves. Jacob’s set included Extinction (Is There Nothing I Can Do?), a collaboration with Canadian-Broome musician Jaime Jackett, whose inspiration comes from the environment and her own journey surviving a brain tumour and the thousands of birds who visit Broome annually. Monique Le Lievre (aka Stellar Manawala Moon) supported by keyboard artist Mick Stevens, as she spoke about how her inspiration was the moon and none better when it was reflected in the water of Martuwarra- Fitzroy River when if flowed through the Country of her ancestors. Her new song ‘Martuwarra Moolu’ is a powerful homage to the river and a plea to let it flow.
Leanna Shoveller from Bidyadanga tickled the rafters of the Gimme Club with her powerful voice and songs inspired by her faith and the gospel music she grew up with on Karijarri Country.
The night was skilfully hosted by emerging filmmaker and Yawuru, Bardi, and Kija woman, Kimberley Benjamin, alongside Will Tredinnick, a circus performer and comedian. Will entertained the crowd as his alter-ego, Nils the German backpacker, who hilariously got sidetracked on his search for a bush doof on his purple hire scooter (an insider Broome joke). The night ended with a lively dance session, as Nils got the crowd on their feet to close out the evening with one of his favourite doof tracks. It was a night full of creative community spirit, celebrating the end of another busy year for a community that constantly bats above its weight.