The Northern Territory news Thu 22 May 2014
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2014-05-22
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English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin
News Corp Australia
Darwin
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News Corp Australia
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/250969
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/551895
16 THURSDAY MAY 22 2014 NTNE01Z01MA - V1 Soldiering on in the dust AFTER spending two years living and working alongside Aussie Diggers in Afghanistan, Fred Smith was compelled to tell their stories through song. The Australian diplomat and musician spent his time in the Ghan in Uruzgan Province where he laughed with the soldiers in their downtime and grieved with them when they lost brothers in arms. I was driven to document things, he said. We were there for such a short time, it was so intense and a lot of things happen that you dont have time to process emotionally on the spot. On a beautiful summers morning you find out two boys have been killed and the place grieves but you dont have time to grieve too much. (Songwriting) is an instinctive way of processing what happened over there. Fred said his songs reflect his time in the Middle Eastern country some are funny and some are inevitably sad. They were about things that happened, people I met and impressions of the place, he said. The title song from Freds latest album, Dust of Uruzgan, was written on a Hercules aircraft as it was departing from Afghanistan and in a hotel in Dubai. Its told from the point of view of a young Digger who lost his mate, and the song is peppered with references that will have those who have been there in Afghanistan nodding along: near-beers in Camp Baker, patrolling in the green zone, TTPs and always that dust of Uruzgan. The haunting Sappers Lullaby pays tribute to two Diggers who lost their lives trying to keep their fellow soldiers safe, while the laughter-inducing Niet Swaffelen op de Dixi is a song about Dutchmen doing unmentionable things. Fred will be performing at Browns Mart this Friday and Saturday night, and he said: There have been 20,000 Australians who have served in Afghanistan in the last 12 years. Whether or not you agree with the decision to send troops in, I think we owe it to those young Aussies to at least understand what their experience out there was. By DANI McDONALD RUFUS drum player James Hunt was looking forward to leaving Melbournes chilly winds to soak in some Darwin rays, he said, while he sipped his coffee from the hotel room and revelled in the bands performance the night before. The Sydney trio will feature at this weekends Bass in the Grass alongside headline acts Pendulum and Peking Duk. Hunt said it was always good performing to a crowd that appreciated live music. Its a pretty awesome reaction because theres not as much live music in Darwin (as there is in other cities), Hunt said. You can really feed off the energy. The trio returned from their North America and Canada tour in March, and are now on the Worlds Within Worlds national Australian tour presented by Triple J and Channel [V]. The tour will finish in June, and from there Rufus will relocate to Berlin with plans to write and then release their second album. Bass in the Grass starts at 11am at the Darwin Amphitheatre on Saturday, finishing about 11pm. Sydney trio Rufus James Hunt, Jon George and Tyron Lindqvist are looking forward to playing in front of appreciative live crowds in Darwin Picture: SAM RUTTYN By COURTNEY TODD Smiths tribute to Diggers who have given so much Rufus on Hunt for sunshine Ukulele festival strikes a chord in Mandorah THE second Mandorah Ukulele and Folk Festival has been announced after the success of last years event. The day will kick off at 11am on Saturday, June 28 at Wagait Beach in Mandorah. Brisbane acts Bosko and Honey and Kahiwa Sebire will perform with several others including the Dukes and Eleuku. Entertainment includes an open mic, hula competition and workshops. Camping is available and bookings essential for transport from Mandorah Jetty to MUFF. For more information see Mandorah Ukulele and Folk Festival Facebook page CROCODYLUS PARK DARWINS PREMIER TOURIST ATTRACTION TOURS & CROCODILE FEEDING AT 10AM, 12 NOON, 2PM & 3:30PM OPEN DAILY 9AM-5PM 5 minutes from the airport bus #5 from city centre A REAL ADVENTURE www.crocodyluspark.com 815 MC MILLANS ROAD, BERRIMAH, NT TEL: 8922 4500 Eat in or Takeaway OPEN from 4:30pm Weekdays and from 8am Saturday and Sunday 8981 2281 www.fryingnemo.com.au DARWINS FISH & CHIPPERY Fully Licensed NT Wild Caught Fish & Australian Seafood