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| PRESS RELEASE
Column; North Shore Times – The Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP |
| 11th April, 2005 |
| I discovered only last week at a function for the Slim Dusty Foundation that the great man was a devotee of Star Trek. |
| His daughter, Ann told me that Slim even met the cast and crew during one of his US tours. He considered this one of the highlights of a life filled with so many. |
| The Prime Minister recently asked me as Australia 's science minister if I could respond to a request from NASA. It seems our Australian astronaut, Andy Thomas is about to go to the moon. |
| Andy had asked of the Prime Minister that an appropriate piece of Australiana might go with him. |
| I said to the PM's staff, “Tell him he's come to the right place”. |
| In 1983 the first song was broadcast from space. It was Slim singing Waltzing Matilda. I could not think of anything more appropriate to go to the moon. |
| Slim's widow, Joy has offered a message to the world from Slim on the cover of the CD. |
| Now I know Slim was a “trekkie”, it is even more appropriate. |
| Closer to home, it is time Australia got serious about honouring this extraordinary man. |
| For sixty years he told the story of Australia . Travelling the length and breadth of this vast continent with wife, kids and caravan he went where others would not. That is why he is so loved by Aborigines, truckies, cockies, drovers and the myriad of people who make Australia what it is. |
| Ken Chadwick who made the 1983 Slim Dusty movie, when reflecting on it said “The most moving thing is that people speak of him as if he's part of the land – like a gumtree.” |
| He was also an early pioneer in indigenous reconciliation. In 1954 he recorded “Trumby”, the story of a much admired Aboriginal stockman. |
| Trumby so impressed the boss he was promoted to chief ringer. The problem was he couldn't read or write. Whilst droving the stock in the drought he stopped to fill his water bag but could not read the sign – “poison here”. |
| Half a century ago Slim asked rhetorically why, after all we have achieved should a man die because he couldn't read or write? |
| Then of course only a couple of years ago singing of Kings Cross and “kids with soft bodies and hard drugs to sell”, he asked “Digger, is this what you fought to keep free?” |
| The Slim Dusty Centre is proposed to be built in Kempsey – Slim's home. An interactive museum, entertainment, education and function centre, it needs Australia 's support. |
| The federal government has committed $1.5 million with other generous donors including Dick Smith, Ray Hadley, John Singleton and Gerry Harvey. EMI has just Handed over almost half a million dollars from the concert for Slim DVD. |
| But all of us must get behind this. The poetry of living for any Australian who lived through the 20th century includes this man and his music. What is more Australian? |
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Photo credit: John Elliott. Pictured Lee Kernaghan, Joy McKean, Dr Brendan Nelson. |
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| Further information: |
| The Slim Dusty Foundation |
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Kathryn Yarnold
General Manager
18 Kemp Street, West Kempsey.
PO Box 70, Kempsey NSW 2440
Phone: 02 6562 6533
Fax: 02 6562 1849
Email: slimdustycentre@midcoast.com.au
Website: www.slimdustycentre.com.au
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