Dharawal – Reconciliation with Culture, Country & Self
Dharawal – (featuring: Jade Kennedy) is the powerful new single from Luke’s multi-award winning album Different Drum.
Attempting to sing up the importance of ongoing reconciliation with First Nation Culture, Country and self.
Please note: the video features footage of Indigenous Australians from a wide range of territories & language groups – not solely Dharawal. – which is the region South of Botany Bay on the East Coast of NSW, West across the Georges River out to Camden & extending as far South as Nowra & Wreck Bay.
Luke says this about his latest offering.
“Firstly I would like to acknowledge the Dharawal people and pay my respect to Elders, past, present & emerging – especially the Gweagal and Targary whose Traditional Lands I have lived, grown, worked, played – and now raise my children upon. Thank you for looking after and caring for this land for over 60,000 years. This song is directly from my heart that attempts to encapsulate how it felt growing up within the Royal National Park without teachers or ceremony to deepen my connection or declare to world – and to myself – that I truly belonged.
Fifty five years later – I am proud to see – and experience – the change and empowerment of indigenous Australians – and to have embraced their willingness to share their knowledge – so that I in turn – can share what I have learnt. I want to not only sing up Dharawal country – but all First Nations Australians whose pride, strength and resilience – in the face of so much injustice and insanity – continues to graciously and generously remind anyone who will simply slow down and listen – that we are not seperate from this Earth – that we are of the Earth – and will one day return to this Earth.
Thank you to the many unsung heroes out there – especially those who feature in this video – for fighting the good fight and for continuing to show us that by living with respect and gratitude for each other and this world – and that if we can somehow slow down our caffeine/sugar driven frequencies – to a more subtle, natural vibration – then – we too can start to feel the healing, the magic and the deep spiritual wellbeing that comes through true – connection to country.
I Don’t Bounce Back!
I Don’t Bounce Back – the Brand New Single from Luke O’Shea’s celebrated album Different Drum.
HEY JUMBULLA (THE GHOST OF MICKEY BRENNAN)
Hey Jumbulla (The Ghost of Mickey Brennan)
In 1902, a lively young man – known to his mates as Mickey Brennan – started work on the Mount Kembla Coal Mine high on the stunning New South Wales, South Coast Escarpment, known to the local indigenous Dharawal people as ‘Jumbulla’ – a good place for hunting wallaby.
After just one week on the job, Mickey – seeing the complete disregard for safety and care for it’s workers – told his boss he was ‘out of there’ – and as he entered the mine for what was to be his last day – a large pocket of unventilated coal seam gas hit an exposed candle flame causing a devastating explosion that claimed 96 souls – in what is still to this day – Australia’s worst mining disaster.
121 years on – we are still putting our hunger for coal, gas and ultimately ‘profit’ over the health and well-being of not just our miners and surrounding communities – but the entire planet.
Mickey Brennan’s body was the only one never recovered from the disaster but many witnesses claim his ghost still resides in the cellar of the local Mount Kembla Pub.
“There’s a lot we don’t know about the soul – sometimes it can’t move on until the truth’s been told!”
Hopefully this song ‘Hey Jumbulla (The Ghost of Mickey Brennan)’ allows Mickey to find some long overdue peace.
The song was written by Luke O’Shea & Zane Banks after a conversation they had late one night about Zane’s great-great grandfather & uncles – who were working inside the mine that day – & miraculously survived the explosion.
Zane explains, “My mother’s family lived on Mt Kembla for several generations dating back to the early Victorian period. My great-grandmother, Agnes Perry (1899-2007) acquired many fascinating tales about the area, it’s history and local characters over the course of her long life. She was the last living person who was on Mt Kembla when the coal mine exploded on 31/7/1902 and one of the stories she told me – which left an impression – was the tragedy of Micky Brennan and his ghost. It’s a take which has been worthy of a song for over a century but was meeting Luke in 2022 in which I found the person to sing such a tune.”
