Indigenous comic on iTunes

BighART’s Yijala Yala program from Roebourne has had a busy start to 2013.

Not only has episode two of their interactive comic NEOMAD just become available on iTunes, but some of the group last week travelled to Canberra.

Love Punks Max and Nelson Coppin (SupaMaxie and Baldhead) went a bit earlier with grandmother Allery Sandy after being invited to present their BighART work at Parliament House.

They were there as part of Reconciliation Australia’s Reconciliation Action Plan Showcase.

Alongside the project’s principal sponsor Woodside Energy, they spoke to a packed room about NEOMAD and the Yijala Yala project.

Highlights of the event included meeting Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin.

Max said when he met Ms Gillard, the Prime Ministertold him she was jealous of his face-paint. “We went to see Julia Gillard at Parliament House and she said ‘I wish I had face paint like you guys’,” he said.

“I gave her a Love Punk name of Coolia Jillard. “It’s important for Julia Gillard to meet the Love Punks because we made a comic and she wanted to know about it and look at it.”

Nelson said another highlight of the trip was meeting “Uncle Kevin Rudd”.

“We felt like rock stars, man,” he said.

Adding to the rock star feeling for the brothers, Max and Nelson were also featured on the front page of national indigenous newspaper Koori Mail.

Four more Roebourne residents, Violet Samson, Josie Alec, Shamara Lockyer and Violet Coppin, joined the trio in the capital to rehearse for their upcoming performance of Hipbone Sticking Out, a new theatre production which tells the story of Roebourne.

While there, they also connected with members of the indigenous community in Canberra.