Andrew McMillan (29 December 195728 January 2012) was an Australian writer, music journalist and musician who was based in Darwin, Northern Territory from 1988.

Early life

Andrew McMillan was born on 29 December 1957 and was educated in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

. McMillan moved to Darwin, the capital of the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

in 1988 after travelling with the bands Midnight Oil and the Warumpi Band on the Blackfella-Whitefella tour of remote Aboriginal communities in the NT. That experience led him to write the book ''Strict Rules: The Blackfella-Whitefella Tour'' which was published in 1988 (Hodder & Stoughton) and reprinted in 1992 (Sceptre). McMillan wrote music journalism, popular history, essays, poetry, and a play 'Dingo Calling'. Much of his writing was informed by his life in the Northern Territory. HIs articles and essays appeared in a range of publications including ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', ''The Monthly'', ''Griffith Review'', ''

Meanjin ''Meanjin'' (), formerly ''Meanjin Papers'' and ''Meanjin Quarterly'', is an Australian literary magazine. The name is derived from the Turrbal word for the spike of land where the city of Brisbane is located. It was founded in 1940 in Brisbane ...

'' and ''Northern Perspective''. He was deeply engaged with Aboriginal communities in the NT and the issues facing

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...

. His other books included ''Death in Dili'' (1992), ''Catalina Dreaming'' (2002, 2010), and ''An Intruders Guide to East Arnhem Land'' (2001, 2007). The latter was recognised by winning the Territory Read - Northern Territory Book of the Year award in 2009 after being a finalist in the Northern Territory History Awards in 2008. McMillan died in Darwin on 28 January 2012 after contracting bowel and liver cancer.
McMillan’s personal collection of writings, interviews, papers and audio material
is held by the Northern Territory Library in Darwin, NT.

Music career

McMillan was also a musician, songwriter, founder of the band, The Rattling Mudguards and member of the Darwin-based performance group, 'Darwin's 4th Estate', which was made up of musicians and journalists. It often incorporated typewriters as instruments while commenting on current affairs from a journalist's perspective. Their album 'Bleeding Fingers' was released in 2007.Darwins 4th Estate , Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's
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Awards and recognition

McMillan was awarded an Australia Council for the Arts Literature Board grant for established writers in 2004 and the Northern Territory Book of the Year Award for ''An Intruder's Guide to East Arnhem Land''. His short stories, 'Who Can Blame Us for That?' and 'First Lady' won the Arafura Short Story Award category of the Northern Territory Literary Awards in 2004 and 2003 respectively.

References

External links

AustLit author pageCrikey tribute
{{DEFAULTSORT:McMillan, Andrew Writers from Brisbane Writers from the Northern Territory 1957 births 2012 deaths