Lou Bennett is an

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

musician, actor and academic researching Aboriginal languages and their retrieval.

Early life and education

Bennett is a

Yorta Yorta The Yorta Yorta, also known as Jotijota, are an Aboriginal Australian people who have traditionally inhabited the area surrounding the junction of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers in present-day north-eastern Victoria and southern New South Wales ...

Dja Dja Wurrung Dja Dja Wurrung (Pronounced Ja-Ja-war-rung), also known as the Djaara or Jajowrong people and Loddon River tribe, are an Aboriginal Australian people who are the Traditional owners of lands including the watersheds of the Loddon and Avoca riv ...

woman from

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative centre and largest ...

, Victoria, Australia. In October 2015 Bennett completed a PhD on Aboriginal language retrieval and reclamation at RMIT University. Her thesis was entitled "Sovereign Language Repatriation".

Career

Bennett started her musical career with her uncle's band "The Shades", before later joining

Richard Frankland Richard Joseph Frankland is an Australian playwright, scriptwriter and musician. He is an Aboriginal Australian of Gunditjmara origin from Victoria. He has worked significantly for the Aboriginal Australian cause. Biography Richard J. Fran ...

's band " Djaambi", where she met Sally Dastey and Amy Saunders—Bennett, Dastey and Saunders later formed the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Award-winning band Tiddas. After Tiddas disbanded in 2000, Bennett performed with a new band Sweet Cheeks and has worked as a stage actor—the latter has included an autobiographical show '' Show Us Your Tiddas!''. ''Show Us Your Tiddas!'' follows Bennett's life as she recounts a series of stories that include the occasion when she revealed her sexuality to her family, her first live performance, moving into an urban environment and her time with Tiddas. Bennett was a member of

The Black Arm Band Black Arm Band is an Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander music theatre organisation. History The organisation was founded in late 2005 by Steven Richardson and has produced seven large-scale productions since its debut performance a ...

, for which she was an artistic director, composer, vocal supervisor and performer. This included directing, arranging, and performing in ''

Dirtsong Black Arm Band is an Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander music theatre organisation. History The organisation was founded in late 2005 by Steven Richardson and has produced seven large-scale productions since its debut performance a ...

'', both the world premiere at the 2009

Melbourne International Arts Festival Melbourne International Arts Festival, formerly Spoleto Festival Melbourne – Festival of the Three Worlds, then Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, becoming commonly known as Melbourne Festival, was a major international arts festi ...

and the second performance at the 2014

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

. The songs were written by

Alexis Wright Alexis Wright (born 25 November 1950) is a Waanyi (Aboriginal Australian) writer best known for winning the Miles Franklin Award for her 2006 novel '' Carpentaria'' and the 2018 Stella Prize for her "collective memoir" of Leigh Bruce "Tracker" ...

, with some in Aboriginal languages. Bennett also contributed vocals to the 2012 Australian film '' The Sapphires'', following her involvement with the 2004 Melbourne stage production.

Honours and recognition

In 2017, Bennett was inducted onto the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the Australian state of Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the celebrations of Victoria's Centenary of Federation. Public no ...

. She was invited by the University of New England to give the 2018

Frank Archibald Memorial Lecture The University of New England (UNE) is a public university in Australia with approximately 22,500 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern central New South Wales. UNE was the fir ...

. Her "significant service to the performing arts, particularly to music, and to the Indigenous community" was recognised by the award of

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...

(AM) in the

2019 Australia Day Honours The 2019 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2019 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove. The Aus ...

Theatre projects

*''Magpie'' (2000) – Melbourne Workers Theatre *''Conversations with the Dead'' (2001) – Ilbijerri Theatre, Playbox, La Mama *''Yanagai! Yanagai!'' (2003) – Melbourne Workers Theatre, Playbox *''The Sapphires'' (2004) – Melbourne Theatre Company *'' Show Us Your Tiddas!'' (2007) – Melbourne Workers Theatre *''Our Home Our Land'' (2011) – Boites 2009 Millennium Chorus

References

External links

black arm bandUniversity of Melbourne profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Lou Living people 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people Australian women singer-songwriters Australian musical theatre actresses Australian women guitarists Indigenous Australian actresses Indigenous Australian musicians Lesbian singers Australian LGBT singers Lesbian songwriters Linguists from Australia Members of the Order of Australia Musicians from Victoria (Australia) People from Echuca RMIT University alumni University of Melbourne faculty University of Melbourne women Women linguists Year of birth missing (living people)