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'Ronnie: Tasmanian Songman is the heartwarmimg story of musician, storyteller and craftsman, Ronnie Summers as he recalls the freedom of growing up Cape Barren Island and how the music passed on by his uncles and the island's old fellas has shaped his life. He draws on a childhood working the mutton-bird islands, a 'kangaroo court' prison term as a bewildered teenager, and then turning to alcohol after the death of his baby son.
'It wasn't until later in life that he discovered he was part of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. At last, guided by the power of his ancestry, he was able to turn his life around. Born an 'Islander' - not Aboriginal, not white - he had been without race. This story documents his struggle for a place in his own country, and echoes and amplifies that of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Tassie's Ronnie Tells His Story : Songman Tells Story
2009
single work
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— Appears in: Koori Mail , 18 November no. 464 2009; (p. 6,41) 'The biography of well-known and much-loved Tasmanina Aboriginal Elder Ronnie Summers has hit the bookshop shelves. Launched in Hobart this month, Ronnie: Tasmanian Songman is the intimate story of a musician, storyteller and craftsman.' Source: Koori Mail (2009) no. 464, p. 41
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Tassie's Ronnie Tells His Story : Songman Tells Story
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 18 November no. 464 2009; (p. 6,41) 'The biography of well-known and much-loved Tasmanina Aboriginal Elder Ronnie Summers has hit the bookshop shelves. Launched in Hobart this month, Ronnie: Tasmanian Songman is the intimate story of a musician, storyteller and craftsman.' Source: Koori Mail (2009) no. 464, p. 41
- Cape Barren Island, Bass Strait Islands, Tasmania,
