Bruce Shillingsworth Snr. & Matthew Hopkins on The Aussie Cossack Show - 16 September 2023

GUEST 1 OVERVIEW: Uncle Bruce Shillingsworth Snr, a Budjiti / Murrawari Elder, is one of 11 children in a creative and artistic family. His wife, children and grandchildren and family are all artists, painters, dancers and rainmakers. After collecting indigenous stories for over 50 years, Bruce began to paint on canvas and glass.

Uncle Bruce’s family and land is in north-west NSW – the Namoi, Barwon and Darling Rivers. Towns in the area include Brewarrina, Bourke, Enngonia, Wilcannia and Walgett. These north-west river communities have been devastated by water diversion by big cotton farmers and irrigators.

Bruce is a cultural educator in Sydney and leads a cultural revival dance group in the north-west. His diverse career and vocation included educating young people for Barnardo’s, Scouts Australia and NSW Education about responsibility to be in our history and living sensibly and sustainably.

Bruce Shillingsworth lives in Redfern in Sydney and regularly works in Brewarrina teaching indigenous kids about coping with racism, and avoiding prison and alcohol. Uncle Bruce often brings groups of children and youth to Sydney for safe excursions to help them adjust to city life. He is a community youth worker and runs the local youth centre. 

His vision is that indigenous and non-indigenous Australians will walk together and see our collective national identities and concerns.

GUEST 2 OVERVIEW: Matthew Hopkins is an Australian Lawyer living in Russia.