From the Gulf of Carpentaria to Mornington Island, Doomadgee, and all the way up to Cape York, Topology’s Community Engagement and Development Officer, Michael Goddard, has been covering the miles this year.
Joining Topology in late 2023, Michael hit the ground running and began engaging with musically minded Northwest Queenslanders to build participation in our Creative Workshops. His work focused on recruiting and mentoring Indigenous musicians for the Looking Forward, Looking Back project, culminating in their performance at the North Australian Festival of Arts in Townsville.
Throughout the year, Michael collaborated with schools, councils, Indigenous Corporations, and community groups to raise awareness about the many benefits of music and the social and emotional wellbeing outcomes that can be achieved. For him, creativity is more than just art; it’s about connection:
“It’s a team sport, the feeling of creating something amazing as a group reduces the sense of isolation that people in remote areas often feel.”
One of Michael’s highlights from the year was building the infrastructural capacity of Normanby Station. His previous experience as a manager at a natural resource management organisation complemented his work up on the station, helping the Harrigan Brothers construct the performance area. The stage, funded by NIAA, was used for the Normanby Station On-country Creative Bootcamp and performance held in July.
Michael supported the Normanby Aboriginal Corporation to apply for the grant, seek engineered designs and fabrication, and went on to work with the Corporation members to construct the stage. The final product was an impressive 10m x 6m all-weather performance area situated in the beautiful Normanby Station camping area.
But it’s not just about the music for Michael. In Dajarra, he helped form the Dajarra Community Indigenous Corporation, enabling the small community to secure grant funding for sporting equipment and programs that promote health and wellbeing. This is all part of Topology’s holistic approach toward community engagement by supporting communities with the skills that staff bring to the organisation.
Looking ahead to 2025, he is already working on partnerships with Ganhaarr Cultural Education and Entertainment Indigenous Corporation and the Harrigan Brothers, with the goal of achieving even greater creative outcomes in Cape York, where over 50% of the population identifies as Indigenous.
When asked “Would you ever consider going back to natural resource management after a year of working in the arts?”, Michael replied with:
“Not a chance. This is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding jobs I have ever had. It’s much easier to get someone to pick up a guitar than it is to get them to build a fence along a river.”
