Bran Nue Dae playwright dead at 69

The Indigenous playwright behind the critically-acclaimed stage show Bran Nue Dae had died in Broome at the age of 69.

The playwright, who Fairfax Media has chosen not to name or depict due to cultural reasons, was the lead singer of Australian band Knuckles in the early 1980s.

He is best known for his semi-autobiographical play Bran Nue Dae, which Rachel Perkins later adapted for the big screen in 2010. The adaption starred Rocky McKenzie as the 15-year-old lead, along with Jessica Mauboy, Ernie Dinggo, Geoffrey Rush and Magda Szubanski.

The musical poked fun at Australia’s cultural policies, and included the famous line: “There’s nothing I would rather be / than to be an Aborigine.”

The Bran Nue Dae writer was born in 1948 to a Chinese-Japanese father and Aboriginal mother. In 2004, the WA government declared him a state treasure for his contributions to Indigenous art.

His sister told the ABC he’d recently “suffered a turn”. He died at Broome Hospital on Monday.

Source: Bran Nue Dae playwright dead at 69