How many of us can say we have found our true calling?
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Well year 11 Griffith High student Ty Powell has done just that, in front of a crowd of thousands.
Ty, then in Year 10, packed up his didgeridoo and set off to the big smoke during December last year to preform for the graduating class of 2017 of RMIT University Melbourne and their families and friends at Etihad stadium.
“There were quite a lot of performers which included cultural performances,” Ty said. “I played to an audience of 48,000, along some well known stars. I had a really good time.”
While attending Tirkandi Inaburra north of Coleambally, Ty was teaching other students how to play the uniquely Australian wind instrument.
His talents were spotted by an elder who suggested Ty to send a video to her brother, an international didgeridoo artist.
“I was invited to go down to Melbourne with his nephew, to have a little jam and it took off from there,” Ty said.
Ty has been playing the didgeridoo for around five years and in this time has been invited to preform at community events around Griffith. Most recently at the unveiling of the Griffith North’s revamped mural and the Griffith Regional Gallery open day.
He also offered a haunting performance at the 2017 Anzac Day dawn service in Memorial Park. His interests and talents go beyond playing the didgeridoo, delving into a new artistic outlet putting his hands to crafting them.
The instrument he uses is unique and another of his own master pieces, decorated by a black goanna on a green background. It’s just one of many skills and traditions he learned while at Tirkandi Inaburra.
“It depends on hard you want to work on it, you have to sand it down and paint it,” Ty said.
“If you put your mind to it, it can take two day.”
Every didgeridoo has its own sound, Ty went on to say.
“It depends on the length and how you chisel the bottom out and what material you use,” Ty said.
When asked if it was something he would to carry on through, Ty was quite adamant he would.
“I would like to pass my knowledge onto the youth.”