I know from Pip and Jonathan Gordon that Tom is a very special person and is doing some great healing work in the community.
'Tom E. Lewis is a veteran of the Australian stage and screen, with a career spanning four decades in film, television, theatre, music and cultural development. He is Artistic Director of the Walking With Spirits Festival and founding Director of Djilpin Arts Aboriginal Corporation.
Tom has played didjeridu all over the world for acclaimed jazz duo Lewis & Young (1990 to 2001). His debut CD Sunshine After Rain won Music Release of the Year at the 2006 NT Music Awards. He produced Muyngarnbi, which had six nominations in the 2008 Music Awards, taking out “Best Traditional”. His 2014 CD release Beneath the Sun has met with critical acclaim across the country. [Can’t Change Your Name from this album]
Tom’s documentary Yellow Fella featured in the 2005 Cannes Film Festival in Un Certain Regard. In the same year, he was awarded the AFC Bob Maza Fellowship and in 2006 the Australia Council’s Red Ochre Award. He played Othello for Darwin Theatre Company (2006, 2007).
Tom made his film debut in the lead role of Fred Schepisi’s 1978 classic The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith. His recent screen credits include The Proposition, Crocodile Dreaming, Double Trouble, William, The Circuit (Series II) and Red Hill. Tom is Series Narrator for award winning documentary Kakadu (ABCTV 2014).
In 2014, Tom has received two Helpmann Award nominations as Co-Creator for his acclaimed national theatre production The Shadow King in which he also plays King Lear. He continues his remote work with Djilpin Arts and lives in Katherine, NT.'
Tom has an unwavering commitment to sharing his cultural understanding and perspectives towards spiritual wellbeing. His creativity is infectious and his language for sharing is through the arts, whether it be through music, dance, poetry, theatre or film.
I could not meet Tom when I visited Katherine earlier this month as he is in the UK performing at Glastonbury. However, I did spend a fascinating time talking with his lovely wife Fleur Parry. Fleur used to be a theatre manager in Perth and now manages Djilpin Arts. I was really impressed with the gallery that Djilpin Arts has in Katherine and look forward to visiting the gallery in Beswick.