Acclaimed Australian musician David Bridie of My Friend the Chocolate Cake and Not Drowning, Waving fame may reside in the middle of the Otways bush, but his heart lies in the Pacific-a region he has cherished deeply for 35 years.
Now his deep contributions to music, film and reconciliation in Australia, Papua New Guinea, West Papua and Vanuatu will be honoured by Deakin University with an Honorary Doctorate on Thursday 13 February.
Bridie's Pacific journey began in the 1980s with a unique musical collaboration with Papuan music legend George Telek.
The groundbreaking album, Tabaran, was released on PNG's anniversary of independence in 1990.
Bridie reunited with Telek and his Not Drowning, Waving bandmates in January for a rare performance of the album's music at the Sydney Festival, marking the 35th anniversary of the album and 50 years of PNG independence.
Since then, Bridie has been a constant advocate for building a compassionate and welcoming Australia that is connected to and respectful of First Nations cultures and our Pacific neighbours, and champion for the careers of Pacific and Indigenous Australian artists through his not-for-profit record label, Wantok Musik Foundation.
Bridie said Australians didn't realise how lucky they were to be in this part of the world.
"Australia is a better country for knowing more and engaging more with the Pacific-our region is quite special," Bridie said.
"PNG is a really important place for an Australian artist to go. There is such a rich relationship between our two countries, most of us have family members who have been there in the first World War, or working there in the lead-up to independence. Many Australians with PTSD after the war went to work in PNG because it was a place they could be in the world."
"The country is gob-smackingly gorgeous, and the people are warm, friendly and generous."
Bridie was just half a unit away from completing his arts degree when his band My Friend the Chocolate Cake took off in 1989, with hit albums Brood (1994) and Good Luck (1996) both reaching the ARIA Albums Chart top 50 and winning ARIA awards for Best Adult Contemporary Album.
Bridie said he was chuffed and humbled to be receiving the Deakin honorary doctorate.
"I never got my arts degree completed much to my mum and dad's chagrin. They passed a few years ago, so this makes me feel quite emotional. They would've loved to have seen this."
I am accepting the doctorate on behalf of all the wonderful artists I've worked with in PNG over the years."
"It's theirs as well."
Background:
In recent years, David Bridie has released an album and short film collection The Wisdom Line and the immersive installation work A Bit Na Ta, created in collaboration with George Telek and Gideon ToBeovaira Kakabin.
His current focus is the 2023 Antarctic Project, supported by the Australian Antarctic Territory Fellowship.
Bridie has scored over 100 films, making him one of the most innovative and productive film composers in Australia.
His iconic work includes scores for "Proof" (1991), "In a Savage Land" (1999), "Deadline Gallipoli" (2015), and "Secret City" (2019).
David Bridie recently performed with Not Drowning Waving and George Telek at the Sydney Festival.
He is currently working on a soundtrack for a documentary about the funeral journey of David Gulpilil.
Wantok Musik is up for an "Inspire" award at the Creative Australia Asia Pacific Arts awards on 3 March 2025.
