A child of the Stolen Generation,
Kutcha Edwards talks about his struggles as a child, his success
as a musician and his joy at becoming a father.
When Kutcha Edwards was 18 months old, he was taken from his
mother and father and placed in care. He subsequently spent
most of his childhood in institutions. Although he met his mother
at the age of seven, he wasn't reunited with her until he was
14. This, Kutcha explains, is one of the reasons why he is so
passionate about his music."I just want to let people know
that the Stolen Generation wasn't a myth," he says. "It
really did happen to real people."
Suffering from the hurt of being taken from his family while
still a baby, Kutcha tells a heartbreakingly familiar story
of strained family relationships. Because of their separation,
he found it hard to reconstruct a bond with his mother when
they were together again.
"It was a lot harder to live with her than apart from her
because of the differences we had after all my years in institutions,"
he says. "Not that I didn't love her. But she had children
after I was institutionalised, so it was like they were her
closest siblings. And when I went to live with her, the differences
were just too grand."
Kutcha's first musical stint wasn't until 1991 when he joined
the rock band Watbalimba as a singer.
Two years later he joined the renowned Melbourne Koorie band
Blackfire. At one of the first gigs
Kutcha sang with boxing legend Lionel Rose. Kutcha has travelled
extensively throughout Australia and internationally with the
band and hopes to tour again in the near future. But in the
meantime, he's released a solo CD, Cooinda,
with tracks produced by friends such as Paul Hester, Paul Kelly
and David Bridie."In Blackfire we sung about general Aboriginal
issues, so this album is more about myself - who I am, where
I've been and where I want to go personally."
Cooinda relates Kutcha's life's journey with songs covering
a range of issues, from his forceful removal from his family
as a child to dedications to both his mother and late father.
"Stay With Me is a song I wrote
after my father passed away. Its message is that what happened
to me and my father doesn't need to happen with my son and I."
Kutcha believes that if you write about your experiences,
then other people can draw strength from them.
"When I write songs, it's like a debriefing of what I see.
I've done songs for gaols and that's really hit home in terms
of what's happening out there. I have to write about my emotions
or else they become baggage and I carry them around."
Kutcha respects and treasures the relationship he has with his
son. However, it took an out-of-body experience to make him
truly appreciate what he had in his life.
"In the early stages of my son's life I was drinking and
that just took over," recalls Kutcha. "Then I had
an angina attack and an out-of-body experience and saw my body
in pain. I realised I was denying my son what I was denied -
a father. So I gave up alcohol. Now that I don't drink, I see
him as a big part of me. He's very proud of his old man and
he's a very big part of my life. I draw strength from him and
he draws strength from me."
While developing his singing and performing, Kutcha maintains
strong links with his community through youth work. He works
at the KODE (Koorie Open Door Education) School as a youth worker/mentor,
teaches video production at an Aboriginal Recovery Centre and
hosts 3CR's Songlines radio program.
"I see a need for kids to have a chance to make their own
destinies," says Kutcha. "I help kids to write songs
and poetry in juvenile centres so they can learn to debrief."
Most importantly, Kutcha is following his heart and doing what
he believes in. "I love what I do now," he grins.
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