Coloured Stone in South Australian music hall of fame; perform on world stage and for many Aboriginal communities
Coloured Stone, led by Bunna Lawrie, joined the South Australian Music Hall of Fame in 2024. Inset: Early band members (from left) John John Miller, Mackie Coaby, Neil Coaby, Bruce "Bunny" Mundy and Bunna Lawrie.
Images courtesy Coloured Stone
Coloured Stone, formed by Bunna Lawrie in 1977 and performing widely to Aboriginal communities throughout Australia and on the world stage, was inducted into the South Australian Music hall of fame in 2024.
Born and raised along the Nullarbor at the head of the Great Australian Bight, Lawrie adopted his community’s culture, laws and to become a Mirning senior elder and medicine man. From Koonibba Mission, near Ceduna in South Australia, Lawrie formed Coloured Stone in 1977. Original band members were brothers Bunna Lawrie (drums, lead vocals), Neil Coaby (rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Mackie Coaby (bass, abacking vocals) and nephew Bruce (Bunny) Mundy (lead guitar, backing vocals).
A prolific songwriter, Lawrie’s work with Coloured Stone combined rock, ska and reggae into a unique Aboriginal sound with traditional instruments such as clap sticks, didgeridoo, bundawuthada (gong stone) and traditional language. Lawrie believed Coloured Stone had played in more Aboriginal communities than any other rock band in Australia: "Forty or 50 years ago, there were hardly any rock bands in those communities but they love us because we take our music to them, and we will continue to do so because we love our people and we love this country”.
The band's community concerts, among decades of constant touring, were punctuated by performances in Womadelaide, Norway, London, Edinburgh Festival, Commonwealth Games, Sydney Olympic Games, the 40th anniversary of Canberra tent embassy, St Kilda Festival, Big Day Out, Garma Festival, Woodford Festival, Stomping Ground Broome, Moomba Festival, Laura Festival, Spirit Festival, the Dreamtime, the Long Walk, Island Vibe Festival, Barunga, Rainbow Serpent Festival Victoria and many more.
Lawrie and Coloured Stone’s many accolades for their contribution to Australian and first nations music, included:
- 2021: APRA AMCOS (Australian Mechanical Performing Association and Australian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society) song of the year, to Robert Hirst, Bunna Lawrie and Joel Davidson for Midnight Oil song “Gadigal Land”. part of the Makaratta Project;
- 2012: National NAIDOC lifetime achievement award;
- 2011: National Indigenous music awards hall of fame’;
- 2000: Don Banks music award for composers;
- 1999: Deadly Vibe awards for outstanding achievement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders – National outstanding contribution to Aboriginal music: award to Bunna Lawrie and Coloured Stone;
- 1995: Brian Syron scholarship award (Australia) – Contribution to Aboriginal music;
- 1992: Australia Rock Industry Music (ARIA) award – final nomination, best Indigenous record for “Inma Juju”;
- 1990: (ARIA award – final nomination, best Indigenous record for “Wild Desert Rose”;
- 1988: ARIA award – final nomination, best Indigenous record for “Crazy Mind”;
- 1987: ARIA for Coloured Stone’s “Island of Greed”;
- ‘Black Boy’, 1984, No.1 hit in the South Pacific;
- Coloured Stone’s 1986 album Human Love in the Village Voice top ten album list in the United States of America;
- 1986: ARIA award winner – Best Indigenous album for Human Love, presented by Elton John;
- 1978: Perth’s third National Aboriginal country music festival talent (West Australia) – First prize for best band and best original song for “Dancing in the moonlight".
- Lawrie also was inducted into the South Australian environment hall of fame in 2024 for his drive to protect the Great Australian Bight and his sacred totem: the southern right whale
