Tiga Bayles’ daughter reflects on her dad as 'voice of Indigenous Australia’

The daughters of Tiga Bayles, influential broadcaster and rights campaigner, reflect on the legacy of their father.

Yarraka Bayles.

Yarraka Bayles. Source: The Point

“He was the voice of, you know, Indigenous Australia," Yarraka Bayles, a daughter of Vale Tiga Bayles, told 'The Point'. 

"To hear so many people say thank you for giving us a voice...that’s not just within our own mob and communities, that’s all over the world.” 

But she says her father, who died at the weekend after a long battle with cancer aged 62, always had time for family.

“Dad was a beautiful big man, he always paved the way for us and he led by example,” Ms Bayles says.

Binowee Bayles, also Tiga's daughter, agrees.

When asked to describe her dad, she told 'The Point' he was “an awesome father”.

She described him as “a strong, proud, deadly Murri man, who has made a difference for all Aboriginal people nationwide."

Tributes have been flowing for Tiga, who is known for his work in revolutionising the Indigenous media landscape.
He started at Redfern Radio in Sydney, before moving to Brisbane to found the National Indigenous Radio Service (NIRS) of Brisbane Indigenous Media Association, the home of 98.9 FM.

Tiga's morning program 'Lets Talk' was broadcast five days a week around the nation through NIRS, recognised as one of the Australia’s most popular and successful community radio stations.

His work in Indigenous media was recognised when he won the 'Deadly Award' for Indigenous Broadcaster of the Year in 1997 and Amnesty International's Inaugural Media Award in 2014 for his work around decolonisation and the arrival of Europeans to Australia.

Tiga was in the thick of Indigenous protests through the 1970s and 1980s when he expressed that 200 years of white settlement began with an invasion that should not be seen as a cause for celebration.
Aboriginal activist Sam Watson acknowledged his contribution to the cause of Indigenous rights. "He was there in the leadership," Mr Watson says. 

Lila Watson, Tiga's auntie, told 'The Point' that while everyone was "sad that he's been taken sooner than what we feel he should have been", she was "pleased" everyone had come together "to celebrate his life".

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2 min read
Published 18 April 2016 8:43pm
Updated 18 April 2016 10:25pm
Source: The Point


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