Federal MP and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett will serve as Master of Ceremonies of the Yunupingu memorial service to be held at Gulkula in the Northern Territory today.
Mr Yunupingu, the lead singer of Yothu Yindi, a former Australian of the Year and a school principal, will be farewelled at a State Funeral today.
Yunupingu died on June 3 at age 56 from kidney disease.
Gulkula is the site of Yothu Yindi’s annual Garma music festival.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will also attend the service. Rudd was the first Prime Minister to deliver the ‘Sorry’ speech to the Aboriginal people in Federal Parliament for the ‘Stolen Generation’. His predecessor Howard constantly refused to acknowledge the existence of the stolen generation and refused to say sorry.
Australian singer songwriter Paul Kelly, who wrote the Yothu Yindi hit ‘Treaty’ with Yunupingu, will also attend the service, as will Geoffrey ‘Gurrumul’ Yunupingu.
The Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles is expected to speak at the service as will Yunupingu’s widow Yalmay.
The Yunupingu state memorial service will be broadcast from 11:30am today on ABC News 24.
