Djuran was born and bred in Yallarm/Gladstone and is a local Gooreng-Gooreng man with connections to the Waanyi peoples of the Gulf of Carpentaria. With over 12 years in the maritime industry based in Gladstone, he has developed a wide skill set in traditional hunting, bush foods, cultural dancing, and art. 

The locally based Gooreng-Gooreng man is dedicated to incorporating bush foods and cultural hunting into people’s lifestyles, helping to build self-esteem, responsibility, and healthier living with the lands around us. 

With experience living in an industrial town, regional Indigenous communities, and remote Indigenous communities, Djuran understands the pressures of wearing many hats to balance mainstream Western living while maintaining cultural connections to local Aboriginal lore. 

Djuran, who has a Lardil language name meaning Black Dolphin/Porpoise, was raised in Yallarm/Gladstone with a wealth of knowledge passed down through stories from his Great Uncle, Nyulang Johnson, who lived with him and his mother during the last three years of his high school. The powerful stories shared with him about how far the Gooreng-Gooreng people had come—from the early 1900s through to his passing in 2008—have inspired Djuran to encourage others to reconnect with and live closer to the bush. 

Djuran has a saying: “People only see the fish you spear, not the fish you miss.” He teaches that you are going to miss sometimes—and that’s okay. 

“Yangim kooroon yoonmar woolkoom” — “Walk the river to the sea.”