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Flashback
Monday, 9 November, 2009
In the Living Black profile of Michael Cook, broadcast on Monday November 9, we inadvertently transposed the names of his birth and adopted mothers. We sincerely apologise to Michael and his family for doing so. This mistake has been corrected in subsequent broadcasts and Online.
Photographer Michael Cook's gift for fusing high fashion with art has seen his work published in magazines around the world.
Watch online: Flashback
While his career has soared to the glamourous heights of the fashion industry, his personal life has not always been on such a high.
His adoption as an infant and upbringing outside the Aboriginal community brought challenges.
Join Living Black as video journalist Allan Clarke profiles Michael Cook's professional and personal journey.
TRANSCRIPT
KARLA GRANT: Queensland photographer Michael Cook's pictures have won critical acclaim from around the world, but as video journalist Allan Clarke discovered, Michael's life has been far from perfect.
VOICEOVER: Brisbane is sweltering under the midday sun. Things are also heating up in this Fortitude Valley studio. The music blares, the lights flash and the model poses as Michael Cook grips his camera and lets off a series of shots.
MICHAEL COOK, PHOTOGRAPHER: My shoots are a way of asking a question and putting it there in front of people so they can make their own decisions on how they feel and what they think about those photos or those images.
VOICEOVER: Michael’s gift for capturing the moment and fusing fashion with art has seen his work published internationally. He’s also won a number of awards, including accolades from the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, and last year a Deadly. But behind the glamour, Michael's private life hasn’t been quite so glossy.
MICHAL COOK: I’ve always known I was adopted, basically when I was three weeks old. I was born in Brisbane and I was raised in Hervey Bay. I was raised in a family of five other brothers and sisters. I’ve got two other brothers and three sisters. I was brought up in quite a big family. Mum always said, “If you ever want to contact your birth mother, I’m quite willing to help you.”
VOICEOVER: Michael’s adoptive mother, Ronda Cook, is not Indigenous, but in the '60s and ‘70s she was a strong activist for Aboriginal rights, alongside Neville Bonner, who was Australia's first Aboriginal politician. After adopting Michael, Ronda was appalled to find out that Indigenous people weren't legally allowed to trace their family history.
RONDA COOK, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: I thought that was disgraceful - that he couldn't know his background and what he came from and everything, you know? I pushed the discrimination. I said, “That’s discrimination. He should know everything about himself, as other people do.”
MICHAEL COOK: I always had a really, really good understanding about Aboriginal heritage and my heritage, even though I was brought up in a white family.
VOICEOVER: 12 years ago, at the age of 29, Michael found his birth mother. Valda Elliott remembers that, as a pregnant teenager in the '60s, she felt she had no choice but to give up her baby or be faced with the stigma of being a single mother.
VALDA ELLIOTT, BIRTH MOTHER: I was only 17 at the time that had him and I didn't actually tell anybody that I was having a baby, so it was something I kept a secret. I left my home town and came to Brisbane and got a job, and I worked right up until the day I had him. They also told me that, because he was part Aboriginal, they may have trouble adopting him out - that he may be there for a while, which, over the years, was always in the back of my mind - that, you know, he wasn't adopted and that he grew up in an orphanage.
VOICEOVER: After their emotional reunion in 2000, Michael and Valda have developed a close relationship, but he’s not in contact with his Aboriginal father.
MICHAEL COOK: My work leads back to my upbringing, and some of the questions I had when I was getting brought up, and also when I look at Aboriginal culture today. My work - I want my work to revolve around Aboriginal culture in today's society.
VOICEOVER: As Michael continues to develop his craft and increase his profile, his biggest fan will always be close to home.
RONDA COOK: I’m very proud of him and of everything he does, really. He tries so hard in everything he takes on.
VOICEOVER: Connecting with family has brought Michael the personal fulfilment he thought he’d only find behind the lens.
KARLA GRANT: That’s the program for today. Next week on ‘Living Black’ we investigate the world-first medical trial giving overweight Indigenous people in Victoria lap band surgery.
WOMAN: I’ve tried everything. I’ve tried at the gym, I’ve tried various weight specialists. I’m actually quite comfortable about it and confident, because I know I’m in the best hands and it’s being done at our local hospital.
KARLA GRANT: That’s next week on ‘Living Black’. If you would like to see tonight's stories again visit our website. You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter. On behalf of the team, thanks for joining us.
Source: Living Black SBS
Photographer Michael Cook's gift for fusing high fashion with art has seen his work published in magazines around the world.
Watch online: Flashback
While his career has soared to the glamourous heights of the fashion industry, his personal life has not always been on such a high.
His adoption as an infant and upbringing outside the Aboriginal community brought challenges.
Join Living Black as video journalist Allan Clarke profiles Michael Cook's professional and personal journey.
TRANSCRIPT
KARLA GRANT: Queensland photographer Michael Cook's pictures have won critical acclaim from around the world, but as video journalist Allan Clarke discovered, Michael's life has been far from perfect.
VOICEOVER: Brisbane is sweltering under the midday sun. Things are also heating up in this Fortitude Valley studio. The music blares, the lights flash and the model poses as Michael Cook grips his camera and lets off a series of shots.
MICHAEL COOK, PHOTOGRAPHER: My shoots are a way of asking a question and putting it there in front of people so they can make their own decisions on how they feel and what they think about those photos or those images.
VOICEOVER: Michael’s gift for capturing the moment and fusing fashion with art has seen his work published internationally. He’s also won a number of awards, including accolades from the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, and last year a Deadly. But behind the glamour, Michael's private life hasn’t been quite so glossy.
MICHAL COOK: I’ve always known I was adopted, basically when I was three weeks old. I was born in Brisbane and I was raised in Hervey Bay. I was raised in a family of five other brothers and sisters. I’ve got two other brothers and three sisters. I was brought up in quite a big family. Mum always said, “If you ever want to contact your birth mother, I’m quite willing to help you.”
VOICEOVER: Michael’s adoptive mother, Ronda Cook, is not Indigenous, but in the '60s and ‘70s she was a strong activist for Aboriginal rights, alongside Neville Bonner, who was Australia's first Aboriginal politician. After adopting Michael, Ronda was appalled to find out that Indigenous people weren't legally allowed to trace their family history.
RONDA COOK, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: I thought that was disgraceful - that he couldn't know his background and what he came from and everything, you know? I pushed the discrimination. I said, “That’s discrimination. He should know everything about himself, as other people do.”
MICHAEL COOK: I always had a really, really good understanding about Aboriginal heritage and my heritage, even though I was brought up in a white family.
VOICEOVER: 12 years ago, at the age of 29, Michael found his birth mother. Valda Elliott remembers that, as a pregnant teenager in the '60s, she felt she had no choice but to give up her baby or be faced with the stigma of being a single mother.
VALDA ELLIOTT, BIRTH MOTHER: I was only 17 at the time that had him and I didn't actually tell anybody that I was having a baby, so it was something I kept a secret. I left my home town and came to Brisbane and got a job, and I worked right up until the day I had him. They also told me that, because he was part Aboriginal, they may have trouble adopting him out - that he may be there for a while, which, over the years, was always in the back of my mind - that, you know, he wasn't adopted and that he grew up in an orphanage.
VOICEOVER: After their emotional reunion in 2000, Michael and Valda have developed a close relationship, but he’s not in contact with his Aboriginal father.
MICHAEL COOK: My work leads back to my upbringing, and some of the questions I had when I was getting brought up, and also when I look at Aboriginal culture today. My work - I want my work to revolve around Aboriginal culture in today's society.
VOICEOVER: As Michael continues to develop his craft and increase his profile, his biggest fan will always be close to home.
RONDA COOK: I’m very proud of him and of everything he does, really. He tries so hard in everything he takes on.
VOICEOVER: Connecting with family has brought Michael the personal fulfilment he thought he’d only find behind the lens.
KARLA GRANT: That’s the program for today. Next week on ‘Living Black’ we investigate the world-first medical trial giving overweight Indigenous people in Victoria lap band surgery.
WOMAN: I’ve tried everything. I’ve tried at the gym, I’ve tried various weight specialists. I’m actually quite comfortable about it and confident, because I know I’m in the best hands and it’s being done at our local hospital.
KARLA GRANT: That’s next week on ‘Living Black’. If you would like to see tonight's stories again visit our website. You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter. On behalf of the team, thanks for joining us.
Source: Living Black SBS
