“Back in Hervey Bay I got a job with a friend who had glass bottom boats and after a few months we were winning tourism awards. We’d take people out on the reef, have a dive, I’d tell my stories about Fraser Island. When we’d get back to land I’d go in the bushes, get painted up, come out and a dance for them and play my didgeridoo. During that time I met Ernie Dingo. Entertaining people has been happening since I was a little kid. My aunty used to take me down to the old penny arcades, play all the old rock and roll music and I’d be up there singing and dancing. I’d take home all the lollies to my family. I was a bit of a talker, a bit of a showoff and I loved to get amongst people.
I’ve been lucky enough to meet lot’s of talented people. Another time this lady from Murray Island came through Harvey Bay and she just happened to be Uncle Eddie Mabo’s wife Bonita. I got to play Didge for her. She was coming down the coast with others and a lovely huge cloth about 6 metres long and really wide. As they stopped at different places people painted different murals on the cloth. When they made it to Canberra she had an opening of the painted cloth. They invited me down to play Didgeridoo. On the way back I stopped in Sydney and my niece said, Look over there Joe. I said, what at the fire hydrant? No, you idiot!! And there was Olivia Newton John and her husband. They had just come back from Hong Kong and were heading to Byron. I went straight up and had a yarn with her and said Olivia, can I please play the didgeridoo for you? After I played she asked me if I had any tapes. No! I said… I just wanted to play for you, I love ya!
I met Kimmy when I came to Lismore to visit a friend. Her daughter ended up being my niece who was best friends with Kimmy. I came down first in 1988 because I was on the verge of suicide. I was drinking and drugging at that time and people were dropping like flies at home. They were cousins and real good mates and I thought …If they’re gonna go I may as well go with them. I went and told my family and they called a mate down here. They were crying on the phone to get me out of Hervey Bay. I said I need to get out, can you come get me? He said I’ll pick you up in a week brother. I said if you wait a week, bring stuff for my funeral. I paid him to come straight up which he did. I came to Lismore and I ended up having 2 kids. I have one here in Lismore and she has given me 4 grandchildren. My son will have to adopt because he’s gay and he lives in Sydney. I love my kids.
In 2014 I moved here and got together with Kimmy. We’ve been together 5 years now. Getting back into culture has saved me. I still like a good red but only in moderation these days. I’m good mates with Xavier Rudd, I’ve done shows in Glasgow. One time me and Kim went to Fraser just for a holiday. My niece rang me and said…Do you wanna dance for Harry? Harry who? Prince Harry! I went out for a rehearsal. All the Police boats came first then the Government cars. Out jumps Annastacia Palaszczuk and gets on the barge apologising for being late. I yelled out – Miss Annastacia, now you know what black fella time is. Soon as we arrived I went up in the bushes to get painted up. Harry was just jumping out of the car so I said hello to him. Kim and I had brought over a stuffed North QLD tree kangaroo as a gift. I had a yarn to him and said this is a gift for the baby Harry. He remembered me from a photo Mick had taken and it was in an exhibition in London. Mick was were there and Prince Charles shook Micks hand. Harry wrote on Instagram after he met me ‘OMG I’ve just met Jo-Jo.’ How good is that! And then I say – Did you hear about the movie? When Harry met Joey. (laughs) (Photo in Comments).
Michaels PA lady rang us and said…I’m up in Byron Bay and I have a lady who wants to go to Fraser Island for one night..can you come over and have a yarn? Me and Kimmy go over and just before we cruised out we see these beautiful black cockatoos. Two days before Kim’s mum had passed away. We went up to Byron and found out the lady we was taking was Delvene Delaney’s daughter Liana. We talked her into staying 3 nights and Delvene came too. We were camping and I realised we were on the spot someone got attacked by dingos a year or so ago. I told them they have nothing to worry about because you’re with a Butchulla. Liana is doing amazing film work and good stuff for the environment. There’s a movie of me showing up at Goma on the 14th December done by Fiona Foley who is my cousin.
When I was still little living with my Grandma, this white lady from Hervey Bay kept on coming to our place wanting to adopt me. My Nan always said no. The lady had a big family of her own and she ended up adopting this other Aboriginal fella Michael Cook. Me and Mick grew up together and he became a famous Photographer. He works all around the world now. And he uses me as his model. He’s just come back from France and next year there will be photos of me in Vogue France. If you get this months Vogue magazine with Nicole Kidman on the front you will see a few pages starting at page 278 with photos of me. One of the images is me standing on the beach at Hervey Bay holding a musket. I look up and people were jumping in the sand dunes. Hahaha, they thought I was going to shoot them. The other photos were taken at the Sydney bus museum and other Sydney locations. Pretty bloody special hey! A black fella from Lismore making Vogue magazine.”