~Living Legend of the Kimberley~
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Sam Lovell was born in January 1933 on Calwynyadah Station in the Kimberley, Western Australia. His
father was Jack Lovell, part owner of Calwynyadah Station. Sam was taken away to Mulla Bulla Station
in 1937 when he was 4 years old. Mulla Bulla Station was an Aboriginal settlement where so called "half
caste" kids were taken. Sam does not remember his mother and never saw her again after he was taken
away.

Sam’s early employment ranged from truck driver, drover, head stockman, to fencing and yard building
contractor. In 1981, Sam and his wife, Rosita, established their own tourism business, Kimberley Safari
Tours which they operated until 1992 with a client base of over 2,500 customers.

Sam was awarded the prestigious Sir David Brand Award in 1988 for his contribution to tourism. The
Kimberley Tourism Association also presents an annual Encouragement Award, the Sam and Rosita
Lovell Tourism Award to developing businesses.

Since 1995 Sam has been employed by the Office of Aboriginal Economic Development (OAED) as an
Aboriginal Tourism Project Officer.

Developing tourism products based around Aboriginal culture can be a sensitive issue with many groups
and requires culturally sensitive negotiations. In this regard, Sam has assisted in developing many
Indigenous tourism businesses in the Kimberley region that today are thriving enterprises.

Apart from his involvement in the tourism industry as a Project Officer with OAED, Sam continues to
provide an invaluable link between Aboriginal groups and Government departments and private industry
and assists in negotiations between the two.

In 2001 Sam arranged for a group of fifteen Kimberley Aboriginal country musicians to attend Tamworth
Country Music Festival. He has established the Country Music Association in Derby and has organised
at his own expense for the group to attend the Tamworth Festival annually.

This has provided a valuable learning experience for young musicians who aspire to be export-oriented
professional Indigenous musicians.

In 2003 Sam was awarded an Order of Australia by the Governor of Western Australia for his
contribution to Indigenous Relations. Sam was also presented with a Certificate of Appreciation at a
special cocktail function.

Sam has worked with many international media groups including the BBC and Swiss Television. He was
most recently a Senior Cultural and Heritage Adviser on Baz Luhrmann’s film set “Australia”.