Uncle Ken Canning

Ken Canning/Burraga Gutya is from the Bidjara Peoples of South West Qld. He started writing from prison in the 1970s. He was released in the late 70s and continues to write. During the 1980s his works appeared in magazines such as Artlink Australia. Burraga continued to write and published Ngali Ngalga in 1991.

He enrolled at UTS in 1985 in a BA Communications. He graduated in 1988, draped in the Aboriginal flag. Burraga was the 1st Aboriginal person to graduate from UTS. While still a student, he and Frances Peters-Little campaigned for an education centre which is now known as Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, UTS. Canning continued to write and wrote short plays which he produced himself. In the early 1990s he also helped produce a dance play called 'A dance Against Oppression', featuring himself working with other artists from the Asian Pacific Rim. He has worked with Koori youth in Minda in writing programs. In more recent years, he worked on the Black Wallabies writing program in Junee Prison.

He was last employed as a mentor for Koori men coming out of prison at Rainbow Lodge, Glebe. Canning has produced another collection of poetry Yimbama. His first major play '49 Days a Week' was featured at the Yelladumie Festival in 2017. He is now writing a collection of short stories.