Uncle Mick Wilson is a well-known and much-loved Aboriginal Personality in Shepparton—a proud Barkindji Man from NSW who has lived in Shepparton since 1988. A previous singer/performer and business owner for the past 50 years, he has finally retired and is enjoying life.
Born in Burke in 1950, his family moved around towns like Nardoo and Wannaring, living on cattle stations where his Dad worked as a Stockman. Due to traumatising incidents at school, a young Mick left at 13 and began his working life as a jockey training horses for the station owner. At 19, Mick was determined to become a tradesman. He was overlooked because he was Aboriginal, but he kept standing in line to be picked to shown how to lay bricks. Fifty years later, Uncle Mick had his own bricklaying business with four workers, and he also won an award for the best Bricklayer in the Goulburn Valley for Metricon Homes, which was presented to him by the CEO of Metricom Homes.
While Mick Wilson was busy laying bricks, he was also building a singing career when he won a Talent Quest in Dubbo, which inspired him to form a band called “The Orana Roos” made up of his Brothers and other family members. Being the frontman for the band, Uncle Mick was a born performer, and his Elvis personations were always a hit when they played for Clubs in NSW.
One of Uncle Mick’s proudest moments was when the Orana Roos, the talented Aboriginal Band, was invited to perform at the Australian Aboriginal Seminar in Canberra and then lunch with Prime Minster Gough Whitlam.
Uncle Mick is grateful for the help and respect shown to him by the team of Advocates at RIAC.
