Archie Roach

Archie Roach was a Gunditjmara (Kirrae Whurrong Djab Wurrung) and Bundjalung elder who campaigned for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. He was one of the Stolen Generations forcibly removed from his family at the age of two or three and placed in an orphanage. He later lived with a Scottish immigrant family in Melbourne where he developed his love for music. He left home at 15 to search for his biological family but faced many hardships including alcoholism, homelessness, epilepsy and imprisonment. He met his future wife and musical partner, Ruby Hunter at a Salvation Army centre in Adelaide when they were both homeless teenagers. They formed a band with other Indigenous musicians and moved to Melbourne in the late 1980s. Roach released his debut solo album Charcoal Lane in 1990, which featured his most famous song, Took the Children Away, based on his own experience of being taken from his parents. The song won him two ARIA awards and an International Human Rights Achievement award. He went on to release several more albums, including Jamu Dreaming (1993) Looking for Butter Boy (1997) Sensual Being (2002), Journey (2007), Into the Bloodstream (2012), Let Love Rule (2016) and Tell Me Why (2019). He also published his memoir Tell Me Why in 2019, which was adapted into a young adult edition in 2021. Roach toured extensively around the world, performing with artists such as Joan Armatrading, Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg, Tracy Chapman, Suzanne Vega and Patti Smith. He also collaborated with other Indigenous artists such as Paul Kelly, Kev Carmody Tiddas, Emma Donovan and Briggs. He was a mentor and role model for many young Aboriginal musicians and activists. He received numerous honours and awards for his work, including a Deadly Award for a Lifetime Contribution to Healing the Stolen Generations in 2013 an Order of Australia in 2015 a Victorian Australian of the Year in 2020 and an induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2020. He also received honorary doctorates from the University of Sydney and the Australian Catholic University. Roach died on July 30, 2022 at Warrnambool Base Hospital after a long illness. He was surrounded by his family and loved ones. He was buried at Framlingham mission near Warrnambool, where he had grown up. His music and legacy continue to inspire generations of Australians.