Picture the scene. It’s 1982 and Australia’s future prime minister Bob Hawke – then the shadow minister for industrial relations – has accepted an invitation to launch a mini-album by an emerging Indigenous rock-reggae band called No Fixed Address. Hawke’s daughters are fans, and he recognises the importance of both the release and the symbolic […]
The pioneering legacy of No Fixed Address Read More »
Archie Roach, the Indigenous Australian songwriter whose celebrated song Took The Children Away brought national attention to the story of the Stolen Generations, has died aged 66. Roach died at Warrnambool Base hospital after a long illness, surrounded by his family and loved ones. “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Gunditjmara (Kirrae Whurrong/Djab Wurrung),
Archie Roach 1956-2022 Read More »
Archie Roach is normally the gentlest of our Indigenous protest singers. He writes songs of great moral force and clarity but his voice, even after the ravages of age and illness, is quiet and hymnal, giving his work a bittersweet quality that allows him to connect easily with a broad audience. The song that introduced
A mic drop on the nation Read More »
Yarrabah, an Indigenous community about an hour’s drive south of Cairns, is sometimes referred to as paradise by the sea. Although only just over 50 kilometres from far north Queensland’s tourist capital, it’s isolated, separated from the city by Trinity Inlet on one side and, on the other, dense tropical rainforest that covers the rugged
Yarrabah gets the band back together Read More »