It was with great sadness I learned yesterday of the passing of Gunditjmara and Bundjalung man Archie Roach and I offer my deepest sympathies to his family.
For many Australians, Archie was their first exposure to the horrors of the Stolen Generations.
His voice, his music and his story came out of trauma and pain.
His powerful songs also brought people together. They provided strength and still serve as a source of healing – putting into words what was unspeakable.
We are all so sad about his passing.
Archie’s songs will live forever – etched into our 65,000+ history – and he will be remembered as one of the early Aboriginal artists to bring our music into the mainstream.
Archie was one of our nation’s greatest songmen and truth-tellers and we have lost a giant of the Australian music industry and of our mob.
Vale Archie.