Archie Roach
Archibald William Roach AC (8 January 1956 – 30 July 2022) was an Australian singer-songwriter and Aboriginal activist. Often referred to as "Uncle Archie", Roach was a Gunditjmara (Kirrae Whurrong/Djab Wurrung[1]) and Bundjalung elder who campaigned for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. His wife and musical partner was the singer Ruby Hunter (1955–2010).
Archie Roach
Archibald William Roach
8 January 1956
Mooroopna, Victoria, Australia
30 July 2022 (aged 66)
Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia
Musician, songwriter, storyteller
Vocals, six-string guitar
1980s–2022
Roach first became known for the song "Took the Children Away", which featured on his debut solo album, Charcoal Lane, in 1990. He toured around the globe, headlining and opening shows for Joan Armatrading, Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg, Tracy Chapman, Suzanne Vega and Patti Smith. His work has been recognised by numerous nominations and awards, including a Deadly Award for a "Lifetime Contribution to Healing the Stolen Generations" in 2013. At the 2020 ARIA Music Awards on 25 November 2020, Roach was inducted into their hall of fame. His 2019 memoir and accompanying album were called Tell Me Why.
Early life[edit]
Archibald William Roach was born on 8 January 1956 in Mooroopna, Victoria.[2] Roach was of Gunditjmara (Kirrae Whurrong / Djab Wurrung)[3] and Bundjalung heritage.[4]
In 1956, Roach's family,[5] along with the remaining Aboriginal population at Cummeragunja,[6][7] were rehoused at Rumbalara. The family subsequently moved to Framlingham, where his mother had been born.[5][8][9]
At the age of two or three, Roach and his sisters and brothers, along with the other Indigenous Australian children of the Stolen Generations, were forcibly removed from their family by government agencies and placed in an orphanage.[10][11][4] After two unpleasant placements in foster care, Roach was eventually fostered by Alex and Dulcie Cox, a family of Scottish immigrants in Melbourne.[12] Their eldest daughter Mary Cox would sing church hymns and taught Roach the basics of guitar and keyboards.[13] Roach's love of music was further fuelled by Alex's collection of Scottish music. "He was a big influence on me — a good influence. I'll love him to the day I die."[12]
At fifteen, Roach was contacted by his natural sister Myrtle, who told him their mother had just died. He spent the next fourteen years on the streets, battling alcoholism. Roach met his future wife, Ruby Hunter,[11] at a Salvation Army drop-in centre known as the People's Palace in Adelaide[14] when she was sixteen.[11]
Activism[edit]
In 2013, shortly after receiving his Lifetime Deadly Award, Roach called on the recently elected prime minister, Tony Abbott, for an end to the Northern Territory Intervention.[40]