A permanent tribute to prolific and award-winning Australian music legends Uncle Archie Roach AC and Aunty Ruby Hunter was unveiled at Atherton Gardens in Fitzroy on Saturday 30 November 2024.
Uncle Archie (Gunditjmara (Kirrae Whurrong/Djab Wurrung)/Bundjalung) and Aunty Ruby (Ngarrindjeri/Kokatha/Pitjantjatjara) were revered musicians and truth-tellers, and as Stolen Generation survivors, shared their experiences through captivating music and powerful songwriting.
Archie and Ruby had a strong connection to Yarra and were important figures in the Fitzroy community. Archie’s iconic debut album, Charcoal Lane, featured an autobiographical song written by his partner Ruby called Down City Streets. Charcoal Lane was named after a lane off Gertrude Street in Fitzroy.
Fitzroy is an area of special significance to First Peoples as the centre of political activism and resistance for Aboriginal people in Victoria, the birthplace for many Aboriginal organisations, and a place where many Stolen Generation survivors found family for the first time.
Archie first reconnected with his siblings, (including his only surviving sister) Myrtle, in Fitzroy, and also worked at the George Wright Hostel on George Street.
In his song, Took the Children Away, Archie sang about his experience as a Stolen Generation survivor. Taken from his family at two years old, Archie spent a lifetime trying to reconnect with his family and was a voice for many who had been denied their family, Culture and Country as a result of racist government policies.
In 1994, Ruby was the first black woman in Australia to get a recording contract and record her own solo album. Her song, Down City Streets was written from her own experience living on the streets of Adelaide, where she met Archie. Ruby was also a talented actress, appearing in several films and she toured with Paul Grabowski and the Australian Art Orchestra, performing in Ruby’s Story, which was written about her life.
The statues were commissioned by Yarra City Council in partnership with the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and guided by the Archie Roach Foundation and members of Uncle Archie and Aunty Ruby’s family.
The bronze statues were created by local artist Darien Pullen. Melbourne-based architect Jefa Greenaway (Wailwan/Kamilaroi) and acclaimed landscape architect Paul Herzich (Kaurna/Ngarrindjeri), who worked with the artist and the family working group to create a special gathering space around the artwork (etched with the footprints of Archie and Ruby’s totem animals), and with an accessible path leading to the site from the Gertrude Street.
Atherton Gardens has always been a popular and safe gathering place for First Peoples, including Uncle Archie and Aunty Ruby. In 2018, it became the home of the Stolen Generations Marker, entitled ‘Remember Me’ by First Nations artist Reko Rennie Kamilaroi.
The park at Atherton Gardens Estate was chosen by Uncle Archie and Aunty Ruby’s families, as this was a very significant place for the couple, who lived in the towers at the Estate with their two sons for some time.
Aunty Myrtle Roach says Atherton Gardens will always be a special place for her family. “Fond and treasured memories of a bygone era for the ole parkies like myself,” she says. “It’s only fitting my brother’s statue and dear Ruby find its permanent place there for all my people and the community to share.
“We as a family feel both a sense of sadness and excitement as we celebrate two legends and so much-loved members of the Roach and Hunter family,” said Roach.
Uncle Jeffrey Hunter says he’s delighted to see Uncle Archie and Aunty Ruby be permanently recognised. “I’m very proud of Ruby and our brother-in-law Archie for their beautiful music and sounds over the years,” he says.
Yarra City Council Mayor Councillor Stephen Jolly says Uncle Archie and Aunty Ruby’s contribution have left an important legacy for all Australians. “Uncle Archie and Aunty Ruby are icons of songwriting and truth-telling, he says.
“Their stories and remarkable humanity will endure, as will these statues that help us preserve and celebrate the rich history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here in Yarra.”
Image: The statues of Uncle Archie Roach AC and Aunty Ruby Hunter – photo by T J Garvie