The groundbreaking musical, political and cultural legacies of Archie Roach AC AM and Ruby Hunter have been honoured with permanent new sculptures in Fitzroy’s Atherton Gardens.
A tribute to the couple’s connection with Fitzroy, its rich Aboriginal history and significance to the Stolen Generations, the bronze statues have been created by Melbourne artist Darien Pullen and are located in a newly landscaped space, designed by Melbourne-based architect Jefa Greenaway and landscape architect Paul Herzich.
An accessible path leading to the site from Gertrude Street is etched with the footprints of Archie and Ruby’s totem animals, including the pelican, black swan, wedge-tailed eagle and red-bellied black snake.
The project received funding from the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and has been delivered through a partnership between Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and Yarra City Council who worked closely with members of the Roach and Hunter families.
The statues honour Archie and Ruby’s impact on Australian music, their contribution to Indigenous rights, and the mark they made on the country’s broader political, social and cultural landscape and the lives of many people.
In 1990, Archie’s debut album Charcoal Lane was an international success. It featured the song – Took The Children Away – which would go on to be an anthem for the Stolen Generations and to receive a Human Rights Achievement Award. This was just the beginning of an incredible music career.
Ruby Hunter was the first Aboriginal woman in Australia to be signed with a major record label and to release an album. Thoughts Within (1994) went on to earn an ARIA Award nomination. In 2020, she was inducted into the National Indigenous Music Awards Hall of Fame.
In 2014, Archie established the Archie Roach Foundation which has had a significant impact on the lives of countless First Peoples artists and young people.
Archie Roach was posthumously appointed a companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his services to the performing arts, to Indigenous rights and for supporting First Peoples artists.