Ruby Hunter & Archie RoachPrint Page

Two mosaic pillars commemorate musicians Ruby Hunter and Archie Roach for their contributions to music and the Barmera community. 

As one of the Stolen Generations removed under these government policies, Archie grew up in foster homes and met his partner, Ruby Hunter, while living on the streets. The pair, who shared a deep love of music, formed a lifelong bond. The couple had two sons, turned their lives around and went on to foster and raise an extended family of homeless children, while their musical partnership took them onto stages across Australia and around the world.

Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter were partners in life and music for more than 35 years before Ruby's death in 2010. It was Ruby who encouraged Archie to make his first album when he was reluctant, telling him 'it's not all about you, you know. How many blackfellas you reckon get to record an album?'.

A musician and author in her own right, her song 'Down City Streets' was included on Archie's debut album Charcoal Lane (1990). She went on to record her own solo albums Thoughts Within (1994) and Feeling Good (2000) and sang and toured with Archie.

Ruby (1955 – 2010) was a Ngarrindjeri, Kokatha and Pitjantjatjara woman born on the banks of the Murray River in South Australia. Archie is a Gunditjmara and Bundjalung man, born in Mooroopna, Victoria in 1956.

Memorialised at home, monuments to Uncle Archie Roach and Aunty Ruby Hunter were unveiled in the South Australian Barmera Riverland. Riverland.

Lovers in life, and icons of music, Aunty Ruby, a Ngarrindjeri and Erawirung woman, and Uncle Archie, a Gunditjimara and Bundjalung man, gave much to the Riverland community whilst they called it home.

Now, two monuments stand on the edge of Barmera’s Lake Bonney honouring their legacy in the region and shining a light for those going navigating tough times. 

“Let their lives shine the beacon of healing and hope and restoration to anyone out there who’s tossing up lost, alone,” said Aunty Ruby’s nephew James Love told ABC News. Mr Love said the duo were a “prime example for coming through brokenness” and draws strength from them in his own healing journey.

The monument consists of two concrete pillars decorated in a mosaic artwork designed by Aunty Ruby’s sister-in-law, Aunty Rosslyn Richards. Both Aunty Ruby and Uncle Archie’s totems, the eagle and the pelican, feature in mosaics. "One Ruby's best sayings was 'the nori has landed'," Aunty Rosslyn told ABC News. "So anytime she used to travel anywhere, she used to ring up all hours of the night to let us know 'the nori has landed'.”
 
Local member, Tim Whetstone was at the unveiling, and told NITV News the monument was a "small but significant tribute" to the pair. “Both Archie and Ruby have strong connection to the Riverland and their story is an important piece of our regions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history.” 

For Mr Love, the monument is a place that not only pays tribute to the pair but serves as an inspiration to young Aboriginal people. “I want them to be walking with their heads held high knowing that they are home," he said. "I want them to know they're not alone in the struggle. These old ones before us, they beckon us home and they want us to make the right choices so that we too can go home to them."
NITV, 4 May 2022. 

 

 

Location

Address:	Dean Drive, Lake Bonney Foreshore, Barmera , 5345
State:	SA
Area:	AUS
GPS Coordinates:	Lat: -34.248968 Long: 140.460502 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.

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Details

Monument Type:	Monument
Monument Theme:	People
Sub-Theme:	Indigenous
Artist:	Aunty Rosslyn Richards (mosaic artwork)

Dedication

Approx. Monument Dedication Date:	May-2022

Source: MA