Gunditjmara and Bundjalung Elder Archie Roach debuted with 1990’s “Took the Children Away”, lamenting his forced removal from his family at age two. An enduring statement of accountability for Australia’s Stolen Generation, that song finds resolution decades after tragedy. Similarly hopeful is the gospel-inspired “Song to Sing” from 2012’s Into the Bloodstream, a profound album reflecting on the death of Roach’s wife and collaborator, Ruby Hunter. A committed truth teller anchored by optimism, Roach even brings surprising levity to his years living on the streets with 1997’s reggae-tinged “Beggar Man”. These songs have remained firmly in the country’s collective conscience, and Roach continued to perform even after surviving cancer and having half a lung removed. He was still performing and recording music until shortly before he passed away on 30 July, 2022. The foundational singer-songwriter told stories by, for and about First Nations communities across Australia, and brought First Nations history and perspective to a wider mainstream audience. His legacy will live on forever.