Archie Roach song now part of ‘the nation’s memory’

A ballad about the Stolen Generation is among 10 songs added to National Archive's registry of culturally significant recordings.
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Aboriginal singer’s 1990 ballad about the Stolen Generation is among 10 songs added to the National Film and Sound Archive’s registry of culturally significant recordings.

Roach’s heartfelt ballad, ‘Took the Children Away’, was included in the NFSA’s Sounds of Australia register alongside nine other recordings, including the 1969 pop song ‘The Real Thing’ by Russell Morris and a 1987 environmental recording of a lyrebird.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts