Uncle Archie receives posthumous Order of Australia honour

There were 68 artists and arts workers among the 1047 recipients honoured ‘for meritorious, distinguished and conspicuous service’.

The late, great Archie Roach, a Gunditjmara (Kirrae Whurrong/Djab Wurrung) and Bundjalung singer-songwriter known as ‘Uncle Archie’ to many, has been posthumously recognised with one of the nation’s highest honours.

He was one of 1047 Australians recognised in the Australia Day 2023 Order of Australia Honours, which recognise ‘meritorious, distinguished and conspicuous service’ across a range of sectors, from the arts to the public service.

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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