Vale Ruby Hunter
Yesterday, the acclaimed Ngarrindjeri singer and songwriter Ruby Hunter passed away suddenly at home in the arms of her lifelong partner Archie Roach and surrounded by family. She was 54 years old. Ruby was born in a Billabong near the banks of the Murray River in South Australia, but was forcibly removed from her Ngarrindjeri family and placed in a foster home when she was 8. This story informed her powerful music. Best known for her work with the Black Arm Band musical collective, Ruby was a Deadly award winner who has performed with the likes of Bob Dylan, Paul Kelly and Tracy Chapman. She was the first indigenous woman to be signed to a major record label. Mark Atkins is a Yamaji man from Western Australia, a singer song writer and didgeridoo player who worked with Ruby in the Black Arm Collective. He shared his thoughts on her loss.