Niece backs bid to pay tribute to Archie Roach on $5 note

Tracy Roach talks about her uncle, the role he played in reuniting families of the Stolen Generation and his powerful music, every chance she gets.

She has been hosting talks at south-west schools and raises money for the Archie Roach Foundation, which helps First Nations artists.

Ms Roach has also backed a call for Mr Roach to be featured on the $5 note.

"I couldn't think of anything more wonderful," she said.

"We have to remember what Uncle did and what he was about."

Ms Roach said her uncle introduced her to siblings she didn't know existed when she was 17.

The Fred Hollows Foundation has asked people to consider a number of identities and lobby for them to feature on the $5 note.

Mr Roach, Cathy Freeman, Vincent Lingiari and Mum Shirl are the four "Australians we'd love to see on the $5 note," the foundation states on its website.

"Archie Roach was a Gunditjmara and Bundjalung elder who was married to fellow singer-songwriter Ruby Hunter and became famous for his song Took The Children Away, written about the Stolen Generations and his own experiences of being removed from his family," the website states.

"He worked with other iconic Australian musicians such as Paul Kelly and was part of The Black Arm Band, a group featuring some of Australia's finest Aboriginal musicians.

"The band was a foundation partner and members used music to deliver positive health messages to community members.

"The Black Arm Band did a tour of remote Aboriginal communities in 2010 with The Fred Hollows Foundation and they also performed at the Freedom Festival in Kalkarindji in the Northern Territory in 2011 to help celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Wave Hill walk-off, where Gabi Hollows was in attendance."

Ms Roach said she would also love to see a permanent memorial to her uncle in the south-west.

She said he would love to sit near Pea Soup Beach in Port Fairy and look out to Dean Maar.

Ms Roach said it would be great for a statue of her uncle to be placed there.

"It would be a healing place and I would go there and talk to people about Uncle," she said.

Mr Roach died aged 66 in August 2022.

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