All the children come back
The children come back
The children come back
Yes I came back
– Archie Roach, ‘Took the children away’
When Kevin Rudd made his sorry speech to the stolen generation in the Australian parliament on 13 February 2008 they should have played Archie Roach’s song ‘Took the children away’. But they didn’t, and they kept doing it again.
I first heard Archie at the Woodford Folk Festival in 2008; he was in a tent talking to people along with Ruby Hunter, his partner. They both performed their songs, they were both pretty impressive. Ruby told the story of how they met as 17 year olds; they were meant for each other, sharing so much pain, both having been stolen.
After Rudd’s speech we demonstrated outside DOCs in George Street when they took more aboriginal kids away. After the demo and the lies by DOCs, it was all we could do but to find solace in Archie’s songs. His words would give us some peace. When they took the baby from the mother’s breast up at Mater Mothers hospital in Brisbane, we knew Archie’s words were true.
The children away
Snatched from their mother’s breast
Said this is for the best
Took them away
In 2015 when we went out into the red centre onto Arrente land and met the auntie by the fire side, she told us about how her granddaughter had been taken. The same auntie who was one of the girls in the story about the rabbit proof fence. Make sure you see that movie about church and state combining to steal the children. It was true what Archie sang.
And how they fenced us in like sheep
Said to us come take our hand
Sent us off to mission land
One year we marched from speakers corner outside Queensland parliament to NAIDOC week, and several grandmothers were very bitter about their grannies being taken, there were angry words said in Musgrave Park to the mining companies (that were incredibly allowed into NAIDOC) and the gatekeepers celebrating in the park. But that Friday evening Archie sang and somehow made it better washing away our sorrow. Such a wonderful voice!
Sent us off to mission land
Taught us to read, to write and pray
Then they took the children away
Took the children away
What about that time we organised a gig at Black Star Cafe and Aunty Dawn Daylight sang the story of how, as a child, she was kept as a slave at the All Hallows’ convent in Brisbane – which was perfectly normal and legal treatment of an Aboriginal person under the 1939 Aboriginals Preservation and Protection Act.
The last time I saw Archie live was at South Bank with Troy Cassar-Daley playing his beautiful lead guitar with the other aboriginal musicians.
Archie sang:
Mother’s tears were falling down
Dad shaped up and stood his ground
He said “You touch my kids and you fight me”
And they took us from our family
Took us away
So, will they learn from Archie’s words, saying sorry means never do it again?
One sweet day all the children came back
The children come back
The children come back
Back where their hearts grow strong
Back where they all belong
The children came back
Said the children come back
My condolences to Archie’s family and friends. His songs will live after him!
Vale to the song man,
Ian Curr
8 August 2022