Key Points
- Australians have paid tribute Aunty Rhoda Roberts, calling her a trailblazing national treasure
- The Widjabul Wieybal woman from the Bundjalung nation was a also a dear friend to many
Warning: this article contains the names and images of First Nations people who have died.
Australia has remembered Aunty Rhoda Roberts as a trailblazing national treasure, for her legacy in First Nations storytelling, and as a dear friend.
Roberts died on her country on Saturday afternoon at the age of 66 after a short battle with a very rare form of ovarian cancer.
Tributes have poured in from all corners of Australia expressing gratitude not just for her professional contribution to Australian arts but for being a leader among First Nations peoples.
Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malandirri McCarthy thanked Roberts and her family for "being there for all us mob".
"As a confidant and mentor we would often talk about how important it was to see black faces on the screen and also behind it," McCarthy said on social media.
"I treasure our final conversation recently about how "those black faces are everywhere now, especially in front of and behind the camera and on stage"."
Roberts, a Widjabul Wieybal woman from the Bundjalung nation, is known for her contribution to championing and showcasing Indigenous culture, music, art, stories, history, and language across the nation and the world.
In particular, she produced the awakening segment of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games opening ceremony as its creative director, a moment remembered by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
"At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when the world was watching us, it was Rhoda’s choreography that was shown to the world. She took us on her journey through ocean and fire, a way to truly understand the land that we are on is First Nations Land," Burke said.
"For every step Rhoda took forward, she took a generation of people with her. We have more creativity, more Australians dreaming bigger and a better understanding of our nation because of Rhoda Roberts."
Her work as Australia's cultural ambassador was just as powerful as her influence domestically in Australia with more Australians now dreaming bigger and having a better understanding of their nation, Burke added.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn Facebook account said Roberts was a "trailblazing national treasure who was both a beloved colleague and mentor to so many" and was honoured to see her last show, My Cousin Frank at the Sydney Opera House in December.
"Her impact as a leader, especially in mentoring and developing other creatives and promoting First Nations storytelling and voices in media in Australia [and] globally was profound," the Governor-General's post said.
"But most of all she was a dear friend to so many."
Hundreds of Australians agreed, saying how much "the world will miss her".
Australians posted their tributes to"a truly extraordinary woman" on their social media accounts.
"A leader and inspiration. Aunty Rhoda was wise, generous, kind, nurturing. She leaves our world a better place," one post said.
Rhoda Roberts' family has granted permission for SBS/NITV to broadcast images and footage, to honour and celebrate her life and enduring legacy.
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