Donovan, who sang with Indigenous country band The Donovans as a little tacker, grew up listening to Hunter and her long-time partner Archie Roach. Hunter’s impact was cemented when Donovan’s Nanna gave her a copy of Thoughts Within on CD, after taking Donovan to see Hunter perform during NAIDOC week. Donovan was about 14 at the time, but still recalls vividly the fact that the CD opened up a new world. “I could relate to it because she was an Aboriginal, Indigenous woman like myself and my mum and her stories were different,” Donovan says.
The song that stuck out the most was Aunty Sissy. “I think it’s because I actually have an Aunty Sissy,” Donovan says. “I probably didn’t even understand what it was about at the time. But hearing those words and songs like Women’s Business and some of the other lyrics, I related to the stories. Even the way Aunty Ruby sang about her Nan and Pop. You think you’re the only person mentioning all of these people in your family, like your grandparents and your aunties. Aunty Ruby stood out for me because she was naming those relationships in music, in song.”
The enduring theme of family and relationships in Hunter’s music is all the more poignant for Donovan now that she’s a new mum. “I’m hearing these tunes with another set of ears – my mum’s ears,” she says. “It’s funny, my mum always used to say, ‘You’ll never understand until you’re a mum.’ It turns out it’s true. You do think differently when you become a mum. Aunty Ruby was a proud mum and grandmother and something’s turned my head differently now listening to these tunes.”
Then there was the iconic cover art. “It was a burnt pinky-red and had this cartoon picture of Aunty Ruby. She was so beautiful. The other thing that inspired me about her was her image, her looks. Straight up, she was a strong black woman.”
A few years later, Donovan had the golden opportunity to perform with Hunter when she joined the Black Arm Band as its youngest ever member in 2005. Having been brought up listening to the artists in the band, Donovan’s mind was blown by the prospect of joining them on stage. “The first time I met the Black Arm Band, all of the pioneers and icons were there and my eyes were bulging out of my head,” Donovan recalls.
Importantly, it also gave Donovan the chance to get to know Hunter first hand. “Being on the road with her; she was a strong mother,” she says. “With people like Aunty Rube, you see them as this amazing artist, but she’s this other role as well.
“Because I spent that personal time with her on the road, I got to understand her as an Aunty and see her in the Aunty and motherly role, as a strong Aboriginal woman and partner for Uncle Archie. The biggest thing that stands out for me in terms of her legacy is her passing down those relationships. She wasn’t ashamed to make people understand how important those roles are in our community and in our families.”
The forthcoming tribute to Hunter first came to pass when Roach and some of Hunter’s brothers suggested pulling together some of Hunter’s tunes for ABC National last year during NAIDOC week. Donovan sees revisiting that tribute during the Yirramboi Festival as another way to honour Hunter.
The Yirramboi Festival will also feature over 60 unique events encompassing dance, music, visual art, theatre, film, and talks. Redefining notions of Indigenous art and performance, the festival covers spaces throughout Melbourne including laneways, public spaces, and venues. The tribute to Ruby Hunter is promising to be a program highlight, with Donovan now doing her own part to pass this music on down the line.
“I’m hoping to get more people to listen to her music and make Uncle Arch and her brothers feel proud about Aunty Ruby’s music is still here and being sung,” she says.
By Meg Crawford
