Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

MADELEINE KING (—) (): I rise today to pay tribute to Judith Durham and to extend my deepest sympathies to her family and loved ones. Born in July 1943, she was lost to the nation on 5 August this year. Few Australians have had their voices heard around the world in the way that Judith did. At a time of great social and political upheaval Judith's voice was something that all generations were able to appreciate and enjoy. She was an extremely talented and accomplished woman who took the sound of Australia to the rest of the world as the voice of the Seekers.

Judith's father was a World War II navigator and pathfinder and Judith, too, would play the role of pathfinder for many Australian who would follow the seekers over the coming decades to find success in the UK and America. They blazed a path that would later be trodden by the likes of the Easybeats and ultimately Australian megagroups like INXS and AC/DC. Both have origins in Western Australia, of course, and I can't not mention that. The modern Australian music industry has so much to thank Judith Durham for.

Judith was a classically trained singer and pianist. After school she met Athol Guy, who invited her to join with Bruce Woodley and Keith Potger to sing in the then unknown harmony and folk group the Seekers. Like so many Australian acts, the Seekers sailed to the UK as the onboard entertainment aboard a cruise ship, thinking that their adventure would last no more than a few weeks. But in 1965 their song 'I'll Never Find Another You', recorded at Abbey Road Studios, was a No. 1 hit in both the UK and Australia. The Seekers were named Best New Group at the Top of the Pops awards. It was their greatest hit, 'Georgie Girl', that saw them become the first Australian group to reach No. 1 in the USA. The song would also be nominated for an Oscar. They were the first ever group to reach No. 1 on the UK charts with their first three singles, a record that was never matched by the likes of Michael Jackson or Madonna.

Judith married her musical director, pianist Ron Edgeworth, and they performed around the world. After Ron tragically died of motor neurone disease in 1994, Judith became patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Australia association and worked tirelessly in promoting the charity. In 1995, Judith was honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to music, a much-deserved recognition of her contribution to music in Australia and around the world. The significance of Judith Durham's contribution to the cultural life of this country cannot be overstated. She carried the early sounds of a nation finding its voice to the rest of the globe, and her passing is a great national loss.

James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to pay tribute to Judith Durham AO following her sad passing a few months ago. I'm very wary about not being insulting to those in the chamber who are slightly older than me, but when I think of Judith Durham I think of a different era to my own.

Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I warn the member for Sturt! He's reflecting on the chair!

James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But it is one of great nostalgia—perhaps more my parents' era than my own. But I also think that, if you're watching any reflections on that period of time in this country, the soundtrack has to be the Seekers playing in the background. I've inherited many of my father's poor attributes, and one is a great passion for music and music history. I grew up with the music of the Seekers and other music from that era.

The first thing I always reflect on in relation to the Seekers is that before the Seekers we had some excellent musical talent in this country but it was still international music, particularly from America and the UK, that substantially predominated here in Australia. You see footage of the rare Hollywood celebrity or British music act that would come to Australia, and everyone would, of course, flock to hear the concerts and even to see them driving past, as when the Beatles came anywhere in the country. Adelaide has the same story as anywhere else about the city effectively coming to a standstill because that group—an excellent group but also one that had come across the tyranny of distance to Australia—was so excitingly embraced by the people.

So in my view—a lot of people would perhaps dispute this and talk about other great entertainers from that era or just prior to that era—it is fair to say that the Seekers were the first truly globally successful Australian music group, particularly in the market of all markets, the United States. In their era, in the sixties, when you look at some of the competition they had, the fact that they were making it onto the charts and topping the charts at times shows that they absolutely were trailblazers—led by the great Judith Durham, of course, and her beautiful, beautiful vocals and also the lovely character and presence that she had on stage with her voice and, of course, the way in which she conducted herself at a time when a lot of musicians and entertainers were deciding to misbehave rather than behave to get attention and perhaps to meet the zeitgeist of being a rebellious entertainer in the 1960s. Judith Durham was a brilliant entertainer but also someone that genuinely made all Australians proud as she—with the Seekers and through her solo career—pursued and achieved such success and, of course, always came home to Australia and absolutely loved Australia. I think it was 1966 or 1967 that the Seekers jointly were the Australians of the Year. That, I think, is a fitting accolade and a demonstration of just how significant they were in our society at the time.

The passing of Judith Durham really is the ending of an era. But it's also such a spectacular legacy that she leaves behind. All of us can hum many a Seekers song that she sang. They, of course, have been so enduring, well beyond the period in which they topped the charts. It is fitting that we've taken this opportunity, and I certainly join with other members, to pay tribute to her life achievements and to acknowledge and mourn the passing of Judith Durham.

Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 5 August 2022, we lost an icon of Australian music in Judith Durham AO. Born in Essendon to William Cock and Hazel Durham, she grew up between Victoria and Tasmania. She received formal training as a pianist from the University of Melbourne conservatorium. She began her singing career at 18 years of age out of sheer persistence. She frequented the Memphis Jazz Club and asked week after week to get on stage. The bandleader would tell her, 'Come back next week.' So she'd come back next week, and again she'd be dismissed—'Come back next week.' She kept going to that jazz club week after week, until finally they let her on stage. Then, after having rejected this amazing singer for so long, everyone in the room was blown away by her voice.

She met her lifelong friends Athol Guy, Keith Potger and Bruce Woodley in 1962, and they became the Seekers, releasing their debut album in 1963, Introducing the Seekers. Their recording of 'Waltzing Matilda' reached the Melbourne top 40. They saw enormous success with songs such as 'I'll Never Find Another You', 'A World of Our Own', 'The Carnival Is Over' and 'Georgy Girl'.

I need to note that, of course, their song 'I Am Australian', which still blasts out on my television screen on ABC Kids on a regular basis, causing half my household to break out into song, is still a favourite of many. One of the things that I want to share with the parliament today is that one of the unexpected outpourings of love for Judith Durham that we saw was the number of letters that were sent to the Australian government in good-hearted advocacy saying that 'I Am Australian' should be considered as our new national anthem. Now, that is not going to happen. We will not be going to a vote for a new national anthem, but I did have the joy, on behalf of the Prime Minister, of responding to hundreds and hundreds of letters from people who shared their love of this incredible Australian musician and the music that captured so much of this nation. Again, I thank everyone who wrote in with their good-hearted suggestions on that particular topic.

Every one of those songs that I just mentioned sold over a million copies. Selling over a million copies of a song, particularly a song written in the sixties and released in Australia, is an incredible achievement for an Australian musical outfit. In 1968, another first—yet to be replicated—was that Durham and the entire group of the Seekers were named collectively as Australians of the Year. It was the eighth year of the Australian of the Year awards, and it is still to this day the only time that a group has received the Australian of the Year award. I'd just say, particularly with the Special Envoy for the Arts here, that the musicians of 2022 need to lift their game! But it is fitting that such a brilliant musical team got that award recognising their great contribution to Australia. Durham also had wonderful success as a solo artist, sharing that part of her musical journey with her husband, Ron Edgeworth.

We saw some 2,000 people gather for her state memorial service, which included musical tributes from everyone from Dami Im through to the Wiggles. Her older sister, Beverley, recounted:

We'd sing together early in the morning and my father would have to come in and say, 'That's enough. Your mother can't sleep.

Her Seekers bandmate Keith Potger said:

You're not really gone, because your picture is on my wall and your boundless spirit and love will be in my heart forever.

Bruce Woodley told of Durham's struggles battling a serious lung disease through most of her career:

Her bravery and single-mindedness in overcoming the enormous physical obstacles that life threw at her has always been an inspiration to me.

And indeed it has been an inspiration to many. We saw the Seekers play a previously unreleased song, 'Carry Me'. Athol Guy said of the song:

It is now our collective gift to share with you tonight as we celebrate Judith's magnificent gifts to us all. May it carry her safely on the rest of her journey.

I think we can all echo those sentiments.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A beautiful person, a beautiful voice—Judith Durham was a great Australian. She was a beautiful Australian. I've given up counting the number of times I've sung 'Georgy Girl' to my daughter, Georgina. I still do and always will. I know how much she and the rest of my family love Judith Durham, perhaps because of that song. But Judith Durham gave so much to so many for so long. Her death, at age 79, was mourned by people right across the nation. She was a fantastic singer, songwriter and musician. I know when Keith Potger visited Forbes for Australia Day celebrations in 2019 he spoke lovingly and fondly about Judith. And Athol Guy and Bruce Woodley will never forget the vibrance, the energy and the beauty she brought to the Seekers.

The Seekers—what a great group! In 1962 they were one of the first bands with their mix of music to top the charts and to do so well in the UK and elsewhere. We mourn Judith's loss because it brings an end to a great era. We know how much she was mourned at the state memorial service held in September. It concluded with a special recording of 'Carry Me', a new song by the Seekers, due for release late this year to celebrate the band's 60th anniversary. Just think about it—six decades of performing.

Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Extraordinary.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is extraordinary, Member for Forrest. The band shared this song, 'Carry Me', that Bruce Woodley had written two decades ago. It was just fantastic. And, of course, there is 'I am Australian'. Who in this chamber, who across Australia, hasn't teared up about that song? It is emblematic of us all. It is emblematic of our Indigenous brothers and sisters, of migrants to this nation. It speaks to the heart of Australia like no other song.

Tributes were paid to Judith Durham from such luminaries as Paul Kelly. Of course, we all love Paul Kelly—especially as we prepare for Christmas and making gravy!—but in his recorded tribute at the state funeral he said:

But behind that sweetness and gentleness there was a hidden steel and a strong independent mind. She quietly and firmly went her own way, danced to her own drum.

Truer words were never spoken. Her sister, Beverley Sheehan, said in her tribute at the Hamer Hall memorial:

Judith's joy for life, her constant optimism, creativity and generosity of spirit were always an inspiration to me.

Indeed, they were an inspiration to all of us. May she rest in peace.

Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I grew up listening, firstly, to my mum's records, sitting cross-legged on the floor. At some point I was allowed to put the vinyl on the record player myself, when I could be trusted not to drop the needle too hard. The Seekers Sing Their Big Hits, the record that came out in 1965, when I was two, was one of the very first records I listened to. A black-and-white photo of them in full voice was on the cover, with a red edge around it. It still brings back memories. It had a lot of content very suitable for small children: 'Waltzing Matilda', 'Lemon Tree', 'Morningtown Ride'. It also had 'A World of Our Own' and 'I'll Never Find Another You'. I played it, sang along to it and learnt the early principles of harmony from Judith and the boys, Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley and Athol Guy. But it's 'Georgy Girl' that I remember hearing on the radio and loving the beat and loving the tune.

At the time I had no understanding that these songs were breaking ground internationally and putting Australian voices on the world stage. I just liked to sing along. My husband was much more aware of their stature than I was. At around the same time he was part of the Navy band that performed on stage with the Seekers at that famous 1967 Myer Music Bowl performance. I think it's the biggest audience he's ever performed to, immortalised as it was in the Guinness Book of Records the following year as the biggest concert attendance ever in the Southern Hemisphere.

Given the influence of Judith Durham on my early musical life, it was a real privilege to represent the Prime Minister at the Victorian state memorial in her honour. What a celebration of Judith Durham's life it was, with recognition from the Victorian governor of her impact on the music scene. We gained insights into the health challenges that Judith had faced, with such good humour, throughout her life, and also her determination, kindness and generosity. Athol, Keith and Bruce all demonstrated the affection that they had for Judith and their union. If you hadn't shed a tear before hearing them speak, this part of the night probably tipped a lot of people over.

Judith's nephew, Tony Sheehan, shared a story about the singer's determination to perform at a jazz club as a young teenager. Apparently she'd turn at the same jazz club, week after week, and the band leader kept saying, 'Come back next week.' When he finally allowed her to perform, you have to wonder how hard he kicked himself for not having said yes a whole lot sooner. Perhaps there's a message there for young performers and bookers alike.

The musical tributes were exceptional: Professor Deborah Cheetham, Vika and Linda Bull, and David Campbell, with his backing singers providing the harmonies that echoed the harmony the Seekers were so adept at. Dami Im performed, accompanied by Chong Lim and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra String Quartet. It was a beautiful night. But perhaps the most personal performance was 'Jelly Bean Blues' from Judith's big sister, Beverley Sheehan, accompanied by the Syncopators. The whole evening was a very Melbourne tribute but had the heart of the whole country there to thank Judith's family for the musical gift that she gave the nation. Vale, Judith Durham.