Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Northern Australia) Share 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.

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