James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share 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.

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