Her talents came to light when Archie, by then an acclaimed songwriter and performer, discovered her song Down City Streets and recorded it on his first album, Charcoal Lane, in 1990. Ruby began writing songs in secret, putting down on paper reflections of her experiences as a homeless young person. Ruby was also a tireless worker on behalf of the Winja Ulupna Women's Recovery Centre, a rehabilitation service for Aboriginal women in St Kilda. Later she and Archie made their own home a welcoming haven for homeless and disadvantaged young people. Together with Archie, she cared for up to 14 children at a time in a family group home run by the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency in Thornbury. Moving to Victoria with Archie and their two children, Ruby worked for a time at the Margaret Tucker Hostel which provided supported accommodation for homeless Aboriginal girls and women. Ruby and Archie made their own home a welcoming haven for homeless and disadvantaged young people She also drew on her childhood experiences in caring for vulnerable children and young people, as well as in her own music. Ruby nurtured Archie as he began to translate his experience of despair and homelessness into music that would eventually resonate across the nation. It was a hard life, however, characterised by dependence on alcohol to ease the pain. Living together on the streets of Adelaide, they formed an enduring bond that would last for the rest of Ruby's life. While she was homeless in Adelaide Ruby met Archie Roach, also a member of the Stolen Generations, who had drifted to Adelaide from Mildura across the Victorian border. With no idea of where to go, she made her home on the streets of Adelaide. At the age of 16 Ruby was finally released to make her own way. She was soon separated from her sisters and brothers at the Seaforth Children's Home in Adelaide, before being placed in a series of institutions and foster homes. She remembered that the authorities simply arrived one day in a big car, promising to take the children to the circus. She was 8 years old when she and her 4 siblings were taken from their family. A member of the Stolen GenerationsĪ proud Ngarrindjeri woman, Ruby was born in 1955 near the Murray River in the Coorong region of South Australia. A nurturing soul, she rose above the tragedy of being a member of the Stolen Generation to give a voice to the vulnerable and offer strength to those who needed it. Ruby Hunter was an acclaimed songwriter and performer who used music to champion the rights of Aboriginal women and children.
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