Rhoda Roberts facts for kids

Rhoda Ann Roberts (born in 1960) is a famous Australian director, arts leader, TV presenter, and actor. She is a respected Aboriginal elder and is often called "Aunty Rhoda."

Rhoda Roberts has done many important things in the arts. She was in charge of Indigenous programs at the Sydney Opera House for many years. She also helped start the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust. She has worked on TV shows, produced radio programs, and created big cultural events.

Early Life and Family History

Rhoda Ann Roberts was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1960. She is a Bundjalung woman from the Widjabul/Wiyebal clan. Her special family symbol, called a totem, is the lizard.

Rhoda has a twin sister named Lois Roberts and two brothers, Phillip and Mark. Her parents also helped raise several cousins.

Her Grandfather's Legacy

Rhoda's grandfather, Frank Roberts, was a pastor and an important leader. He was active in the Aborigines Progressive Association. He also ran an Aboriginal community called Cubawee near Lismore.

Frank Roberts went to a special school on Cabbage Tree Island. This school was only for Aboriginal children at the time.

Her Parents' Activism

Rhoda's parents were also very involved in fighting for rights. Her father, Frank Roberts Jnr, grew up on the same reserve as his father. He later studied in the U.S. and met Martin Luther King Jr.. He saw the start of the American civil rights movement there.

He joined the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972. He spoke with Prime Minister Gough Whitlam about Indigenous land rights. He also worked with groups that campaigned for the 1967 referendum. This vote helped give Aboriginal people more rights.

Rhoda's mother, Muriel, was white and worked at David Jones. She was also a dressmaker. Both her parents loved the arts.

Growing Up in Lismore

When Rhoda and her twin were babies, her family moved to Lismore. People there were sometimes surprised by mixed-race families. Rhoda went to school in Lismore. She finished Year 10, which was a big achievement for an Aboriginal student then.

Aboriginal people faced a lot of unfair treatment in Lismore. For example, they were sometimes not allowed into cafes.

Education and Early Career

Rhoda first wanted to be a journalist. But her mother worried she might not get a job because of her race. So, Rhoda trained as a nurse's aide. She later became a qualified nurse in Sydney in 1979.

She then traveled to London to train in emergency nursing. She also volunteered and worked as a nurse in other countries, like India. When she returned to Sydney, she studied performing arts for three years.

Rhoda Roberts' Career

Rhoda Roberts has had a long and impressive career in the arts and media.

Starting in Theatre

In 1987, Rhoda helped start the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust (ANTT). She worked with other important people like Brian Syron and Lydia Miller. The ANTT helped Aboriginal playwrights and actors.

Rhoda says she had the idea to do Welcomes to Country before theatre events. This tradition is now common in many arts places.

Working in Television and Radio

In 1989, Rhoda became the first Indigenous person to present a prime-time TV show. It was called First In Line on SBS Television. She also presented Vox Populi and made documentaries for SBS.

From 1992 to 2014, Rhoda worked at Vibe Australia. She produced and hosted the national radio show Deadly Sounds. She also worked for Network 10 and ABC Radio National.

Creating Festivals and Events

In 1997, Rhoda started the Festival of the Dreaming. This was a big Indigenous arts festival in Sydney. Its success led her to direct other large cultural events.

In 2000, she was the Indigenous Cultural Advisor for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She helped create "The Awakening," an Aboriginal part of the opening ceremony. From 2008 to 2011, she was the creative director for the Sydney New Year's Eve celebrations.

Sydney Opera House and Beyond

In 2012, Rhoda became the head of Indigenous programming at the Sydney Opera House. This job was created just for her. She held this important role until 2021. While there, she hosted Deadly Voices from the House, a weekly program and podcast.

She has also worked on film and TV projects.

Stage Productions

Rhoda has acted in, written, and directed many plays.

• In 1988, she performed in Akwanso, Fly South.
• In 1993, she co-starred in Radiance, a very important play for Indigenous theatre.
• She performed in her own one-woman show, Please Explain, in 1998.
• She also created Bible Boxing Love, which toured in 2008.
• In 2009, she directed an opera called Miracle in Brisbane.
• In 2012, she wrote and directed Yarrabah the Musical for Opera Australia.
• In 2019, her show Natives Go Wild was performed at the Sydney Opera House.

In late August 2024, Rhoda presented a new play called My Cousin Frank. It is about her cousin Frank, who was the first Aboriginal Australian to go to the the Olympics for boxing in 1964. The play tells the story of her family's journey and includes the history of Cubawee, the community her grandfather started.

Other Important Roles

Rhoda Roberts has taken on many other roles and activities.

• She taught windsurfing from 1979 to 1982.
• In 2010, she was a consultant for the Garma Festival.
• After musician Ruby Hunter passed away, Rhoda directed tribute concerts called Nukkan Ya Ruby. She is also an ambassador for the Archie Roach Foundation.
• She was a guest curator for the Queensland Performing Arts Centre's Clancestry Festival.
• Around 2014, she started Dance Rites, a dance competition for Indigenous dancers.
• As of 2022, she was still directing the Boomerang Festival at Byron Bay. She also works as a consultant for many arts organizations.
• She has worked with museums and First Nations groups around the world.

Rhoda has also served on many important boards. These include the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board and the Sydney Opera House Trust. In September 2024, she was appointed to First Nations Arts, a new part of the Australia Council that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts.

She has also written a novel called Tullymorgan.

Recognition and Awards

Rhoda Roberts has received many awards and honors for her work.

Awards and Honours

• 1997: Sidney Myer Facilitator's Award
• 1998: Deadly Award for Broadcasting
• 2016: She was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). This was for her great service to the performing arts and for promoting Indigenous culture.
• 2017: Centenary Sue Nattrass Awards
• 2019: Ros Bower Award from the Australia Council

Other Recognition

A photograph of Rhoda Roberts is kept at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

Actress Deborah Mailman has praised Rhoda Roberts. She said Rhoda is a powerful role model who made sure the Sydney Opera House welcomed Indigenous people and celebrated their stories.

In September 2021, Rhoda Roberts became the first elder-in-residence at SBS Television. In this role, she guides and advises on Indigenous content.

She is widely respected as an Aboriginal elder and is often called "Auntie."

Personal Life

Rhoda Roberts has three children. Her eldest daughter, Emily, is her twin sister's biological child, whom Rhoda raised from birth.

Rhoda married actor Bill Hunter in 1993. They raised Emily together. They separated around 1999. Bill Hunter later told her he left because he didn't want her to have to nurse him through his illness. They never officially divorced.

Her current partner is Steven Field, a landscape designer. They met around the time of a sad event involving Rhoda's sister. Steven became a stepfather to Emily. They have two children together, Jack and Sarah. As of 2019, they were building a home in Bundjalung country.

Rhoda also had a cousin named Frank, who was a champion boxer. Many other men in the Roberts family were boxers, and they were known as "the fighting family of Lismore."