Interpreter -Rob Hirst

"Stu Spence's If You Return struck an immediate chord (literally). Stu's mysterious river scene put me right back on my old wooden fishing boat, meandering up the misty, majestic Hawkesbury River from the ocean to the public wharf at Windsor.

 The Hawkesbury holds dark secrets; in the early days of the Sydney Cove colony the river was deep and navigable, and opened up the rich soils of the plains west of Port Jackson for farmers and settlers. But it also made possible the eviction and destruction of the original riverains - the First Nations communities who had inhabited the river banks for thousands of years.  The Hungry Sea tells the story of my return voyage down the Hawkesbury to the open ocean, navigating a safe passage by keeping the red channel markers on the right - 'red right returning'. "

ARTIST BIO

Rob Hirst was born in Camden, New South Wales. As a founder member of the internationally successful Midnight Oil, over the last twenty-five years he has co-written the words and melodies for many of the group's best-known songs, including 'Beds Are Burning', 'The Dead Heart', 'Short Memory', 'The Power and the Passion', 'Forgotten Years', 'King of the Mountain' and many others. His singing, songwriting, drumming and guitar can also be heard on three Ghostwriters albums, plus the latest CD, HANOI, by Australian blues legends the Backsliders. Rob has written and spoken on behalf of music education, produced up-and-coming musicians, co-produced an album of songs for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and compiled OIL DRUMS, a collection of Midnight Oil songs scored for percussionists. When not on tour, he lives at home in Sydney with his family.

Find Rob Hirst here: https://robhirst.com.au/