Rhoda Roberts Wins Posthumous Lifetime Award
The 2026 Naidoc awards honour the 'fearless, brilliant' promoter of First Nations culture, recognising her dedication to sharing and preserving Indigenous culture through language, dance, and ceremony
Rhoda Roberts, a prominent promoter of First Nations culture, was posthumously awarded the lifetime achievement award at the 2026 Naidoc awards. The award recognises her dedication to sharing and preserving First Nations culture through language, dance, and ceremony.
Rhoda Roberts was a Proud Widjabul Wieybal woman of the Bundjalung nation, who died in March 2026 aged 66. Her work as a creative director and choreographer was widely recognised, including her role in the 2000 Sydney Olympics opening ceremony, where she choreographed the Awakening segment.
The Naidoc awards recognise the outstanding contributions, achievements and excellence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia. The 2026 awards celebrate 50 years of the event, with the minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, saying that this year's winners 'embody the spirit of Naidoc'.
Rhoda Roberts had a long and distinguished career, including becoming the first Aboriginal person to host a prime-time current affairs program, SBS's Vox Populi in 1991. She also co-founded Deadly Sounds in 1992, which ran for 21 years, and became the inaugural head of Indigenous programming at the Sydney Opera House in 2012.
## Why it matters The award is a testament to Rhoda Roberts' tireless work in promoting and preserving First Nations culture. Her legacy will continue to inspire future generations, with the co-chair of the National Naidoc Committee, Lynette Riley, describing her as 'fearless, brilliant and deeply committed to community and culture'. The Naidoc awards play an important role in recognising the contributions and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and Rhoda Roberts' posthumous award is a fitting tribute to her dedication to Indigenous culture.
The 2026 Naidoc awards celebrate 50 years of recognising and celebrating the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The awards are an important part of Australia's cultural landscape, and Rhoda Roberts' award is a reminder of the importance of preserving and promoting Indigenous culture.
