Rhoda Roberts AO was a Widjabul Wieybal woman from the Bundjalung nation in northern New South Wales. A producer, director, writer, broadcaster, actor and arts executive, Roberts was a tireless advocate for First Nations cultures and communities. Roberts co-founded the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust in 1988 and worked on television and radio programs including Vox Populi and Deadly Sounds. She was director of the Awakening segment of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games’ opening ceremony, seen by millions worldwide, and brought her creative vision to festivals including the Garma Festival in north-east Arnhem Land. As Head of First Nations Programming at the Sydney Opera House from 2012–21 she embedded cultural knowledge and creative expression into events such as Songlines, the lighting of the Sydney Opera House sails, which opened Vivid Sydney in 2016. In 2025, Roberts performed for the last time at the Opera House in My Cousin Frank, a play she wrote about her cousin, boxing champion Frank Roberts.
In this portrait, from Penny Tweedie’s larger series Standing Strong, Roberts is framed by a fig tree, a vital cultural resource for Widjabul Wieybal people and a powerful emblem of her connection to Country that underpinned her life and work.
Gift of the artist 2004
© Estate of Penny Tweedie
Penny Tweedie (46 portraits)
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