Patrons
We acknowledge the wisdom, experience and value of our women elders and most successful female artists. We carry, posthumously and with permission, the legacy of those extraordinary women who have gone before and are no longer with us.
AWMA Chair
Patricia (Little Pattie) Amphlett
“I feel honoured and absolutely thrilled to be a patron of this great project, as we celebrate the many achievements of Australian women in music. I am so proud and humbled to be carrying my cousin Chrissy’s legacy with us. I know that she too, would be so proud. We women in music are known for our patience. AWMA is well worth the wait!”
(Little) Pattie Amphlett
Dr Lou Bennett
“We dance our Mother Earth
We sing our Mother Tongue
We pay tribute to and acknowledge the matrilineal.
As Original Sovereigns we live in relationality and we are responsible for restoring and re-storying balance in our countries. With this knowledge, I give my full support to AWMA. Let’s all commit to bringing back balance.”
We sing our Mother Tongue
We pay tribute to and acknowledge the matrilineal.
As Original Sovereigns we live in relationality and we are responsible for restoring and re-storying balance in our countries. With this knowledge, I give my full support to AWMA. Let’s all commit to bringing back balance.”
Dr Lou Bennett
Kate Ceberano
“I feel very honored to be part of this community of women in music! I have had the great pleasure of working with one of the most successful women in management (my mum) early in my career. We made bold choices together and faced many adversities that would not have ordinarily been placed before other male artists at that time. We have faced, fought and won many “first Evers” in the business but we have also faced many prejudices and obstacles along the way. I live to tell the tale and feel humbled to be standing in amongst the new guard, and future guard, knowing that institutions such as this will be safeguarding and protecting the beauty that women bring to Music of Australia!”
Kate Ceberano
Deborah Conway
“There is still a degree of reluctance to acknowledge the enormous breadth of genres that Australian women have occupied. In establishing dedicated awards for female musicians, AWMA provides whoever is given a gong another opportunity to reap some publicity for their creative enterprise.”
Deborah Conway
Jenny Morris
“I am very happy to be involved in this long overdue project. My feeling is that women and female minority groups have well and truly served their time as the undervalued, under estimated and under supported element of our music industry. I know that there are vast numbers of men who support women and huge numbers of women who want more so together let’s create the mother of all paradigm shifts. I believe the ethos of the AWMA’s is one that will set us all on the right path and along the way will celebrate women’s musical achievements and give us fantastic entertainment to boot!”
Jenny Morris
Posthumous
Chrissy Amphlett
“Chrissy’s life was full of passion and creativity and her powerful influence continues to burn vibrantly. She was a pioneering force for strong, sexy women and a ground-breaker for women to demand their place on the Australian rock scene. Chrissy would be extremely proud to stand in celebration of the achievements of women in Australian Music and I am delighted her legacy will shine on as an AWMA Patron.”
Charley Drayton
Posthumous
Ruby Hunter
“Ruby was a proud woman with a nurturing spirit that shone through in her songs. She was an honest songwriter who had no need to embellish those songs with sophisticated lyrics as they were straight from her heart. She wrote about domestic violence and child abuse; songs to empower women and protect children. Everything she wrote spoke of the importance of family. Ruby would be so proud to be honoured as an AWMA Patron. She was an example for other First Nations women to be the best they could be as she was.”