It was a time of celebration, of tall ships and protest … Australia’s Bicentenary in 1988 marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788.
It was also a time of change, as we saw with Brisbane’s World Expo 88 in which the river city moved onto the world stage.
When Expo finished it left a gaping hole in the social and cultural fabric of the community.
People had experienced something wonderful and they were keen to see what could come next.
Bill Hauritz and the Maleny Folk Club had the answer.
There are times when you realise something is going to be important and the timing means so much.
This was one of those moments.
Those first folk festivals were held at the Maleny Showgrounds and followed the spirit of Expo 88. Music, performance workshops, political discussions and food stalls.
Some of the acts who performed under starlight were Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band featuring Tim Conway, and Kevin Carmody singing From Little Things Big Things Grow – something he wrote with Paul Kelly.
It was the story of Vincent Lingiari who was part of the Aboriginal Land Rights movement when the Gurindji people walked off Wave Hill Station in the 1960s, and set up their community at Dagu Ragu.
Then there was Archie Roach with his plaintiff song, Took The Children Away.
The Maleny Folk Festival was to quickly outgrow the showgrounds and moved to its own land at Woodford.
The 200ha site, a former dairy farm, has been lovingly regenerated with more than 140,000 subtropical rainforest trees.
Woodfordia has become not just a national celebration of Australian life through folk music and cultural discussions, but something that is firmly planted on the international calendar.
Bill Hauritz was a big man with a big heart and a big smile. He passed away on Monday morning but will leave a lasting legacy as the godfather of Australian folk music.
Bill was always optimistic despite some serious setbacks through his life and throughout the history of the festival. This year will be the 38th Woodford Folk Festival and the 31st held at Woodfordia.
Bill and the team faced those challenges and overcame them with the wonderful nature he became famous for … and the persistence to make sure the dream came to life.
Woodfordia is the largest gathering of artists and musicians in Australia.
Bob Abbot, a former mayor of both the Sunshine Coast and of Noosa, has been both performer and continual supporter of the folk festival as general committee member.
He said the impact Bill Hauritz made was far beyond generational in that a 500-year plan has been put into place at Woodfordia.
“At the time the idea was ridiculed as being far-fetched. But the idea was always to begin with the end in mind.
“That legacy of what Bill has left for world folk music and Australian culture is immeasurable.
“He spoke of Australia as a country with a very broad base. The strength of the indigenous culture has been there from start but there are now cultures from around the world … and that world is immense.
“What Bill did in particular was brought the folk world together so everyone could enjoy it.
“Folk is about people, about folk. That’s what a lot didn’t understand, but he bought it out in all of us.
“People in suits in the city would turn up in their the tie-dyes and with tents. It is quite an experience.
“Woodfordia is a safe environment, a place where people look after each other.
“This year Bill will still be playing his mandolin … and watching the 500-year plan come together.”
VALE BILL HAURITZ AM
By Amanda Jackes, Woodfordia Inc managing director and co-founder
With great sadness, we announce the passing of Bill Hauritz AM, founder of the Woodford Folk Festival and Woodfordia.
A cultural leader, fierce optimist and creative visionary, Bill transformed the landscape of Australian festivals and community life.
Bill’s journey began with a deep love of folk music. In his early years, it was through tunes, song and story that he found connection, and came to understand the power of culture to bring people together, spark dialogue and build community.
That passion for folk music remained at the heart of everything he created.
From the Maleny Folk Festival’s humble beginnings in 1987 to the creation of the 500-acre cultural parkland Woodfordia, Bill’s belief in the arts as a unifying, transformative force never wavered.
His work gave rise to one of Australia’s most beloved celebrations of music, ideas and community, the Woodford Folk Festival, drawing over 120,000 people annually to a six-day village of creativity and connection.
Under Bill’s leadership, Woodfordia became a living, breathing expression of what a better world might feel like.
His vision extended far beyond event-making. It was rooted in environmental stewardship, respect for Indigenous culture, intergenerational knowledge-sharing, and the protection and celebration of intangible cultural heritage, and a deep faith in humanity.
In 2023, this vision was formally recognised on the world stage, when UNESCO presented Woodfordia with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Award at the Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage.
This honour reflected Bill’s tireless and loving commitment to fostering living traditions through community, creativity and care.
Yet it was his humility, humour and sincere belief in people that made him most loved.
Bill didn’t just think in festivals or years. He dreamed in centuries.
One of his most remarkable contributions was the creation of Woodfordia’s 500-Year Plan, an audacious, living document that imagines a future shaped by care for country, community and creativity.
While others planned for seasons, Bill planned for generations, planting trees whose shade he would never sit under, building cultural systems designed to last.
It was both a poetic gesture and a practical blueprint, and it stands today as one of the most enduring expressions of his belief that the best way to shape the future is to start building it now.
Bill was also recognised as a Queensland Great, received the Order of Australia (AM), and was honoured as a Smithsonian Fellow, acknowledging his outstanding contribution to the cultural fabric of Australia and beyond.
Bill is deeply mourned by his wife Ingrid, sons Tom and Jack, daughter-in-law Mel, and grandchildren Elke and Stellan, alongside the extended Woodfordia family of organisers, artists, volunteers and festival-goers whose lives he helped shape. He was so loved.
