Creative Australia and Music Australia join the arts sector in mourning the passing of the great Bill Hauritz AM, a cultural visionary whose work reshaped the way Australians experience festivals, and indeed, community. Bill believed deeply in the power of the arts to bring people together, and dedicated his life to creating spaces where music, ideas, and human connection could thrive.
From the early days of the Maleny Folk Festival to the creation of Woodfordia, Bill imagined festivals as living ecosystems: places for learning, inclusion, and intergenerational engagement. Under his leadership, the Woodford Folk Festival grew into one of Australia’s most significant cultural gatherings, welcoming more than 100,000 people each year and inspiring countless artists and audiences.
A Queensland Great, a Smithsonian Fellow, and a Member of the Order of Australia, Bill’s contributions to the sector are significant and widely recognised.
Bill’s relationship with Creative Australia (then the Australia Council for the Arts) began in 1989 with a grant for performers and speakers on Aboriginal history at the Maleny Folk Festival - a fitting beginning for a leader whose work would champion truth-telling and cultural exchange throughout his career. Over the decades, Creative Australia supported the Maleny Folk Festival as it grew into the Woodford Folk Festival and engaged Bill in mentorship programs that shaped future cultural leaders.
Bill's generosity extended beyond his own events: in 2005, he offered Woodfordia as the home for the Dreaming Festival, which quickly became a landmark celebration of Indigenous arts and a global showcase of cultural excellence.
Bill’s influence extended beyond the festival gates, showing what was possible when optimism and creativity meet community. He wrote in a 2002 letter to the Australia Council:
“We are now deep into the planning of the future development of our site. We are ambitious, we’re imagining 500 acres of beautiful parklands dedicated to the Arts, Humanities and Folk Lore.”
A vision that became reality and a living testament to his belief in building sustainable cultural spaces for generations to come. Bill’s impact is not only in the events he created, but in the friendships, collaborations, and ideas that continue to ripple through the sector.
Millie Millgate, Director, Music Australia:
"Nobody could ever forget the day they first meet Bill Hauritz. Welcoming, fun, inspiring and passionate. The descriptor of legend is thrown round far too loosely, however he has earned and embodied the title for decades. Bill’s contribution to the Australian music landscape has been profound and immense. With no fanfare or need for spotlight - under Bill’s leadership the Woodford team haven’t just created one of our most important and longest standing multi-day multi-stage festivals, they’ve built worlds. A world for belonging, for learning, for artist discovery and development, for inclusion, for generations and for the earth. Thank you Bill for such a unique and meaningful legacy - you will be very missed.”
Zohar Spatz, Head of Community and Experimental, Creative Australia:
“Bill built community, inspiring tens of thousands to help shape a festival that redefined what was possible and gifted us a home for friendship, belonging and bold, world-shifting ideas. His generosity and mentorship showed me the power of optimism and shared magic; this New Year’s Eve I will be lighting a candle in his honour. My deepest condolences to Ingrid, Tom, Jack and the Woodford family.”
Wesley Enoch AM, Chair, Creative Australia:
“I first met Bill in 1991 when the festival was still at Maleny. His vision and energy, his big voice and huge heart always shone through. Larger than life was a phrase often used and he leaves us with a vision larger than a single lifetime, something that shall be remembered for generations to come.”
Bill Hauritz AM leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of creativity and care. Our deepest condolences to Ingrid, Tom, Jack, Mel, Elke and Stellan, and the extended Woodfordia family.
Vale Bill Hauritz AM
1954-2025
