Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
Lifestyle
Callum Godde

State funeral for Uncle Jack Charles

The state funeral for Jack Charles will be held at Hamer Hall in Melbourne on October 18. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Beloved Indigenous elder and storyteller Uncle Jack Charles will be honoured at a state funeral in Melbourne.

The actor, musician, activist and member of the Stolen Generations died at Royal Melbourne Hospital on September 13 after suffering a stroke. He was 79.

His family has accepted an offer from the Victorian government for the state funeral to be held at Hamer Hall on October 18, Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Monday.

"There is no actor, no activist, no survivor and no Victorian quite like Uncle Jack Charles," Mr Andrews said in a statement.

"He leaves behind a legacy - one of profound honesty, survival and reconciliation - and one that every single Victorian can be proud of."

The event will be ticketed and open to the public.

It will be live streamed into prisons, remand centres and youth justice centres across Victoria, in recognition of Charles' work within the state's justice system.

The Boon Wurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Woiwurrung and Yorta Yorta man's career spanned decades and featured film roles in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978) and Blackfellas (1993).

His other works included touring his one-man show Jack Charles v The Crown based on his life, appearing in ABC TV series Preppers and participating in SBS's Who Do You Think You Are.

Most recently he was the voice of the AFL's advertising campaign for the 2022 finals series and was honoured during the Welcome To Country before Saturday's decider at the MCG.

Earlier this year, Charles spoke at Victoria's truth-telling Yoorrook Justice Commission about being taken from his mother as a four-month-old and growing up in a Salvation Army Boys' Home in Box Hill, where he was sexually abused and taunted.

Charles' family gave permission to use his name and images after his death.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.