Music legends The Seekers get St Kilda street named in their honour
Bruce Woodley has returned to where things began for The Seekers in St Kilda to mark a street being renamed in honour of his iconic band.
Australian legend Bruce Woodley returned to where things began for The Seekers in St Kilda on Friday to launch a street being renamed in honour of his iconic band.
“Seekers Way” was unveiled on Friday by the Port Phillip council.
Previously known as Nelson St, the change was prompted to avoid confusion with another Nelson St nearby.
It was only when a council officer delved into the history of the seemingly unremarkable site that they discovered it held an extraordinary link to musical history.
A house on the street, when owned by the late Judith Durham, was a base where the band rehearsed for recordings and tours.
Formed in 1962, The Seekers still remain one of Australia’s most successful musical exports, and they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1995 and Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2015.
Hits created by the signature sound of Athol Guy, Keith Potger, Judith Durham and Bruce Woodley are still recognised by millions of music lovers, including Georgy Girl, I’ll Never Find Another You and The Carnival is Over.
Bruce, Athol and Keith said they were honoured by the council’s decision.
“The Seekers have been lucky enough in our long career to have received many awards, but we could not have imagined that we would be honoured in this unique fashion,” they said.
“It’s a great way (pun intended) to cap off our 63rd anniversary since The Seekers formed in late 1962. Many thanks to the City of Port Phillip and the team working on this renaming process to create Seekers Way. We’re delighted that it only runs one way: forward!”
Keith Potger said the Seekers Way house held special memories for the band.
“It was where we met to thrash out contracts, to recognise each other’s birthdays and to generally keep The Seekers name ticking along,” he said.
To celebrate the band further, local First Nations singer Jess Hitchcock performed The Carnival Is Over before Port Phillip councillor Serge Thomann handed a replica of the street sign to Bruce Woodley.
The late Judith Durham’s sister Beverley Sheehan was also in attendance for the event.
