The global music community mourns the loss of Midnight Oil co-founder Rob Hirst, a formidable drummer, songwriter and activist whose work helped shape Australian rock and carried its voice to the world.
by Paul Cashmere
The death of Rob Hirst at the age of 70 has sent shockwaves through the Australian and international music community. After an almost three-year battle with pancreatic cancer, one of the most respected figures in Australian rock has been silenced, leaving behind a body of work that continues to resonate across generations. Hirst is survived by his wife Lesley Holland and his daughters Gabriella, Lex and Jay.
Born Robert George Hirst on September 3, 1955, Hirst grew up in Camden in Sydney’s outer west before his family relocated to the northern beaches, an environment that would deeply inform his lifelong connection to the ocean and the Australian landscape. Music became a central force early on. While still at school, Hirst formed bands with close friend Jim Moginie, developing a musical partnership that would endure for more than five decades.
In 1972, Hirst and Moginie co-founded a group initially known as Farm. The arrival of Peter Garrett on vocals and Martin Rotsey on guitar cemented the core lineup that would soon become Midnight Oil. From the outset, Hirst was central to the band’s identity, not just as its drummer but as a songwriter and creative driver. Alongside Moginie, he formed the band’s original songwriting engine, later joined by Garrett as Midnight Oil’s political voice grew stronger.
Emerging from Australia’s unforgiving pub rock circuit of the 1970s and early 1980s, Midnight Oil earned a reputation as one of the most intense live acts in the country. Hirst’s drumming was powerful, relentless and unmistakable, whether behind a conventional kit or famously striking a steel water tank during performances of The Power And The Passion. His physical style helped define the band’s sonic force and its confrontational stage presence.
Midnight Oil quickly distinguished themselves through their commitment to social and political issues. As the band’s music evolved, Hirst played a vital role in shaping songs that addressed Aboriginal rights, environmental protection, nuclear disarmament and corporate power. These themes carried the band far beyond Australian shores, particularly following the global success of Diesel And Dust, recorded after extensive touring through remote Indigenous communities.
Although Hirst was modest about his voice, his distinctive backing vocals became an essential part of the Midnight Oil sound. He also stepped into the spotlight as a lead singer on key tracks, most notably Kosciusko, further demonstrating his versatility within the band.
Outside Midnight Oil, Hirst maintained an extraordinary creative output. He was a driving force behind projects including Ghostwriters, Backsliders, The Angry Tradesmen and The Break, exploring blues, surf rock and experimental forms with the same intensity he brought to his primary band. His book Willie’s Bar & Grill offered a personal account of Midnight Oil’s 2001 tour of the United States in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, revealing his reflective and deeply thoughtful perspective on music and the world around it.
In November last year, Hirst released his final project, the EP A Hundred Years Or More, created with Moginie and longtime collaborator Hamish Stuart. The release was deeply personal, reflecting on a life shaped by music, friendship and resilience. At the time, Hirst spoke openly about his gratitude for a career that spanned six decades, describing himself as “lucky” to have lived a life immersed in creativity.
Family was central to Hirst’s later years. He collaborated musically with all three of his daughters, including work with Gabriella and Lex on A Hundred Years Or More, and the album The Lost And The Found with Jay O’Shea in 2020. That project followed their reunion a decade earlier, after O’Shea had been adopted out as a child.
Beyond music, Hirst was a committed environmental advocate whose love for the ocean bordered on spiritual. Living near Manly, he swam daily at the local dog beach, finding solace in salt water and bushland. Even during illness, the natural world remained a source of strength and perspective.
Rob Hirst was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in April 2023, just six months after Midnight Oil played their final concert at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion in October 2022. That performance now stands as a powerful closing chapter to one of Australia’s most important bands.
Hirst’s legacy is vast. As a musician, activist, writer and collaborator, he helped define what Australian music could stand for on the world stage. His rhythm, conviction and humanity continue to echo long after the final beat.
In a statement Midnight Oil posted:
After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain – ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness’. He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. The family asks that anyone wanting to honour Rob donate to Pankind, Pancreatic Cancer Australia or Support Act.
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