William Hauritz, AM (1953 or 1954 – 8 December 2025) was an Australian music festival director. He was the director of the Woodford Folk Festival held annually in Queensland, from its inception in 1994 until his retirement in 2022 when the directorship was handed to Amanda Jackes. He was instrumental in the creation of the Maleny Folk Festival which was the precursor to Woodford and ran for seven years (1986–1993) at Maleny Showgrounds.[1] In 2018, he was named as one of the Queensland Greats by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in a ceremony at the Queensland Art Gallery on 8 June 2018.[2]
Hauritz was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2005 Australia Day Honours for "service to the community, particularly through the establishment of the Woodford Folk Festival and leadership roles in organisations that provide a forum for the promotion of cross-cultural and artistic awareness".[3]
He stepped down as director upon the return of the festival after a two year COVID-19 hiatus in 2022.[1]
Hauritz died on 8 December 2025, at the age of 71.[4] Tributes flow in from figures in the music industry and the minister for the arts, Tony Burke.[5]
Awards
Queensland Music Awards
The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.[6]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011[7][8] | himself | Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award | awarded |
References
- ^ a b Sunshine Coast News (28 March 2023). "'Visionary' festival founder praised as new era starts". Sunshine Coast News. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ "Congratulations to the 2018 Queensland Greats". Queensland Greats Awards. Queensland Government. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ "HAURITZ, William". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ Keszler, Sarah (9 December 2025). "Woodford Folk Festival founder Bill Hauritz remembered as much-loved cultural leader". 7news.com.au. Archived from the original on 9 December 2025. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ Green, Stephen (8 December 2025). "Vale Bill Hauritz AM: Woodford Folk Festival Founder Passes Away". The Music Press. SGC Group. Archived from the original on 9 December 2025. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ "About the Queensland Music Awards". Queensland Music Awards. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "Past Winners 2011". Queensland Music Awards. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Photos Queensland Music Awards 2011 Winners". Music Feeds. August 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
Attribution
This article was based on material from 2018 Queensland Greats recipients © The State of Queensland 2018, released under CC-BY-4.0 license, accessed on 27 October 2018.
External links
