Remembering Roger McLachlan

More than an Elite Musician

On Thursday the April 17 2025, Roger McLachlan passed away from complications due to stage 4 pancreatic cancer, in the company of his wife and soulmate Desley and family. Roger had been diagnosed only eight weeks prior and chose not to make his situation public, therefore his sad passing, was a heartfelt shock to the music and allied industries. Roger was born in Riverton New Zealand on January 15 1954, and became a musician at a very young age. He moved to Australia in 1974 to take up electric bass playing duties for the stage musical ‘Godspell’. Consequently, he established a permanent residence in Melbourne and his career escalated from there.

Roger McLachlan the electric bass player made an enormous contribution to our musical heritage whether as a band member or first call session musician. Over the last five decades, every Australian would have experienced him musically. It could have been the lyrical introductory bass line to John Farnham’s international hit ‘You’re the Voice’, the first two Little River Band albums, Paradise, the debut album by Stars, the iconic jazz fusion band Pyramid, or an Australian movie soundtrack such as Crocodile Dundee. As a musician he was born with conviction, (tastefully) aggressive, a canny decision maker, always playing for the song, whilst companion musicians inevitably felt secure and enabled in his groove. He was one of a kind, elevating the art of electric bass playing and inspiring many by example, but also his generous personality. Whilst he was classified a Rock bass player, he excelled working in most genres; he was the consummate bass player.

However, Roger McLachlan was much more than a unique musical talent, he was a marvellous individual. He loved his friends and they loved him. He was open, loyal, kind and generous in both actions and attitude, and took a genuine interest in people and their opinions. He was innately curious with an abiding passion for knowledge and understanding, and his presence was felt in any gathering. He shared a wonderful relationship with his immediate family. He was proud, and enjoyed his role as father, father-in-law, grandfather, and great grandfather. But many of us will never forget the reciprocal love Roger and his wife Desley had for each other; they were a team in the truest sense of the word. They supported each other in their careers and all other aspects of their life together; they were complementary and inseparable.

Roger and Desley believed in the Australian Commercial and Entertainment Technology Association (ACETA), understanding the necessity for a unified industry. They both made valuable contributions to the ACETA Industry Conventions, and Roger performed the cinematography and post-production roles for ACETA’s last two Archive of Excellence episodes. He also made invaluable contributions to a number of industry challenges including the current problems associated with live sound engineering, all of which ACETA is eternally grateful. If you wish to learn more about Roger McLachlan, he was in fact inducted into the ACETA Archive of Artistic Excellence which you can access here; https://www.aceta.org.au/roger-mclachlan.html

Rest in peace dear friend, and our thoughts are with Desley and family.