Roozi Araghi was many things to the people who knew and loved him – an ardent Madonna fan, an activist, a student who fell into the SRC and became a permanent fixture of the place for years to come. He was often all of these things at once, singing along to Madonna and Prince late in the night while editing Honi in the year 2000. His editorial team is still fondly remembered for their unrelenting satire.
He was, in many ways, typical of the kind of people who hang around the SRC – a student activist who narrowly lost a bid for the presidency, and who became a caseworker on graduation. He was Well-spoken and clever, well known for his humour, wit and courage. He was left-wing and queer and wore his politics proudly, refusing to be defined by growing up in the bible belt of Sydney’s Hills district.
Roozi was thrilled to land a job at the ABS, moving to Canberra like he had won the lottery. He was good with statistics and words and yet once so terrible at getting dressed that he and his partner Luke delayed a wedding, making the bride and the guests wait in the rain while they tweaked outfits they felt weren’t quite right. In this and in other things, he made people laugh.
Roozi was a thoughtful colleague, a passionate co-conspirator, and a wonderful friend. He loved Madonna more than he loved life itself, and he loved Luke until the very end. We will remember him always.
