Rob Hirst ProfileThe final words Rob Hirst ever wrote have been immortalised and will soon be available for fans to read in the forthcoming release of the book, World is Almost at Peace.
As the drummer for one of Australia’s most loved bands, Midnight Oil, Hirst was recognised as the band’s heartbeat—and one of Australia’s most revered songwriters, with his vocals on many of the group’s songs.
For nearly 50 years, he wrote and co-wrote some of Australia’s best-known songs, including Beds Are Burning, The Dead Heart, Read About It, Forgotten Years, King of the Mountain, and many more. And for the first time, World is Almost at Peace spotlights Hirst’s songwriting process with his bandmates, Peter Garrett and Jim Moginie.
In the book, he breaks down the band’s writing process line by line and offers a unique look at how so many Midnight Oil hits were made. The book highlights his entire lyric catalogue, plus early handwritten drafts, hand-printed posters, unseen photos, behind-the-scenes stories, and more.
The stunning collectors’ item, set for hardcover release, arrives on Tuesday, 27 October, and is now available to pre-order via Pantera / Hardie Grant Books.
On the book’s release date, Melbourne’s Hamer Hall will host a special celebration, including the public unveiling of Hirst’s iconic drum kit, which will be displayed as part of the Australian Performing Arts Collection at Arts Centre Melbourne.
Of course, a celebration of Midnight Oil and Rob Hirst can’t happen without live music. Jim Moginie will be joined by the band’s close friends and collaborators, including Mick Thomas, Hoodoo Gurus’ Nik Rieth, Things of Stone and Wood, Ash Naylor, Hannah Crofts, and many others.
Members of Midnight Oil’s fan community, known as Powderworkers, will gather at the Melbourne venue after collectively funding the successful campaign to secure the drum kit for public exhibition.
Rob Hirst’s daughter, Lex Hirst, who’s also the publisher of World is Almost at Peace, said, “At the start of 2026, it became clear Dad wasn’t going to live to see the book’s publication, and he started handing over the remaining pieces to my sisters and I as we sat by his bedside. He was thrilled to be able to hand this final work over to his own personal publisher – to know his words would find their way out into the world even after he left it.”
Rob Hirst passed away in January at age 70.
His bandmates confirmed the news, three years after the legendary drummer was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. “After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain - ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness’,” the band said.
“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.”
Artists including Powderfinger, Regurgitator, Dallas Frasca, Jimmy Barnes, Tasman Keith, The Living End’s Chris Cheney, and Hirst’s daughter and singer Jay O’Shea all left touching tributes following his passing.
