Lessons in Wiradjuri

Now I’m proud to say ‘I’m Indigenous’. Learning for the children has meant learning for myself and regaining my culture and my connection.

Students from Holy Family Parish School and St Patrick’s Primary School Trundle form the Wiradjuri word for ‘sorry’ on the school oval.

Students wearing masks they made while learning how the kangaroo got its tail.

Wiradjuri language and culture lessons are a regular part of the timetable for all year groups at Holy Family Parish School Parkes, NSW, Sue Osborne writes.

Principal Denise Gersbach said the school’s journey to including Wiradjuri language and culture in every aspect of school life was a long one.

“Some years ago, the bare bones were being done. More was needed,” Gersbach said.

The school was able to access some funding from the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes Education Office to employ a Wiradjuri tutor for one year.

The Wiradjuri nation is the biggest in NSW, and the language is the most widely spoken Aboriginal tongue in Australia. Stan Grant Senior (the father of journalist Stan Grant) has been instrumental in a language revival movement around Parkes, Dubbo, Young and Forbes.

Grant Senior’s grandfather was arrested in the 1940s for speaking Wiradjuri to his son in the street. He spent a night in the cell and never spoke his language in public again.

In 2010 Grant Senior and Dr John Rudder published the 600-page A New Wiradjuri Dictionary. Grant Senior also initiated a two-year Wiradjuri course at Charles Sturt University.

The introduction of language and culture to Holy Family has been a challenging journey for Aboriginal Education Worker (AEW) Donna Payne, who has worked at Holy Family for 10 years.

Every Wednesday afternoon she attends Parkes Wiradjuri Language Group with elder Geoff Anderson, and other Aboriginal Education Officers from Parkes. Holy Family is the only Catholic school in Parkes.

They learn the Wiradjuri language and make videos and recordings to share their languages with the wider community. Before she started attending these classes, Payne said she was not well informed about her own language and culture.

“My grandmother never spoke about it. She was brought up being told not to. So there was only so much information I could get. But Geoff [Anderson] has taught me a lot more.

“Now I’m proud to say ‘I’m Indigenous’. Learning for the children has meant learning for myself and regaining my culture and my connection.”

Payne went to Holy Family herself as a child and said there was no language and culture teaching at that time.

“If we’d have had the kind of education that the children are getting now, I think there’d have been less discrimination back in the day.

“Nowadays it just comes naturally to me to be proud of who I am, but it wasn’t always like that.”

Raising cultural awareness

She said everyone has pulled together, the principal, the diocese and the community, and that’s why the introduction of Wiradjuri had been such a success.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, but Denise [Gersbach] has always believed in it and backed me up.”

Payne teaches fortnightly 30-minute language and culture lessons for Years K-6.

Gersbach said, “Every student and staff members’ cultural awareness has been raised.”

“The fortnightly lessons support other KLAs [key learning areas]. It’s an integral part of school life, with lots of sacred spaces around the school, language everywhere you look.

“The students used to go to the high school or Red Bend Catholic College to access dance. Now they have started their own Aboriginal dance group using what they’ve learnt about culture.

“The CEO has provided cultural resources and Donna has created scope and sequencing.

“Students love it and are very engaged. The infants love dancing and movement in class or hearing a Dreamtime story.”

The number of students identifying as First Nations at the school has almost doubled from less than 20 to almost 40.

“The Aboriginal students find it a fantastic recognition of their culture. It unites all students.”

Gersbach said parents have also responded positively.

“This is not an extra, this is who we are. It’s just what’s expected.”

A voice for all

Payne said children love her classes, as everyone has equal opportunity.

“Doesn’t matter if they’re really quiet, or have trouble settling, if they’re doing really well at maths or not, in Wiradjuri everyone get to have their voice. It encourages respect for everyone.”

Payne said Parkes has become a centre for Indigenous language. “Before, you had to go overseas to see examples of good Indigenous language and learning. Now people are coming to Parkes.”

She is on the executive committee of the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group in Parkes, which invites First Nations students from each school in the area to participate in community roles such as ANZAC Day, NAIDOC Week and Sorry Day ceremonies. The Junior AECG also hold regular meetings to discuss the happenings in each school and this gives the children a voice and active role in the community.

Gersbach said she has observed students participating in these formal activities growing in confidence and responsibility.

Gersbach and Payne recently travelled to Leura in the Blue Mountains to present ‘Birrang, Our Wiradjuri Journey’ at the Catholic Schools NSW Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander State Education Conference 2022.

IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Organiser Jackie Groom attended the conference and described their presentation as “inspiring”.

Other principals and even some Wilcannia-Forbes Catholic Education Office staff, who were not aware of the extent of the school’s achievements, were keen to learn more after seeing their presentation.

“The journey’s not over, we want to keep moving forward,” Gersbach said.