In 2007 Lillian Eastwood from the Guraki Aboriginal Advisory Committee of City of Newcastle Council consulted Muurrbay linguist Amanda Lissarrague outlining the possibility of incorporating local languages from Warrimay (Gathang) and the language from the Hunter River – Lake Macquarie for a public artwork commissioned by the Honeysuckle Development Corporation, Newcastle. This sculpture designed by Zenscapes Landscape Architects Milne and … Read More
GATHANG STUDENT IN RNLD AWARD FOR CREATIVITY IN INDIGENOUS YOUTH LANGUAGE PROJECTS
Congratulations to Arlene McInherney who has won second prize in the RNLD Award for Creativity in Indigenous Youth Language Projects for: Nyiirunba Gulaman: book about plants which uses the Gathang language, from central-mid north coast of New South Wales. Arlene studied the Gathang language at Port Macquarie TAFE this year. The prize winners come from four states and territories, and … Read More
MAYALAMBALA TEACHING RESOURCE AVAILABLE ONLINE
The language teaching resource Mayalambala is now available electronically, thanks to a collaboration between Muurrbay and Sydney Aboriginal Languages and Computing’s Cat Kutay. Mayalambala is an innovative teaching resource that supports the teaching of Aboriginal languages. It consists of three background posters ‘In the Bush’, ‘At the Beach’ and ‘At Home’, and over two hundred pictures of people and things … Read More
LAUNCH OF YAYGIRR DICTIONARY AND GRAMMAR
Muurrbay and the Yaegl Elders are pleased to announce the launch of the Yaygirr Dictionary and Grammar at Maclean TAFE, this Friday August 3rd at 11am. Please contact Muurrbay. Congratulations to all involved and thanks to the Australian Government’s Indigenous Language Support program. Copies available from Muurrbay, email your order to MRALCAdmin@westnet.com.au For many years the Yaegl Elders have dreamt … Read More
PROPOSED DHANGGATI NAME FOR NEW BRIDGE
The Dhanggati Language Group with support from Muurrbay is currently engaged in researching Dhanggati placenames in the Macleay: those currently in use e.g. Yarrahappinni Mountain (a corruption of yarra yabani koala rolling); those not in use e.g. Baralbalayi (Anderson’s Sugarloaf Mountain); and developing new names for new infrastructure. This includes a submission to the NSW Minister for Roads and Maritime Services to name the … Read More
DJUYALIYN GATHANG LANGUAGE SHOW ON NGARRALINYI RADIO 2TLP
Djuyaliyn Gathang is a weekly radio program on 2TLP, Muurrbay-MRALC staff have enjoyed supporting its development. Djuyaliyn Gathang means ‘speaking Gathang’ and that is what the presenters of the show will be doing on the air waves! A weekly Gathang language show is now being broadcast by Ngarralinyi Radio in Taree. This exciting new development in language revival has been … Read More
WORK EXPERIENCE STUDENT AT MUURRBAY
April Mills-Thom is a Masters of Linguistics student at the University of New England. She is doing a work placement at Muurrbay and is learning about life at a busy regional language centre. In particular April is working with Dallas Walker and others who are preparing the Gumbaynggirr Toolbox database for upload to the FirstVoices project, which will see the … Read More
BELLINGEN READERS & WRITERS FESTIVAL
Muurrbay staff enjoyed a day at the Bellingen writers festival in late March. Gary Williams and Michael Jarrett ran a session on Gumbaynggirr language and culture, and many participants dropped in to the Muurrbay stall with questions about Gumbaynggirr and other Australian languages. Aunty Emily Walker also ran a session on her poetry. It was a great opportunity to learn … Read More
YAPANG GURRAARRBANG GAYANDUGAYIGU
The Dhanggati Language Group has proposed a dual name for the longest bridge in Australia, currently under construction as part of the Kempsey bypass. The proposed name for the 3.2km bridge is Yapang Gurraarrbang Gayandugayigu – Very Long Track to the Other Side. The name is long because the bridge is long. We understand the RMS is considering one other proposal – the … Read More
AIATSIS FUNDS RESTORING OF GUMBAYNGGIRR STORIES
Probably the largest volume of Aboriginal language story material in South East Australia comes from the Gumbaynggirr area. Muurrbay is restoring and publishing the Nymboidan Gumbaynggirr stories of Phillip Shannon as found in researcher Gerhardt Laves’s manuscripts, and is comparing their language and story themes with those of other Gumbaynggirr sources. We are very grateful to the Australian Institute of … Read More