I am happy being with Grandfather.
He takes me to lots of camps.
Grandfather knows a good place to camp.
Us two go for food at sunset. Good!
Us two are happy sleeping on the ground.
Us two see many stars at night.
In the morning we two will fetch food for Grandmother.
Gumbaynggirr language
The Gumbaynggirr Nation extends along the Pacific coast from the Clarence River in the north, the Nambucca River in the south, and the Great Dividing Range in the west. The Gumbaynggirr people share the same language as the Baanbay people located in the uplands to the west, however there are differences in dialects. Concerted efforts to revitalise the Gumbaynggirr language began in the 1980s by a group of respected community Elders. The language continues to be taught in schools today.
Storyteller - Michael Jarrett
Michael Jarrett is a descendant of the Gumbaynggirr people from the Baga-Baga clan of Nambucca Heads on the north coast of NSW. Michael is a Gumbaynggirr language teacher who shares his knowledge of his language widely. Michael acquired his teaching degree from the University of New England, Armidale, and completed his Masters in Indigenous Languages Education at the University of Sydney. He has been employed by the NSW Department of Education, Board of Studies and various language organisations to demonstrate his language teaching skills. Michael strongly believes in keeping his language and culture alive and proudly teaches anyone who wants to learn.
Gamilaraay/Gamilaroi language
The Gamilaroi Nation is the second largest in NSW, encompassing towns such as Gunnedah, Walgett, Boggabilla and Moree.
Gamilaraay is a rich language with a complicated grammatical structure and is spoken in a number of dialects. In recent years there have been ongoing language revitalisation efforts to revive Gamilaraay in schools and communities.
Storytellers - Creed Gordon and Rhonda Ashby
Creed Gordon, aged 11 years, is a young man of the Gamilaraay/ Gamilaroi Nation. Creed attends Lightning Ridge Central School, in the far north west of NSW. Creed has worked with language teachers at the Gamilaraay/ Yuwaalaraay/ Yuawaalayaay Language and Culture Nest to develop the My Weekend with Pop story in Gamilaraay.
Creed has shared his pride in culture and language, and love of learning with the Library whilst being involved in this project.
Rhonda Ashby is the Aboriginal Language and Culture Nest Teacher of Gamilaraay/ Yuwaalaraay/ Yuwaalayaay based at the Lightning Ridge Central School. Rhonda's family grew up in the Walgett district, connected to the Namoi River reserve, with her Gamilaraay/ Yuwaalaraay mother and Gamilaraay/ Yuin father.
Rhonda is a passionate educator whose work focuses on passing on the knowledge of Elders who inspired her to educate and empower the next generation.
For Teachers
An online Teacher's Guide accompanies My Weekend with Pop a short illustrated bilingual story. Teachers and students can read the story in English and listen to it in several NSW Aboriginal languages: Dharawal, Gumbaynggirr, Gamilaraay, Paakantyi and Wiradjuri.
The Teacher's guide includes learning activities for teachers to embed in KLA-specific units of work as a way of including Aboriginal perspectives. The activities are designed for Stage 2 and can be adjusted for Stage 1 or Stage 3 learners . The resource list includes print and multi-media materials that are suitable for teachers of Early Stage 1 through to Stage 6.
