News from the ILF Bidyadanga Remote Community. Photography by Wayne Quilliam Dear friend, I hope you had a safe, enjoyable and relaxing holiday break. At ILF, we are refreshed and motivated by plans for a challenging year of growth and change and we invite you as a much valued supporter to continue to be part of our journey. This year sees major changes in our Board and team, the launch of our Innovate Reconciliation Plan and a new strategic vision. In the first exciting news of the year, we welcome two new staff members to our team. Welcome to Tictac (Dianne) Moore, who will be our first full time Regional Program Coordinator based in the Tiwi Islands (NT), and to Seeba Tapim, who will support ILF’s growing programs as a full time Program Administrator. In other exciting news we'd like to congratulate Declan Miller, author of Mixed Feelings, one of the graphic novels we will be publishing mid this year, who this week was awarded Central Australian Citizen of the Year Award 2021. Congratulations Declan! ILF's ambitious plans over the next 12 months include:
With the challenges of COVID-19 still very much in our thoughts, our focus this year is on virtual events and digital fundraising campaigns. The launch of ILF’s Build Your Library campaign this week provides an ideal opportunity for all schools, community libraries as well as individuals to add four exceptional Indigenous books to their collection. We were also proud to be a sponsor of this year's virtual Yabun Festival. This annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture highlights the heritage, resilience and contribution of First Nations peoples. We encourage you to explore their website and support Indigenous led businesses and organisations. Finally, we’d like to acknowledge the passing of Michael Bryce AM AE, husband of our much loved co-Patron, Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO, and send our deepest sympathy and respect to the family. Yours sincerely, Karen Williams OAM |