News from the ILF November 2023 ![]() Broome, 2022. Image by Wayne Quilliam. Yamandhu marang Friend, Please help us to continue these important programs in 2024 by contributing to our 2023 Festive Appeal. You can support us by donating via our beautiful Gift of Reading cards, now with the option of digital cards. Every dollar counts, so please if you can, give generously. And if you have little ones in your life, please think about purchasing our bilingual books, an ideal gift to introduce young readers to First Nations languages and stories from remote Communities around the Country. Mandaang guwu, Ben Bowen ![]() ![]() To celebrate UNESCO's second year of the Decade of Indigenous Languages, each month we encourage readers to learn a new word an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language. This month's word is night in Wiradjuri language! Night = ngurung
Wiradjuri Country is located in central New South Wales. ![]() Tiwi Seasons with Marius Tiwi Seasons with Marius is all about daily life on Tiwi. The book includes Tiwi words with a glossary at the back and a QR code on the book which allows readers to listen to the story being told, so all readers can learn the language. This book is so special as it was created by Tiwi College students as part of the 2022 Create Initiative. Read about how this book was produced here. What does it mean to give Read our blog about how a donation to the ILF this Festive Season supports our programs in 2024 and well into the future. Our hope is that we can set-up the infrastructure for Communities to be able to continue writing, publishing and sharing stories without us in the future. Please give the gift of reading this festive season by supporting our 2023 Festive Appeal. ILF Sydney Trivia Night We had so much fun at the ILF Trivia Night in Sydney this year. In addition to a tremendous amount of laughter, the event raised $5,000 across our silent auction, raffle prizes and donations. We are so grateful to all those who attended and to our wonderful host, Richard Glover. Fishy Stories This month the ILF attended the Fishy Stories event. ILF Ambassadors Shelley Ware and David Lawrence held a free workshop, teaching children how to X. We would like to thank all of those who supported us by making a donation, purchasing our books and to the volunteers who managed our booth! Indigenous Leadership Summit We were grateful for the opportunity to connect with other First Nations leaders at the Indigenous Leadership Summit this month. Thank you to all attendees who supported through the raffle prize, book sales and donations. ILF CEO Ben Bowen also highlighted our work in building awareness of the skills, knowledges and wisdoms of remote Communities. SWITCH 2023 Conference We had so much fun attending the SWITCH conference this year and connecting with New South Wales public libraries to showcase the importance of books in language in libraries. ILF Head of Programs, Zoe Cassim, also spoke about the importance of books in First Language and the work of our Foundation across the Country. Australia Post Festive Decoration For each decoration sold, Australia Post will donate $2 to our Foundation to support programs such as Book Supply. The beautiful artwork was produced by ILF Programs Manager, Dianne Moore (Tictac), a proud Tiwi woman from the Tiwi Islands in the north of Australia. Check out the festive decoration here. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Pamela Lofts Bequest Workshop This month we held a Pamela Lofts Bequest Workshops for the first time since 2019 with youth from remote Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Focusing on skill building in digital technology and digital art, the group were led through projects to take those skills back to their Home Communities. We are so grateful for the generous collaboration with Adobe and DXC. Read the full article by National Indigenous Times here. Create Initiative Workshop Senior Students from Tiwi College travelled down to Sydney this month to write, illustrate and publish their book Tiwi Girl Hunters in just one week as part of a Create Initiative workshop mentored by ILF Ambassadors Shelley Ware and David Lawrence. We’d like to thank our ILF Create 2023 Proud Partner Australia Post and Publishing Partner, Hachette Australia. Read more about Create through the SBS article here. Workshops in Vincentia with Kirli Saunders This month, our team ran workshops with Vincentia High School and the Wreck Bay Community, led by proud Gunai woman, award-winning writer, artist and consultant, Kirli Saunders. Taking place within Booderee National Park, the students spent time talking about culture and language, writing stories and creating poetry. We're excited to be running more workshops at the end of the month with Kirli and local artist Jaz Corr, and looking to publish some books featuring Dhurga with the Community in 2024. ![]() ![]() ![]() Josh Pyke Congratulations to ILF Ambasaador Josh Pyke who is currently touring the country for his album, Revisions. Check out tour dates and locations here.
Deb Dank Congratulations to ILF Ambassador Debra Dank, her book We Come with this Place has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards for nonfiction. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Thank you Isuzu UTE Australia who have provided us with a second vehicle, a 7-seat Isuzu MU-X, adding to the Isuzu D-MAX on the Tiwi Islands! This MU-X will be used to support our work throughout New South Wales. We greatly appreciate this support. Find out more about our partnership with Isuzu UTE Australia by watching the ILF’s My Isuzu Story. Thinking of writing your will? The ILF has partnered with Safewill to provide our supporters with the ability to write their will for just $80 (half price). We are indebted to our partner Australia Post for their support with the delivery of Book Supply packs to remote Communities and their ongoing fundraising. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() We would like to say a big thank you to Freshwater Farm who have raised an incredible amount of $50,000 for our Foundation! A percentage of sales were donated to us through their limited-edition products designed in collaboration with Worimi Indigenous artist, Brittney Paulson. Check out the range here or at your local Woolworths! A special thank you to Book Fair Australia who chose the ILF as their charity of choice for their Sydney event last month. Thank you to all of those who supported us at the event with donations! We are so grateful for the support of La La Land who are supporting the ILF for the second year in a row. This year, La La Land have committed to pledging a percentage of their Christmas card set sales to our Foundation. Shop the range here! |