News from the ILF
December 2023
Northern Territory Book Buzz Group, 2023.
Yamandhu marang Friend,
2023 has been a year to remember for a number of reasons thanks to your support.
As was seen in the Referendum this year, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are resilient and will not pause their aspirations and aspirations of their children and the ILF stands strongly with this. The ILF will continue as a Community led organisation focused on supporting the literacy aspirations for the future and look forward to an exciting 2024 working with our supporters and Communities.
Our major highlights of 2023 have been:
Visiting remote Communities for workshops and book launches in NSW, QLD, NT, WA and SA
Hosting two Create Initiatives in one year, one in Wujal Wujal in far north Queensland, the other with Tiwi Island students in Sydney
A NAIDOC celebration with our supporters at the International Towers in Sydney
Our Indigenous Literacy Day film and livestream was joined by over 300,000 people across the country
The ILF was shortlisted again, for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
First Pamela Loft Bequest program since COVID
Launched our first musical fundraising event, Busking for Change and raised over $80,000
Relaunched our fundraising event, Sydney Trivia Night, to build on the success of the Melbourne Trivia night.
Interest continues to grow around the unique work of the ILF in publishing and in particular working in First Languages and the ILF is committed to further supporting the work of Community in telling their stories, in their languages, their way.
We look forward to your continued support and if you can, please donate to our Festive Appeal. Our digital Give the Gift of Reading cards are a great way to make a tax deductible donation and send a card to a colleague, friend or family member, particularly to those that are interstate or overseas. All proceeds go straight back into our programs with remote Communities.
Each of you are a valuable member of the ILF community, and we couldn't achieve this important work without your support. Thank you for standing with us, being part of our journey and sharing our vision that reading opens doors to future opportunities and choices.
From all of us at ILF, we wish you a safe and joyful holiday season. See you in 2024!
Mandaang guwu,
Ben Bowen
Chief Executive Officer
Wiradjuri/Gandagarra
To celebrate UNESCO's second year of the Decade of Indigenous Languages, each month we encourage readers to learn a new word in an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language.
Illustration from Yakai! Beibigel! published by ILF, 2017.
This month's word is goodbye in Wiradjuri language!
Goodbye = yanhanhadhu
Phonetics: ya-nah-do
Download the audio version here.
Wiradjuri Country is located in central New South Wales.
Yabun Festival 2024
For Sydneysiders and visitors, join us at the Yabun Festival on 26 January at Victoria Park, Camperdown. Make sure you visit the ILF stall and say hello. This is a wonderful day to recognise and celebrate the strengths and survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' cultures, histories and traditions with music and dance, and some of Indigenous Australia's best thinkers and speakers.
ILF Melbourne Trivia Night
We had so much fun at the ILF Trivia Night in Melbourne this year with wonderful host, Brian Nankervis. We have raised an incredible amount of over $36,000 from our respective Sydney and Melbourne Trivia Nights. Thank you to our supporters who attended and participated in our silent auction and raffle. We are so grateful for your support!
Over $160,000 raised from
Great Book Swap!
We are so grateful for the 414 schools and 131 individuals and organisations across the country who participated in this years Great Book Swap! Thanks to you, we have raised over $160,000 which will allow us to gift over 16,000 culturally relevant books to kids in remote Communities. Stay tuned for registrations for Great Book Swap 2024 which will be looking a little different!
Writing a Book in One Week!
Check out our Youtube video with ILF Ambassadors Shelley Ware and David Lawrence as they talk about the 2022 Create Program. Students from Tiwi College joined Shelley and David in Darwin to create the book Tiwi Seasons with Marius which is available now!
Workshops in Vincentia with Kirli Saunders
Our last workshop for 2023 took our team to the south of New South Wales to work with Vincentia High School and the Wreck Bay Community. The workshop was led by Gunai woman, award-winning writer, artist and consultant, Kirli Saunders. Our team was lucky enough to get to yarn with this mob about culture, language, art and poetry while surrounded by Booderee National Park. The Dhurga centred writing and artworks created by the students have our publishing team keen to dig into the editing, and produce some beautiful new books in 2024.
The Process of Creating Tiwi Girl Hunters!
In November this year we held a Create Initiative workshop with senior students from Tiwi College. The students came to Sydney to write, illustrate and publish a book in just one week at the Hachette Australia office with the help of ILF Ambassadors Shelley Ware and David Lawrence.
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.
This year, the Lendlease Office Portfolio partnered with the ILF to spread holiday cheer with the gift of stories. On behalf of their building communities, the Lendlease Office Portfolio donated $40,000 worth of books to children in First Nations Communities across Australia, with customers choosing the titles through a gifting drive. Using a purpose-built website, customers chose up to three titles written in native language, while the Lendlease Office Portfolio picked up the tab.
We would like to thank the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) who are donating their ticket sales from their annual New Year's Eve Concert to the ILF! This is the fourth time ABC have supported ILF with this event and we are extremely grateful for their ongoing support. Purchase your tickets here.
We would like to thank Francesca who are supporting our Foundation by generously donating $20 from every purchase of their Awareness Bracelet to the ILF for 12 months starting in January. Available from 1 January.
Please note that the ILF office will be closed from Saturday 23rd December
and re-open Tuesday 2nd January 2024.
