Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News Regional

Small rural school revives local Indigenous language in next generation

byJoe Higgins
21 June 2021
Reading Time: 2 mins read
AA
Language studies: Students show a sign containing translated words into the Gunggari language at St Patrick’s School, Mitchell.

Language studies: Students show a sign containing translated words into the Gunggari language at St Patrick’s School, Mitchell.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

SEVEN hours drive west of Brisbane is a tiny school with 31 students who are making strides learning the local Indigenous language.

For the last eight years, all students from Prep onwards at St Patrick’s School, Mitchell, learn the Gunggari language.

Principal Emily Perry said the language was integrated across many curriculum areas like English and Science where subject-related words were translated into Gunggari by educational consultant and Gamilaroi man, Desmond Crump. 

“The teachers will give instructions in Gunggari, they’ll say their morning greetings in Gunggari, we have our school prayer translated into Gunggari and other prayers like the Our Father in Gunggari as well,” she said.

Weekly half-hour formal lessons in Gunggari begin in Year 3 and continue through to Year 6.

“They love it,” Miss Perry said.

“It’s the highlight of their week.”

“When I ask them what their favourite subject is, so many of them say Gunggari – they all really enjoy it.” 

Community liaison officer Sonya Martin, who has been involved with the language program since the beginning, said local elder Aunty Irene Ryder, who died in 2015, had been the original push behind reviving the language.

Miss Martin said Aunty Irene was forbidden to speak Gunggari growing up and as time went on, there was a fear the language could be lost entirely.   

Related Stories

Toowoomba’s newest deacon excited to ‘share and contribute’ for his diocese

Brian Redondo excited to ‘support the goal of mission’ as he is to be ordained a deacon to Toowoomba diocese

Prominent Catholic wins Northern Territory Senior Australian of the Year

Miss Martin said it was Aunty Irene’s dream to have Gunggari taught in schools. 

“They (the students) even say it at home now,” Miss Martin said.

“Some of the kids were telling me they teach it to their parents, their brothers and sisters.”

Miss Perry said the students had taken the Gunggari language out into the community too.

“At Anzac Day the students performed a poem, I Am Australian, spoken in Gunggari,” she said.

“It’s something that’s just not an isolated lesson that they do in the classrooms, they’re using it in their everyday life as well.”

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Harriet’s prayers are heard

Next Post

Girls ready for kick-off at historic game at Confraternity Carnival

Joe Higgins

Related Posts

New deacon: Priests from across Queensland gathered at the ordination of Deacon Brian Redondo for the Toowoomba diocese.
Regional

Toowoomba’s newest deacon excited to ‘share and contribute’ for his diocese

8 May 2021 - Updated on 12 May 2021
Mission in Australia: Brian Redondo will be ordained a deacon to the Diocese of Toowoomba tomorrow at St Mary’s Parish in Warwick.
Regional

Brian Redondo excited to ‘support the goal of mission’ as he is to be ordained a deacon to Toowoomba diocese

30 April 2021
Australia

Prominent Catholic wins Northern Territory Senior Australian of the Year

2 February 2021
Next Post
Girls ready for kick-off at historic game at Confraternity Carnival

Girls ready for kick-off at historic game at Confraternity Carnival

Is 3-year-old Australian detainee Tharnicaa Murugappan getting a Fair Go?

Rockhampton Bishop urges Prime Minister to allow Murugappan family to return to Biloela

Miracle baby: Minnesotans Beth and Rick Hutchinson’s son, Richard, was born five months early or 131 days before the due date.

Miracle baby born 131 days premature and given a ‘zero per cent chance of survival’ celebrates his first birthday

Popular News

  • Angel’s Kitchen serves hot meals to the hungry in Southport

    Angel’s Kitchen serves hot meals to the hungry in Southport

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI turned 95 on a ‘very happy’ day

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Here are the stories of 10 new saints being canonised this Sunday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Parishes unite for Logan deanery family festival this Sunday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Queensland election: The pro-life political parties committed to abortion law reforms

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Francis offers advice on politics: Seek unity, don’t get lost in conflict
News

Francis offers advice on politics: Seek unity, don’t get lost in conflict

by Mark Bowling
19 May 2022
0

POPE Francis met members of the Chemin Neuf Political Fraternity this week, offering the young group some...

Holiness is possible and the Church provides tools to attain it, cardinal says

Holiness is possible and the Church provides tools to attain it, cardinal says

18 May 2022
Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says

Church workers have helped more than 1.2 million Ukrainians during the war, Caritas says

18 May 2022
Minority Catholic woman takes pride in Asia’s overlooked saints

Minority Catholic woman takes pride in Asia’s overlooked saints

18 May 2022
Bishops call out racism, gun violence after U.S. shooting

Bishops call out racism, gun violence after U.S. shooting

17 May 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping