NAIDOC Week with Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing

[00:00:19]Good morning everyone. It is so lovely to see you and welcome back to term three. My name is Steph and I have the absolute pleasure of working here at the Museum of Australian Democracy which is in Canberra. Now, we have a very special Nadok week event for you today and I am really excited to be joined by the amazing Adam Goods and Ellie Lang. How are you both today? Ah, lovely. It's so good to see you and we are very grateful for your time as we've come out of NOK week celebrations. It was certainly a huge event and week for us here at the museum. Um we had lots of visitors coming in and helping us to create some amazing wings um and uh some beautiful photo opportunities um with those rainbow wings this week. Now we are here on the most stunning Nunowal um Nanowal and Nambry lands here in Canra. And I was thinking about this this morning because uh if you can't tell I'm I'm quite a winter person. Um, Adam and Ellie, I don't know where you are in the world, but um I I don't mind a bit of frost here in Canberra and the chillier weather, so I assure you that the it may look sunny um behind me, [clears throat] but it is certainly very fresh here in the capital. Um, and I am incredibly grateful for the country that we are on here. and my drive-in is always a lovely reminder of the beautiful landscape um where we are and continuing to care uh for that country.

[00:01:57]Now, I might start with you, Adam. Where are you joining us from today?

[00:02:02]>> Yes, very much so in the winterlands. Um I'm up here on Gatle Bugle lands up in Sydney. Um it's another beautiful day here. Sun's out. Might be pushing 20 degrees just to rub a little bit of salt in the wind there. [laughter] Oh, and Ellie, where are you?

[00:02:20]>> Yeah, Steph. So, I'm on Gamaragel land, which is on the northern beaches of Sydney. So, sort of near Manley Beach is is where I live. Um, but I've also lived in Camber for a little bit, Steph, so I know the Craber Frost very well.

[00:02:34]>> Oh, lovely. And, um, my family, my um, extended family are from the Northern Beaches as well, Ellie. Um it it I tell you that I'm from the wrong side of the bridge. Um the spit bridge um being from Western Sydney is where where I grew up.

[00:02:51]But it is so wonderful to have both of you with us today. And we're really excited with our students to read two of your books. I've already got one prepped under the object camera, but I know you've been working together for quite a long time. And we've just come out of NADO week celebrations, which would have been over the holidays for most of our students. Um, and this year was 50 years of deadly. And before we go into reading our books, I just wanted to ask you perhaps what you got up to for NATO week or what Nadok week means to you. Um, so Adam, can I start with you for this one?

[00:03:26]>> Yes, of course. Um, thanks everyone for joining. It's so good to have you here with us. I know a lot of school rooms are being packed for the first time this year here in New South Wales. So, thank you for joining us. It was great to send my daughter back to school today and my little son Otis back to um preschool and then I have two other kids as well. So um during school holidays we took a week off and we headed down um for first week of Nadok down into Victoria um down at the Morningington Peninsula and caught up with my nieces and nephews um and we had some great fun down there visiting a couple of beautiful gardens and beaches and going on some bushw walks. So, it was very nice about going outside and spending a lot of time outside and being in nature and and learning a little bit more about the land that we're on down there.

[00:04:18]>> Oh, wonderful. What a what a special treat um to head out and about. But I agree with you, it is nice that school's back. I wonder if the students that are connecting with us feel the same way.

[00:04:28]Now, Ellie, I know you also have small people. Did they go back to school today as well?

[00:04:32]>> They certainly did. They in fact went back yesterday for before and after school care. [laughter] uh for the pupil free day um which they weren't all that happy about. Um we look we had a beautiful holiday period, a wonderful NATO week. We um we actually didn't go anywhere because we live in a wonderful part of the world. We have lots of great nature walks right on our doorstep. Um we played a bit of sport.

[00:04:58]My kids are quite sporty. They play soccer and Aussie rules and cricket and all sorts of things. Um so yeah we we had a lovely holiday period and I think to answer your question Steph about NAOK week and what it means it's it's actually um it's sort of the same as our books in a way our books are an invitation for people to learn and read and come together kids adults grandparents and that's why we started writing the books together all those years ago Adam it must be eight years oh no seven years ago we got together and and this is where you know the idea came came to us seven years ago and and here we are um today. So and that was what we wanted to do with the books. We wanted to to create an opportunity for people to learn um and engage and and educate themselves.

[00:05:49]>> Oh that is so wonderful Ellie and I love that we have this opportunity to read two of the books. You know I would have wanted to have read all of the books. Um it was very hard to pick um between them. Now for our students and teachers that are connecting with us today from across the country, uh we would love to hear the lands that you are connecting from. So for today's uh event, we are going to use the Q&A. Um so feel free to pop in uh where you work, rest, and play. Now, Adam, while our schools start sending through those uh locations of where they're coming from, and you can see just how far across the country they are joining us from today, and maybe some from from the Sydney region and from the northern beaches as well.

[00:06:38]Ellie, I think we should get into reading Dreaming. So, I'm going to head over to our object camera so that we can see the book in big and hand over to you, Adam.

[00:07:03]in there. Ellie, do you want to start the book for us?

[00:07:06]>> Yeah, sure. Can I think looks like Adam might have frozen. He might need to come back.

[00:07:11]>> He's He's too overjoyed.

[00:07:14]>> Yeah. So this book is called Dreaming by Adam Goods Ellie Lang and illustrated by David Hardy.

[00:07:23]In my dreaming at night when I'm tucked in and snuggled up, I see pictures behind my eyes. They take me far away.

[00:07:40]In the dreaming way way back in the beginning before we were alive, ocuras slithered carving rivers and ancestors made rocky tracks in a creation story from my dreaming my muda.

[00:07:58]Look at those ocaras.

[00:08:01]Incredible serpents leaving hills and grass and water holes for emus and kangaroos. Homes for honey ants and baby psums and forest trees for flying foxes.

[00:08:13]Can you see all the animals on those pages?

[00:08:18]In my mood, while there is a start, it's not just in the past. It is now and lasts forever. No days or weeks or months or years, just never ending stories shared from lips to ears. Far too big for just one book.

[00:08:36]Do you recognize that person on the page there?

[00:08:42]In our mura, law men came down from the sky to teach us about our country, showing us the way to food and paths to fresh, cool water, setting the rules for being good and what happens when we're not.

[00:09:00]In our Buddha, in the southern sky, the two men still shine bright, signaling what's wrong and right, watching us from above.

[00:09:10]Can you see those stars up there in the top right hand corner?

[00:09:15]Everyone looking up in my ma. Dad says the ancestors are never far. Sometimes my nana visits a dragonfly hovering to say hello.

[00:09:30]Can you see the dragonfly in my ma? Just like family photos on a wall. I can see how I fit and who I am.

[00:09:51]In the dreaming still to come, our lives will be a guide so people after us become givers and storytellers with a dreaming of their own.

[00:10:03]And that's the last page.

[00:10:08]>> Here you go.

[00:10:10]>> You're back, Adam.

[00:10:12]>> Yes. Sorry about that. I really wanted to get out of doing any work today.

[00:10:16][laughter] It just uh dropped me out at the most important time. Sorry about that, everybody.

[00:10:23]>> Oh, we just thought you were overjoyed and it was too exciting, Adam. Um we may do a trade. You might have to now read the second book if that's all right um with you.

[00:10:33]>> But Adam, um Ellie, that was a beautiful reading. Um and I hoped my following along there, uh did you justice um as we read together. Um, Adam, this book really feels like it's about you and your family. Can you tell us a little bit about how this book came about? And I know that'll be some of you in there early, too.

[00:10:55]>> Yeah, I think the best thing that I can tell anyone who's listening today, that if you want to write stories, whether it's fiction, non-fiction, you get to choose who your characters are, what the stories that you want to create. And Ellie and I really decided on this series of books that we wanted to share a lot of ourselves and our family and where we come from and most importantly our connection to Aboriginal tourist islander people and the country that we live on and had a really great opportunity throughout this book to share a lot of my muda my my um learnings that I've been going through in the last 20 years but also a lot of language and you'll see in the end papers of our books um that there's always a lot of language sharing. Um there's also QR codes um at the front of our books as well that you can scan. You can get readings from myself and Ellie.

[00:11:51]And in the books like ceremony, walk with us, there's Aboriginal words in the book and to get the pronunciation right, you can really listen to the way that we say it.

[00:12:03]So then when you're saying nanga nanga yaki for ceremony, our book ceremony, you can really understand what the language is and what we're saying.

[00:12:13]>> Oh, that's such a great insight. Ellie, did you want to add anything to that beautiful piece from Adam?

[00:12:20]>> Yeah. So the dreaming dreaming the book was our final book in the series. And so Adam and I, as I mentioned, we've been writing together for eight years. And um and normally we come together and we think, okay, what do we um what what what might we like this book to be about or what might we like to cover? And so our first book, Somebody's Land, which I'm sure lots of kids have seen in libraries and classrooms um around the country, um was the first book we wrote.

[00:12:54]And Adam and I generally we work, we come together, we think, we brainstorm.

[00:12:59]And when you write stories, I think a lot of students around the country and listening today will know that a first draft is just a first draft. And so Adam and I would take about a year to get the books just the way we wanted them, the words, the pictures. So, Adam and I would sit together, talk about ideas, we'd go away, write down some words, come back together, and then um and then we actually found the more time we thought and stepped away and let it mull with us, the book became better and better as as time went on. Um so for example some of the books didn't start with any language Adam's traditional language but actually by the end of the book we had weaved in or woven in um some of Adam's language which was really special to us. This book was the the final book in the series as I mentioned and we really wanted to bring it all to a really lovely conclusion.

[00:13:56]>> Yep. And um for me the the word dreaming which is which is not a traditional word um it captures so much and it's so hard to um for someone like me who's not indigenous to really understand what all the meaning and all the history to it and um and so we wanted to try and not explain it >> y >> but just put some seeds in place so people could think about it. So that's what the dreaming is about.

[00:14:28]>> Oh, I really love that. Um, and I love that opportunity that these books provide for that connection with all of those audiences that you talked um about earlier, Ellie. And I hope that our students that are watching today um really enjoyed getting that little bit of an insight into the world that you two have created and just that process of how you work together. and you know sometimes we don't want to do a second draft. Um but you know that this really is a partnership that you've created and with David the illustrator as well having the three of you together and that the magic that that's created. Um now Ellie, we have a lot of students that have come to hear the two of you read and you did such a wonderful job. I quite like this role reheversal in you reading the dreaming. Um, Adam, would it be okay if you read our walk with us?

[00:15:26]>> Of course, I would love to.

[00:15:28]>> Wonderful.

[00:15:35]>> So, Walk with us is a story that really shares Ellie and her family's um connection to, you know, the lands that they live on. So, when we look at that front cover, we can see Ellie can see one of her boys in that um uh photo, little Harvey, and we can see some other people going for a walk um in the park just around the corner. So when we look at the uh the end papers um you can see some of the pictures um of some of the illustrations inside the book and we can see some of the language that's being used some during language um which is one of the language groups that um we got permission to use and it's really important if we're going to write about Aboriginal people that we get the right permission to be able to utilize that language. language in any of the work that we're doing. So, we took some time to make sure we not only got the words right um and but also the pronunciation of those words as well.

[00:16:45]So, it's not only about sharing the culture through beautiful pictures. It's also about sharing the language which is a you know it's an ancient language if you ever want to think about how old that language possibly is. Okay, who's ready to walk with us? Oh, great.

[00:17:05]We acknowledge and respect the Camaragel people, the traditional custodians of the land we are on, and we pay our respects to their elders, Harvey says at the dinner time. Wow, that was beautiful. Mom says, "Where did you learn that?" "At school," replies Harvey. "We didn't learn to acknowledge country when I was little." Mom says, "Can you teach me?" Later in the bath, Harvey sings his favorite song, Barabula, finishing with a big splash.

[00:17:35]"What are we doing tomorrow?" asked Harvey, swirling the bath water. "You've given me an idea," says Mom, smiling.

[00:17:45]"The next day, Harvey and Mom go to their favorite park." Budgery Gamarua, "Everyone says a man with a big hat. My name is Uncle Boris. Who's ready to walk with us on Camaragel land? Squawk.

[00:18:01]Well, somebody's ready, he says, smiling at a black cockatu high up in a tall gum tree. Can you see that cockatu there? As Uncle Boris leads the group into the bush. Mom says, "I've walked past this track so many times, but I've never been down it before." "Me neither," says Harvey. "Let's go."

[00:18:22]Time to awaken the ancestors, says Uncle Boris, pausing in a clearing. Every time we sing or acknowledge country, the ancestors are listening. [snorts] Then, in a loud voice, Uncle Boris sings in language.

[00:18:37]The sun comes out from behind the clouds, and Harvey can feel its warmth on his skin. He gets goosebumps. The bush lights up quietly now. Uncle Boris says, "It seems the ancestors are happy we're here."

[00:18:54]Further on, Uncle Boris hands everyone a leaf from a lemon myrtle tree. "Anyone had lemon myrtle before? Seen one of those beautiful trees."

[00:19:04]Harvey breathes it in.

[00:19:07]"We call it toigora," says Uncle Boris.

[00:19:10]"Our people use these leaves to heal cuts and scratches."

[00:19:14]Mom smiles. We need a tree like this at home. With a little giggle, Harvey can hear a sh sound getting louder. A waterfall, he cries as they come around a bend. Our people have always known where to find water, says Uncle Boris. Look at that picture. What can we see? See that black cockatu up in the branches? Still can see the pelican waddling in the water.

[00:19:44]We see a little lizard here, too, up on that rock. Hear that? says Uncle Boris, pointing to the creek. Everyone goes quiet.

[00:19:56]I haven't heard that frog call for ages, he says. There's a happy little fella hiding in there somewhere. Where? Harvey says, peering into the reads.

[00:20:10]Uncle Boris points out which plants are safe to eat and the homes animals hide in. Watch out for that hole, he says.

[00:20:18]Comfy spot for a snake.

[00:20:21]Suddenly, something with a scaly tail scurries into the undergrowth. Harvey freezes. Don't worry, just a water dragon. I hope, says Uncle Boris with a laugh.

[00:20:34]Wow, look at that. Harvey points to an enormous tree.

[00:20:39]An enormous gum tree. Great spotting, says Uncle Boris. This is a canoe tree.

[00:20:44]Can you see that carving in the tree there? [snorts] For thousands and thousands of years, our mob of fish from canoes made from trees just like this one. As the black cockatu sweeps ahead, Harvey spies sparkling water in the distance.

[00:21:03]"Is that manly over there?" Harvey asked, looking across the water. "It is," says Uncle Boris. "And see that big headland? Garangle is its traditional name? a place for healing and ceremonies. After the first fleet sailed through these heads, that area was given a new name because of how manly our men looked up there. Did you guys know that?

[00:21:27]Did you know that? That's how manly got its name because of the Aboriginal men standing on the headland as the first fleet came down the middle of Sydney Harour. [snorts] It's pretty cool, isn't it?

[00:21:39]On the way back, they pass through some burnt bush. Fire can be dangerous, but it can also help us care for country, says Uncle Boris. After fire comes new growth, and fresh leaves are very tasty.

[00:21:53]What do you think would eat them?

[00:21:57]Yep, that's right, walabbees, replies Harvey. And look, there's one over there.

[00:22:08]Back at the park, everyone is quieter and slower. I hope you enjoyed walking with us today, says Uncle Boris. Mom sighed happily. I feel like all my senses have been switched on. Harvey sings softly to himself. Uncle Boris smiles. Don't ever stop singing, young fella. The ancestors love it.

[00:22:35]After they say goodbye, Mom and Harvey get ice creams. Who likes ice cream?

[00:22:41]Yeah, me too. Look, says mom. There's that black cockatu again. I think he likes you. And here's your friend, too, says Harvey as a bat pelican waddles towards them. He's been with us the whole time.

[00:23:00][snorts] At bedtime, Harvey says, "I loved our walk today, Mom." Leaning in for a kiss, Mom whispers, "I think the ancestors loved it, too."

[00:23:13]The end.

[00:23:15]Thanks everybody for listening.

[00:23:23]Oh, Adam. Um, I really liked that cheeky frog that was hiding in there with those giant teeth. How adorable. [laughter] Um, and such a beautiful book. And Ellie, I don't mean to harp on about Manly, but it is such a beautiful uh part of the world. Um, and I do appreciate that uh the pelicans sit on the lamp posts uh down near down near the water. And it was the first time.

[00:23:50]And for those young people that um have connected us uh with us for other digital events, they will know that one of my favorite animals is the blue banded bee. And it's the first time I saw one when I was on the northern beaches. Um and now we have a purple garden at home here in Canra so that the blue banded bees hang out in our yard here. But I would love coming off this story and connecting with country for our young people that are joining to think about some of the things that they love about the country uh that they're on and they're they're connecting with us from today. Um we are also going to invite students and teachers to ask questions of the two of you since we're very fortunate to have you with us today. Um, and I'm gonna ask you, what's your favorite part of of connecting with country? Ellie, I might start with you since I've gone down a manly pathway.

[00:24:50]>> Yeah. Well, that's it's a really good question and great timing coming off Walk with us because as Adam mentioned, Dreaming features a lot of his family um and and children and home. Um, and Walk with Us was a little more about my experience. And so you can see me well David did a very good job of putting me in a pink jumper and some black leggings. Um and and I and this the inspiration for this um some of it comes from a walk I did take on North Head. Um and and I was just walking around and I love the fact um I was looking for quiet and I just sat still. And I think when you stop and I think you you you know in the book we talk about everyone feels a bit slower and a bit quieter after they do something like that. I felt exactly like that because when you go up to a a really g magical spiritual place like Northhead and look out over Sydney Harour and around the bush and the incredible um you know they've got a wetland on the top of North Head up there that you can walk around. Um, you if you sit down, which I did, and close your eyes and just listen to the sounds and look closely at the plants with your eyes open, you actually notice an enormous amount. Um, and it takes you away from all the the noise and um worry of of everyday life. And so I really really really like that. And I suppose um I also like getting ice creams after a nice walk in the um in the bush. So, but um but yeah, this is that's what I that's how what I like about um exploring country, >> especially wine.

[00:26:41]>> I think Ellie, you've given us a great activity for all of us um after our session today perhaps when our students head out to recess to take that time.

[00:26:51]It's a bit of slow looking and really connect um with your surroundings or perhaps on the weekend um an opportunity. It seems to be warmer where some of us uh where some of you are connecting from um today than it is down here in Canra. Um Adam, same question to you. What do you really enjoy about connecting with country?

[00:27:12]>> Um what I love most about connection to country is going back onto my homelands.

[00:27:20]Um learning about my ancestors and the way they lived um in on those lands. And then to be able to take my yakades, my children back to those same lands to do same ceremonies that they've been practicing for thousands and thousands of years and really feel that connection with the land. You know, taking off my shoes, putting my feet into the river beds, and letting the sand um pile up over my feet and just really connect with mother earth. Um the night times are the absolute best. You know, the Milky Way feels like it's just sitting on top of you when you look at the stars. You know, it's such a magical place to be when you're out on country.

[00:28:06]>> Oh, that's so lovely. And I think all of our students will be able to connect with that opportunity to see the stars, Adam, and and be outside and appreciate um that you know, both of you have mentioned this that it's not just countries in the land, but you've also Ellie talked about the waters of Manley and Adam talking about the sky in there as well. Um you will both be able to see that there are a lot of wonderful questions that are coming through in the chat. Um, the first one I might ask you is what inspired this series?

[00:28:43]>> Should I start that, Adam?

[00:28:44]>> Yeah, it feels like you, Ellie. This one.

[00:28:47]>> Yeah. So, it actually started, as I mentioned, about seven years ago, and my eldest son Harvey, um, who you read about in Walk with us, came home. He was three and like a lot of kids around the country was going to preschool. and we were sitting around the dinner table and out of nowhere just like in Walk with us he started reciting an acknowledgement of country and I turned around and looked at him and I got quite emotional and the reason for that is when I was growing up we never acknowledge country and we didn't learn a whole lot about Aboriginal people and Aboriginal culture and the history of Aboriginal people in Australia and so uh I really wanted to go and find a book that I could um read with Harvey because as you know when we walk around lots of places where we live, there are signs or or little plaques about Aboriginal people or Aboriginal um history around where we walk. And I wanted to explore that more with Harvey, but I couldn't find quite the the book that I was looking for. Um and I knew Adam. I'd been a journalist and Adam had been playing sport professionally and um I reached out to Adam. Adam also knew my husband >> who worked with um they worked together and I said to Adam, Adam, you know, this is what's happened. This is what Harvey's been saying at home. And do you know of any good books? And by the way, have you ever thought about writing a book? And Adam at this point had just had his first baby. And so he was doing a lot of reading books at home to to her. And I was doing a lot of reading to children at home, too. And so we were in that phase of our life where we really were loving children's books and we knew what great children's book what a great children's book looked and felt like.

[00:30:36]And then from there we got together and and and started writing. So that was how it all started because Adam said you know what I have been thinking about this actually um because he'd been doing so much reading uh with his daughter. So that was how it how it all came to to be. And then we wrote I think Adam we wrote the first three books in about 18 months, didn't we?

[00:30:58]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:30:59]>> And so we we got together and did the words and then we we um were introduced to David Hardy as the illustrator. We loved his work and we said we'd love David to do all of our books and and then we sort of gave him a few ideas but then let him bring his creativity out and come up with the pictures himself.

[00:31:19]Did you want to add anything, Adam?

[00:31:22]I think um no you've nailed it pretty much there um Ellie I think for me personally to be able to you know write a series of book not just one book but a series of book to take people on a journey for us to share a lot about who we are as people but most importantly for me selfishly to be able to read books that have you know people that look like my children in them, you know, um that they can really relate to. That was something that I really wanted to be able to do selfishly by writing these books because, you know, I'm in my peak reading to my children time. You know, I have a sevenyear-old, a four-year-old, a three-year-old, and an eight-month. So, I got plenty more reading ahead of me.

[00:32:11]And, you know, it's it's so nice when you let them choose a book and they pick one of the books that Ellie and I have have written.

[00:32:18]>> Oh, that's such a little treat. What a little flex for the two of you. There's um there's five books in this series. Um we've also got um Somebody's Land, Ceremony, and Back on Country. Um first question, uh and I know this is like picking a favorite child. Um do you have a favorite out of the set?

[00:32:41]>> Definitely my favorite Somebody's Land.

[00:32:45]um because it was our first and you know we're really introducing to our readers you know something that you know a lot of people might not have heard before and that being Terranolius and to be able to introduce Terranalius into a children's book um for our readers to go on a journey to understand it. We don't explain what that means. We just um want our people who do read the book to go out and understand what Terranalius means. And it's actually quite um you know amazing to see the background there Steph of you know the tent embassy in Canberra um and what sovereignty means to Aboriginal talander people and unfortunately this terminology of teranalius is is the reason why we don't have sovereignty um or um you know that connection um you know from a legal point of view to the lands that we come from >> and Adam sorry Ellie um so this is the Aboriginal tent embassy that Adam's talking about behind me which is opposite the um old parliament house and this is Australia's longest ongoing um protest and this um site has been here for over 50 years um where uh first nations people have been advocating for those rights and we have lots of different people lots of different First Nations um people that come to to this site but also um that are here um in Canberra. But uh back to you Ellie. Oh no, just quickly I I agree with Adam.

[00:34:21]Somebody's Land was our first um and obviously it was a really really special book to to write that together. And I think the first time we read it out loud together we we got a little bit tearary because we felt that we because it just felt really right. Um but every book has its own personality and its own theme.

[00:34:40]Having done somebody's land which is bright and colorful but but touches on a really serious topic which is teranalius or concept or word. We then went to ceremony which is really really fun and uh there's lots of jokes and uh pranks in there and so you know every book has its own part to play in the whole series.

[00:35:05]Oh, you two are doing a great job because you're helping me answer questions as we go. Um, additional questions that that are in the chat there and you've talked about some of the themes. Do you two have plans for more books in the future or have we rounded this out?

[00:35:20]>> I think the the best thing about doing a series is there is an end point. And as much as we love the three books in a year launching, um it's been quite nice to have, you know, [laughter] 18 months for the the last two. Um life has not gotten any slower. Um been pretty busy um with with children at my end and building houses at Ellie's end. So it's been nice to sort of take a deep breath and and whatnot. But I I definitely feel like um you know from a literature point of view um there's still great opportunity to keep telling stories um and you know our journey um for welcome to our country has has come to an end but we've created something that we can definitely utilize moving forward. So, I definitely like to keep writing books timewise, you know, [laughter] might be a little bit bit of a bit of time before that happening, Steph.

[00:36:23]>> All right. Well, we'll keep an eye out at the bookstore, Ellie.

[00:36:28]>> Yeah, I think I think Adam's right. I think it's been the most incredible project um to to be a part of. It's certainly been one of the highlights of my life and a really wonderful um learning opportunity for me to be able to listen to Adam and learn from Adam and learn from Adam's extended family as well who really fed into into this book.

[00:36:51]So, um and to learn about the process of of what it takes to make a book and publish a book um has been a wonderful experience. So, um, you know, we're we're we're creative people and we love telling stories and we love writing. We love working together. So, we're very lucky to have done that. Let's wait and see what comes next.

[00:37:10]>> And you've given us a bit of an insight that it's not only the two of you writing together, but you've also got David doing illustrations and we've got a publisher. So, we've got Alan and Unwin that have published these books as well. That it really takes a whole team.

[00:37:24]there's probably a graphic designer in there that there are lots of opportunities for our students to think about if this is something that they're interested in. There are lots of avenues. Perhaps they're a really good illustrator. Perhaps they're good at um layout and design or editing. Um that it is so many people that go into creating beautiful picture books like your series. Um it is almost time, my fabulous friends, um for us to to wrap up today. But um my last question that I wanted to ask you and I think our students and teachers can probably feed into the chat um uh with this as well.

[00:38:03]We're heading out of NADOK week and celebrating First Nations is something that should be part of our every day.

[00:38:09]And Ellie, you've talked about acknowledgement of country that's in in the front of Walk with us and we've talked a little bit about connecting with country and um the the lands that are around where we live. But I was wondering if from both of you and and from our students that are connecting at home, what are some other wonderful things that we can do um every day uh to be able to better connect with our First Nations communities and um culture?

[00:38:40]Yeah, I think the the things that we're already doing, I think that's really important like especially for our kids to be outside and be active. Um, and be grateful, you know, be grateful for what we have around us. You know, we're very very lucky to be living, you know, in 2026 to be able to wake up in the morning and have a hot shower or a nice warm bath and go to school and be able to learn.

[00:39:09]You know, a lot of people haven't had that privilege. So, we should appreciate, you know, what has happened in our history for that to, you know, be the life that we can live today. So be happy and grateful by acknowledging you know the lands that we are on and learning on is really important and we do that really well in our schools. So I thank the teachers in the schools for you know the role that they're playing in helping our next generation you know be really respectful. I think that's really important. But I think the other thing for me is to always keep trying to learn more. Keep asking questions and I'm just going through these questions on the chat. Thank you so much for everyone who's asking those questions.

[00:39:49]They're really, really great questions.

[00:39:51]And that's the thing about being a young person. You want to ask as many questions as possible and see what those answers are. And you know, there's so many books out there that you can read.

[00:40:01]There's websites that you can go to. Um, and there's incredible teachers out there um that can help and support you as you go on that journey. And just a special shout out to one teacher, Miss Simco, out at Charles Western School, who I know is on there today asking. Um, she's a family friend of ours and, you know, she's a fantastic teacher and educator who is always trying to help, you know, her students learn more about First Nations people. So, thanks.

[00:40:28]>> Oh, that was lovely, Adam, and a good um, excellent shout out there. Um, Ellie, what are your what are your things that we can do? Oh, I think Adam's summed it up really well. Um, there. The other thing I would say is, um, one of the great joys about this book series, Adam, Adam Adam mentioned one particular teacher on the call today, all the teachers, all the teacher librarians that have um, loved this series and put the books up in their classrooms and put the books in their libraries. We've been really um overwhelmed with the support from the teaching community around this series because we felt I remember when it first came out I have like Adam does I have a couple of good friends who are uh teachers and school principles. Uh Miss Martin down at Pameula Public is uh is is a good friend of mine and a great supporter of the series. She's she when the books first came out, she said, "Oh, wow. These are so helpful for us um to have in our classrooms because they they they're great bright pictures and easy to read and uh they're they're an opportunity to learn new language and try different pronunciations. So, um you know, I I'd just like to also echo that that great thanks to the teaching community around Australia who who've got behind this series.

[00:41:48]>> And Ellie, there were some lovely comments. um especially uh uh from students who are excited that they had these books at home or had seen them in their school library um which is which is so wonderful and I I um before we wrap up today I must mention that we do have a comment in there in case you two would like to move into young adult books um there's an opportunity from the audience there uh for you to um for your next series that might take us a couple of years based on how busy um both of you are Um, but it has been such a pleasure hanging out with both of you and for having you read with us and for the wonderful questions that our students and teachers have sent through.

[00:42:32]Um, thank you to both of you.

[00:42:37]>> Such a pleasure. Thanks for having us.

[00:42:40]always a pleasure to come and speak to, you know, thousands of young people about these incredible books that we're just so privileged to be able to share with you all.

[00:42:51]>> Oh, well, we are incredibly grateful for your time and this opportunity, especially as these events help connect great people like both of you with schools in regional and remote communities around the country as well.

[00:43:04]and for all of those that will be catching up on this um in in the next couple of weeks. But thank you both. I wish you a wonderful rest of the day and we will see all of our students and teachers next time. Enjoy your day as well. Bye for now.

[00:43:20]>> Thanks everyone. Enjoy being back at school.

[00:43:24][laughter]