Dharawal language supported through new Paul Ramsay Foundation partnership

A new partnership agreement between the Gujaga Foundation and the Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF) will keep the Dharawal language of coastal Sydney alive and thriving. 

The arrangement will support a language program in local schools and early learning services, with the Gujaga Foundation being given $5 million over five years from PRF to support the delivery of its Dharawal Language program by expanding its team of language educators. This will increase the number of Dharawal speakers in the community, helping to embed language and culture for future generations.

A language of survival

During the protectionism era, Dharawal was punished with ration cuts and child removal, threatening the survival of the language. 

The Dharawal people of the La Perouse Aboriginal community managed to keep their language alive thanks largely to the efforts of five senior women: Aunty Boronia (Iris) Williams, Aunty Beryl Timbery-Beller, Aunty Gloria Ardler, Aunty Clara Mason, and Aunty Shirley Ingrey.

These women, remembering their parents speaking Dharawal, volunteered in the 1980s and 1990s to document and pass on their knowledge, supported by early twentieth-century family records.

After their passing, the Dharawal language revitalisation continued with the Gujaga Childcare Centre and later the Gujaga Foundation, launched in 2019 to promote Dharawal language and culture in coastal Sydney.  While the legacy of the protectionism era is still felt in the community, the Gujaga Foundation’s efforts are bringing the Dharawal language back to life.

“Seeing the Dharawal language knowledge provided by my great grandmother’s sisters, Aunty Boronia and Aunty Shirley and their grandmother Kate Sims, being taught to the younger generation is hugely rewarding,” The Gujaga Foundation Director Alan Daly said. 

“The fact that we have been able to build a sustainable social enterprise in support of this purpose is also a source of pride.”

Quaiden Williams Riley, a Dharawal language educator and descendant of Aunty Boronia (Iris) Williams, said that having the opportunity to learn Dharawal language strengthens his identity and his connection to Country.

The Dharawal language program is currently running in more than 50 schools and childcare centres across Sydney.  Through language and stories, First Nations children, their families, and communities have a vital pathway for strengthening connection with Country and Culture, determining their own way forward.  The program is also playing a vital role to enact reconciliation through sharing Indigenous knowledge with the non-Indigenous population from early childhood.

Since launching, the Gujaga Foundation has grown to more than 20 staff, half of whom are direct descendants of the five women who began this journey. PRF was an early partner of the Gujaga Foundation, supporting it to implement its business model and grow its engagement with schools and childcare centres through Aboriginal language education.

“We are excited to see this expand further across traditional Dharawal Country with renewed partnership,” PRF Head of Young People John Bush said.

The work of the Gujaga Foundation has already increased the number of proficient Dharawal speakers to 13 – a number that is set to grow further through this renewed partnership which will help refine its business approach and expand its work throughout the northern Dharawal cultural area.