GUMBAYNGGIR LANGUAGE COURSE A SUCCESS IN ARMIDALE
FIFTEEN Aboriginal students have graduated from two weeks of studying the Gumbaynggir language at TAFE NSW Armidale.
The course, presented by a Gumbaynggirr traditional language specialist, was coordinated to meet the demands of local Aboriginal people to develop their understanding of the Gumbaynggirr people.
Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall has congratulated the graduates and said the course is a great opportunity for them to add to their personal identity and learnings about the Gumbaynggirr people.
"This is an incredibly important resource for the Gumbaynggirr people and a step forward for the Armidale community," Mr Marshall said.
"TAFE NSW is the ideal place for Aboriginal people to learn because of the learning support and facilities that are dedicated to Aboriginal education.
"The recent announcement of the Career Pathways, Aboriginal Languages and Employability SkillsPoint located in Tamworth serves to reassure the Aboriginal community that the NSW Government, through TAFE NSW, is committed to providing opportunities for Aboriginal people now and into the future."
TAFE NSW Aboriginal Learning Circle Student Support Officer Steven Briggs said the learning of an Aboriginal language nurtured the sense of Aboriginal identity for Aboriginal people.
Mr Briggs sourced the Gumbaynggirr language teacher Michael Jarrett from the Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Cooperative based in Nambucca Heads. The organisation supports Aboriginal language revitalisation in Northern NSW.
The students have developed language skills that will assist them in the workplace, at community gatherings and Welcome to Country obligations at functions. The students specifically learnt about the nouns, verbs and adjectives of the language.
The students now have the opportunity to progress to the Certificate I and II in Gumbaynggirr Language, in Armidale.