Gomeroi language group rolls out first teaching aids of project

Robert Waters, council member and spokesperson for the Gomeroi Language Reference Group, said the pandemic period had proven tough for the organisation.

But they used shutdown to develop among their first new tools, the flash card.

"We've got a bunch of the Gomeroi language flash cards made up," he said.

"They're really, really cool. We had an Aboriginal woman on the Central Coast design the artwork.

"Eventually, if we develop enough of them, selling them onto schools. Maybe so that we can become more self-sufficient, so we're not relying on government funding."

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Mr Waters said the city's schools were "screaming out for" traditional language education.

Gomeroi was codified many years ago, which means dictionaries are available for the language.

But language education has never been coordinated and isn't available in many schools.

The language reference group aim to change that, while maintaining the integrity of the language.

Mr Waters said there is even scope for teaching kids as young as kindergarteners.

"Developing our scope and sequence so that it's taught from primary right through to year 12, that is a possibility," he said.

"Might be a little ways off before we start seeing that, but it's a definite possibility."

The flash cards would be particularly useful in schools without Aboriginal language educators, he said.

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