Margaret James, M.Ed, is the creator and author of the innovative Honey Ant® Readers series for young Indigenous literacy learners, for which she has received numerous awards and accolades.
Margaret’s bilingual beginnings as a child, growing up in rural South Africa with Indigenous languages surrounding her, significantly influenced her choice of tertiary studies. Among these were linguistics, languages and education. Teaching her own children to read led her into Montessori education. After a fulfilling and varied career in several countries, Margaret moved into Indigenous Education in Australia. Here her concern grew about the paucity of early reading material for young speakers of traditional Aboriginal languages and Aboriginal English, so she decided to do something about it and developed the Honey Ant® Readers! While visiting schools and communities in the course of her professional development work, Margaret became increasingly aware of the need for early reading material for older students as well. She worked closely with Traditional Indigenous Elders, students and illustrators to develop linguistically appropriate learn-to-read books for older learners. Reading Tracks® is the result!
Emma Bamblett is a Wemba Wemba woman from Echuca on the Murray River. Also has connections to the Ngadjonji (QLD) & Gundtjmara people. Working primarily with acrylics, her practice draws on a rich history and language of symbols . Working in layers, Bambletts own practice translates nature and stories into representation forms and developing detailed pieces which speak to our connections to country and to each other.
