AustLit

'Gudjal is the language of the people of the Mural (Charters Towers) region, in western inland north Queensland. The beginnings of this dictionary and learner's guide were in the 1970s when Gudjal people began working with linguists to record their language. The first dictionary of Gudjal, by William Santo and Cassy Nancarrow, was published in 2006; and so, a language that had been sleeping started to awaken. In Yaru!, the dictionary has been expanded and the first-ever Gudjal grammar is included, as well as four songs and a Welcome to Country.

'The book has been compiled by Gudjal elder William Santo and linguists Alex Anderson, Cassy Nancarrow and Myfany Turpin. It includes accompanying audio read by Keesha Gordon and Shakira Kelly. The audio is accessed through QR codes in the book and can be downloaded from the associated website. Yaru! will be essential to the Gudjal community and schools in the Charters Towers region to build a new generation of language speakers. It will also be of value to people interested in Australia's first peoples, their languages and language revival.' (Publication summary)

'In 1911 a man named McKenzie obtained a government lease which, according to Queensland law, gave him title hold over all of Sweers Island and a large portion of Bentinck Island. In the 1980s Roma Kelly told linguist Nicholas Evans about the brutal massacre led by McKenzie in 1918 at Rukuthi, for which he was never punished.' (Source: Online)

'In the 1940s Dolly was a girl in the dormitory on Mornington Island. Then as a teenager she was sent to the mainland to work as a domestic on several stations. She tells of some of the things that happened - some funny, some shocking, some sad.' (Source: Online)

'Squid gives his friend Rat a lift across the water on his back, but Rat laughs at Squid's tentacles. This version of the Squid and Rat story is based on a story told by John Williams, with additions from old recordings of Kenneth Jacob and Gully Peters telling the story in Lardil and creole.'

'Seagull woman looks after her babies all by herself while her husband Crane goes off hunting. When he comes back demanding his wife's attention, she leaves with the children, creating channels between the islands. '