Collaboration
Elders and Community Collaboration on the Honey Ant Readers
Many members of the Indigenous community - Elders, adults, children and teachers have contributed to the making of the Honey Ant Readers over the years.
The adults telling their stories wanted them to be used in the series to help their children to learn to read. These were to be books they could relate to, feel drawn to and read with ease and enjoy. All Honey Ant Readers' stories and illustrations are approved by Elders before being printed.
Below are some of the wonderful people who have helped the HARs, and continue to contribute to HAR materials - including the translations. Together we produce culturally appropriate resources to help their children learn to read.
Jennifer Inkamala
Jennifer Inkamala is a language teacher, as well as being an accomplished artist, an Elder, a published author, a traditional landowner, a nana and a mother. Jennifer translated the first 3 Honey Ant Readers into Western Arrernte, a Central Australian…
Read Full BiographyMargaret Kemarre Turner, OAM
Margaret Kemarre Turner OAM is a highly respected senior Arrernte Elder, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, author, artist and traditional teacher. She is a great supporter of the HARs, and offers advice to Margaret James while she is developin…
Read Full BiographyBenedict Kngwarraye Stevens
Benedict Kngwarraye Stevens is a respected Central Arrernte Elder, interpreter and translator. He offers cultural and language advice to Margaret James in the development of new resources, and for professional development workshops, sometimes accompany…
Read Full BiographyTrudy Inkamala
Trudy Inkamala is a senior Western Arrernte Elder, traditional landowner, inspiring story-teller, mother, grandmother, needlework artist and great friend of HAR founder, Margaret James. These ‘2 Nanas’, as they refer to themselves, have yarned and work…
Read Full BiographyMarjorie Williams
Marjorie Williams is a mother, nana, Luritja teacher, artist, and Elder. She worked with HARs to translate the books into Luritja, Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara, and continues to act as one of HARs cultural and language advisors. Marjorie loves to…
Read Full BiographyRhonda Inkamala
Rhonda Inkamala is a Western Arrarnta, Luritja and Pitjantjatjara woman and an experienced teacher, who lives on Traditional Land on the Iwupataka Land Trust at Jay Creek. She is multilingual and bi-cultural fluent speaker who understands 14 Aboriginal…
Read Full BiographyMervyn Rubuntja
Mervyn Rubuntja is a well known Arrernte artist, Elder and traditional landowner. Mervyn painted the illustration for the ‘Caterpillar Dreaming’ story in HAR 17, School for Big Sister. He is a keeper of the story. He is very supportive of the Honey An…
Read Full BiographyMargaret Heffernan
Margaret Heffernan is a Central Arrernte linguist, author, interpreter and translator. She is a highly respected Elder. Margaret grew up at the Old Telegraph Station in Alice Springs and completed her schooling at boarding school at the Santa Teresa Mi…
Read Full BiographyLizzie Ellis
Lizzie Ellis translated the Honey Ant Readers into Ngaanyatjarra. She is a nana, mother and senior member of the Tjukurla community. Multi-lingual Lizzie is highly accomplished in many areas, including being a linguist, educator, researcher and interpr…
Read Full BiographyAmelia Turner
Amelia Turner, Central Arrernte Elder, and HARs advisor, says: “We like the Honey Ant Readers because they are books our kids can understand. They talk about the way we live, how things are. Kids can read the stories and see them as well. The illustrat…
Read Full BiographyMatthew Palmer
Matthew Palmer, Central Arrernte Elder and traditional landowner told his dreamtime story to the author for it to be included in Honey Ant Reader 17. He is a talented artist. He has children who like to read and sing, and who are enjoying reading the H…
Read Full BiographyJackie Silverton
Jackie Silverton is a Central Arrernte language teacher who edited the Central Arrernte HAR translations. Jackie is a mother and a nana. She says: “It is important for children to learn to read and write in our language to keep our language and our cu…
Read Full BiographyDulcie Sharpe
Dulcie Sharpe, a keen artist and Arrernte Elder, is the sister of Trudy Inkamala and a member of one the families who worked so hard to establish a school in Alice Springs which would value and teach Aboriginal languages and culture. Dulcie, also a mot…
Read Full BiographyDorothy Hobson
Dorothy Hobson, a senior Lockhart River Elder, is the retired Director of Community Development in the Lockhart River Council and Chairperson of Puuya Foundation. Dorothy co-ordinated the development of a beautiful ‘big’ book with HARs, based on a sto…
Read Full BiographyMalcolm Heffernan
Malcolm Heffernan is a senior Anmatyerre/Arrernte Elder. He is a language interpreter and Aboriginal liaison officer, working for the Alice Springs Hospital and Territory Health and Aged Care Services. Malcolm previously worked as an Aboriginal Health…
Read Full BiographyRay Rokeby
Ray Rokeby, a talented artist and competitive sportsman from Lockhart River, worked with Tanya Koko and Dorothy Hobson, illustrating the colourful HAR publication, ‘Miimi and me go for Thampu’.
Read Full BiographyPamela Sampson
Pamela Sampson is a mother and nana, an Elder and an experienced Warlpiri teacher. She translated the first three Honey Ant Readers into Warlpiri with Fiona Gibson and is recorded reading them onto the CD which accompanies the books.
Read Full BiographyFiona Gibson
Fiona Gibson, an Elder, is one of the Warlpiri translators of the Honey Ant Readers. She is the mother of 3 sons and has 7 grandchildren. Fiona has lived and worked in Yuendemu and Nyirripi most of her life. After completing her Dip Ed and Language and…
Read Full BiographyShirley Turner
Shirley Turner, daughter of famous author, Margaret (MK) Turner, is a Central Arrernte translator. She reads the Central Arrernte books on the HAR audio tape. Shirley is a teacher, a mother and a poet who speaks many languages from Central Australia, a…
Read Full BiographyTanya Koko
Tanya Koko, manager of Kuunchi Kakana Family Together Playgroup, worked with Margaret James as the Project co-ordinator for the development of a beautiful book for young children, based in Lockhart River, called ‘Miimi and me go for Thampu’.
Read Full BiographyCathy Wiseman
Cathy Wiseman, multi-lingual liaison officer from Central Australia, has helped and supported Margaret James and HARs with editing Aboriginal English and advice for several projects. The SNAICC human rights posters you see all around Australia and the…
Read Full BiographyLorraine Rokeby
Lorraine Rokeby is the story-teller of the wonderful book set in the olden days at Lockhart River, ‘Miimi and me go for Thampu’. Thanks to her story, the traditional method of looking for yams is preserved in writing and the Lockhart River Creole is pr…
Read Full BiographyValerie Foster
Valerie Foster was a Ngaanyatjarra Elder, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, from the community of Wanarn in Western Australia. She edited the Ngaanyatjarra Honey Ant Readers 1, 2 and 3 and recorded the audio to accompany the books. Valerie was…
Read Full BiographyCoralie Williams
Coralie Williams is a Western Arrernte Elder, a Mum to her daughter and adopted son, a sister and a Nana, who speaks several Aboriginal languages. Coralie is a community development graduate who offers support to HARs, gives cultural advice and assists…
Read Full BiographyMaria Stewart
Maria Stewart is an experienced assistant teacher, who now works in the APY Regional Office, in her homelands. She is a proud mother of 3 boys and also foster carer for her nephew. Maria speaks her grandmother’s language which is spoken around the Pitj…
Read Full BiographyRosemary Porter
Rosemary Porter worked with Lizzie Ellis to translate the Honey Ant Readers into Ngaanyatjarra. She is a mother and helps at Tjukurla school as a language worker. Rosemary likes to share her extensive local and cultural knowledge with the children as…
Read Full BiographyAllison Furber
Allison Furber is a Central Arrernte traditional land owner and language teacher, who assisted the author with the facts in HAR 15.
Read Full BiographySara-Lee Fishook
Sara-Lee Fishook is a Warlpiri teacher who edited the Warlpiri HAR editions. Sara-Lee says: “Language is very important to teach, to keep culture and language strong. Because Warlpiri is their first language. It makes me proud as a language teacher. I…
Read Full BiographySue Napangardi Martin
Hello my name is Sue Napangardi Martin and I live at Tennant Creek. Before I came here I lived at Willowra. When I worked at Willowra, I worked as a teaching assistant. While working there, I noticed that the school kids could speak English properly. T…
Read Full Biography