Senate debates

Friday, 24 March 2023

Statements by Senators

Yunupingu, Ms Yalmay

1:34 pm

Photo of Malarndirri McCarthyMalarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | | Hansard source

I'd like to share with the Senate the incredible career and work of one of our educators, a dear friend in the remote East Arnhem region, Yalmay Yunupingu. Having spent more than 40 years working as an educator, inspiring and supporting children in the bush, Yalmay began her education career in 1974 as a librarian at the Yirrkala School and took up various jobs, including as classroom and senior teacher, teacher linguist, and also acting principal. As well as teaching students, she oversaw pivotal projects, including: the Galtha Rom workshop, which involves learning on country; the Garma maths curriculum, which embeds Indigenous learning into mathematics; the Yaku ga Rirrakay language app; and the first Aboriginal language and culture component of the NT curriculum framework, creating pathways for more-informed Aboriginal education.

Ms Yunipingu is a strong advocate for bilingual learning, where children are taught their own language, Yolngu Matha, alongside English. She's described by her colleagues as a bilingual warrior and also a gentle and loving teacher. Ms Yunipingu has a love for books and described how she would translate Dr Seuss books into language for students. She's been acknowledged for her stellar career with a Teaching Excellence Award, received the NT Indigenous Educator of the Year and the East Arnhem and East Arnhem Senior Citizen of the Year Award, and was named an honorary fellow of Charles Darwin University in the office of the pro-vice-chancellor. Even in her retirement, she's devoted to the school and community and just recently has been elected as the chair of the Yirrkala School council.

Dear Yalmay, to you and your family, I congratulate you and thank you for your love and dedication to the people of the Northern Territory.