Celebrating First Nations
Every Change Starts with a Conversation.
As an Indigenous Business, Rork Projects has proudly committed to providing a strong focus on First Nations’ cultural understanding to not only our key stakeholders - but importantly to our staff. Together we can all learn from, connect with and proudly celebrate the oldest continuous culture on earth.
Community representatives and Elders from the Bundjalung Nation took our entire team on a journey of culture through different traditional cultural practices, including storytelling through painting and country education – with a traditional bush tucker lunch to top it off! We also learned the welcome & farewell song Gari Gynda Narmi.
This experience provided our staff with the opportunity to not only learn about the traditions of the Bundjalung area, about the significant cultural sites in the region, but also connect with each other and Country.
Celebrating our First Languages
As an Indigenous business, Rork Projects proudly supports a greater awareness, knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, rich history and languages.
Over 250 Indigenous Australian language groups covered the continent at the time of British settlement in 1788. Today only around 120 of those languages are still spoken and many are at risk of being lost as Elders pass away.
Indigenous languages play a vital role in cultural identity, linking people to their land and water and in the transmission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, spirituality and rites, through story and song.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait languages are not just a means of communication, they express knowledge about everything: law, geography, history, family and human relationships, philosophy, religion, anatomy, childcare, health, caring for country, astronomy, biology and food.
We proudly support the preservation and revitalisation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages – the original languages of this nation for they are a priceless treasure, not just for Indigenous peoples, but for all Australians.
We proudly acknowledge that our offices are on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people of Kulin Nation (Melbourne), Ngunnawal people (Canberra), the Yugara people (Brisbane) and the Gadigal of the Eora Nation (Sydney).
Why not say ‘Hello’ in an Aboriginal Language?
Wominjeka means Hello/Welcome in the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people of Kulin Nation – the traditional owners of Melbourne.
Yumalundi means Hello in the Ngunnawal language. The Ngunnawal people are the traditional owners of the Canberra region.
Gurumba bigi pronounced Goo-roo-mba big-i which means G’day in Yugara – one of the Aboriginal languages spoken the Greater Brisbane area (west to Ipswich and the Lockyer Valley).
Budyeri kamaru means Hello in the Gadigal language, the traditional custodians of the land on which the Sydney CBD is built. Gadigal country is part of the Eora Nation from Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), the Parramatta River and the coast. Eora means people.
For more information on Indigenous Languages visit:
- The State Library of QLD (See a list of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander words for Hello and Welcome)
- The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- First Languages Australia
Wa (pronounced wah) is a word in the Torres Strait language of Kala Lagaw Ya and also in Torres Strait Creole meaning yes and we believe that through supporting education – Indigenous communities, families and students can say yes to having a positive future which leads to better outcomes for their families, community and for our nation.
We’re supporting other Indigenous foundations and not-for-profit organisations in their work in offering quality, secondary education scholarships at leading Australian boarding schools for Indigenous children from regional, rural and remote communities.
Year
Established
2020
Donations
Received
56
Money
Raised
$100,000
Education Pathways
At Rork Projects, we are proud to support the education and career pathways of Indigenous youth in Australia. Recently, we had the pleasure of hosting a work experience program, for Yalari Graduate Scott Taat.
We believe that providing education and career opportunities to Indigenous youth is essential to building a more equitable and inclusive society. Our partnership with Yalari helps to provide young Indigenous Australians with access to quality education and opportunities to excel in their chosen fields.
"Scott was so hard working on site, a true professional. He was such an asset to this project."
- Milcheur Law, IA Designs
"We love how Rork Projects is looking at how they can help beyond the school years."
- Studio Rallia, Yalari