Delight in Dhurga with dictionary trio

An overnight sensation just 20 years in the making, The Dhurga Dictionary and Learner’s Grammar is taking local readers by storm.

Now, Eurobodalla Libraries are excited to present a special talk by the dictionary authors for NAIDOC week, with the community invited to the Moruya Library from 6pm on Tuesday 10 November to hear dictionary authors and siblings Patricia Ellis, Kerry Boyenga and Waine Donovan talk about the history behind the dictionary and the importance of revitalising the local Dhurga language.

Speaking at the dictionary launch in July this year, Waine Donovon said local indigenous people “now have our own dictionary, for our own language, for our own people”.

“We didn’t give our language away, it was taken from us,” added Kerry Boyenga.

The trio soon discovered Dhurga was far from extinct. As the dictionary came to fulfilment, “we were surprised at the number of words we already knew,” said Patricia Ellis.

The Dhurga Dictionary and Learner’s Grammar is the most comprehensive compilation of the Dhurga language to date, with more than 730 words translated to and from English. In just five months since publication, the dictionary has sold more than 1,100 copies.

To find out more or to book, visit Council's events page.