Since first coming to the Northern Territory in 1982 I have spent much time in Aboriginal Education in many different roles. Remote school Principal. Batchelor College lecturer and Centre of Aboriginal and Islander Studies Maths lecturer to name a few. I would like to share with you some of my findings over this time.

This a report on a study of the early childhood service needs of six South Australian Aboriginal communities, commissioned by the South Australian Children's Services Office and funded by the SA Aboriginal Education and Training Advisory Committee.

Since leaving ‘the bush’ I have been continually surprised at the ignorance that still exists about Aboriginal people and their languages. When people chat to me, and it is revealed that I used to work in Aboriginal schools in the Northern Territory, they say things like “Do you speak Aboriginal then?… Maybe you could make a sign for us saying ‘Welcome to our Kindergarten’ in Aboriginal?” I then have to explain that there are many, many different Aboriginal languages, not just one, and to say or write such things in any one of these languages requires a lot more than a mere literal translation. When I began doing research on the topic of writing in Aboriginal languages. I was again surprised at the sorts of comments people made to me. Comments like “How can you do research on writing in Aboriginal languages; I thought the Aborigines didn't even have an alphabet!”