Students at Liddiard Road Primary School will receive a visit in March from local Australia Post postal manager Monica Bramley and delivery manager Brett Eddy, who will introduce them to Moli det bigibigi (Molly the Pig), authored by Binjari woman Karen Manbulloo and illustrated by the Binjari Buk Mob, and now available in bilingual format in Kriol and English.
The local community appearance and book reading aligns with the start of the United Nations’ Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032) and is part of Australia Post’s ongoing support of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, which has seen more than 190,000 books delivered to children in more than 325 remote Indigenous Communities since 2020.
Australia Post Head of Community Nicky Tracey said she was excited the book, published by partner organisation, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF), will be shared directly with communities across the country and help to introduce children and adults to the joy of Australia’s most widely spoken Aboriginal language today, Kriol.
“Our partnership with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation helps to ensure children across Australia have access to quality books, and more than 40 per cent of these feature Indigenous authors or illustrators,” Tracey said.
Australia Post National Indigenous Manager Barbara Sheehy said she was proud of the way the organisation’s community activities connect more Australians with First Nations culture.
“This joyous and fun book, written by Karen, a proud Binjari woman, and illustrated by the Binjari Buk Mob, complements the overall work we do towards reconciliation by connecting with others through language and storytelling,” Sheehy said.
Bramley, the Postal Manager at Church St Business Centre in Traralgon, said she was looking forward to visiting the school and sharing Moli det bigibigi with her local community. “This is a fabulous opportunity to support the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and build stronger connections with our local community. Liddiard Road Primary School is a school with a strong Koori population among its students so it is particularly special to be able to go and read a beautiful picture book by a First Nations author.”
Bramley will attend Liddiard Road Primary School, 150 Liddiard Rd, Traralgon at 9:00AM on Friday 11 March.
Moli det bigibigi will also be available for $9.99 at participating outlets and online at auspost.com.au/shop from 28 February 2022. Free bookmarks also allow readers to scan a QR code to watch a video of the author reading the story and view an animated version of the Binjari Buk Mob’s illustrations.
For more information on Australia Post’s partnership with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, visit auspost.com.au/literacy, where you can also download kid’s activities, which include a make-your-own Moli mask, a bilingual word search and a Moli-themed memory game.