Just So Stories

Allen & Unwin

April 2025

ISBN:9781761181382

Imprint:A & U Children

RRP: $29.99

From Gumbaynggirr Country comes this stunning book featuring art, photographs, memories, anecdotes and Dreaming stories of the beautiful Nambucca Heads in northern NSW.

Giinagay, welcome, I’m Uncle Bud. I’m a Gumbaynggirr man, an Aboriginal Elder from Nambucca Heads. This is my Country.
I want to tell you about this place and about my Elders. I want everyone who comes here to know where they are.
I want them to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors and be part of Yildaan, our Dreaming track.

Before the holidays, I shared this one with Year 2s who were absolutely engaged and interested throughout. They particularly liked the blend of art and photography, which I think was perhaps a novelty approach for them.

Uncle Bud Marshall is a Waambung man of the Baga baga bari on Gumbaynggirr Country. He is a Traditional Custodian plus senior cultural advisor and the Elder in Residence for Yandaarra, an Indigenous-led research collaboration with the University of Newcastle.

Aunty Shaa is an artist and cultural facilitator as well as a story holder. As a Gumbaynggirr woman she  leads Yandaarra, a research collaboration with the University of Newcastle. Her work focuses on Gumbaynggirr Dreaming.

Hannah Smith and Elaine Carmady, both proud Gumbaynggirr women, both have a wide range of skills and knowledge across artistic, practical and knowledge areas with a steadfast approach to preservation and education of traditional ways, stories and Dreaming.

Yandaarra means ‘to shift camp together’ and this colloboration between the creators as well as academics has led to endeavours such as this title, squarely aimed at sharing knowledge and culture.Yandaarra is undertaken in many different ways: story telling, workshops, planting trees, walking and yarning together, sharing food and ore.

It is a beautifully wrought testament to their dedication as well as their wealth of knowledge and story. I am firmly of the belief that your kiddos will enjoy it equally and while I shared it with Year 2, it would sit equally comfortably with readers up to Year 6 as a valuable part of any cross-cultural studies. I give it a full 5 🌊🐟🌊🐟🌊 rating for readers from around 8 years upwards.