This column is dedicated to those who have gone before us, to those present and to those who will follow us.

Wiradjuri culture and mayiny (people) date back to about 60,000 years, but as we get better at dating items and artefacts I truly believe we will go back further in time. What we have lost over the last 250 years is just so sad, but if we are to move forward as Wiradjuri mayiny (people) and a nation, we must rebuild our knowledge for ngaligin-gu gudha (our children) to make sure that ancient culture and language are not left behind.

When you think about Wiradjuri culture, what do you understand about it and our people? Some talk about Wiradjuri as being part of our history, they talk as though it is in our past and is gone, but I still practise our culture, we still yarra ngaligin-gu dhalany (talk our tongue) we still connect to ngurambang (country).

To be able to not just survive but to thrive for 60,000 years is something that wasn’t a fluke or good luck. Wiray (no) it is being able to adapt to climate change, to be able to survive mega fauna, drought, flood and even fire.

Even dhalang (today) I and ngaligin-gu mayiny (our people) still have special ways of engaging and reading ngurambang (country). We mambuwarra (look at the balugan (animals) and they tell us all we need to know.

Last year at our gunyah (home), we had Bula garru (two magpie) make a ngurang (nest) and they had ngumbaay bula bubadyi (three babies) This year the same pair of garru nested and had ngumbaay bula bubadyi (three babies) again but this time the bubadyi garru (baby magpie) had taken to the wing to barranha (fly) at least three weeks earlier than last year. A sign of an early spring.

Also I had seen madhu ganyi (many echidna) on the roadways some months ago, a sure sign that heavy galing (rain) was coming. They were on the murru (road) because they were following the ants that were moving their gunyah (homes) as they had sensed that heavy rain was also heading our way.

Wambuwuny (kangaroo) have also been growing in their numbers, they are balugan (animals) that can regulate their mob’s numbers in accordance to what is happening in our ngurambang (country). Good conditions coming, madha (many) babies, bad conditions, breeding stops.

We can all connect to ngurambang (country). You just have to allow yourself to yalbilinya (learn) yindyamarra (respect) and take time to mambuwarra (look) around.

For more learning go to my community Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WiradjuriMob/