Uncle Stan Grant Snr, from Griffith, received the 2022 NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday night for his lifetime of work reconstructing, revitalising and teaching the Wiradjuri language.

Over more than three decades, Dr Grant has worked with his brother and Dr John Rudder to produce a number of resources, including a dictionary, children's books, song books and university texts.

Dr Grant's work and his recent recognition was praised during Sunday's Wagga NAIDOC Week opening ceremony at Ashmont's Ngurra Hub.

"Everybody's extremely proud," Wiradjuri elder Aunty Judy Johnson said.

"I don't see any of the positive things that we're doing [being recognised] and that's what Stan is doing, positive things. This is a big boost for us."

Aunty Judy holds a Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language from Wagga's CSU campus, a course which exists thanks to the work of Dr Grant.

"When we were growing up, we weren't allowed to speak Wiradjuri, we weren't allowed to know what our culture was," she said.

"It's not just something abstract, now we can look at that word and say, 'that's Wiradjuri'.

"Now it's written down and we can teach it."

Aunty Judy hoped the exposure to Dr Grant's work through this recognition would mean normalising the sharing and learning of languages like Wiradjuri.

Currently studying the graduate certificate is local Wiradjuri man Max Lyons, who also described a strong feeling of pride in seeing Dr Grant receive the honour.

"It was just amazing, I felt tears in my eyes, because he's given so much the last 20 to 30 years," he said.

"He's getting recognised by the greater Aboriginal community, not just locally around here.

"We're just all so ecstatic for him and so proud - the course wouldn't be here without him."

Mr Lyons said the immersive course was about much more than just learning the Wiradjuri language.

"It's not just keeping language, it's keeping the culture that goes along with the language as well alive, and sharing it in a proper way," he said.

"It's not a linguistics course, it's a cultural course."

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Sunday's ceremony was organised by Wagga NAIDOC chairperson Ashleigh Pengelly, who said the event has in the past been held in the city's centre by the council.

"We're bringing it back out to the community this time after COVID," she said.

This year's NAIDOC Week theme is "Get up! Stand up! Show up!"

"The committee likes to sit down and have a think about what our take is on the national theme," Ms Pengelly said.

"And for us, this year, it's really about celebrating our local heroes and our local trailblazers who are out there fighting.

"Everyone was really anticipating and looking forward to [Stan Grant Snr] receiving that award, that acknowledgement, for his lifelong revitalisation of the Wiradjuri language."

Dr Grant's award citation described him as a "warrior of the Wiradjuri people from south-west NSW".

"Through Dr Grant's efforts, Wiradjuri is a living, changing language and people who are here today speaking this language are directly connected to the people who have spoken this language for thousands of years," it said.

Ms Pengelly said every NAIDOC Week event this year was about "celebrating Black excellence".

Wagga NAIDOC Week events include a '3 x 3 NAIDOC Deadly Basketball Gala Day' on Wednesday morning and the Marramarra Aboriginal Markets held at Wagga Showgrounds on Sunday from 12 - 4pm.

Sunday's community launch was attended by several Wiradjuri elders and saw the unveiling of a new piece of Indigenous art for the Ngurra Hub, alongside a morning tea serving up native ingredient snacks like quandong and Davidson plum melting moments and lemon myrtle scones.

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