Aunty Rhonda and Jacki Ferro release children’s book Grandfather Emu and How the Kangaroo got her Pouch

An Ipswich Aboriginal elder has teamed up with a friend to release a children’s book with a special message.

Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt.

WHEN addressing a room full of people, Yamatji-Noongar Elder Rhonda Collard-Spratt asked the audience what they knew about Aboriginal people.

The room fell silent.

Moments like this illustrate to Aunty Rhonda the need for more education to ensure the country’s history isn’t forgotten.

The Ipswich storyteller and artist experienced history first-hand when she was stolen from her family as a toddler and forced to grow up among church missions and foster homes.

“It’s a secret history – most white Australians don’t know the true history of this land,” Aunty Rhonda said.

“It’s about accepting what happened in the past and not putting up a wall of resistance.

“We don’t blame people for what happened in the past, we just need people to acknowledge what happened and accept that we still carry traumas from the past.”

Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt.

Now nearly 70 years on, she still sees racism and ignorance reflected in society.

“Even my own grandchildren in Western Australia are being bullied, they’re being called the “house ni**ers”,” she said.

“She’s 13 and doesn’t want to go to school anymore because of that.

“Aboriginal children have the highest suicide rate in the world – racism kills. It sucks.”

Immaculate Heart Catholic Primary School principal Kurt Dutney, Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt, Jacki Ferro, support teacher Kaylene Forrester.

Working with her close friend Jacki Ferro, Aunty Rhonda has released a children’s book exploring the beauty of Australian land and the importance of having a kind heart.

Grandfather Emu and How the Kangaroo got her Pouch is the first of what will be a series of five children’s books telling the stories of Dreamtime.

“We wanted to bring something happy and positive during this depressing time of Covid-19,” Aunty Rhonda said.

She said the story was packed with hope, fun and joy but carried an ancient message.

“The message still applies today, of having a kind heart, not being judgmental and helping anybody in need,” she said.

“We need more kindness and acceptance in this world.”

Jacki Ferro and Aunty Rhonda Collard-Spratt.

The duo began working together in 2013 when they produced Aunty Rhonda’s memoir after meeting through a community event.

They began working on Grandfather Emu during Covid.

“It’s about us working together, which is so important to me,” Aunty Rhonda said.

“It took Jackie to come into my life because, being a stolen generation person, I wouldn’t let any white people into my life or my home.

“But she has been a great inspiration in my life to see there is goodness in everybody, no matter your colour, size, height, sexual preference … We are all human beings.”

Published by Boolarong Press, Grandfather Emu and How the Kangaroo got her Pouch is available for purchase online and from bookstores.

The publisher is donating a portion of the book’s sales to the indigenous Literacy Foundation, which provides books and teaches reading to people across more than 400 remote Aboriginal communities.

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