Live from The Sydney Opera House

1. Welcome to Country by Aunty Barbara Simms

Aunty Barbara Simms-Keeley is a Bidjigal and Gweagal Elder belonging to the La Perouse Aboriginal community. Aunty Barb and her family have unbroken ties to Coastal Sydney which pre-date the arrival of Europeans to this continent.

2. Uncle Dean Kelly Nura Gamarada Smoking Ceremony

Uncle Dean Kelly identifies as a South Coast NSW Saltwater Yuin, Walbunja, Dhoorga Gurandgi cultural man through his father, and Western NSW Freshwater stone country cultural Wailwan, Nypampai Man through his mother and was born in Sydney on Gadigal land in 1967.

3. Gadigal Welcome Dance - Burrundi Theatre for Performing Arts

Burrundi Theatre for Performing Arts is a First Nations performing arts company founded and led by Artistic Director Kerry Johnson, a choreographer, performing artist and producer of Gadigal, Yiradyuri and Yorta Yorta descent, with over 35 years’ experience in the performing arts.

Burrundi Theatre’s experience includes contributions to major cultural events and festivals, including WugulOra Morning Ceremony, Sydney Live and YABUN Festival.

Grounded in culture, community and self-determination, Burrundi Theatre’s work includes the revitalisation of Gadigal stories, song and dance, honouring the continuing cultural legacy of Gadigal people on Gadigal Country. Through performance grounded in cultural knowledge, Burrundi creates opportunities to celebrate, share and carry culture forward for future generations on Gadigal Country.

4. Indigenous Literacy Day Film

Come on an adventure into the Central Desert of Australia, where viewers will learn from Niningka and Chris – 2 children living in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and Nyirripi, NT!

These children will share and showcase their Communities and their unique connections to Country, stories, their languages, and cultures.

You will learn about life on Warlpiri Country in Nyirripi and words in Warlpiri language. And then you’ll be transported to Mpartntwe to learn words in Arrernte with children and Elders.

The film is suitable for all ages and is 15 minutes long.

5. Lucas Proudfoot Performance

Join award winning children’s performer and ILF Ambassador Lucas Proudfoot for a high energy, joy filled performance bringing together music, dance and movement! Your students are guaranteed to be in for lots of laughter, singing and dancing while celebrating Aboriginal culture.

6. Meet Niningka and Chris

Meet the 2 deadly stars of this year’s ILD Film - Niningka and Chris! They are so excited to travel from Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and Nyrripi to Sydney and bring the magic of this year’s film to the Sydney Opera House!

7. My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Book Launch

Meet Miss Daisy and Warakurna Community, the authors and illustrators behind My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country. They are so excited to share to celebrate the launch of their book and teach audiences about the importance of their story and books in language.

8. Dance Performance - Burrundi Theatre for Performing Arts

A second performance by Burrundi Theatre for Performing Arts.

9. Sky Country with Kirsten Banks & Krystal De Napoli

Learn from deadly Astronomers, Kirsten Banks and Krystal De Napoli to learn all about Sky Country! What do you see in the sky? An interactive short session that invites you to see patterns in the sky, learning from First Nations knowledge systems.

10. MINYAN NGABANGKA (what’s in the water?) | DOBBY, Josh Pyke and Redfern Jarjum College

Sing along to MINYAN NGABANGKA (what’s in the water?) with ILF Ambassadors DOBBY, Josh Pyke and the deadly jarjums from Redfern Jarjum College! MINYAN NGABANGKA is this year’s Busking For Change song that primary school students across the country are learning how to sing with words in Murrawarri!

11. Closing Ceremony - Burrundi Theatre for Performing Arts

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Performer Information

Aunty Barbara Simms

Aunty Barbara Simms-Keeley is a Bidjigal and Gweagal Elder belonging to the La Perouse Aboriginal community. Aunty Barb and her family have unbroken ties to Coastal Sydney which pre-date the arrival of Europeans to this continent. Her strong connection to her community is demonstrated by her career at Guriwal Aboriginal Corporation where she provided transport and other support to Elders in the La Perouse area. This service is greatly valued by the local community.

Uncle Dean Kelly

I am Dean Kelly and identify as a South Coast NSW Saltwater Yuin, Walbunja, Dhoorga Gurandgi cultural man through my father, and Western NSW Freshwater stone country cultural Wailwan, Nypampai Man through my mother. I was born in Sydney NSW on Gadigal land in 1967.

I am member of the Botany Bay Aboriginal Community and am also accepted as belonging to the La Perouse Aboriginal Community. I have also served for two terms (4 years) as a Board Member on the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council. I currently remain a member of the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council. As a Cultural Practitioner my true passion and cultural obligation is dedicated to the protection and preservation of Aboriginal cultural heritage. My cultural knowledge has been passed down through my family for countless generations, and I’m told by my Elders to give it away to keep it!

Aunty Calita Murray

Aunty Calita Murray is a respected Aboriginal woman with strong ancestral ties to the Gadigal, Boorooberongal, Kamaygal and Dharawal peoples, and further kinship connections to the Gunai, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wemba Wemba and Dhudhuroa Nations. She is proudly connected to Country, culture and community.

A trained performer, Aunty Calita studied drama at Eora TAFE and the Australian Academy of Dramatic Arts before completing formal dance studies at NAISDA in 1994. She has performed at significant cultural, sporting and community events, and has worked with respected theatre and dance groups across NSW and the ACT.

Alongside raising her five children, Aunty Calita has spent more than 25 years working in education, sharing cultural knowledge through dance, performance and community engagement. She remains committed to honouring the teachings gifted to her and supporting younger generations to stay connected to culture, community and Country.

Burrundi Theatre

Burrundi Theatre for Performing Arts is a First Nations performing arts company founded and led by Artistic Director Kerry Johnson, a choreographer, performing artist and producer of Gadigal, Yiradyuri and Yorta Yorta descent, with over 35 years’ experience in the performing arts.

Burrundi Theatre’s experience includes contributions to major cultural events and festivals, including WugulOra Morning Ceremony, Sydney Live and YABUN Festival.

Grounded in culture, community and self-determination, Burrundi Theatre’s work includes the revitalisation of Gadigal stories, song and dance, honouring the continuing cultural legacy of Gadigal people on Gadigal Country. Through performance grounded in cultural knowledge, Burrundi creates opportunities to celebrate, share and carry culture forward for future generations on Gadigal Country.

Lucas Proudfoot

Lucas Proudfoot is a powerhouse of creativity, inspiring and educating over 100,000 children annually through music, live performances, books, and online. With boundless energy and a passion for storytelling, he blends culture, fun, and learning into every experience. A dynamic performer, Lucas fuses contemporary and traditional sounds with guitar, ‘yidaki’ didgeridoo, and stomp box - delivering engaging, laughter-filled shows for kids and parents alike.

Niningka and Chris

The stars of this years Indigenous Literacy Day Film! Niningka is from Nyirripi, NT and Chris is from Mparntwe (Alice Springs).

Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward, Lizzie and Warakurna Community

Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward is a respected Elder of the Warakurna Community and Ngaanyatjarra people of WA. She has been a cultural and community leader with the Ngaanyatjarra Lands School for many years, a director on the NPY Women’s Council, an advocate against domestic violence, a qualified translator, artist and sought-after storyteller.

The 2026 ILD book, My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country was created in workshops in June 2025 with Miss Daisy and students from Ngaanyatjarra Lands School (Warakurna Campus) who wrote and illustrated this story for their Community to enjoy.

Kirsten Banks

Dr Kirsten Banks is an ILF Ambassador and a lecturer at Swinburne University of Technology, where she develops engaging educational resources in their brand-new facility, Swinburne’s Virtual Universe. When she’s not doing that, you’ll find her sharing her love of space and astronomy through talks, TikToks and plenty of big questions about the Universe.

Krystal De Napoli

Krystal is one of our newest ILF Ambassadors and is devoted to the advocacy of Indigenous knowledge and equity in STEM. Krystal is co-author of Astronomy: Sky Country (2022), winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award People’s Choice Award (2023) and shortlisted for Book of the Year by the Age (2022). Krystal is a dedicated teacher, getting to explore Land, Sea, and Sky Country through her roles at the University of Melbourne, Monash University, and Healesville Sanctuary for Zoos Victoria. Krystal is the host of the weekly radio show Indigenuity on Triple R 102.7FM.

DOBBY

DOBBY is an ILF Ambassador and is a rapper, composer, producer and drummer. He proudly identifies as a Filipino and Aboriginal musician, whose family is from Murrawarri and Ngemba lands. He is a multi-instrumentalist and uses his unique signature ‘drapping’ - rapping and drumming at the same time.

Josh Pyke

Josh Pyke is an ILF Lifetime Ambassador and is one of Australia’s most enduring independent artists — a prolific songwriter whose eight studio albums have all debuted in the ARIA Top 10, earning four ARIA Awards, eleven ARIA nominations, and multiple gold and platinum accreditations. He is also a respected composer for film and television, recognised with an APRA Award for his work in that field.

Redfern Jarjum College

Redfern Jarjum College is a small, independent primary school in the heart of Redfern that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

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