29 Jun Children from Brewarrina share Aboriginal language through music
A new national music campaign will see students across Australia learn and perform a song co-written by children from Brewarrina, helping celebrate Aboriginal language, culture and storytelling.
Children from the remote New South Wales town of Brewarrina are helping thousands of students across Australia connect with Aboriginal language through music.
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s 2026 Busking For Change campaign will feature a new song, MINYAN NGABANGKA (What’s in the Water), co-written by children from Brewarrina, ILF Ambassador and First Nations artist DOBBY, and First Nations artist Kelsey Iris.
The song includes Murrawarri language and draws on Brewarrina’s deep connection to the Baawan/Bama River. Its title, MINYAN NGABANGKA, translates as What’s in the Water, with Minyan meaning “what” and Ngabangka meaning “in the water”.
In 2026, schools, early learning centres, workplaces and community groups across Australia will be invited to learn and perform the song while raising funds to help children in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities access books in language.
A song shaped by children, Elders and Country
The project was developed with local children, Elders and Knowledge Holders, including Aunty Missy, to ensure Brewarrina’s language, culture and stories remained at the centre of the song.
For DOBBY, whose family connections are in Brewarrina and Weilmoringle, the project is especially meaningful.
“It’s a great honour to host Busking For Change 2026 in Brewarrina,” DOBBY said. “I hope all the schools around Australia enjoy and sing along with us to MINYAN NGABANGKA – What’s in the Water.”
Kelsey Iris said the song’s title was inspired by the talent and energy of Brewarrina’s young people.
“The song is MINYAN NGABANGKA because this Community and these kids are so deadly we were like, ‘What’s in the water?’” she said. “And then it’s all connected. Our water is life.”
Why language matters for children
For children, language is more than words. It carries stories, identity, family connections and cultural knowledge.
Kelsey said Aboriginal languages must be part of conversations about literacy.
“We know that literacy is a really fundamental and important part of all of our lives, especially for children. Language has to be a part of that,” she said.
Busking For Change gives students a way to learn through singing, movement and shared performance. It also gives teachers a practical way to introduce First Nations language and culture in the classroom, with a focus on respect, community and connection.
Brewarrina’s rich cultural story
Brewarrina, in north-west New South Wales, is home to the Ngemba people and is known for Baiame’s Ngunnhu, or the Brewarrina Fish Traps, an ancient system of stone-walled fish traps on the Barwon River.
The new song draws on that strong relationship with water, place and story, allowing Brewarrina’s young people to share something of their Community with children across the country.
How schools can get involved
Busking For Change began as a fundraising idea by ILF Lifetime Ambassador Josh Pyke and has grown into a national school music and literacy campaign.
Now in its fourth year, the 2026 program aims to recruit 100 schools and raise funds to deliver culturally relevant books to remote Communities around Australia.
ILF Lifetime Ambassador Justine Clarke said music is a powerful way for children to learn.
“When children learn through singing, they build confidence, creativity and a deeper connection to the stories and languages they are sharing,” she said.
Schools, early learning centres, workplaces and community groups can register for Busking For Change 2026 at:
www.buskingforchange.org.au
Teachers and librarians can also explore the ILF Education Hub for classroom resources, a 2026 education calendar and other ways to celebrate First Nations stories:
www.ilf.org.au/education
